I sort of wish Justin would do a lesson focusing on wrist positioning specifically. I watched this lesson for his wrist positions for each chord, but its honestly a little hard to tell how bent his wrist is when viewed from the front. I have watched a couple videos that he’s done that discuss thumb positioning, and that somewhat addresses wrist position, but I still feel a little bit like I’m missing instruction on what is optimal for the wrist in particular.
I feel like I was doing ok wrist-wise until the C and G chords came along, and suddenly I was having to bend the wrist quite a bit, and now I’ve become paranoid that I’ve been doing them all with too bent of a wrist all this time. But if I ty to straighten the wrist, I sometimes feel the bottom of the neck or even the high E string hitting the flesh of my palm. So I’m trying to find a balance in the middle- where my thumb is in the middle or just above the middle of the back of the neck where the palm doesn’t touch, but even so, I still feel like it results in a bent wrist.
I am also a little unsure about how these things are supposed to magically improve over time, but I’m not hearing that we need to get these things perfect right now, so I’m just going along and having fun, trying to put those worries out of my mind.
Maybe worth mentioning here that you have posted a video in the safe space. I’m sure one of the community members with more experience will come along and ease your concerns. I see that you did ask for feedback on that particular matter. Maybe @Richard_close2u or @LievenDV may have some specific guides on wrist position they use when teaching that could help put those worries out of your mind.
Yes that is true, thank you for adding that. That is one of the main reasons I did start recording myself- to compare to later when I’ve developed quite a bit more. I wish I’d began recording from absolute day 1, but I was about a month in before I started.
Thanks @LievenDV from the OP video posted I felt the C chord and G chord had a better angle of the wrist at the start of the song but then the angle changed as the song went on as if the elbow went forward but I’m not at that level yet to really provide feedback on technical aspects,
Stacey, I think your wrist could be straighter. The simplest fix - which has worked for many of us - is to raise up the headstock to around shoulder height.
Playing with a strap while seated could also make it much easier to raise the headstock.
I’m kind of extreme in that I play seated, with a strap, in a pseudo classical position, with the headstock around eye level. But I find this lets me keep my wrist almost straight…especially with barre chords.
When I look at the video posted I think its elbow position as when the OP starts the songs she is playing the C Chord and G Chord in a position that looks reasonably straight. Then as the song progresses the angle of the wrist appears to change. I’ve only completed grade 2 so not really in a position to advise any changes. The thumb position I expect will have an impact as when you start playing with the thumb higher up the wrist position will change.
If your referring to my video - I’ll study it and I wouldn’t be surprised if my elbow migrated outward as the song progressed and my mind wandered to focusing more on the fingers than the wrist.
Yes, referring to your video. I thought at the start of the video you started off with the C and G chords where the angle of the wrist looked fine. When you progressed in the song the angle appeared to change.
Well that’s very interesting about raising the headstock - because I tried that last week and it seemed like it made my wrist bend just as much… But maybe it’s an elbow thing, as in I was putting my elbow out just as much at the higher position as I was at a lower position, and so trying it with a tucked elbow might work? I’ll give it another go, for sure.
Ah! So many things to be thinking about at one time during a song, something is bound to slip! I am glad that you and others agree with me that the wrist position wasn’t correct, tells me I can recognize things myself that may be not optimal. Thank you for your input!
I just watched the video again…It’s the G chord where your wrist bends the most, the other chords look ok to me.
I just spent a few minutes futzing around on my guitar.
For me at least, it’s thumb position that causes my wrist to bend extensively on the G chord.
If I put my thumb in middle of the back of the neck, my wrist bends a lot. If I let it slide up to the top edge (more of a thumb muting position), it bends much less.
Maybe worth doing some one minute changes G-Em-C-D. Then record yourself just doing four down strums for each chord not thinking or trying to look at your fingering and see how your wrist position is then. Maybe your trying to take a sneaky peak at your fingering for those chords.
That’s why the chord perfect and one minute changes exercises are so important. Focusing on good technique in isolation gets it into automatic muscle memory, so you don’t have to think about it.
I find it VERY difficult to keep my thumb in middle of the back of the neck. Not only does it force my wrist into an uncomfortable bend, as you say, but it tends to push the neck away from me as soon as I lift my fingers to change chords. So I also ‘hang’ my thumb on the top of the neck.
I’ve pretty much decided that’s how it is for me. It seems like there are too many other battles I need to fight to learn to play, that fighting my thumb position is too much of a distraction.
Remember in Grade 1 Justin says to keep your thumb behind the neck i.e. not over the neck. Looking at the video lesson for the D chord Justin shows it being played with his thumb behind the neck but not in the middle of the neck.
That stands to reason on the G, because that’s a reach! But like you, I’m playing with thumb positioning and I almost think having it poking up over the top results in straighter wrist. It’s just fighting the palm touching the bottom of the neck at that point. It’s such a tight position!
