Guitar Lesson 02: how to hold the guitar

Watch Michael Angelo Batio's walkthrough in the video above, then read the breakdown.

Comfort is not a luxury on the guitar, it is technique. The same slow, get-it-right discipline Michael Angelo Batio drilled into a young Tom Morello starts with something simpler than a single note: how you sit. If your body is tense or the instrument is sliding around, your hands fight the guitar instead of playing it. Here is a relaxed, stable sitting position that works for almost everyone.

Sit forward on a chair with no arms, feet flat on the floor, back straight but not stiff.
Rest the guitar's waist, the curve on the lower side, on the thigh of your strong hand's side. Right-handed players use the right thigh.
Pull the body gently against your chest so it does not tip away from you. You should see over the top edge without hunching.
Angle the neck slightly upward, not drooping toward the floor. A gentle 15 to 30 degrees is plenty.
Let your fretting hand float. The neck should balance on its own, so your fretting hand is free to press strings, not hold the guitar up.

Now the fretting-hand thumb, because this is where beginners go wrong. Rest it flat on the back of the neck, roughly behind your first two fingers. Do not hook it over the top like a baseball bat. That grip locks your wrist and kills your reach. A relaxed thumb behind the neck lets your fingers arch and land on their tips.

Here is a two-second test that proves the position is working.

e |--1--------
B |-----------
G |-----------
D |-----------
A |-----------
E |-----------

Press the thin high e string just behind the 1st fret with one fingertip, thumb behind the neck, and pluck. A clean note with no buzz means your hand is free to work.

Check your shoulders. If they are creeping toward your ears, drop them. Breathe. A lighter, well-balanced electric like Batio's Sawtooth stays put on your thigh and makes all of this easier. Nothing here should hurt. If it does, stop and reset your position.

Practice this

Spend three minutes just holding the guitar in this position, no playing. Set the waist on your thigh, body to your chest, neck angled up, thumb behind the neck, shoulders down. Take your hands off the instrument for a second and see if it stays put on your leg. If it slides, adjust your thigh or pull it closer. Reset and repeat until the balance feels boring.

Where you are

You built the map in Lesson 01: parts of the guitar, and now you can hold it without strain. Plenty of rhythm players, like Billie Joe Armstrong, spend whole shows in this same simple posture. Next, Lesson 03: reading a chord diagram, the little grid that tells your fingers exactly where to go.