I have an ES-339, and play sitting down with a strap, right leg on a footstool (or the bar of the chair/stool I'm on). Even though I use the strap, the guitar's body still slightly moves away from me sometimes while playing. The "moving away" motion isn't the strap slipping, just the body and leaning forward very slightly when I do strenuous chords or techniques like tapping. It's a little annoying, and any advice on finding a perfect position is welcome.
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1@exnihilo I don't think the question is about which position is best; it's about a process for finding one's personal best position.– AaronCommented Mar 25, 2022 at 5:17
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2Your explanation is not very clear. Do you mean the lower part of the guitar body resting on your right leg slides along your leg away from your body? I can’t envision any other way the instrument would move or shift away from you, especially since you wear a strap.– John BelzaguyCommented Mar 25, 2022 at 5:44
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1 Answer
Firstly, there's no one perfect position - each of us will find our own - eventually. I find sitting with a 335 (similar style/size/weight) so uncomfortable, it only gets played while standing. Possessing a short body probably necessitates this.
When I started learning, I clocked that the guitar would need to be in the same position whether seated or standing. That at least meant no angle changes for either. So, it went fairly high, with a short strap that was going to leave the gutar in pretty well the same position however I was while playing. Also alleviated the 'where does my supporting leg go?', as it wasn't needed for support.
The problem with using a thigh to rest the guitar upon is that the guitar is then farther to the right than in it would be when standing up - again, relieved with a high strap.
As far as the neck's angle is concerned, that's personal preference again. Certainly no lower than parallel to the floor, some players like to tilt the head (of the guitar!) up, to get a more useful wrist/arm angle for the neck.
As far as how to find your best position - there are not a million differs available. Try changing one aspect and keep it like that for at least a week, with no other changes, as initially a prospective good position will feel awkward.
But, bottom line - play standing up: if you ever play in a band, that's what'll be expected anyhow...
