Playing with a good posture can help the student avoid general discomfort and play more easily but also helps prevent injuries such as “Tennis Elbow”, “Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) Carpel Tunnel Syndrome” or in worst cases “Tendinitis”. I have met a few students over the years that have had to stop playing for these exact same reasons.

The first thing to note is that playing guitar, or more importantly, when you learn acoustic you put your body under a great deal of stress as the movements required to play properly do not come naturally to us, we were not designed to move our fingers and arms in this way. Sometimes you meet someone who say they are natural guitarist and they find everything easy but that’s not always true, unless of course they were born with calluses on their fingers.

I for one have had to work very hard to learn to play, and the people I play with on a regular basis have the exact same thoughts, so never think yourself you aren’t able to play guitar, if you are struggling the chances are you need to work on your posture.

There are a few right ways to hold a guitar but the bottom line is that it must feel natural without any form of struggle whatsoever. It’s like holding a lover, you don’t want to be rough. It’s a good idea would be to do some warming up and stretching exercises before starting your session as well.

Many modern acoustic guitar players rest the guitar on the right leg but the classical technique of resting the guitar on the inner part of your left leg is still very much in use. You might wanna try them out and see which one works best for you. Remember to keep the wrist of your hand straight to prevent the risk of a trapped nerve.

Some rock players are the worst when it comes to holding a guitar. Often you see them standing with their guitar strap so low that they can hardly hold a chord. That is bad posture and puts a lot of strain on the hand. I really don’t know how they can play a gig like that but many think it helps sell records.

When playing standing up I always suggest to have the strap long enough to ensure the guitar is in the same position as when you are sitting down. Many of us practice most of the time sitting down and perform standing up, therefore having the guitar always in the same position will ensure you’ll have always the same fell with the instrument.

Lastly make sure also your strumming hand is relaxed when moving and that makes mechanical movements.

Learn acoustic guitar is now possible even with out a physical tutor. The Author has a fantastic FREE “Learn Acoustic Guitar Chords” eBook. Go and get it.