[777]

well im a self proclaimed chest rocker i rock it as high as cooley which also means i hold it classical positioning my problem is my arm is at around a 45 degree angle(elbow) and i think its causing tenseness of my bicep muscle which affects my picking on lower strings but when i strap it up and let the srap down metal height(bridge at belt or so like vai) its much easier for my picking arm buti dont have nearly as much reach which is a problem for me, do i start once again extremely slow and work up fast so my arm dosent tense as much or is it the chair im sitting on or something like that, again all advice appreciated, i know ive ben posting alot of technique threads lately

[NickCormier]

get a better strap when standing, and just try different chairs and go easy until its ok

I dont think you should worry about technique that much, music is more important than how fast u can do triplets or how holding your guitar 10 degrees different gives you 5% more speed or blah...

Get a Levy's leather strap, I can play perfect with those straps because their so just great and comfy.

Why would you need to play at classical position or leg postion? do whats more comfortbale and thats it.. no ones forcing you to do one or the other

[metalfiend666]

Ideally you want your guitar at a height that has your fretting arm parallel with the ground. Higher and your arm points upwards making it harder for the blood to reach your fingers, lower and you stress your tendons from having to have your hand at a strange angle.

From what I've read in your other threads you're going to be working on your technique quite a bit, so you might as well relearn things at a comfortable height that won't cause you any tension problems.

[777]

Originally Posted by NickCormier

get a better strap when standing, and just try different chairs and go easy until its ok

I dont think you should worry about technique that much, music is more important than how fast u can do triplets or how holding your guitar 10 degrees different gives you 5% more speed or blah...

Get a Levy's leather strap, I can play perfect with those straps because their so just great and comfy.

Why would you need to play at classical position or leg postion? do whats more comfortbale and thats it.. no ones forcing you to do one or the other

classical is way more comfortable for me , i have a joe satriani strap and its the msotr comfortable strap ive ever owned

metalfiend666-my arm is parrallel with the ground so im ok on that front im just gona taske it easy for now i think and thanks again

[Drew]

Originally Posted by metalfiend666

Ideally you want your guitar at a height that has your fretting arm parallel with the ground.

Interesting... I've never heard this from anyone before (and I've had wrist problems in the past, so I've researched this stuff extensively), but that actually makes a lot of sense to me.

The problem is, though, that for my I find a neck angle of close to 45º as what's most comfortable for my wrist angle, so my forearm angle is going to change drastically from chording in the first position to soloing in the 10th. As a hard-and-fast rule it's probably tough to execute, but shooting for an average position that's pretty close to parallel with the ground does make a lot of sense to me.

For straps, I use a Levy's sueded leather strap too, but not for comfort - because the sueded bits on the underside of those provide bar-none the best grip I've ever found in a strap. Forget comfort, you put one of those on and it'll hold your gutiar almost perfectly in place. I made the switch within my first week of owning my first 7620, and I've never gone back.

[metalfiend666]

I read it in an issue of Total Guitar years back, and yes it's more of an average position rather than a hard and fast rule. I think it was mainly referring to rhythm work for that posture, as a lot people tend to lift the neck slightly when soloing.

[Alpo]

While you're playing, try to be as relaxed as you can be. Playing in a classical position should not make your biceps, or any other muscles in your arms, tense. It doesn't take much strength to keep your arms in that postion.

You are causing the tension, not the classical position. It's a mental thing, just concentrate on being relaxed when you play, and after a while it will become natural. You could also try stretching and warming up (carefully!) without the guitar.

[Drew]

Like i said, James, I've never heard that before but biologically it makes perfect sense.