Do I Need A Strap To Play Guitar?
by Tommaso Zillio
The guitar strap is one of the most neglected accessories by beginner (and even advanced!) players. And yet, knowing how to use a guitar strap the right way WILL make your playing better and your musical life easier. Don’t believe me? Read on.
First of all, most guitar players think that they don’t need a strap because they are playing sitting down. This can be partially true for acoustic guitar players (as the shape of their instrument helps them keeping it in the correct position) but it’s completely false for electric guitar players.
If you sit down and try to play with your guitar on your legs, you will discover indeed that it’s really hard to keep your back straight. While that’s ok for few minutes, if you practice for a while this WILL make your back ache (and in the long run this could become much worse…).
So what’s the strap to do with that?
Simple: you should use a guitar strap even when you are sitting down. YES, I’m serious, ask your teacher to show you how. By doing this you will also be sure that you will hold the guitar in the same position whether you are sitting down or standing up (again, ask your teacher to demonstrate).
And yes, there is also the fact that you HAVE to learn to play while standing up. No, this is not optional. If you are an electric guitar player, you will agree with me that, with the exception of a few “YouTube guitar heroes”, most guitarists do play standing up. And if you play acoustic… come to think of it, lots of singer-songwriters and acoustic players DO play standing up too!
Here are a couple of tips to learn how to play with your strap while standing up:
1. Do not start with the guitar on your knees. While it looks cool to sling the guitar low like Jimmy Page, this is not the best position to START. Try starting with your guitar fairly high and then, once you got used to it, lower it one inch per week more or less until you are at a position that is both comfortable to be in and cool to watch.
2. If your guitar is too heavy, use a wider strap to reduce the pressure on your shoulder.
3. Stand up while you practice. If that’s easy, then try to walk around ;) (pay attention to the furniture…)
And remember to have fun!
About The Author Tommaso Zillio is a professional teacher and guitar players, and he’s a respected writer of guitar columns. I his music schools he gives guitar lessons in Edmonton to many local up and coming guitar players
First of all, most guitar players think that they don’t need a strap because they are playing sitting down. This can be partially true for acoustic guitar players (as the shape of their instrument helps them keeping it in the correct position) but it’s completely false for electric guitar players.
If you sit down and try to play with your guitar on your legs, you will discover indeed that it’s really hard to keep your back straight. While that’s ok for few minutes, if you practice for a while this WILL make your back ache (and in the long run this could become much worse…).
So what’s the strap to do with that?
Simple: you should use a guitar strap even when you are sitting down. YES, I’m serious, ask your teacher to show you how. By doing this you will also be sure that you will hold the guitar in the same position whether you are sitting down or standing up (again, ask your teacher to demonstrate).
And yes, there is also the fact that you HAVE to learn to play while standing up. No, this is not optional. If you are an electric guitar player, you will agree with me that, with the exception of a few “YouTube guitar heroes”, most guitarists do play standing up. And if you play acoustic… come to think of it, lots of singer-songwriters and acoustic players DO play standing up too!
Here are a couple of tips to learn how to play with your strap while standing up:
1. Do not start with the guitar on your knees. While it looks cool to sling the guitar low like Jimmy Page, this is not the best position to START. Try starting with your guitar fairly high and then, once you got used to it, lower it one inch per week more or less until you are at a position that is both comfortable to be in and cool to watch.
2. If your guitar is too heavy, use a wider strap to reduce the pressure on your shoulder.
3. Stand up while you practice. If that’s easy, then try to walk around ;) (pay attention to the furniture…)
And remember to have fun!
About The Author Tommaso Zillio is a professional teacher and guitar players, and he’s a respected writer of guitar columns. I his music schools he gives guitar lessons in Edmonton to many local up and coming guitar players