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Thumb Position issue

Santiago Ortegon

Music Theory Bragger
Nov 11, 2019
18
1
23
  • #1
    Hello everybody can you help me with something?
    Resently i have an issue with the thumb position and i dont know how solve this
    I’ve seen Syn’s concerts like the LBC or the hollywood one to have like a base to guide me but i dont get it how Syn play like that (like his thumb is hugging the neck or something) my teachers says that the thumb has to be in the middle of the neck, but i see Syn’s plays or another shred guitarist plays and it’s totally different and i dont know wich one is the correct or wich one is the best
    Please help me if you know something )
     

    Ed Seith

    Supreme Galactic Overlord
    Staff member
    Legend+
  •
    • Nov 11, 2019
    3,882
    15
    6,603
    54
    Marana, AZ USA
    soundcloud.com
    35
  • #2
    “Proper” position is with the thumb behind the neck, either dead-center or a little closer to the thick strings.
    HOWEVER, and this is a BIG however, that is good for chording, and for a lot of fast scalar and pattern playing. The majority of players who do play like this will also move the thumb around to grip the neck for playing that is very bendy or bluesy, and there are even some chords that are easiest to play if you wrap the thumb over the top to fret the low E string note.
    Not everyone explicitly follows the rules, for a number of reasons, mostly around how they learned, or what works best for them (once they’ve got some experience.
    As you’re learning, it makes sense to stick to “proper” position as much as you can, and only wrap the thumb when you have to, but there are no otherwise explicit rules.
    Hope this helps!
     

    Kevin Welton

    One Stringer
    Nov 11, 2019
    54
    0
  • #3
    The choice really comes down to your anatomy tbh, if you have big hands and it doesn’t hinder your ability to play anything then wrap your thumb around the neck if it feels more confortable that way but if you find that you have issues playing chords cleanly or stretching for some notes then obviously it’s better to work on playing with your thumb behind the neck
     

    Noah Berends

    Campfire Attention Holder
  •
    • Nov 11, 2019
    408
    86
    Fort Wayne, IN
    13
  • #4
    Kevin’s comment mimics my experience the most. I have very large hands, and my thumb is notably longer than the width of the guitar neck, and so wrapping it around for certain positions is much more comfortable and ergonomic than keeping it behind the neck. I started off by learning in the “proper” way with my thumb behind the neck, and once I was comfortable with that I began to experiment with wrapping my thumb mostly out of curiosity. Eventually I found a couple situations where it increased playability in my case. In the end yes there is a “proper” way, but there’s plenty of flex room.
     

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