Proper seat and my back

...I look cool too... :D

Guitars are great..heh??

Ahahahahahaha :lol:

Good luck with a new chair - but don't forget that the work of sitting properly is still down to the sitter. And, as Dogbite sagely advises, a bit of general and middle body fitness helps too. :)

Cheers,

Chris

Thanks Chris...

Yes, posture is everything. I find that part of the problem is hunching forward. I do that at my desk at work. It's bad enough doing that just sitting at a desk, but when you are holding, or straining to hold, a guitar, you call all kinds of small muscles into play.

The irony is that I get hurt at home more than I do in the gym. I've deadlifted 345 lbs and squatted 315 lbs for reps, but yet I injure my intercostals trying to squeeze under the kitchen sink to do a plumbing job. :roll: My sports chiro just shakes his head.

Ikea has some $49 chairs that are hard plastic, you can get them with a fixed base or a rolling one. I find them perfect for guitar as they force me to use somewhat correct posture.

I also got an office chair without arms, because I end up being lazy half the time and playing at the desk and at least it doesn't kill me completely.

Also, a lighter guitar might help if you have more than one. My Strat gives me back pain if I use it in a slouch with the strap holding it up, but my mahogany PRS Mira usually doesn't cause any trouble. (The acoustic doesn't cause trouble either, because I can't help but rest it on my knee properly...)

This great... the chair tips are coming aplenty. :D

My Jackson electric is fairly heavy; even the 12 string acoustic is lighter, if not bigger. It was the Jackson that was giving me a run for my money with my back. The Jackson doesn't weigh a ton, but it's got some weight. I am also making bad habits by slouching over it. Not only that, when I slouch over it is when it kills my back. Time to refocus. I'm may go chair-shopping this weekend. Besides GC I have a few local music shops, about 3 or 4.

Good luck with the shopping. :)

I was talking to a friend last night who has played classical guitar very well for many years, and he told me an interesting story about posture and aches and pain. This is a guy who was classically trained at a Conservatory and played at a high standard. Classical players are very hot on correct posture and relaxation etc so he was apparently doing all the right things, including using a foot rest to raise one foot, yet he still had some problems with comfort. He tried various gadgets that attach to a leg and support the guitar in some way, and some were better than others, although he never seemed to feel 100% 'right'.

He was also pretty fit at the time, and doing triathlons. He eventually bought himself a super-duper lightweight racing bike with the steering that allows you to get into a posture with your forearms lying along the specially shaped bars, etc. Everything was set up and sized according to his height, by the pro at the shop. But when he tried it out it the ratios weren't quite right. Apparently the guy who set the bikes up apologised for not picking it before, but said that some people have a different ratio of leg to body length to others, and their setup needs to be different to cater for that. So my friend asked him what he thought about the guitar issue, and was advised to just move the footrest a bit further away from his body , to create a small difference in leg angle.

He tried the suggestion and it was spectacularly successful, and the problems he'd been having with playing longish sets all disappeared. He was most amused that, despite being right in the middle of a musical culture that was positively anal about 'correct posture' he'd actually been given the answer he needed by a bicycle mechanic!

So, if you have a slightly 'non standard' body shape it may be that you need a small postural difference too? Anyway, all the best with the shopping - a new chair, plus having all this extra focus on the issue may be all you need to prompt you to make the needed change.

However, if you can lift that much weight, I won't argue if you disagree...... :mrgreen:

Cheers,

Chris

Good luck with the shopping. :)

I was talking to a friend last night who has played classical guitar very well for many years, and he told me an interesting story about posture and aches and pain. This is a guy who was classically trained at a Conservatory and played at a high standard. Classical players are very hot on correct posture and relaxation etc so he was apparently doing all the right things, including using a foot rest to raise one foot, yet he still had some problems with comfort. He tried various gadgets that attach to a leg and support the guitar in some way, and some were better than others, although he never seemed to feel 100% 'right'.

He was also pretty fit at the time, and doing triathlons. He eventually bought himself a super-duper lightweight racing bike with the steering that allows you to get into a posture with your forearms lying along the specially shaped bars, etc. Everything was set up and sized according to his height, by the pro at the shop. But when he tried it out it the ratios weren't quite right. Apparently the guy who set the bikes up apologised for not picking it before, but said that some people have a different ratio of leg to body length to others, and their setup needs to be different to cater for that. So my friend asked him what he thought about the guitar issue, and was advised to just move the footrest a bit further away from his body , to create a small difference in leg angle.

He tried the suggestion and it was spectacularly successful, and the problems he'd been having with playing longish sets all disappeared. He was most amused that, despite being right in the middle of a musical culture that was positively anal about 'correct posture' he'd actually been given the answer he needed by a bicycle mechanic!

So, if you have a slightly 'non standard' body shape it may be that you need a small postural difference too? Anyway, all the best with the shopping - a new chair, plus having all this extra focus on the issue may be all you need to prompt you to make the needed change.

However, if you can lift that much weight, I won't argue if you disagree...... :mrgreen:

Cheers,

Chris

Thanks. :)

Well, not being one to sit still, I got out today and found my seat. I went to Drummer's Alley aka Atlantic Drums in Red Bank (some people may know where that is). I got a Gibraltar 6608, if that means anything. It came to $75 & change. I talked to the guy for a while, told him I want it for guitar. He said "hey, that's a good idea" and that my chair was a problem. He set the height that we thought would be comfortable, and said I would still find my own comfort zone.

I just tried it out with the electric, and I gotta tell you, big difference. It's almost like standing up, the way the guitar balanced. I use a strap even sitting down, which he agreed with. So far, so good.

Yes, fit is everything. I mountain bike, and it's really important to get a good fit. Unfortunately I always have to compromise in some area being the height I am. My bike frames are usually always ~1" higher than is perfect for me. :roll:

But no worries about arguing with me and the weights I heave... I'm a big moosh. :lol:

awesome man. so glad you found something.
I too have the guitar strap attached when sitting.
one time I slung it on and it felt great. it helped in some way.
and, when the door bell rang and I quickly stood up (bird at the door)
the guitar didn't fall off me lap.

Hmmm....been following this with interest. I too use an office chair, with arms - but never had any problems with posture, or holding a guitar. I'm 51 years old, 6'5" tall, skinny and about as out of condition as it's possible to be without being a re-animated corpse. 315lbs? I couldn't even bench-press a beer bottle unless I drained it first - smoke too much, drink too much, and the only exercise I get is walking to the off-license (liquor store, for non-Brits) or typing.

Bad posture? Very possibly. I've recently been diagnosed with a badly mis-aligned vertebra - probably because of bad posture. So I've had to change the habit of a lifetime and sit up straight...and guess what, it actually works! I couldn't sit on a hard chair and play - never been able to get comfortable. Back's not as painful - my doctor recommended a cushion under the base of my spine, I've actually been using a soft pillow. Seems to work.

Bad posture's an easy habit to fall into, though, and a hell of a hard one to break. Took me a while to get used to sitting up straight - panicked a bit at first 'cause I couldn't see my fretboard. Like a kid learning to swim with waterwings, though - once you take them off you wonder why you ever needed them.

So, all the best with the new chair - don't think I'll need one though, this one's sort of moulded to me and adjusted to my shape.

:D :D :D

Vic

Thanks Vic. Hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it... if your chair works, leave it alone! I just spent almost 2 hours on the darn thing, electric guitar hanging off my shoulder, and the only soreness I feel is from the gym this morning. I'm pretty pleased. I've found that posture is a big part, now. If I catch myself leaning forward a bit, I pick up my head and straighten up. It helps. And boy do I hear you about not seeing the fretboard. I think sitting upright will help with feeling where my fingers should go. I was getting a little sloppy lately and whining about mental blocks, and flubbing and what-not. Well guess what? It was all bad position. I actually felt like a guitarist tonight (I still suck, but hey... :lol: ).

I actually felt like a guitarist tonight

That's the first step to becoming a guitarist! As our good friend Cat says, play what you feel, feel what you play - that's the second step. The third step is BELIEVING you're a guitarist....once you've got that self-confidence, and it'll grow stronger with every new song/lick/riff/solo you learn, you're almost there. After that it's all about gradual improvement - well it is all along, really. But once you start believing you can play, you WILL get better! You've taken the first step into a larger universe - may the force be with you!

Repeat after me - there's no such word as "can't" - there's no such word as "can't" - there's no such word as "can't" - there's no such word........

:D :D :D

Vic

I guess I also have to stop saying "practice" and use the word "play". You practice your playing? :lol:

I guess I also have to stop saying "practice" and use the word "play". You practice your playing? :lol:

I don't practise - I play songs. Songs I like by famous and not-so-famous bands, and songs I've written myself. I don't practise solos - I learn them, then adapt them to my style. My own songs, the solos don't change much - other songs, they do vary from day to day. These days, as I'm getting better, they vary deliberately rather than as a result of making mistakes....

Seriously, I don't think I've ever practised a scale in my life - although there's a chance I may have played one, probably an obscure one, while playing a solo. I play mostly rhythm guitar, so 99% of the time I'll be practising chords anyway - but I'll always be looking for a different voicing of a familiar chord, just to mix things up.

I play songs because, at the end of the day, that's what music's all about for me - if someone asks me what do I know, I'll ask "who are you into" and pray that I know at least one song by said artist/band - can't have too many songs in your repertoire!

And if all else fails, I'll play either a Beatles song - most people know at least one of theirs - or one of mine - which no-one will know!

:D :D :D

Vic

Seriously, I don't think I've ever practised a scale in my life - although there's a chance I may have played one, probably an obscure one, while playing a solo. I play mostly rhythm guitar, so 99% of the time I'll be practising chords anyway - but I'll always be looking for a different voicing of a familiar chord, just to mix things up.

That's pretty much me too. I've dabbled with pentatonic scales because "you have to", but like you, I am a rhythm guy. Always have been right from the beginning. I just prefer it. I'd love to learn bass, and maybe even a cursory exposure to drums. Just because.

I've tried different chord voicings too! Shyly and tentatively I must admit. I'm not handy with barre chords yet, but I'm doing them a little more and more at a time. I really would like to use them more. Just because. And I just discovered power chords in Rock Guitar for Dummies. They wouldn't be the mainstay of my playing by any means, but now I understand them. They are yet another tool. :)
I play songs because, at the end of the day, that's what music's all about for me - if someone asks me what do I know, I'll ask "who are you into" and pray that I know at least one song by said artist/band - can't have too many songs in your repertoire!

And if all else fails, I'll play either a Beatles song - most people know at least one of theirs - or one of mine - which no-one will know!

Haha same here. My songbook is up to over 80, and growing bit by bit. I have two 3-ring binders A-M & N-Z. And that doesn't include the published books. Those are just tabs and sheets. I think of a song and say "hey, let me see if there's a tab that's reasonably non-sucky". I'm dreading the day when someone says "ooh! can you play Gallows Pole?" and I say with a blank look "uh no, but I can play These Boot Are Made For Walking" (yes in my songbook... great bassline and rhythm). :lol: