Guitar Thumb Position - Justin Guitar - Guitar Lesson [QA-001]

Starting this new Guitar Q&A series with the eternal question: Where and How To Put Your Thumb On The Guitar Neck?
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[@onetimegamer9457]

Thank the lord for someone like this man. Hate the people who say if you dont have it in a certain position you're not playing right. Play the way you feel comfortable like dont make it difficult.

[@user-vv1do1wg1j]

Jimmy hendrix played a right handed guitar, upside down and left handed, his fingerstyle was considered inccorect. Don't let anyone tell you what is correct or not play your own way.

[@onetimegamer9457]

@@user-vv1do1wg1j I know I was saying that its whatever feels best for the player. Thanks for understanding me😊👍

[@theocurtis02]

There's some truth to that but there are methods that are objectively better depending on what style of music you play. Thumb over neck is great if you want to play Hendrix and SRV but try shredding like that and you'll have problems

[@alexisdonn]

YES THIS

[@MrBritishGent]

Whole-heartedly agree. Some of my downest down days about learning this instrument were due to believing my thumb position was wrong, but the 'correct' way was far too uncomfortable.

[@coronelsakura2841]

I feel comfortably thumb, right now!

[@TheAnalyticalObservers]

So we doin the whole dad joke cringe fest thing now?

[@Chizuru94]

@@TheAnalyticalObservers No, but 5 years ago, yes, apparently.

[@eimanhaiqal]

@@Chizuru94 5 years ago no one judge anybody

[@Raunchy133]

@@eimanhaiqalthis aged nicely

[@keefebaby]

Cheers Justin been trying to keep my thumb behind my middle finger and my hand was killing me, will just let it go wherever it wants from now on

[@trade0714]

For beginners (like me) who are being told different things by different teachers, Justin's advice is GOLD. We are all physically different. "You put your thumb where it feels comfortable and it's effective for the thing you're playing". There is no set position. Depending on what you're playing, your thumb is going to move around into different positions. Justin: "Don't worry about it". "If it feels like the wrong position then change ... if it doesn't feel wrong, then don't". "We want our wrist to be as flat as possible". This is the best advice I've found, and am done searching!

[@QHarefield]

That was good - and very helpful. Thank you. I am fairly new to guitar and, at age 70, my fingers do not want to play ball (or guitar!) but you have encouraged me that thumb position is not a rigidly fixed rule.

[@ianspencer3551]

I know exactly how you feel 👍

[@omega9120]

Gotta love Justin's stuff. Started to feel conscious about where my thumb was going, 2 minutes later find he's got a video addressing that. Top guy!

[@danjohnson7139]

been playing for 20 years and this is the best advice on thumb placement I've seen. Great work

[@fredymendez855]

If my thumb is completely vertical like all the courses I took told me too my hands would kill me !!!! I would get more tired easily. So I been playing it slightly slanted and you confirmed it’s A-ok

[@Balin_James]

i'm an intermediate/intermediate-advanced player, and i actually found this really helpful! i never really thought of the way i position my thumb but now that i think about it, i need to work on it when playing scales and such. thanks, Justin!

[@fishypaw]

So, the rule of thumb is ... there is no rule.

[@macthemusicguy3867]

Lmaooo !

[@xZest1]

Lol this comment made my day!... Here's a Two *"Thumbs Up" for you brother!...

[@murray8378]

We’ll make sure it doesn’t wander too high. I’ve seen beginners with long fingers play with the thumb running up the neck. When they put the capo on for the first time, they see the problem with this.

[@Rigler01]

Searched out exactly this kind of article, as a total guitar novice struggling to pick up these weird and wonderful chords, to cleanly reach the notes sometimes, and noticing my thumb naturally wants to go right up the neck! Great to be reassured that of course there's no single answer but I definitely have beginner problems with my technique .. I think i'll be going back to this article time and again, thanks Justin :)

[@ZaneofAustin]

"beware the right angle" is the best tip ever. my wrist thanks you.

[@ErickTiki]

THANK YOU THANK YOU......Ive had so many people tell me that my thumb placement is wrong but, as a beginner I find the way I place my thumb comfortable for my hand and thus enjoy my practice time much more. Like you said, "if it feels comfortable then keep doing it" and that is what Im going to do....thank you again!!!!

[@johnghadimi]

First off, thank you soooo much for shooting the video from the POV of the thumb!! This was a perfect demonstration. As a beginner, I'm starting to be very conscious of the comfort of my wrist and this enforced it for me: keep it comfortable and not put your wrist in these precarious positions. :)

[@lamontprospect9974]

Very nice job Justin. You demonstrated several different situations and how the thumb can change positions depending on what you're trying to play. The information about looking at other guitarists and trying to emulate them was really helpful. Everybody's hand size is different just like the length of their fingers and thumb. I especially like the advice regarding "if it feels right go with it, and if it doesn't change the position of your thumb." Very comprehensive instructional.

[@MrLosabrigos]

Thank you so much Justin this is fantastic I was told strictly to keep my thumb perpindicular (@ 90° to the neck for everything the only variable being how far up or down the neck profile. I have really struggled with this with my wrist being in some very painful positions pushing me to the verge of giving up but after watching this at times with your thumb being parallel to the neck dependent on what you are playing has given me a whole new lease of life I am now able to keep my wrist straight. My guitar journey is now progressing speedily and satisfactory thank you so much keep up the great work

[@DKennett2013]

Thanks Justin. A few of us were just debating this the other day. I have a habit of laying my somewhat horizontal at maybe a 30 degree angle as opposed to 90 degrees on the back of the neck. It's just how I've always played, I don't know why. It feels comfortable... Thanks for ending this debate for me.

[@Maxmaxz]

This is a really excellent response to a question that - as you've said - doesn't really have AN answer. I hope it helps a lot of people. :)

[@vgorous]

Ah thanks for this. I would consider myself an intermediate player a few years back. Trying to get back to it again and I saw a tutorial saying the thumb has to be pointing up behind the neck. It was messing me up because my hand felt more natural when my thumb slightly points towards the head. I kept trying to follow the tutorial thinking my method was going to limit my playing.

[@HankieDude17]

If you can switch between open chords fluently and can sing with them then start practicing barre chords. practice songs with barre chords. If you are done both then start doing stuff like minor and major pentatonic scales and licks. After that I highly highly recommend learning styles of famous players with Hendrix being my go to cuz it's fun. Eventually you can start improvising over jam tracks. P.S. You can learn different songs along the way but I highly recommend learning them through video lessons or by ear rather than tabs because it helps with your observation and listening skills

[@stevedepace17]

Expertly explained. This has helped me SO much. Thank you🙏

[@autocrow]

Makes sense. I'm holding my thumb too high on the neck when playing the small strings and it limits my finger movement and makes my fingers all angled. I want to grip the neck too much. I think I'll try using a strap. I notice that I tend to hold the neck less when I use a strap even when sitting. Then I know it's not going anywhere and I can hold my thumb against the back of the neck where it belongs.

[@MovieMaker309]

Perfect advice as always Justin! Many thanks😊

[@samanthadilday2378]

THANK YOU! My hand/thumb has been cramping up so bad and this has helped so much!!

[@beatl1]

Thumb up!

[@karoline.972]

Hahaha!! 😂👍

[@kelfora5289]

my pointer finger was crushed in a door and it dosent bend all the way at the knuckle so playing things like modes make it really hard to keep my thumb in one place,but if someone with no fingertips can shred i can play with my one messed up finger

[@rodrigoduartesantana4094]

My thumb kind get stuck on the top of the neck. Best way to improve is doing simple exercises and moving the thumb down.

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

I find it easier to play chords and notes that are on the first few frets and strings closest to edge of the guitar fretboard and less painful than traditional positioning. One guy was telling me not to do this and had me use a super painful uncomfortable traditional placement.

[@undeadpriest]

I'm just starting out and I feel like I'll never be able to play notes so quickly! But it's still fun and this video was very helpful thank you

[@UNKNOWNUNKNOWN-tw2iz]

Its not you Its league thats doing that to you

[@allenhobson5854]

Thanks Justin! After a couple of months trying to learn a fingerpicking song which required wrapping my thumb over the bottom for the F chord I went back to playing something else and was fretting (no pun intended) over where my thumb placement was because it was no longer centered on the back of the neck. Now I will stop worrying about it and just play!

[@brandonalcanter4349]

You should do a video on where you should place your right/picking hand. I've noticed some players like Joe Bonamassa don't rest their fingers on the guitar, but some people do. What's the best picking techniques for efficient fast picking.

[@sk863cuz]

i almost always have my thumb way up above the neck unless im playing barre chords.. it might be bad technique not sure. But i find it feels better because when i move my thumb down it causes my wrist to bend a lot and it also makes it harder to curl my fingers.

[@ajpaulson8831]

Couldn’t have a more similar situation

[@MauxX]

As someone with large hands, I play almost everything with my thumb around the neck even fast licks but I believe that's setting me back and I'm consciously trying to bring my thumb down playing licks and I'm beginning to feel a difference, not comfortable yet but it's coming

[@brandonkriegerKNSS]

Thanks Justin, I really appreciate this video as a beginner. I was hoping you would have gone into the wrist position as well, challenges, soreness...etc. Great video thank you.

[@bigkeezo]

Very helpful Justin 👏🏾

[@BPMChan-nr7ik]

2:24 for basic thumb position

[@timothygoebel1427]

Finally, the explanation I was seeking. Thank you!!!

[@JohnOhkumaThiel]

Dear Fender Play, watch and learn. I started with Fender Play, but past level two it’s technically difficult to follow because of the way the app is designed. One of the things they teach at the beginning is to have that thumb on the back of the neck, pointing straight up at all times. I found this very difficult and unnatural, but couldn’t get it out of my head that this was taught as ‘the way to do it.’ After watching some famous pros though, I discovered the thumb could even be wrapped around the neck. This improved things a lot, but I still had it in my head that it had to be straight up, and so I was often trying to ‘correct’ my technique. Just yesterday was thinking this was really impossible. It can’t always be straight up. And thank goodness here’s your video today telling me I’m right. Now another thing! When picking, the standard is to have the hand resting on the bridge. This too I found not very useful for me, so instead-while not totally abandoning trying the bridge idea-I’ve been anchoring my hand by resting a free finger or two on the pick guard below the strings because I saw Eric Gales do it that way, and it’s working for me. Anyone have any input on that?

[@JohnSmith-cy8hq]

Thanks mate, just what I needed.

[@angusdevine7045]

Whatever feels comfortable Good advice

[@XXgenderloveXY]

OK thank you so much. I've been playing for about a year and then someone pointed out that my thumb was not in the "right" position. So I've been trying, very unsuccessfully and painfully, to put it in the "right" position. As a result my wrist is so sore and I can only play a few chords. And was starting to think I just wasn't going to be able to play, or play properly anyway. So thank you so very much.

[@ebenezerndanyuzwe9292]

God bless you abundantly for this

[@weixian.tan.99]

I've got it now! Thank you sir!

[@Farazkhurshid]

Always loved your lessons, so thorough and clear. Thanks Justin.... :)

[@cco10399]

Thank-you for this video. Although there was no definite answer for thumb position, there are different thumb positions for different guitar techniques and where the thumb feels comfy as Justin mentioned.

[@randimark7680]

Thank you for this, I have weird hands and my thumb doesn't want to always be behind the index finger .... it hurts

[@vubear]

Where the thumb naturally lands is entirely dependant on whether we play from the hip, under the right tit or under the left.

[@ProblematicBeach]

As long as it causes no pain there is nothing but gain

[@hankspade]

best advice on the net for thumb positioning.

[@bruceknowles3445]

I learned "thumbthing" new!

[@carolwestbrook3674]

Good video Justin. Good explanation

[@ash81818]

you're the best guitar teacher on youtube

[@dernick79]

Absolutely great and very helpful for me as an beginner! Thx Justin! 👍👍👍

[@sp-ri8vk]

Thank you for this lesson

[@markj7924]

Thanks this helped a lot. Another thing I think can influence thumb placement is neck shape. Anyway, not stressed about it now, thanks!

[@lukerangdan8557]

thank you, Justin

[@angusdevine7045]

Best advice I've read on the subject!

[@MrVirtube]

Thanks Justin. Great advice as usual😊

[@Tixsi11]

Nice was forcing my hand in to uncomfortable position because of non existent rules 😒

[@Rugeon]

Cheers Justin. Just what I'd been thinking about as of late

[@scarletts_canvas1394]

This is a great video. Thank you! I’m learning G7 and I feel a little strain on my right hand. I’ll keep practicing

[@hmuphilly9129]

After Justin played that solo I was like I give up I can't do that and I don't feel like I'm professing anywhere

[@JakMakai]

hmu Philly never give up!

[@williamb4652]

hmu Philly Mate he’s been playing full time for 35 years. It’s no surprise he’s better than us. Progress may be slow but there is progress, so keep going.

[@HonesLee]

I love your app. I can't keep my thumb there for C chord, it slants very much.

[@xprotondecay3667]

I have really flexible thumbs and have never had lessons but I've been playing for about 13 years. I learned by having the pad of my thumb pressed against the middle of the neck for everything that I do. After 13 years of this i cant even fathom how people play technical stuff with their thumb peeking over the top of the fretboard. I literally cannot play in that position and I think it may hinder my ability to play really clean and well. I can play things such as winter madness by wintersun just fine (solo included) but my hand gets really sore really quick and I never knew why. Well shit..... time to relearn guitar :s

[@martianhutagalung3177]

Very good advice...❤

[@EvilMP5]

I have tried to use my thumb, but taking lessons back in the neoclassical movements days it was frowned upon. Feels awkward as all hell. I use two hand muting techniques since I physically can't use my thumb. Never had issues, its all about technique in my opinion. I have also caught my thumb going parallel to the neck and everything is fine for me. I did notice when I did use my thumb it screwed up my speed severely.

[@mikebottiaux5850]

Thank you, Justin. Very helpful!

[@dennisvanmierlo]

Hi Justin, Great video and really funny to see the chords from the back! Lot’s of greetings, Dennis 🇳🇱

[@nicolasvb5697]

Whatever floats your thumb!

[@hunterxbox11]

Nico VB lol

[@peroslowned]

that guitar looks absolutely delicious

[@t.sewell1513]

Good info and nice playing!

[@Chris-iv3bc]

My thumb is double jointed so it sits down the neck horizontally most of the time. Weird

[@GregBennett]

I can play Barre chords just fine. But after 6 months of playing them, the muscles below the thumb still cramp up. I can't play Barre chords for more than 45 seconds without needing a break. I don't know what to do.

[@justinguitar]

Hi Greg. It is like all physical pursuits ... stamina builds and pain recedes incrementally. Set little goals within your practice session. Play the verse of a song with some barre chords. Stop. Do some more practice. Play that verse again say 15 minutes later. Stop. Over time reduce that 15 minutes gap until you can play the verse twice with no gap. Repeat for two verses.etc Cheers 😊 | close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide & Moderator on JustinGuitar Forum [ www.justinguitar.com/ ]

[@GregBennett]

@@justinguitar I'll try that. thank you!

[@eddie01187]

👍👍 picking techniques n exercises for fast rock n metal guitar playing is coveted.

[@giantkiller8]

that was so so so helpful..thank you

[@painnutplay9]

I have such small hands that if I want to do a bend and stick my thumb around the neck, my other fingers cant reach well and my hands feel unconfortable. I can't wrap the neck with all fingers like almost every guitarrist, only putting my thumb in the upper part but without any thumb part sticking out in front of strings, i don't know if i'm expressing correctly, but its frustrating cause i feel limited when doing bends y feel like i can not do enough force and i don't know if I have to make force from my fingers partly to help the pivoting and reach a bent note.

[@shambhaviyamgar6811]

Thank you so much for making this video

[@destroso]

I have a hard time doing wrap around chords with my thumb on the low e

[@xk1390]

Very useful, thanks!

[@kojik4271]

i had a bad habit of putting my palm on the bottom edge of the fretboard on occasion. slows down arps.

[@LiGHTFallsOfficial]

Thanks

[@gingercotterell3430]

i jus saw someone playing with the tumb doing ur f chord shape and .. it amazed me..

[@honeyg4123]

Really helpfulll... love u sir

[@upplsuckimcool16]

My thumb never ever hangs above the top unless I try to do that.... my thumb is ALWAYS straight onto the back of the neck bending backward awkwardly.... i dont' have a double jointed thumb so when I'm done playing it feels like it's sprained...... The only time my thumb isn't tip on back of neck pushing bending backward is when I'm playign the B and E string.

[@Hades-in5jy]

Damn Norm MacDonald plays guitar pretty good.

[@Andrea-mm8df]

Hades 😂😭

[@llama-rt7hr]

Came here to say this

[@pauls064]

First thing I thought!

[@Blacksnyder]

You look like a light side Norm McDonald. Thanks for the tips.

[@RD-dl9ms]

Any thoughts on those with double-jointed thumbs? i.e the first joint bends backwards to 90deg+. Technically, I can hold it in a straight position but it just seems to want to default to being bent back. I end up trying to use the inside of the knuckle to maintain pressure. Seems especially problematic for the F chord. Thought you might have come across other such "mutants".

[@jimwarner8071]

Really helpful. Yhx

[@redstonepig]

great video justin :)

[@PsychedelicCheeseburgers]

So I have a long-standing predicament between my left hand/thumb & guitar... Where it's comfortable and there is no strain on my arm, elbow, shoulder, or neck, and with no pain whatsoever and I can play for hours, I have very limited ability to stretch my fingers, I have to move my thumb to be able to span my index & pinky 4 frets instead of 3, but with my thumb in that other position, my arm/wrist/elbow/shoulder/neck/hand all experience really bad fatigue and stress, it hurts if I play in that position for just a few minutes. I've looked up videos of proper thumb position to play a little bit more stretching licks and try to play like the videos show, and it's very uncomfortable on my wrist. I have kind of a weird thumb that is double jointed and bends backwards very far when I play, and if I try to keep it locked in a more "normal" position, it both hurts a lot, and tends to quickly shift back into my "natural" position anyway, thus re-limiting my finger stretch span again. Does anybody have any sort of advice on how to get into a position that is still comfortable and not strenuous to play in, but which will give me more range with my finger stretch? I guess it's going to be different for everyone, but I haven't been able to find that position for myself after many, many years of playing. What would be the way to go about FINDING the "right" position for myself?

[@justinguitar]

It is hard to advise without seeing you sitting, holding the guitar, forming the chords. I would say start with your whole body in its seated posture and work towards your fingers rather than from your fingers to your body. Are you sitting up fairly straight and comfortable? Is your guitar pulled in or pushed out or parallel with your chest? Does the neck angle up slightly towards the sky? Is your elbow digging into your ribs or just away from your chest area leaving some room for your elbow to move? Is your fretting hand wrist dropped or tightly wrapped around the neck? I hope that helps you figure a better way. Cheers 😊 | Richard_close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide & Approved Teacher www.justinguitar.com

[@PsychedelicCheeseburgers]

​ @JustinGuitar Thank you so much for responding! I will try to answer each question accurately & honest: I play right-handed, seated, straight-backed, guitar resting on my right knee, the body is very close to my side, the neck sticks out away from my body (pretty far out) and the neck tilted slightly upwards, maybe 22.5 degrees or so upwards (where 0 degrees would be parallel to the floor). My elbow doesn't dig into my ribs, it sits to the left of my body at all times until I get up to around the 12th fret, then my elbow starts to come inwards and does poke into my ribs a bit. My whole body in fact seems to twist once I get up there and my thumb position seems to change as well, tending to wrap my thumb all the way around the fretboard. I find it awkward and difficult to play up past 12, and especially past the 15th fret. Could be my guitar playing a part their as well, it's a Les Paul style with a very slight cutaway on only one side, so there doesn't seem to be a lot of room to get my hand in their for the higher frets. I am trying to make a conscious effort to play scales (particularly low and middle on the fretboard) with my hand not tight or palming the neck, but the faster I go, the more I slide around into other pattern positions, the more chords I play, and the higher up the fretboard I play, are all situations where I tend to go back to my natural habit of palming the neck. Does all of this description help to diagnose me at all? Thanks again!

[@ramyhassan4393]

Mr.Justin , why some players play notes by totally vertical fingers specially electric guitar players and others tell that we should bend fingers and play with fingertips . I am confused .

[@geraldw2639]

My thumb is completely horizontal at all times, self taught been playing for well over 10 years (but not consistently, still suck). Took my first lesson, and this is what he brought up. Thumb should be more vertical, in between index and middle finger, and about halfway up the neck. Should I completely change how I play and change my thumb position, or at this point play with my thumb pointing horizontally at the headstock?

[@-Retired-]

I'd suggest, if you have no problem playing like that then there is no need of changing your technique. For me, I've been playing with the thumb horizontally and it has a tonne of tension and hence decreases my stamina. Hence imma trying to change the position

[@SovereigntyFilms]

I HAVE THIS SAME ISSUE. Did you fix it? If so, how? 🥺

[@jimmysegovia2688]

awesome man!!!!!.

[@dutchgoesthephoto]

Thumbs up on a great overview!

[@JohnnyDarko01]

good shit man

[@courtmarr5714]

Awesome, thank you!

[@TheNavalAviator]

You should make it so that you keep a straight wrist as much as possible to avoid long-term injury.

[@doonguitarlessons]

Does all of this apply to the classical guitar as well?

[@sirconagato]

How about the right hand pinky when you playing acoustic guitar?

[@BlackStar2161]

David Munoz It's the middle and ring fingers that share a tendon

[@HankieDude17]

Xero Sirco Chung With a pick I leave the 3 fingers resting and fingerstyle depending on what song cuz sometimes I do 3 fingers(Knopfler stuff) but the most common way is first 4 fingers with pinky resting on the wood

[@upplsuckimcool16]

even on electric I rest my pinky on the pick up cover to give stability and accuracy to my picking.

[@offmymeds2994]

How about it?

[@fredymendez855]

You literally notice all of your guitar heroes rest their thumb on the top of the neck lol