Playing Standing (I'm a shocker !)

I also find playing standing up to be more difficult, so I think what you are going through is quite normal. You really need to experiment with different lengths of your guitar strap and angles to find something that you are comfortable with. Personnally, I find that having the guitar high is much better for stability.

Rex

I wear mine relatively low, but I angle the neck up so it's closer to my head. I find it more comfortable standing up, because I can move around and just jam out. it's prolly "easier" to play with the guitar slung high, but most people think it's cooler down low. However is the most comfortable is the way you want it. just keep practicin

You have to experiment and find what works best for you when it comes to were you have your guitar when playing. For playing either standing and sitting its really a matter of doing both. After you've been playing for awhile you'll be to play both ways without any problems. I once knew a guitarist that spent his whole time sitting playing into his computer. Then he decided to join a band and had a real hard time trying to play standing up. It got to the point the band told him see ya. he was an excellent guitar when setting. Because it was taking to much from the bands rehearsal time having to start a song over just let him set down to play in the middle of a song.

What I'm saying is to try different things out don't get into a bad routine. Set for awhile, stand for awhile, play with your guitar high, then move it lower. Variety is the spice of live.

Joe

I also go through this problem. I find it harder to play standing because this way you have to struggle with your fretting hand not only trying to hold down the correct notes but trying to hold the neck of the guitar up at an angle as well. This changes the angle of your strumming hand as well and you now have to strum in a slightly different direction than if you were sitting down.

Youll get used to it eventually. Just do it and you will learn to do it well. Play standing a lot. Whenever I feel like having a bunch of fun I will stand up and jump around while playing. Its fun.

I generally play my electric while standing and my acoustic while sitting, although I've never had a problem switching between the two. I've always strung my guitar so it's in approximately the same position standing as it is sitting.

You'll end up compromising on position. When I started out, I followed the standard advice, and I adjusted the strap so the guitar was in the same position relative to my body whether I was standing or seated. Still, the positions are different, as you've found. Over the years, I've adapted a bit... when I play standing, the guitar is lower than when I sit, but the neck angle is steeper. When I sit, the neck makes a larger angle out from my body. That makes the wrist positions roughly the same, but not identical - it allows me to keep the same 'line' from elbow to hand, but it's rotated (hard to explain - easier to demonstrate).

One of the advantages of seated playing is easier adjustment of the guitar position. If I'm playing high register, 14th fret and above, the neck comes closer to my body, and takes a higher angle. When I play standing, the only position adjustment I do is to drop my left shoulder - towards the neck - if I'm doing a lot of boogie type work on low strings, where I'd strain muscles with the dropped wrist if I didn't do something. If what I'm playing won't force me to drop the wrist, I stand with squared shoulders, just as if I'm seated.

I always practice seated, no matter what guitar I'm using. When I perform on acoustic, I'm usually seated - I bring my own barstool just in case... my Martin doesn't even have an end pin, so if I'm using that one, standing is out of the quesiton :) On electric I'm always standing. On classical, I'm seated, of course, but I always use the 'classic' position - left leg over right. I've never gotten used to footstands - they give me trouble that's probably identical to what you're experiencing... it's different, and therefore awkward.

NB, I was about to say that. I find myself letting my strap out longer when I play standing. It's just more comfortable and gives me better playing angles. It's somthing a guitarist just needs to experiment with to get the results he wants.

I saw an ad for a different style of strap recently, let me see if I can pull it back from the depths of my fried synapses.

I played forever sitting. Then when I was playing with some other guys and knew we would eventually be performing, I knew I'd need to stand. So after two years of sitting, I made the transition to standing. Now, I'd tried that before and had had exactly the experience you describe. But when I went for it the second time -- many many months later -- it was an easy transition. In fact, I now think it is far easier to play standing. Unlike Noteboat, I find I have more control over the guitar and position and find it easier to fret difficult chords when standing.

I think the transition was simple the second time because I had played long enough I was comfortable playing. If you're finding the transition frustrating now, maybe you should wait a few more months and then try. In the end, I think you'll come to prefer playing standing, but you may not be ready to switch yet. Wait until you no longer feel like you need to look at the fretboard so often when you're playing and until chords and changes seem like they've become very natural. That was the key for me in making the change. I rarely sit when I play now.

I'm still searching for my comfort zone in standing and sitting positions. Depending on what frets I'm pressing either position can be hard. Some of it is my learning going on and some of it is trying to find that compromise position. But I try to practice both sitting and standing anymore.

Denis

I had the same problem when I first started playing and I just couldn't feel comfortable or play standing up.

The biggest problem for me was the guitar I was using. I had an Epiphone SG copy and they are notorious for being top heavy so everytime you stand with the guitar it does a nose divetowards the floor. So I had to use all of my concentration to just hold onto the guitar.

Then I bought a Strat and the difference is like night and day. The guitar is well balanced so when you let go it stays in the same position. I don't find myself fighting the guitar all the time.

With that said it still was a different experience standing vs sitting and I probably still feel alittle more comfortable sitting but like Izzy mentioned it's always fun to just stand up and wail away/jump around whatever.

Keep practicing standing up and like everything else you'll get used to it.

There ain't no law about standing while playing live...

Drummers and keyboardists tend to sit...

"Skunk" Baxter (Doobie Bors, Steely Dan) always had a bar stool on stage...

In an orchestra, only the conductor stands. Oh and the drummer (tympanist) - go figure.

It's really the singing that suffers when you sit, you can't get the lung power going properly.

-Laz

You know,I'm going through this right now myself, as I'm practicing for the guitar choir. Since I started six months ago, I pretty much played exclusively sitting down. I was almost always at home playing alone. Now with the guitar choir these guys always play standing. I'm going to have to stand and play if I'm goimg to make it. So now I practice mostly standing so I can get used to it.

One thing I discovered, and I use this on difficult parts of songs that I'm still learning, is I stay standing but I put my right foot up onto the seat of my chair and then rest the body of the guitar on my leg. That's kind of a compromise between sitting and standing. Being able to rest the guitar on my leg gives it some more stability. Like I say, I use this on difficult parts- once I learn the part that way then I'll try it in a full standing position.

But, the prop the foot on the chair trick might be a good way to transition from sitting to standing, if it's too much trouble to play fuly standing at first. just a thought.