playing with thumb over the neck!

I wish I had the option LOL

Well this is my first post, so I hope I get it right. I started learning about 5-months ago, although I have had a guitar for 30 odd years and sort of picked it up occassionally. I just didn't know what to do, even though I brought a starter book. Then I found this site and it has made all the difference. I also have just finished a term of lessons, which I was inspired to do (thanks David).

On the question of the thumb I am totally confused. I asked my teacher about this and he said to do what was comfortable, so I found resting the neck in the web of my hand with the thumb basically resting on the top was the go. This has worked OK, but I do have to be careful not to muffle high E with my palm. I can even play F#m chord this way, although it is not as clean as it could be. I am now try to learn F chord and I find that I really have to have my thumb on the back of the neck to do this. This means I have to adjust my hand from one style to the other on each change. This is bound to interupt the flow as I want to get faster.

So.. Rather than go on developing bad habits and risk sore joints and such, what do I do? Do I redevelop my technique so that my thumb is normally on the back of the neck?

By the way, I play (well try to) an electric guitar and like to play songs like Country Roads and Dylan's If not for you (palm muting - not sliding).

Life really is too short

Keith

I am now try to learn F chord and I find that I really have to have my thumb on the back of the neck to do this. This means I have to adjust my hand from one style to the other on each change. This is bound to interupt the flow as I want to get faster.
To play an F chord Hendrix style with the thumb over the neck do this-

1x321x

The great thing about this is now your pinky is free to move around and play with the chord. You can move your thumb away and play with an open a and open low e. So much more flexibility. And did I mention it's a lot easier to slide this way?

Thanks Kevin. You obviously have a lot more flexibility than me. When playing the chord with this pattern, even though it has all the right notes, it just sounds out of whack to me. Anyway, there are a thousand ways to skin a cat in guitar playing so I am finding, and obviously that is why people play the same songs with the same chords entirely differently.

I am finding that if I stop stressing about it and just let it happen, I can actually get from one chord to the other with different thumb styles without too much grief.

Anyway, there are a thousand ways to skin a cat in guitar playing so I am finding, and obviously that is why people play the same songs with the same chords entirely differently.

Why would you want to skin a cat ?? :shock:

Lol, kidding apart, your point about people playing the same song in different ways is absolutely right. That's what makes guitar such a versatile instrument in the hands which know what to do with the strings. Hence, don't be afraid to do a 'your' version of a song with the same chords others are playing.

Play On !

(yeah, sing a song bro...)
If the sun refused to shine
I dont mind, I dont mind
(yeah)
If the mountains ah, fell in the sea
Let it be, it aint me.
(well, all right)

Got my own world to live through and uh, ha !
And I aint gonna copy you.

Yeah (sing the song brother...)
Now if uh, six uh, huh, turned out to be nine
Oh I dont mind, I dont mind uh ( well all right... )
If all the hippies cut off all their hair
Oh I dont care, oh I dont care.
Dig.

cause Ive got my own world to live through and uh, huh
And I aint gonna copy you.

White collar conservative flashin down the street
Pointin their plastic finger at me, ha !
Theyre hopin soon my kind will drop and die but uh
Im gonna wave my freak flag high, high !
Oww !

Wave on, wave on...

Ah, ha, ha
Fall mountains, just dont fall on me
Go ahead on mister business man, you cant dress like me
Yeah !

Dont nobody know what Im talkin about
Ive got my own life to live
Im the one thats gonna die when its time for me to die
So let me live my life the way I want to
Yeah, sing on brother, play on drummer