Schmid Will - Hal Leonard Guitar Method: Complete Edition

There are several ways to hold the guitar comfortably. On the left is a typical seated position, and on the right is the standing position. Make sure you practice sitting and standing. Observe the following general guidelines in forming your playing posture:

• Position your body, arms, and legs in such a way that you avoid tension.
• If you feel tension creeping into your playing, you probably need to reassess your position.
• Tilt the neck upwardsnever down.
• Keep the body of the guitar as vertical as possible. Avoid slanting the top of the guitar so that you can see better. Balance your weight evenly from left to right. Sit straight (but not rigid).

Left-hand fingers are numbered 1 through 4 (Pianists: Note that the thumb is not number 1.) Place the thumb in back of the neck roughly opposite the 2nd finger. Avoid gripping the neck like a baseball bat with the palm touching the back of the neck.

These photos show the position for holding a pick and the right-hand position in relationship to the strings. Strive for finger efficiency and relaxation in your playing.

Music is written in notes on a staff. The staff has five lines and four spaces between the lines. Where a note is written on the staff determines its pitch (highness or lowness). At the beginning of the staff is a clef sign. Guitar music is written in the treble clef.

Each line and space of the staff has a letter name. The lines are, (from bottom to top) E - G - B - D - F, which you can remember as Every Guitarist Begins Doing Fine. The spaces are, (from bottom to top) F - A - C - E, which spells Face.