Interacting with different guitars

[Demanic]

If I play sitting the guitar always rests on my left leg with my left foot resting on something to elevate it a few inches. Unless it's my V, that I'll rest on my right leg. Standing it has to be around mid body. I can't play a guitar that's slung around my knees. I also never use my thumb to fret the low E string.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

[Mincer]

Sitting, the weight of the guitar is on my strap, not my leg. When I stand up, the guitar stays in the same place. The relationship of the guitar to my wrists and spine stays the same.

[Top-L]

In terms of position, there's may be a right way for each of us.
But there isn't one way that's going to be right for everybody.
Just as there's no one guitar that's right for everybody.

That said, many develop habits that aren't always the ideal arrangement for them.
IMO it's worth trying out various options to see what works best for you personally.

I've always been a shredder and fast alternate picking is my bread/butter.

When I first started playing, the position of the guitar, the angle of the face, the tilt of the neck all contributed to either good day or bad day from accuracy standpoint.

My mechanic depended on how the guitar was positioned, most notably if the face of the guitar was vertical, my string skipping was cleaner.

I dont know any way around this, but I believe that a highly developed picking technique almost demands the that guitar be in the same place every time you play. Which meant I couldnt play alot of stuff standing. The only solution I found is to play classical with a strap, that keeps the guitar in the same place seated or standing.

There was alot of trial/error up to this point. Thats all I've got. I think its important to discuss this because guitar body shape/position could be barrier to entry to developing good consistent technique, and its not often discussed. How many "rythym" players run into a brick wall with their soloing technique because of the way they've been holding the guitar and their pick? I think that is the reason most people run into limitations later on, because of bad habits developed early.

Another example of this is pinch harmonics. Some people just can't do them reliably because of the way they learned to hold the pick. Their body of technique develops around a way of holding the pick that makes pinch harmonics difficult.

[esandes]

I play all of my axes the same way regardless of neck profile, fretboard radius, bridge design.

Some songs are better suited for a particular type of pickup (SC vs HB) though. The pickup dictates the style of music I play in a big way. Like a neck SC for blues and Hendrix type tones won't work so great for crushing metal riffs.

[AlexR]

I make sure I upskill myself as much as possible by learning the techniques to be able to play every possible instrument construction and pickup type out there.

If your skill level is only capable of holding you afloat in one painfully narrow set of circumstances, what happens when something goes wrong either live, or in any other pressure situation and you are forced out of that??

[JamesPaul]

Sitting, the weight of the guitar is on my strap, not my leg. When I stand up, the guitar stays in the same place. The relationship of the guitar to my wrists and spine stays the same.

It took me a few years to arrive at this, and I had to shorten my strap lengths, but this is where I'm at today. Excluding 3 near identical Les Pauls I use when we play live, every other guitar has it's own strap so they stay adjusted and accomplish this goal.

[Mr. B]

I used to imagine that some guitar necks were "too wide" or "too fat" for me, but after playing 7, 8, and 9 strings for the last several years, every 6 string feels like a ukulele to me now. Switching between guitars, you have to adjust your hand position for good muting technique and accessing controls. After getting used to playing so many guitars, I find it only takes me a few minutes for my brain to adapt to just about any guitar I pick up.

[Securb]

Tonight at practice I played a 59's neck Les Paul, a Tele, and a Parker never did I have a problem adapting, and adapting never entered my mind.

[Mincer]

I bet the Parker is way different than the LP.

[beaubrummels]

A Parker is like putting silk gloves on after manhandling a Les Paul

[Securb]

I bet the Parker is way different than the LP.

Way different. I have a couple of songs I have to go from acoustic to electric so the Parker is great for that. The LP is my main axe they are like day and night. Still, there are no adjustments needed going from axe to axe.

[Mincer]

Which Parker do you have? Id always wanted to own an original Fly, but Id have to sell 4 guitars to get it at today's prices.

[Securb]

Which Parker do you have? Id always wanted to own an original Fly, but Id have to sell 4 guitars to get it at today's prices.

I have a 1999 USA Made Midyfly based on the Nitefly. It has the pitch-to-midi hardware built into the guitar so you can go directly from the guitar to any midi device. The USA Parkers are sought after MIdiFlys are going for $3500 - $4000 now, I paid $800 for mine.

[Mincer]

Oh wow! So it uses the midi axe box in between? I always wondered about these things. Do you use the midi output?

[Securb]

Oh wow! So it uses the midi axe box in between? I always wondered about these things. Do you use the midi output?

Yep, I use the midi all of the time. There is a small MidiAxe box for phantom power then it goes right into the Kurzweil module. or the Emu synth module which has a ton of Allen Holdsworth-like sounds.