# Strapping it up and Prog Stance ???



## 777 (Feb 20, 2007)

a rant if you will,

what the fuck is peoples problem with strapping your guitar up high i mean ive got mine up there with petrucci and cooley upper horn at pec height as i would have it when i play classical position sitting down as i do , i mean to me its just way more comfortable and provides me extremely good access to the entire fretboard not to mention makes stretches easier, 

i still get people laughing though when they see me standing with the guitar saying " why would you hold it that high you look like an idiot?" and questions of that nature which is why i basicly never stand up with the guitar anymore (no i dont gig) i mean im a tall guy of 6ft2" and people still say it looks stupid when it looks fine to me FOR me, why the fuxck are people so fucking stupid!!


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## Nik (Feb 20, 2007)

lol I think there's been several threads like this in the past.

Just bust out some uber-prog shred licks that would be extremely difficult on a low-slung guitar, and make the haters shut up 

While I used to wear my guitar super high, I've started gradually lowering it during my practice sessions and I've got it midway between prog-height and normal-height, and I'm still comfortable. Works great!


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## D-EJ915 (Feb 20, 2007)

Plus when the guitar is up that high you can also bend your head down and play with your head for some super-insane brain-licks


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## Nik (Feb 20, 2007)

D-EJ915 said:


> Plus when the guitar is up that high you can also bend your head down and play with your head for some super-insane brain-licks



Nose-tapping FTW!!!!


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## noodles (Feb 20, 2007)

What kind of music do you play? That has a huge effect on where you hang your strap.

I play metal, so there are two things I keep in mind. First, the image I project on stage is important. I can't hang the guitar around my chin and look suitably "brutal", so it has to come down a bit. Secondly, while prog height is awesome for soloing, it absolutely sucks for rhythm. Palm muted eight notes have a different and more authoritative attack when you drop the guitar and really lay into it with the right hand. I try to strike a good balance between rhythm, lead, and looks.

Keep in mind that you can always prop your leg up on the monitor, front of stage railing, the kick drum, etc when it is time to solo.


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## Alpo (Feb 20, 2007)

Hell, I currently play in a death metal band and my guitar is really high. It's just more comfortable, no matter what I play. No one has yet commented on it, or given me any weird looks.

At my last gig with my rock cover band, there were loads of very drunk people (including me) and I didn't get any comments on my guitar height, just compliments on my playing.

Just wear it how you feel is comfortable.


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## 777 (Feb 20, 2007)

noodles said:


> What kind of music do you play? That has a huge effect on where you hang your strap.
> .



3 words

streams - of -conciousness

STRETCH!!! 

I mean im nowhere as good as JP solo standard in his stuff but i need to be able to stretch and having big hands for upper solos when your guitar is slung metal-ishly, is kinda hard cz my hand hits of the lower horn


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## distressed_romeo (Feb 21, 2007)

Personally I think slinging your guitar round your ankles looks far stupider than wearing it up high...

I tend to do the same as Noodles and try and find a compromise for lead any rhythm stuff. Also, I always try to make sure the guitar is at the same height and position whether I'm standing or sitting, so there's as little disparity as possible between the two approaches.


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## nitelightboy (Feb 21, 2007)

I try to keep the upper horn around the bottom of my belt. That seems to be the most comfortable for me. Since I don't play much lead, I don't have to worry about that, although I do tend to move all over the neck.


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## OzzyC (Feb 21, 2007)

nitelightboy said:


> I try to keep the upper horn around the bottom of my belt. That seems to be the most comfortable for me. Since I don't play much lead, I don't have to worry about that, although I do tend to move all over the neck.



Well I prefer to have the lower horn at the top of my belt. 

For one, it's more comfortable for me. And two, it prevents belt rash on the back of the guitar.


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## nitelightboy (Feb 21, 2007)

OzzyC said:


> For one, it's more comfortable for me. And two, it prevents belt rash on the back of the guitar.



That's why mine's under it  

To each his own though. Just like the actual music side of guitar, as long as it feels right to you, who cares about what others think? If you're gonna be a chest rocker, rock it hard


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## Mastodon (Feb 21, 2007)

Meh, I wear my guitar as high as the strap will allow. I'm 6 foot 1 inches and the guitar dosn't look stupid on me in my opinion.

I guess the strap just dosn't go up that far though, because I don't have to stick my elbows way out to play and the center of the guitar isn't on my chest or sternum.


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## WarriorOfMetal (Feb 21, 2007)

i wear it where i can comfortably play rhythm, and still do ok with the (few) leads i generally do. it's definitely lower than when i'm sitting down. usually something like this:


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## Adam (Feb 21, 2007)

777 said:


> a rant if you will,
> 
> what the fuck is peoples problem with strapping your guitar up high i mean ive got mine up there with petrucci and cooley upper horn at pec height as i would have it when i play classical position sitting down as i do , i mean to me its just way more comfortable and provides me extremely good access to the entire fretboard not to mention makes stretches easier,
> 
> i still get people laughing though when they see me standing with the guitar saying " why would you hold it that high you look like an idiot?" and questions of that nature which is why i basicly never stand up with the guitar anymore (no i dont gig) i mean im a tall guy of 6ft2" and people still say it looks stupid when it looks fine to me FOR me, why the fuxck are people so fucking stupid!!



 
I agree with ya completely, I play alot of prog rock, and mostly play leads/shred, still a fair amount of rythm and if you look at the stretch Im doing in the second pic, there is no way you can do that with a low strap height. I hate it when people poke fun at my strap height, but all I do is bust a few Cooley chops and it shuts em up pretty damn quick.


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## guitarjitsumaster (Feb 21, 2007)

I think alot depends on the length of your arms. I know some dudes have like orangutang arms and they can shred below the belt like that. For me I have muscular chest and arms with medium length so I have to wear it higher.


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## Adam (Feb 21, 2007)

guitarjitsumaster said:


> I think alot depends on the length of your arms. I know some dudes have like orangutang arms and they can shred below the belt like that. For me I have muscular chest and arms with medium length so I have to wear it higher.



Im only 6'1 so my arms arent that long


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## Mastodon (Feb 21, 2007)

Adam said:


>



It just occured to me how godly of a stretch this is.

God-damn man.


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## OzzyC (Feb 21, 2007)

Mastodon said:


> It just occured to me how godly of a stretch this is.
> 
> God-damn man.



 it's not that hard if you've got the hands for it

[action= OzzyC] can do the same thing [/action]


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## Karl Hungus (Feb 22, 2007)

777 said:


> i still get people laughing though when they see me standing with the guitar saying " why would you hold it that high you look like an idiot?" and questions of that nature which is why i basicly never stand up with the guitar anymore (no i dont gig) i mean im a tall guy of 6ft2" and people still say it looks stupid when it looks fine to me FOR me, why the fuxck are people so fucking stupid!!



That's because trendy idiots like Green Day and Good Charlotte like to have their guitars dangling between their knees.

I would far sooner think that someone looks stupid if they had their guitars strapped low, rather than someone having it up high.

Which one of these two people look stupid:










Clue: It's not John Petrucci.

Give up? It's that git from Green day that looks stupid.


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## Alpo (Feb 22, 2007)

Petrucci looks like he just spotted some boobs


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## 7slinger (Feb 22, 2007)

Alpo said:


> Petrucci looks like he just spotted some boobs



absolutely...BOOBIES!!!


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## Naren (Feb 22, 2007)

noodles said:


> What kind of music do you play? That has a huge effect on where you hang your strap.
> 
> I play metal, so there are two things I keep in mind. First, the image I project on stage is important. I can't hang the guitar around my chin and look suitably "brutal", so it has to come down a bit. Secondly, while prog height is awesome for soloing, it absolutely sucks for rhythm. Palm muted eight notes have a different and more authoritative attack when you drop the guitar and really lay into it with the right hand. I try to strike a good balance between rhythm, lead, and looks.
> 
> Keep in mind that you can always prop your leg up on the monitor, front of stage railing, the kick drum, etc when it is time to solo.



That's the way I see it, but I'm betting I have my strap lower than you do, but not as low as it used to be (my Gibson is slung a lot lower than my Ibanez. I found that with the thicker neck on a seven, I had to have the guitar up a bit higher to play comfortably). I do play solos, but I'm not the lead guitarist in the band, so about 80-90% of the time I'm playing the guitar, I'm playing rhythm guitar (and maybe lead on the E, A, D,and G strings). I have my guitars both strapped exactly where it's comfortable for me to play.

My Gibson: the top of the body comes up to my belt buckle/over my belt buckle (a lot of people think this is REALLY low, but I have no trouble playing this way)
My Ibanez - the upper horn comes right below my left rib cage (maybe half a foot higher than my Gibson)

I certainly wouldn't make fun of a chest rocker. I do make fun of the "chin rockers"  who have the shortest straps available and pulled as short as possible and have the bottom of their lower horn at their left breast.  Sorry, but those just make me laugh. Petrucci is higher than I would personally go, but I don't think he looks funny or weird in any way. For prog, that's the kind of height you need.

My Gibson is almost mid-80s Hetfield height and my Ibanez is still pretty low but quite a bit heigher than that.


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## Hexer (Feb 22, 2007)

my guitar is relatively low probably, around belt-hight. when I'm sitting down (classical position) its easier to play leads for me but playing rythm is easier when standing up. may move it a bit higher though, we'll see

I actually find it funnier to see those guys who actually have to kind of bend over because they have their guitars so low they struggle to reach the strings


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## eaeolian (Feb 22, 2007)

Karl Hungus said:


> That's because trendy idiots like Green Day and Good Charlotte like to have their guitars dangling between their knees.



Actually, there were trendy idiots with names like Richards and Page that were doing it long beforehand. Ever see Satch? I haven't in a while but he used to wear his *really* low.


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## b3n (Feb 22, 2007)

Naren said:


> I found that with the thicker neck on a seven, I had to have the guitar up a bit higher to play comfortably).



 I'm the same. I can easily run up and down the neck on my strat with the upper horn against my lower stomach - if I have the 7 that low I can't get above about 12th without contortions


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## Drew (Feb 22, 2007)

eaeolian said:


> Actually, there were trendy idiots with names like Richards and Page that were doing it long beforehand. Ever see Satch? I haven't in a while but he used to wear his *really* low.



 

Also, Satriani DOES sling rather low for a "shred" guy, as does Vai.


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## distressed_romeo (Feb 22, 2007)

Drew said:


> Also, Satriani DOES sling rather low for a "shred" guy, as does Vai.



...And Marty Friedman.


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## Metal Ken (Feb 22, 2007)

Naren said:


> I do make fun of the "chin rockers"  who have the shortest straps available and pulled as short as possible and have the bottom of their lower horn at their left breast.



Like this guy?





dude wears his strap higher than anyone i've seen.


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## distressed_romeo (Feb 22, 2007)

Remember Joey Tafolla? He was another serious chest-rocker.

EDIT: That sounds so wrong now I read it back...


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## Naren (Feb 22, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> Like this guy?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yeah, like that, but I've actually seen guitarists who have it even higher.  The upper horn a few inches below the chin.

Hard to believe, I know.


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## Mastodon (Feb 22, 2007)

OzzyC said:


> it's not that hard if you've got the hands for it
> 
> [action= OzzyC] can do the same thing [/action]



The hell kind of hands do you have?

Every approach that I'm taking to this would require my index finger to become almost parallel with the horizontal.


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## OzzyC (Feb 22, 2007)

Mastodon said:


> The hell kind of hands do you have?
> 
> Every approach that I'm taking to this would require my index finger to become almost parallel with the horizontal.



Massive! 

My hands are larger then that of most people, and also my pinky finger has more side-to-side action then most (About 45*.) Things like the first riff in Stream of Conciousness are no problem for me.


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## sakeido (Feb 23, 2007)

If I remember right I think the upper horn is even with my belly button. Looks cool enough for me and still works for leads and rhythym really well. Sometimes I will sling it a lot lower and then when I need to solo, I get way down there like the new bassist from Metallica and rest my guitar on one leg to bump it up a bit.


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## Metal Ken (Feb 23, 2007)

Naren said:


> Yeah, like that, but I've actually seen guitarists who have it even higher.  The upper horn a few inches below the chin.
> 
> Hard to believe, I know.



I saw him at jemfest 05 and i know he had it about that high. i think he lowered it this pic. he was seriously, like, the highest strapped dude there. me, my old roommate and that dude that used to post on here, Jski7, were all standing there in awe of just how high his strap was


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## Naren (Feb 23, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> I saw him at jemfest 05 and i know he had it about that high. i think he lowered it this pic. he was seriously, like, the highest strapped dude there. me, my old roommate and that dude that used to post on here, Jski7, were all standing there in awe of just how high his strap was



I used to think that the classic rock old dudes (in their 40s and 50s) had their guitars up really high and then I saw progressive rock and found guys who would have the guitar covering their faces if they raised it any higher. 

(That might be a funny Saturday Night Live/Mad TV/whatever type skit)


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## Metal Ken (Feb 23, 2007)

Naren said:


> I used to think that the classic rock old dudes (in their 40s and 50s) had their guitars up really high and then I saw progressive rock and found guys who would have the guitar covering their faces if they raised it any higher.
> 
> (That might be a funny Saturday Night Live/Mad TV/whatever type skit)



We ended up pulling our straps as tight they'd go later, and standing on leg with both arms in the air and dubbing it "The Prog Stance"


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## Naren (Feb 23, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> We ended up pulling our straps as tight they'd go later, and standing on leg with both arms in the air and dubbing it "The Prog Stance"



 Well, about 4 years ago, I played my friend's dad's Fender stratocaster at his house and it was literally almost up to my neck. I found it very very hard to play (I think having the guitar near my belt buckle or stomach makes the guitar very easy to play). Later, as a joke, I did the same thing you did with my guitar and pulled the strap as tight as it'd go, but it still wasn't as high as my friend's dad's guitar.


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## Metal Ken (Feb 23, 2007)

Naren said:


> Well, about 4 years ago, I played my friend's dad's Fender stratocaster at his house and it was literally almost up to my neck. I found it very very hard to play (I think having the guitar near my belt buckle or stomach makes the guitar very easy to play). Later, as a joke, I did the same thing you did with my guitar and pulled the strap as tight as it'd go, but it still wasn't as high as my friend's dad's guitar.




Nice. 

As far as strap height goes, since i haven't mentioned it in this thread yet, i like to have the guitar sitting on the strap in the same position as i'm sitting down as when i'm standing up. so i try to adjust my strap accordingly to that. it ends up being about where the top horn is just below chest height.


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## Ancestor (Feb 23, 2007)

Adam said:


>



Holy shit! 12 frets. You got the mitts of doom, dude.

Ah, fuck, I'm never really ever comfortable. I have my guitar pretty high. It doesn't work quite as well for rhythm. I don't know, whatever... it should be wherever you want it.


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## 777 (Feb 23, 2007)

arent those esps 24.75??? cz if thats the case i could do that too i got 12-23 on the nez


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## Matt Crooks (Feb 23, 2007)

noodles said:


> Secondly, while prog height is awesome for soloing, it absolutely sucks for rhythm. Palm muted eight notes have a different and more authoritative attack when you drop the guitar and really lay into it with the right hand.



QFT. 

The harder you pick your rhythms the less gain you have to use, and the better they sound.


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## Adam (Feb 23, 2007)

777 said:


> arent those esps 24.75??? cz if thats the case i could do that too i got 12-23 on the nez



25.5"


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## Gilbucci (Feb 23, 2007)

Matt Crooks said:


> QFT.
> 
> The harder you pick your rhythms the less gain you have to use, and the better they sound.



There is no happy medium is there?


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## Metal Ken (Feb 23, 2007)

Matt Crooks said:


> QFT.
> 
> The harder you pick your rhythms the less gain you have to use, and the better they sound.



Now, just imagine if you pick hard AND use more gain


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## D-EJ915 (Feb 23, 2007)

lol if you pick too hard and your strings fart out then it sounds like ass  There's definitely a balance.


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