Classical Guitar Position Lesson: How to Sit, Hold and Position a Classical Guitar

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Thanks for watching. See all my free lessons here: www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/lessons/ Enjoy these free lessons? Support the channel here: www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/donate-support/

[@scottkleyla7752]

Absolute beginner here, I am so proud to just say that! Thank you!

[@Drayh_Chay]

Support him by donating :)

[@marcelodossantos26]

I have been playing for a pretty long time and could not find a good playing position. Until watching your video. And, as o bonus, you solved my backpain problem. Thank you so much!

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Glad it was helpful!

[@postph]

Thanks for providing your knowledge free of charge. This is real treat and extremely helpful 👌

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kobayashimaruaikiken]

I have one big complaint on this channel. I DIDN'T FIND IT EARLIER!!! I went through the 1st free beginner course and bought the second volume, it's PERFECT! Thumbs up!!!

[@curritito]

Yes, it's an eye opener. The seond book gets you playing in 5th position, which is a revelation after a couple of years stuck in first position. Even playing Ode to Joy in 5th gets one appreciating the fretboard more. It starts to feel more natural.

[@Yelloow99]

I can't believe this is free. there are paid courses out there that aren't anywhere near as thorough. I'm definitely buying the second book when i'm done with the first one. Thank you so much!

[@marcyueda49]

Thanks for valuable lessons for beginners like me -

[@camiloramada879]

Thank you!

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Thanks so watching!

[@Skinny_Karlos]

I'm a 57 yr old Australian and I've been playing since my early years. A half a century of study has taught me many things and I grew up emulating the technique of John Williams mostly especially his right hand. I was/am pleasantly surprised to see that your right hand is very much in the 'Williams style so to speak. I say surprised because so many young players let their right-hand glance at the strings rather than attacking them perpendicularly as I believe is the correct method - This is where the sound is made and has much to do with one's overall attack. Your left hand also demonstrates good action and this alleviates pain and aches from exertion under an incorrect position. Great stuff, Bradford. Keep the music coming.

[@waynewolfe3514]

I also use a drummer's throne! Very comfortable and allows for good posture.

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Yes, I love it comfort-wise but it squeaks and creaks so much which is not the best.

[@waynewolfe3514]

@@Thisisclassicalguitar Not a problem with the Yamaha DS840 Heavy Weight model. Minimum seating height is 18 inches which I find works well with my shorter stature. A bit on the heavy side, so not some thing easily lugged around from gig to gig.

[@RheaBorja]

This has been a very instructional video for me. I now realize that since I'm petite (5'2"), my desk chair and dining-room chairs are too high to use for guitar practice because my thighs angle too far downwards. It looks like I have to get a chair that allows me to raise and lower the seat -- like one drummers use, or the one you're using. Thanks for this video!

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Yes, chair height is very important, I use a drummer throne (it squeaks a bit) for practice and an adjustable piano stool for recording.

[@RheaBorja]

This has been the best video on how to properly sit when playing classical guitar -- this is especially important for beginners.

[@Lost1nTranslation]

Wow, great video, super helpful!

[@matiasfuentealba898]

what a nice lesson, thank you

[@steveb9325]

Happy new year Bradford! Was just thinking I've not seen a post in a while...clicked on KZbin and there you are! Great way to start the new year! Back to the basics...thank you! I got my Martin Blackwell Classical guitar this past summer (waited 3 years..his wait time now is 7 I believe..) and anyways I love it! Its really starting to open up now and just love it! Spruce top BRW bns. It's a beauty no doubt. Just wanted to share that news with you. Take care and so appreciate your channel!!!

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Happy new year to you as well. Congrats on the Blackwell! Yes, I'll be redoing a bunch of the important foundational lessons and main techniques this year to keep the site a bit more modern and to amalgamate lessons into solid larger ones.

[@harkoffsband]

Great lection. Thank You, Bradford!❤❤❤

[@laysbritto]

Hello Brad! Thank you for this wonderful class! 👏 It's the first class of yours I've attended! I will put your teachings into practice! I enjoyed your video immensely, your explanation was very clear and rich, you transmit me a lot of tranquility and wisdom. I really liked the environment, I really liked that you were dressed in black, it helped a lot to see everything you explained in the video and in the photos! I don't know if it was intentional, but it turned out great! Congratulations!! I'm a total beginner. I practiced for a couple of months last year and stopped for months and a week ago I started relearning from scratch. I've been practicing between 30-60min a day. I still have a lot of posture problems, from what I could tell by watching your class! And this has caused me a lot of muscle tension and certainly impaired my learning... I will urgently apply your teachings! hahaha Gratitude! 🙏 I just visited your site, from what I saw there is a lot of amazing material there! I downloaded your ebook vol.1! I'm so excited to print it out and start studying! 🎉 You just got a new Brazilian student!

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Glad you found it useful. I've made this video three times now over the years so it gets more comprehensive each time!

[@laysbritto]

@@Thisisclassicalguitar I noticed that there was a post on your site a long time ago and that the video is recent! It was excellent, thanks! 👏

[@TheGavinkjg]

as always good information really cool thanks, Have a great new year and good playing of music.

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Glad it was helpful.

[@onedominant]

Just beginning to learn to play guitar, at 56. But, I have really small hands and short fingers. Sadly, a 22.5-inch scale length means a 3/4 size guitar body. At almost 5'8" tall, my body is too big for the guitar's body. It kind of looks like a large ukulele on me. I tried 6 ways from Sunday to make this work. It's just not happening, but I do want to adopt the classical position. (I'm getting old, and things don't bend like they used to.) I just broke down and attached a strap to this Luna Vista Stallion 3/4 acoustic. It'll have to do. The nice part about that is that, now, I really can sit with both feet on the floor. I do lose a contact point though - the left leg - as I would just about have to squat to get it up to position on this tiny guitar at all. But, I do retain the other three contact points, and the geometry is right. It IS comfortable and also very stable, plus I can easily maintain good posture. That posture is crucial when you are developing kyphosis of the thoracic spine - no hunching over or twisting for prolonged periods, like a song or two, let alone a long practice session. So, a strap it is. Whatever works, I guess. The only alternative I can see would be having someone build me a custom guitar - short scale on a full-size body. I don't even know if that is possible. It would also be expensive, if so.

[@luismacielcosta8845]

Thanks for this. I've been a lutenist for many years and now I'm converting to 8-string classical guitar. This helps a lot

[@litoboy5]

HAPPY NEW YEAR

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Happy new year!

[@gwenoledano554]

ty sir

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Thanks for watching.

[@jeffglaubitz7172]

This is great! Thanks!!

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dogiego]

Thanks for the video - this very basic stuff is always good to review, even for experienced players. I wonder how this posture guide would be applied to steel string guitars. An OO (like a Martin 00-18) is roughly the same size as a classical guitar. So in theory it could be held similar to the classical, but I know no one that does. An OOO is a little bigger. And a Dred even bigger. I think you could play an OOO like this, but the Dred?. A Dred is best played standing up with a strap. Actually, I play my dred similar to the position you show, but more like a 30-40deg angle, not the 50-60deg angle you show. Even so, it's so big it just isn't that comfortable.

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Well, steel-string with a strap while standing is almost the same position. The classical position while sitting with a steel-string is a bit problematic depending on the style of instrument, it wasn't really designed with that in mind. But I think you basically want as much of the ergonomic normal position and posture as you can get. It also depends on what you are playing, classical guitar requires some intense stretches sometimes.

[@curritito]

Been playing for a while (hello Bradford) and just came back to this. I have now moved my left leg inwards to get the sound hole in line with my middle. Oh my goodness. It's a different instrument.

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

Ya, it's amazing how much that can change bringing relaxation to the left shoulder and hand. We need to reevaluate our sitting position regularly....forever!

[@curritito]

​@@Thisisclassicalguitar I've been struggling all this time because the fretboard (1st pos) was so far away. I've just also dropped the sageworks down from max to min and sent my right leg a foot to the right. First position is now a few inches from my eyes and the tuning pegs are no longer up in the sky. My left arm has stopped aching and contortions are no longer necessary. Heh, trouble is, I have glasses especially for where the fretboard was before. Now it's much closer but I can't see it. Will have to try some other glasses. Thanks Bradford - I had almost given up with guitar, but I shall now dive back in with a passion.

[@visualdelight5469]

Thanks Bradford! Even after a couple years of playing, I still need that reminder to either sit up straight or have better posture. Any recommendations for chairs? I switch between my dining chair (most often) and the edge of the sofa. Both feel fine, but I think consistency would help in the long run.

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

I like drummers thrones, they are adjustable and round which is great for the legs that hang at different angles.

[@mvp019]

When using the footstool, are you able to let go of the guitar with both arms and have it stay in place? I ask because sometimes I feel like my right arm is the only thing keeping the guitar from sliding down my right leg, and that makes it more difficult to change the right-hand position (i.e., closer to the bridge or more towards the neck) for tonal coloring.

[@classicalguitarghost]

I practice in front of a mirror, always works well 👌😀

[@johnmcgurran2084]

About Classical Guitar Method Volume 1, will I find videos of the various tunes and etudes on your site? I see your beginner lessons, starting with seating position, but do not see references to your published method books. Not a big deal but if there are recoordings, they would be educational :) Thank you.

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

If you scroll down past the download info you'll find an ordered list of all the lessons for the book: www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/free-classical-guitar-method-book-pdf/

[@simonpage6549]

Would a guitar support (ergoplay, guitarlift etc)work on an OM model steel string? Would the difference in size of the lower bout be an issue? Thanks.

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

If the back is flat the guitarlift should work. The ergoplay needs some width to the body so you might want to be sure about that.

[@laysbritto]

Hello Professor Bradford, I can't put the head of the guitar at eye level. Just like yours. Even setting the footstool to the maximum setting (I'm 1.70m tall and very thin). Because of this, I'm realizing that my left arm doesn't look exactly like yours. As if the guitar was shorter... I don't understand why... my right leg is in the right alignment, and so is my left. The guitar I'm using is not a classical model. It is a popular Brazilian model from the 60s. +-10cm case... however it seems to me to have a slightly wider shape than classical guitars. I also don't know if the problem could have to do with the position and size of the guitar's curve, where the leg fits... Is this why I'm not getting a perfect position? Thanks

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

The tips in the video are guidelines at best, everyone will position the guitar slightly differently. There are many variables, you can email me a picture if you like. Just visit the contact or about page on the site. www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/contact/

[@laysbritto]

@@Thisisclassicalguitar Hello teacher, thank you for answering and for making yourself available to look at my posture with the guitar. I'll be emailing you today.

[@MrStevepowell7253]

Could you clarify what you mean by the phrase “ in front of the elbow” in relation to where to rest the forearm. Not clear from the video or the language used what you mean.

[@Thisisclassicalguitar]

The contact point should be in front of the elbow between the elbow and the wrist on the forearm. Approximately like mine in the video but everyone is slightly different and it can change depending on what you are playing. That said, as a general guide I'd start with something that looks like my diagram.

[@MrStevepowell7253]

@@Thisisclassicalguitar So I guess I can ignore the phrase "in front of the elbow" and just go with " between the elbow an the forearm" ?

[@AttitudeIndicator]

My back 😭😭😭😭

[@flaviamuccini5681]

Thank you so much for being so precise and clear. I particularly appreciated the lateral view which allowed me to understand a posture error that I made with my new ergoplay. Thank you!

[@SharonMerlier]

This is great. Thank you!