Playing guitar standing instead of sitting

[Lionsblood79]

I've been playing guitar now for about a year and a half, made some really great progress. I've spent the entirety of my learning journey playing sitting down. Then I heard a quote from the legend Dimebag Darrell about sitting down and playing. He said "You don't go to war sitting down". It dawned on me that I never practice standing, so I got a strap and tried it. I sounded like I'd only been playing for a month. Riffs that were easy for sitting down were a struggle. It was like everything I had learned as far as fretting and picking technique were totally different. To me, it's become a whole new ballgame. I'm so used to being able to see the fretboard amd strings while sitting, then when I stand all I can see is the dots marking the frets. Feels like I'm fretting blind. Even my picking hand position seems different. I feel like I'm learning to play all over again!

Does anyone have any advice, any little tricks, that may help make this transition easier? I just cant believe how different it is to go from sitting to standing! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

I don't think Dimebag Darrell ever went to war, but if you play standing (or intend to), that's how you should practice. I have my guitar strapped fairly high, more or less where it would be if I were holding it in classical position. This will help make the transition a little easier, but different things are different. It will just take time.

 

[Lionsblood79]

I have a buddy who's a drummer and has a rehearsal space (for his bar band) and he invites me to come jam with him there all the time. So I'm sure in that situation I'd need to stand and play. Other than that not so much. I'm glad I havent taken him up on it yet, cuz i sound like warm dogshit standing.
I've been playing with strap height, high and low. Nothing I've found, so far, puts the guitar in the same or similar position as if I were sitting. Like you said, I guess it will just take time.

 

[budda]

I play standing most of the time. I recommend it.

 

[nickgray]

Once in a while I like playing full songs or parts of them to the actual track while standing. It's pretty much LARPing, so it feels nice and it is pretty fun, plus it's a good idea to have at least some experience in playing standing up. Played a couple of Death songs today actually. It's a good reminder for why you're doing it in the first place, or at least for me it always has been about the music, the guitar is a just a means to an end.

Actually practicing and learning material while standing? Reading tabs, figuring out chords, doing drills to a metronome... No way, it's too awkward and annoying.

Does anyone have any advice, any little tricks, that may help make this transition easier?

Make sure you can play the whole song fairly cleanly while sitting. Make sure the strap is comfortable and play with the height. Unless you're putting the guitar at prog metal nerd height, try to favor thumb over neck playstyle, the lower than usual (compared to sitting) neck position will naturally favor this approach.

It was like everything I had learned as far as fretting and picking technique were totally different

Seems like a height issue, honestly. You can place the guitar really high so that it feels virtually the same as when you're sitting, you'll just look like a dork and it's kind of uncomfortable because it'll sit against your chest in an awkward way.

If your picking hand is around cock height, then yes, the technique will be way different, but unless you're into crabcore there's really no reason to put the guitar that low. Just play around witth the height, find a comfortable one.

For soloing and trickier stuff, put your leg on a chair or whatever and place the guitar on it (the leg, not the chair), it's a really common trick that tons of guitar players use.

 

[Lionsblood79]

Once in a while I like playing full songs or parts of them to the actual track while standing. It's pretty much LARPing, so it feels nice and it is pretty fun, plus it's a good idea to have at least some experience in playing standing up. Played a couple of Death songs today actually. It's a good reminder for why you're doing it in the first place, or at least for me it always has been about the music, the guitar is a just a means to an end.

Actually practicing and learning material while standing? Reading tabs, figuring out chords, doing drills to a metronome... No way, it's too awkward and annoying.


Make sure you can play the whole song fairly cleanly while sitting. Make sure the strap is comfortable and play with the height. Unless you're putting the guitar at prog metal nerd height, try to favor thumb over neck playstyle, the lower than usual (compared to sitting) neck position will naturally favor this approach.


Seems like a height issue, honestly. You can place the guitar really high so that it feels virtually the same as when you're sitting, you'll just look like a dork and it's kind of uncomfortable because it'll sit against your chest in an awkward way.

If your picking hand is around cock height, then yes, the technique will be way different, but unless you're into crabcore there's really no reason to put the guitar that low. Just play around witth the height, find a comfortable one.

For soloing and trickier stuff, put your leg on a chair or whatever and place the guitar on it (the leg, not the chair), it's a really common trick that tons of guitar players use.

All good shit..thanks. just weird not seeing the strings and fret finger position. I have used the trick u described, slightly elevating my leg so that the guitar tilts toward me..it works, but then I put the leg down, and I lose that tilt and I'm back to square one...I dunno, I guess I'll just dedicate more time to practicing standing, just get used to it.

 

[spudmunkey]

An older version of "you don't go to war sitting down", and probably more actually appropriate for guitar, is "practice how you play". Just like in Basketball, if all of your shooting practice is unguarded layups and standing in place jump shots where you have a minute to line up your shot, the moment you get into a game situation, you're as good as toast.

 

[CanserDYI]

Keep that Strap high! Helps a lot.

 

[Lionsblood79]

Makes sense...i guess it just takes years of practicing both sitting and standing to be able to go to either one seamlessly

An older version of "you don't go to war sitting down", and probably more actually appropriate for guitar, is "practice how you play". Just like in Basketball, if all of your shooting practice is unguarded layups and standing in place jump shots where you have a minute to line up your shot, the moment you get into a game situation, you're as good as toast.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

I mostly play guitar standing up, but I'll sit down when I'm learning something new or recording. I also play in classical position when I sit and wear my strap somewhat high when I stand, so there's not a huge difference in feeling when I switch between the two.

 

[Shask]

I always wear a strap either way, so the guitar is pretty much in the same place whether I am standing or sitting.

 

[Emperoff]

I think that if I had to do my practice sessions with a metronome standing up it would be a damn chore. Some stretchs would be flat out painful standing up, so in my experience I prefer to practice sitting down, and focusing on what I'm doing. Mind you, you should not be looking at the fretboard anyway. Even sitting down. If you ever intend on playing live (or guitars with a blank fretboard), you should get used to only look at side dots whenever possible.

When it's time to just jam, or rehearse the songs from by bands, I do play standing up because I will play those things live. It also helps to break the routine. I also practice bending and vibrato standing up, so I can see what my hands are doing in a mirror. Helps a lot.

 

[Naxxpipe]

As I play X and V-shapes in the classical position sitting and standing is virtually the same for me when I've adjusted strap length to that.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Makes sense...i guess it just takes years of practicing both sitting and standing to be able to go to either one seamlessly

I'm guessing it feels this way because you have your guitar slung relatively low when standing compared to seated. If you shorten your strap and only play standing for a while, you may find that your ability standing matches your ability sitting within a matter of weeks.

I have my straps adjusted to a length where my guitars stay in the same position as seated when I stand. That's high compared to the average rock / metal guitarist and some people may think it doesn't look cool unless your guitar is dangling by your knees, but a lot of highly respected guitarists do this (my guitars hang at a very similar height to John Petrucci's and much lower than Tom Morello's). It still feels "different", but only very slightly once you get relatively accustomed to both playing positions. I have to subtly adapt my technique for big bends (especially if adding vibrato at the top of the bend) when standing, because the guitar can move around in a way that it wouldn't when I'm sitting, but that became subconscious pretty quickly once I figured out.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

99% of war takes place sitting down

Playing while standing is similar to putting your guitar into the classical position. It puts both arms into a different position so you are out of your comfort zone. The biggest change for me is my picking hand. I find some things much easier to do while standing than sitting and same the other way around.

The solution for going back and forth is what people have already said, adjusting your strap so its similar in both positions. I don't think I've splayed standing up in about 4 years.

 

[InfernalVortex]

You'll adjust relatively quickly. Put the guitar a little higher than you thought you'd need it to be. I learned for months without a strap. Then finally gone one and realized that I couldnt play standing up at all. Suddenly doing things like slides moved the whole guitar instead of my hand. Just had to learn how to play standing.

Just remember, you still know how to play, you just have to learn to do it with slightly different ergonomics. But even the "pros" will put a leg up on something to elevate the guitar for the wheedley wheedley bits.

And it may take a little time for you, but absolutely some things are easier standing, especially the super fast downstroke metal rhythm stuff.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

Something that also helps me a lot is: focus your eyes on something in front of you that's not your fretboard. If you still catch yourself looking down, wear a blindfold/beanie/sleeping mask and practice like that.

Unless you're putting the guitar at prog metal nerd height

I might be a nerd but try to have some respect, I play shoegaze and I've never shredded a measure in my life.

 

[dhgrind]

I have a buddy who's a drummer and has a rehearsal space (for his bar band) and he invites me to come jam with him there all the time. So I'm sure in that situation I'd need to stand and play. Other than that not so much. I'm glad I havent taken him up on it yet, cuz i sound like warm dogshit standing.
I've been playing with strap height, high and low. Nothing I've found, so far, puts the guitar in the same or similar position as if I were sitting. Like you said, I guess it will just take time.

sit down in front of a mirror, note how close it is to your body, in relation to a clock where the neck is angled, and estimate where about on your body the guitar is height wise. with that information you should be able to replicate what you need from sitting position to standing.

if you are having trouble with keeping the guitar at a certain angle - look into getting a wider strap to help stabilize the guitar
if you are having trouble with guitar height - look into a shorter or longer strap.
if your guitar slides around a lot, you probably have one of those nylon seatbelt straps, look into leather or other material.

finally invest in strap locks - regardless of how little you move that strap will find a way off without something holding it firmly in place. I recommend Schaller S Strap locks - you can install them relatively easily with minimal modification to the guitar.

 

[nickgray]

I might be a nerd but try to have some respect, I play shoegaze and I've never shredded a measure in my life.

Not just respect, but envy I've been practicing those Glass Prison arpeggios. They're fucking killing me and I'm sick to death of them. I'd rather play something else, but something compels me to continue to suffer

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Not just respect, but envy I've been practicing those Glass Prison arpeggios. They're fucking killing me and I'm sick to death of them. I'd rather play something else, but something compels me to continue to suffer

sounds like me learning to play Yngwie songs rn