I’ve got a question about thumb position when playing guitar.
Quick backstory: I’ve just started learning with JustinGuitar, and I’ve only managed to master two chords so far, A and D. But from the beginning, I haven’t felt comfortable with the guitar in terms of proper body positioning. Neither the position from the course (on the right leg, trying to keep the guitar parallel to your body) nor the classical guitar position (on the left leg) worked for me. It wasn’t until I saw this video (https://youtu.be/BqEmoJ2cags?t=208) that I finally found some relief with the suggested angle change of the guitar neck.
Now there’s just one last issue—the thumb on the neck and its position. I’ve watched a lot of videos on this, and theoretically, there is a correct position for supporting the back of the neck, with some variation depending on the player. Everyone seems to use some variation of it.
To illustrate my problem, I have very long fingers, which should theoretically make playing easier, but the thumb still bothers me. Here’s a photo of how I naturally position it when I’m not thinking about it: natural position.
I understand I should be aiming for something more like this: aiming position, and anything lower than that feels uncomfortable because it forces my wrist into an awkward bend (the angle between my wrist and forearm becomes smaller).
My question: Will my natural, default position cause me problems in the future? And should I really work on getting the proper position before this habit gets too ingrained, or is this thumb position okay?
Interestingly, even though I’ve only learned the chords on the second fret, when I try to move my hand to the 5th, 6th, or 7th frets, my finger seems to naturally straighten out the way it should.
When you play, your hand position shifts according to the region of the fretboard you are using. When playing the first 3 strings or bending strings, wrapping the thumb over the top of the neck may be an option.
Otherwise, the knuckle of the thumb should be roughly on the midline of the neck. You’re not supposed to push the neck with the pad of your thumb as if there was a button or something similar.
Also, make sure that there is some space, say, the thickness of a pencil, between your palm and the underside of the neck. This way you can avoid accidentally muting the high E string.
Thanks for the suggestions! As I mentioned, I’m still at the early stages of the course, and so far, I’ve only been playing around the 2nd fret. Perhaps this thumb position won’t be such a big issue once I start using the full fretboard…
Regarding the space between my palm and the underside of the neck, there’s usually at least a two-finger gap! (I have really long fingers). That’s probably why my hand is overcompensating with the thumb position, as I have plenty of room under the neck.
It took me a long time to find comfort and familiarity. Probably 6 months before simply picking up the guitar off the rack felt normal. Sounds like you are just a few weeks into this, so give it time. Also, good that you are mindful of position. Search around the forums here, there are some other posts about position you can use for ideas.
Your natural position is similar to mine. I have a longer palm and typical finger length. There was no way to place my thumb as recommended and not have my wrist bent too far. You might try straightening the thumb. There will be occasions later in your progress when you want to wrap it over the top.
As Jozef mentioned, make sure to leave some room between the bottom of the neck and your hand. I am often too tight there and mute string 1 when I do not want to.
You may also try raising the neck up. this will bring your hand into a more neutral position and make the thhumb position a lot more comfortable. It will allow easier access to the neck closer to the body as well. Look at some classical guitar players and notice how they have the neck nearly over the shoulder.
Justin put together a quite extensive lesson on this subject (see below).
He has also said that for the early stages of playing, he recommends the thumb behind the neck as it will build up strength in the hand that will be needed later for barre chords.
Thanks Michael, for the helpful tips!
Yeah I’m definitely trying to straighten my thumb, but doing it on the 2nd fret requires a lot of focus since it doesn’t come naturally to me. As I mentioned before, when I experiment and pretend to play on 7th or lower frets my thumb naturally straightens out, so there’s some hope here.
That was a very good point you made about the thumb wrapping over the top in the future (Justin mentions this too in the course), so I take comfort in knowing that the thumb isn’t meant to stay in one position while playing and, hopefully, it will shape up over time.
I tried raising the neck further up today, and… it seems to make a lot of sense! But I feel like I might have to learn the chords almost from scratch, haha. I know that (I’m right-handed) I prefer having the guitar on my right leg rather than the left, like in the typical acoustic guitar position where the neck angle is quite steep. In this position, the guitar rests between my legs, so it’s not an issue. But I think I prefer having it on my right leg, and when I raise it really high, it tends to slide “behind my right hip” – haha, so many problems! Maybe I need to get a guitar strap?
Thank you, Paul! I saw this lesson, and the issue is that what he recommends just doesn’t come naturally to me, unfortunately
All I know is that I shouldn’t place my finger alongside the fret, which I think I can manage, but if you look at the photo I attached earlier Dropbox, you can see that my natural position is a bit strange (but comfy, haha!).
I tend to gently push the side of my thumb over the back of the fret rather than the front of the thumb. I hope that makes sense – sorry if it’s unclear, I’m not a native English speaker
This is very true.
I also should have mentioned that I use my thumb on the top for string bends. Without that, the bends are missing the opposite force you need. This is typically a blues thing, so may not be useful for you. Muting string 6 is also done this way (one of the ways), and that you will need no matter what you play. Think about that later though
Me too. I am fighting an elbow discomfort and have tried lowering the body (standing with a strap) and everything is out just enough to make a mess of my playing.
Lots of folks like the strap even when sitting. Get one if you don’t have one. I prefer the wider straps, even on a light guitar. The strap can help hold the guitar in place and relax parts of your shoulder and arm. If you are standing, you need the strap or a stand to hold the guitar.
Hey everyone, I guess my main question is – in my situation, would you work on straightening the thumb a bit more, or looking at my photo with my current thumb position, can I just ignore it and focus on learning more chords instead?
My take on your nature position is your going to go through a lot of pain in your thumb when learning barre chords. Justin teaches open chords with the thumb in the middle of the neck to strengthen your thumb barre chords.
My take on both your photos is you need to move your fingers closer to the frets.
Your natural position will work for thumb over muting and fretting the E string but that’s an advanced technique.
Yes, using a guitar strap, even when sitting, helps to keep the guitar in position. For me, I adjust my straps so they have no slack in them when the guitar is sitting on my horizontal right thigh. This does two things:
Keeps the guitar from moving around and tipping forward when playing while sitting,
Positions the guitar in the same position when I’m standing, so playing while standing doesn’t feel so “different”
My two cents worth, @bacorreo is listen to all this advice and be patient. I’ve been at this more than two years and am still working to get consistent, clean strumming, especially upstrokes.
Also, get a strap. It gives you one less thing (dropping the guitar) to worry about and let’s you play with postitioning more easily. Eventually, try standing up. That can fix posture and other issues.
(I have really long fingers). That’s probably why my hand is overcompensating with the thumb position, as I have plenty of room under the neck.
