In classical guitar, there is a very specific way to hold the guitar that is based on maximizing the range of motion of, and minimizing the stresses placed on, all of the limbs, digits and joints involved in playing. While bluegrass is certainly not classical, the fundamental ergonomic principles are the same. The gist of this approach is that you want to orient each joint so that, at rest, it is at the midpoint between flexion and extension.

As the name implies, flexion is when your muscle is flexed. For instance, your arm is at the maximum point of flexion when your arm forms an acute angle at the elbow, as if you are a bodybuilder showing off his bicep.

By contrast, your arm is at the maximum point of extension when it forms a 180 degree angle at the elbow. Think of your arm extended from your side is if you were pretending to fly.

While you will see no end of variation to the way good guitar players hold their instruments, what follows is our suggestion for maximizing the range of motion and minimizing the stress on the relevant body parts while holding the guitar. If you start off holding the guitar in the way described, it will become natural to you and, in the long run, you should find it easier to play and be less likely to experience stress-related injuries.

example of extension

This description assumes you are right-handed. If you are left handed, you will need a left-handed guitar and should reverse all of the directions indicated.

The first thing you will need is a fairly low armless chair. Sit in the chair, and set the guitar on your lap with the sound hole facing away from your body and the headstock pointing in the direction of your left hand. Most often, you will see bluegrass players rest the curve on the bottom of the guitar on their right thigh, but a more technically proper way (in terms of flexion and extension) is to rest it on your left thigh. Then, by propping your heel against the left leg of your chair, you can angle the neck end up a bit so that your left arm can more comfortably access the fretboard.

You should be sitting up fairly straight, but leaning forward slightly. The body of the guitar should be angled back very slightly, so that the top part of the back of the guitar is resting against the lower part of your chest. If the guitar is positioned correctly, the thicker bass strings will be on the top and the thinner strings will be on the bottom. The guitar should be angled slightly so that the neck is somewhat diagonal relative to the floor, rather than parallel. This will help keep your left arm from being too extended.

The middle of your right forearm should be lightly resting against the top right edge of the guitar, with the rest of your forearm extending across the face of the guitar. This should place your right hand over the sound hole diagonal to the strings. While it is tempting, do not rest your wrist on the saddle. Your hand should be slightly above the strings, with your wrist forming something like a 45 degree angle between your hand and forearm.

Grasp the neck near the headstock with your left hand. The pad of your thumb should, as much as possible, be resting against the back of the neck. This will, of necessity rotate your wrist forwards around the neck, giving you greater access to the fretboard. A good way to test if your wrist is sufficiently rotated is to try to fret the 6th string, the low E, with your pinky. This won't be easy any way you do it, but if it is a real stretch, your wrist is probably too extended and needs to be more flexed and rotated around the neck. Basically, getting back to what we mentioned before, all of your joints in your left arm should be at the midpoint between flexion and extension. Your elbow, wrist, and each finger joint should form roughly 45 degree angles, creating a graceful curve along the length of your arm.

This should place your left hand so that the tips of your fingers are almost perpendicular to the fretboard.

Here is what the final product should look like:

Of course, this assumes that you are playing seated. If you are standing and using a strap, the same general principles apply. The most important thing is not to have your guitar slung to low (like a rock star), as this will place your joints in uncomfortably extended and flexed positions.