No one voting for lying down?
5 Likes
Cool topic JK.
Wellā¦ i has been on two live concerts for the last two weeksā¦ first one was a Ā«rockĀ» concerts with one of the best live bands in Norway. The vocalist plays on a tele and sounds awsome. He played standing up of course with a lot of energy.
Then. Last weekend the same vocalist did a unplugged concert in Oslo. Just him playing all the tracks accoustic stripped down, just him and his Gibson jumboā¦ he was sitting on bar stool the whole concertā¦ and sounded awsome ofcourseā¦ a lot of energy but not in the same way as when he played with his bandā¦ must admitā¦ i loved the live show with his bandā¦ but sitting down all stripped downā¦ā¦ give me tears just thinking about itā¦ i say yes to both things 
Just my two cents JK
2 Likes
My notes sound flat.
2 Likes
Vincent,
As far a tips go, Iām not sure I can offer anything except my own experience. The biggest problem I encountered when I started standing is the stability of the guitar.
The first step in stability is having the right strap and adjusting it to the right position. I used to use a nylon strap but once I stood up the neck of the guitar would drop, it was like the head was trying to kiss the floor. I changed to a leather strap with an unfinished side and the provided enough grip that I no longer experienced the neck diving.
Next for the strap is having one wide enough to support the weight of the guitar comfortably, the heavier the guitar the wider the strap. The strap on the Martin acoustic is quite narrow but the strap on the LP is really wide.
Adjusting the strap to to right length is essential, you donāt want your fretting wrist cocked at too much of an angle. Generally the higher the guitar, the less you need to flex your wrist, so make sure the strap hold the guitar high enough. (Side note, the higher the guitar, the less cool it looks)
I would also (strongly) recommend using strap locks while standing.
Also for stability, I had to make adjustments to the pressure from both the strumming and fretting arms. For me, initially both my strumming arm and fretting arm were exerting too much pressure. This caused the whole guitar to wobble back and forth. I did have to learn to lighten my touch.
If any of tis is helpful, great and have fun. If itās not, then just ignore it all. As others have noted, standing or sitting are preferences (for most) not better or worse.
Glen
3 Likes
Thanks Mark for the reassurance! I think I too prefer have the guitar high up due to the technical stuff I am inā¦ And seriously my acoustic is pretty heavy for the mods I installed
2 Likes
eh.
6 Likes
So quite a lot of discussion! 
It seems like the most common thought for why YouTube guitarists sit down is to make video framing easy. I wonder if itās just that simple. If youāre recording your own video, I guess you have to be still as you wouldnāt have a separate camera person on you.
Two opposite points of view, I love it. 
I usually play standing up because I sit down a lot for work so prefer to stand when playing, I have better posture that way.
Of courseā¦ people play however they can. Sitting seems prolific on YouTube in general. Gotta be a reason.
So, another question - does anyone know any YouTube guitarists that stand up a lot? Particularly ones with interesting camera angles. Iām curious on watching how they do their videos. I had a look at Dave Simpson (like @rorystrat mentioned) and his camera work is simple, just one camera point at him and no cuts.
1 Like
Hi JK! Would you mind explain to me the framing issue? I am planning to film myself playing some guitar for upcoming YouTube MV, standing up
For your enquiry, a lot of fingerstyle player I know play standing up (notable one, only Sungha Jung sit down, really)
This one make you sea sick
Andy is always cool! For his personal YouTube he actually sit down 
And the really cool one below
To myself personally, I would perform sitting if I were to create a chilling atmosphere. Like performing music ācasuallyā. It is really down that what kind of experience I wish to provide to the audience =)
2 Likes
ā¦then youāll see guys like Erich Andreas (YourGuitarSage), and Mike Philippov ( HowToPracticeGuitar), whoāll sometimes stand up, but have the guitar mounted on a fixed bracket.
1 Like
sitting is much more comfortable for me and leaves less to think about when Iām trying to concentrate on chords. I typically do an 8k run/walk then hit the gym prior to practicing so Iām in no mood for standing for another hour for practice. Also easier to fiddle with my amp, ipad and/or books at that level. all around just much better. Iām about 100 years away from any kind of performing so Iāll probably not be worrying about that anytime soon. 
2 Likes
I know mainly two guys who most of the time play standing. One is Mr Tabs, the other is a guy whose channel is called TheSuffocater.
Dave Simpson was mentioned who also plays standing but while he plays nicely, he talks a lot
1 Like
Absolutely agree, saying that something is better then the other is controversial, it might be better for you but not everyone in general. There is also a practical aspect to it, staying in a frame to be one reason, unless you have a film crew :).
It is also situational, at least for the pro musicians I watch. When they record at studio / home they mostly sit. On stage it varies from piece to piece, noir and melancholic songs are played sitting, dynamic with a lot of tapping are played standing.
2 Likes
@jjw1 John, I think you are generally correct on this point. Based on what I know (limited) of singing, one can achieve better breathe support when standing.
That said, many people above have made a point of artists playing unplugged solo with an acoustic sitting down, so clearly not a a an absolute no-no to sit and sing.
3 Likes
No, you are not on the wrong track.
Standing, playing is a performance stance, and a good way to practice, as well.
Good question.
A matter of pick.
2 Likes
Well, Iāve done most of my vids standing up. I think itās to do with setting up multiple cameras and getting the guitar in the shot by yourself. Which makes sense.
Thanks for posting those videos, I really enjoyed them and gave me some good ideas. It did look like there must have been a second person with the camera though, and multiple takes (especially for the Petteri Sariola one). Which makes them a bit more music-video and less single-take-and-cut. But still great videos, thanks.
Interestingā¦ I had watched one of YourGuitarSageās videos before, just went searching through both their feeds and found this early video of Erich Andreas: How To Play Hey Joe By Jimi Hendrix - Guitar Lesson - YouTube. Standing up. But single shot/camera from what I can see, and not as slick as his newer stuff where heās sitting down. I didnāt find any ones from either of them with a fixed bracket but didnāt look too hard for one, just skimmed their popular video list.
Thanks, I had a look at Mr Tabs and I could only find him sitting down. But Suffocater is standing in most of his videos. From seeing all these Iām becoming quite convinced the sitting down thing is because of the ease of doing decent videos with it (based on what quite a few people pointed out).
1 Like
Haha chances were that would be the case! He has a lot of videos, I have probably come across some he was standing, by chance.
1 Like
Hahaha! Best answer yet
For me playing sitting has given me a bad habit of constantly looking at the guitar (like a crane someone said in thread) ānot coolā said, Justin.
So Iāve been practicing more standing up.
When sitting I even practice blindfolded sometimes.
1 Like
I have mostly sat to play guitar from when I took Classical lessons, I found it easier than standing when playing other genres. Other than when I played in a pub band then I stood to play because it was the done thing. If youāve got the right seat at the best height then itās possible to relax when playing, I canāt relax standing now because my balance is less than good, even when I didnāt have balance issues I still found standing playing much less relaxing than sitting. I feel that itās quite important to be able to be relaxed when playing to remove any tension from your body and mind. Lack of tension makes your playing more fluid and easier to play good legato phrases, but thatās me - we arenāt all the same!