Is this posture correct for classical guitar?

Question

I bought a 2 foot stool to play classical guitar. I'm 6 feet. I've been trying to play using the stool and a foot stand and I feel very comfortable playing the guitar, but something just doesn't look right when I play.

I feel that maybe the stool is too high up and I'm holding the guitar at a smaller angle than I should be - I've read that the head of the guitar should be at the same level as my head.

In summary, I'm attaching two photos of me playing the guitar. Is there something wrong with my posture, or is this an acceptable position to be playing classical guitar?

Answer 1

Your position looks fine to me, and all the advice about head of guitar being at the same height as your head is after all only approximate, as everyone's physique differs to some extent.

The most important thing is that the position feels totally comfortable to you. You are likely to spend many hours playing the guitar, especially if you are keen enough to go to the extent of posting photos here(!), and one of the most vital things to avoid at this stage is stress. Any kind of stress in you arms, neck or back can be a serious problem, and is the kind of thing that can creep up on you almost unnoticed, as you get so absorbed in your playing (getting the correct frets with one hand, and playing the right sort of stroke on the right strings with the other) that is is all too easy not to notice that you are playing with tension.

Having examined the photos a little more carefully, my only possible criticism would be the angle of your right hand where it meets the line of the strings. I would prefer the angle that the wrist makes with the line of the strings to more like a right angle, so that the right hand fingers are striking the string perpendicularly to their length. That tends to produce the clearest tone from the strings.

Good luck!

Answer 2

For me the sign of whether your foot stool is in a wrong position is whether your right foot lifts to meet the guitar. SOmetime I don't have a foot rest handy and then I just use my guitar case as a makeshift stool and I can really feel it in the ankles after a while from how I have to arch my one foot upwards to meet the guitar.

What I'm really wondering about is that chair. It seems to be some sort of upright bar stool. That chair may be too high and that is what is making you feel akward.

For classical guitar we want just a plain regular chair that has no padding for you to sink into. You need a certain amount of sturdiness so that your body is sitting solidly against the chair and your guitar sitting on your lap.

You may want to sway a little bit with the movement of the music but for the most part you want your arms to be the only moving parts.

Answer 3

My first reaction is your stool is awfully high. When concert guitarists play onstage they usually use a piano stool. When I sit on too high of a seat I end up having to use my hands to hold the guitar in my lap. It should be stable in your lap without having to hold it.

Compare with the posture of a few others:

Andres Segovia. Much lower stool. The whole guitar is much higher on his body. Segovia is shorter and rounder than you, so,

Christopher Parkening. He is tall, built more like you. Also using a lower stool with the guitar higher on his torso. He is holding the guitar at a slightly higher angle.

Julian Bream. Once again, lower seat.

All their left knees are at a higher angle than your photos and the body of the guitar is higher.

That said, Old John has a very good point that you must be able to sit in that position for long periods of time without back or shoulder problems. The angle of your wrist is also a concern. Your left wrist looks like it’s bent a little farther than I would suggest. Spending a lot of time with your wrist bent too far can cause long-term problems. That’s one problem I have on electric guitar now that I’m older. I get a bit of carpal tunnel from my wrist angle and end up with numb fingers.