In my book and on some sites, they say to put your thumb behind the neck of the guitar. Then I watched some video lessons and people are playing with their thumb above the neck and sometimes even touching strings with it (maybe to mute?).
Anyways, which way is better to learn? I always put it above because it is more comfortable, but I have only been playing for less than a week.
iride, different players feel differently about this. Theres a big discussion every 6 months or so on this forum about it. I think we always come to the conclusion that do whatever feels comfortable for you.
Most players do both posistions, switching constantly while playing. Don't pay much attention to it, just do whatever feels right.
you use both, some things require you to put it behind and others to put it above. if you were fretting a chord that has a finger on a string on four different frets, you would probably put it behind. if you were fretting a single string you would probably have it above.
If you need to make any kind of a reach or move around then you probably want it behind. If you're bending you'll need it over.
Thumb position is really about two things (ok, three):
Support - as noted, when you're doing big bends, having the thumb over the top of the neck a bit lets you use your hand muscles to 'squeeze' the strings instead of 'push' them. Much easier.
Fretting - some playing styles use the thumb to fret E string notes. There are more than a few players who mute the 6th string with their thumb... but you technique will be better if you work on pick control instead of simply strumming all six strings for everything.
Wrist position - this one's often overlooked in thumb discussions. To get maximum reach/flexibility/speed, your wrist should be pretty close to a straight line from your elbow to the knuckles at the base of your fingers. If you look at guitarists who had huge hands, like Jimi, they could keep that straight wrist even while wrapping the thumb over the neck:
If you find you're cocking your wrist at odd angles instead, something's wrong. You're putting strain on your wrist and limiting your reach - you'll need to adjust one or more of: thumb position, elbow position, neck angle, shoulder angle, or guitar body orientation to straighten things out. You won't get great reach or speed from extreme positions either way, like these:
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i agree, that it all comes down to personal preference, whatever you are comfortable with. obviously your not going to reach your thumb over playing the G chord because its pretty much impossible unless you have huge hands. Chords i reach my thumb over for are chords like D, C, Am, chords like that. but i think it comes down to personal preference.
I have a question sort of related to this thread. I tend to find that my thumb does wander between the top of the neck and behind. However, when it does end up on the top of the neck, I notice because the fleshy part of my pinky and ring finger sometimes interferes with the high e string, causing it to mute or buzz, as my hand curves around the neck and supports the guitar. Is this a phenomenon easily fixed with a strap? I don't stand when I play. Maybe my positioning is wrong?
Ever notice that the world "listen" contains the same letters as "silent"?
The best way to learn is to place your thumb behind the neck with the length of the thumb running the vertically along the middle of the back of hte neck.
There are times when the best technique involves moving the thumb from that position, but you need to learn how and when to do that AFTER you learn the basic way of holding the guitar.
Think of it like martial arts. When you start almost any martial art, you'll learn that you should stand with your feet wide apart for balance and to have a low center of gravity. But as you advance, you'll soon learn that there are techniques that require more narrow stances. That doesn't mean the things you learned as a white belt are wrong.
It's the difference between doing something intentionally because it's the best technique for the musical challenge in front of you, and doing it because you don't know what you should be doing. If that makes sense.
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
The best way to learn is to place your thumb behind the neck with the length of the thumb running the vertically along the middle of the back of hte neck.
I remember my teacher saying not to do this, and whenever I would, he'd say "what, are you playing a cello now?"
