Playing songs on (Fret 12+)

Hi Everyone,

I'm newish to guitar playing trying to learn a song which requires playing pretty much every note on the very bottom frets.

the song is here in case anyone is interested.

http://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/bleach-will-of-the-heart-tab-s35501t0

my questions is..... where exactly do i put my hands??? This might sound a bit strange but playing those frets in the same way you play the frets 1-12 isn't very comfortable.

This is probably covered in a lesson somewhere on here but I don't know where to look.

Could someone point me in the right direction?

Thanks!!

It would help to know what guitar you are playing. Some guitars lend themselves to using the upper frets more than others. For instance, my fender strat gives easy access to the upper frets with its long scale length and cutaway design of the body. In contrast, even though my gibson les paul has a cutaway in the body, the way the neck is attached to the body and the smaller scale length compared to the strat make the upper frets less accessable.

Acoustic guitars differ in design for access to the upper frets - some have a cutaway in the body.

I see... I don't know too much about the brands of guitar but i've attached a picture of mine - its a Spanish guitar I believe

The picture helps. Your guitar has no cutaways to give you easy access to the frets. The best you can do is to angle your wrist around so you can fret the notes. It will be difficult since you won't be able to use your thumb for leverage since you are using frets past where the neck ends.

Actually, I see "cutaway" is the proper term. Here's an article that shows what I'm talking about:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutaway_(guitar)

If you find you often want to play songs that are that high up on the fretboard, you might consider a different guitar with a shape and scale length that suits the style of music you want to play.

Typically, acoustics are shaped like yours (dreadnaught shape). Yes, it looks like a Spanish or classical style guitar. You can get an acoustic with a cutaway. Generally, acoustics type songs don't utilize the upper frets much. Many electric guitar songs and styles do, which is why you'll see electric guitars designed with easy access to the upper frets - Fender Strats, Gibson SG, Ibanez are brands and models that come to mind.

Hope that helps.

Thanks very much! this helps a lot - I guess it may be time for a new Guitar...