I used to get heat all the time for the way I held my left hand positioning, and the fact of the matter is - if you can play cleanly and concisely it does not matter how you hold your hand. When I hold my hand in the "classical" position, I instantly drop about two ticks in speed.

Me personally, between frets 1 through about 15 I have my thumb wrapped around the back of the neck so I can use it to fret bass notes (like Jimi Hendrix used to do).


It's ugly, indeed, and I have had instructors and friends give me grief about it, but in my honest opinion... if it works for you, then *it works* :D