Beginner Guitar – Guitar Fretting And Strumming Hand Positions

Beginner guitar basic hand positions for fretting and strumming

Here is a beginner guitar  tutorial for hand positioning on a guitar. We will quickly cover what your left and right hands will be doing

Your fretting hand is the one that puts pressure on the string and hold chords while your strumming hand will pluck the guitar strings or strum them using a pick.

Fretting Hand

First of all, have you thumb pressed up against the middle of the back of the guitar neck.

When your thumb applies force to the back of the guitar neck, it helps you anchor your hand firmly to allow your fingers to move freely on the fretboard.

A lot of beginners position their thumbs too high up on the top edge of the neck and this is bad technique. Why? Firstly, it makes it difficult to play the bass string properly. Secondly, your other fingers will have problems holding chords properly and they will have to apply more force in order for the notes to sound correctly. And in doing so, reduces your finger movement’s speed.

Strumming Hand

When you are strumming on the guitar, you need your forearm to be relaxed and loose. Only your forearm and wrist should have movement while the upper arm should remain firmly anchored to the guitar body.

Rest your inner part of your elbow on the top edge of the guitar body so that your forearm hangs naturally downwards pointing towards the strings. If in a seated position, try to position your body to be more upright to avoid possible shoulder injuries from playing guitar for extended periods of time – Take some breaks between practice sessions!

If you are playing on an acoustic guitar, strumming directly over the “hole ” will produce the richest, most resonating notes. And if you’re playing on an electric, playing over on of your pickups will be best on most occasions unless you’re trying to achieve a certain type of sound.

For more beginner guitar tutorials, be sure to check this website frequently.