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correct hand position

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(@nolongerme)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 475
Topic starter  

what is the correct hand position on the back of the neck? do you use your thumb or can the neck sit in the palm of your hand?


   
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 Nils
(@nils)
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Joined: 20 years ago
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There is a lot of thoughts on this one but the most popular is to have the thumb somewhere around the middle of the back of the neck.

And, probably the only time to have the palm against the neck is if you are reaching over the top with the thumb to fret or mute the low E.

Other than that the palm on the neck will slow you down a lot and pull your finger out of line with the strings and you definitely don't want your fingers at an angle on the strings. Try to keep your fingers at a right angle (perpendicular) to the strings and you thumb will probably end up where it should be.

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(@nolongerme)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 475
Topic starter  

thanks alot
i'll try to keep my palm off the bak of the neck


   
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(@anonymous)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 8184
 

IMO it depends on how big your hands are.
if you have huge hands having the thumb centered may be a henderance.
Myself, I pay absolutely no attention to where my thumb is. It goes where it wants and has not caused me any problems.


   
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(@nolongerme)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 475
Topic starter  

yeah i have big hands, i can easily palm a basketball with no problems


   
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 Nils
(@nils)
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IMO it depends on how big your hands are.
if you have huge hands having the thumb centered may be a henderance.
Myself, I pay absolutely no attention to where my thumb is. It goes where it wants and has not caused me any problems.
I agree with you. My major point was that get the fingers right and the thumb will find a home. I don't have large hands and I still can't keep my thumb in the middle of the neck. I also don't think it is good to have the palm on the neck all the time.

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(@mr_clean001)
Estimable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 88
 

Granted - I am new to this whole thing, so that being said, I try and keep my thimb in the center of the neck......sometimes when I am not paying attention it goes elsewhere....but for the most part I think about thumb position each time I fret a chord. Like I said, stillnew at this so want to get accurate first, then go from there.

"Practice until you get a guitar welt on your chest...if it makes you
feel good, don't stop until you see the blood from your fingers.
Then you'll know you're on to something!"
- Ted Nugent


   
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(@paul-donnelly)
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Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 1066
 

Even if you don't put your thumb on the back of the neck you should never put your palm on it. That makes your fingers have to reach too far in and slows you down when your hand moves.


   
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(@chris-c)
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It seems to depend on what style you play.

Classically trained players are apparently taught not to have the thumb sticking up alongside the neck, but to always have it under the neck. Where exactly under the neck seems to depend on what the fingers on the frets above are doing at the time.

However, rock guitarists seem to largely ignore this.

Some months ago I was being nagged incessantly by a classically trained friend of mine to put my thumb behind the neck. So I looked through some of my "learn to play" books. These are the sort of books that have short, boring old out-of-copyright songs that were written about 100 years ago. But to keep the newbie happy they have an old pic of Clapton or Dylan or someone on every other page.

And guess what? They all had their thumb sticking up alongside the neck. :twisted: That shut my friend up for a while. :D

Apparently it helps when you're doing bends. But it's also just comfortable that way.

As Paul says, keep your palm off the neck as much as possible, but I wouldn't sweat about your thumb too much. I've come to the conclusion that ideally you should be able to do both. There will certainly be occasions when playing with the thumb behind the neck is more or less essential, but I don't think that means you need to do it all the time.

I tend to look at all the reasons, try out all the methods, and then make my own choice. But it should be an informed choice and not just "whatever's easiest"!

Segovia would have a fit if he could see B.B. King or most of todays rock guitarist play. But that doesn't make Segovia right and the rest wrong. Just different. 8) 8)


   
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 Taso
(@taso)
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As missleman said: The thumb posistion takes care of itself. This shouldn't be a concern at all. It'll go where it needs to.

The palm, as everyone has said, is a problem. You definitly don't want that sucker on the neck.

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(@chris-c)
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Joined: 19 years ago
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Aha! I just found the page I was looking for...

Check this out:

Jamie Andreas on thumb position

Jamie has written 30 or more articles here and also has her own site with many good pics, and articles. She's very classically inclined but still manages to be open minded and informative about Rock styles.

She reckons you need both, depending on what you do. :D

(Whoops. :oops: Apparently Jamie is female and I'd made her male. Misread the pics on the site....)


   
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(@dogbite)
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when making barre chords the thumb can give you leverage if it is behind the neck and the thumb is pointing towards the headstock.

with open chords the thumb will naturally lay behind the neck somewhat pointing upwards and forwards.

I too throw my thumb over the top of the neck for chords. Ive done it so long it's very comfortable. but when barre chording my thumb is behind the neck.
the palm is naturally arched away from the neck. too much palm and you'll stick.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=644552
http://www.soundclick.com/couleerockinvaders


   
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(@thectrain)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 126
 

Definitly learn to play with the thumb over the neck and the thumb behind the neck. When your doing bends its almost a necessity to have the thumb over the top so you have control and can do a vibrato. But when I break into a fast run i like to have my thumb behind cause its gives me a little more accuracy and speed.


   
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