Where should I put my thumb?

Hey everyone. I have been playing (practicing) guitar for 2 weeks. I am trying to learn the C chord and am wondering where I should put my thumb on the back of the neck.

If I put my thumb higher on the neck (closer to the 6th string) I find that I can reach the 6th and 5th string easier but I have to sort-of smoosh my pointer finger down to get to the second string. Conversely, if I put my thumb in the middle of the neck, it takes off some of the pressure from my pointer finger, but then I find it very difficult for my ring finger to reach for the 6th string without muting the 5th.

Hey & welcome to GT! If you haven't, I encourage you to work your way through the Fundamental Courses. That's the best place for beginners to start.

Originally Posted by: Deanhorneck

I am trying to learn the C chord and am wondering where I should put my thumb on the back of the neck.

Sometimes beginners squeeze too hard with their thumb and, or their fingers. Actually, this is sometimes a problem for some skilled guitarists, too! Remember that you want just enough pressure to get the job done. Not enough pressure will result in a poor sounding chord. But too much pressure is wasted effort and can over time hinder your ability to move quickly and effectively to the next chord or hand position.

I demonstrate this in the 3rd lesson of this tutorial:

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=605

Hope this helps! Please ask more if necessary. Keep practicing!

Thank you Chris.

After some practice and the video lesson, I found that positioning my thumb so that it is at the top of the neck, muting the open low E string, makes it the easiest for me to position my other fingers, as well as, switch between C and Am.

Originally Posted by: Deanhorneck

After some practice and the video lesson, I found that positioning my thumb so that it is at the top of the neck, muting the open low E string, makes it the easiest for me to position my other fingers, as well as, switch between C and Am.

You're welcome! Glad you worked through the problem. Keep practicing!

Although, I do have another question pertaining to thumb placement.

When I first taught myself the D-Chord, I learned by placing my thumb in the middle of the neck. I found that position to be comfortble and allowed for adequate finger reach.

Now that I am learning the C-Chord, I am also learning transitioning between chords, specificall between C and D. I noticed while watching the vieo lesson on switching between the C and D chord, Lisa McCormick places her thumb at the top of the neck, muting the low E string while performing the C and D Chord. So when she transitions, she does not have to move her thumb position.

So my question is: should I learned to play the D-Chord with my thumb in the same positon it is when I play the C-Chord; or should I learn to move my thumb position when switching between the C and D Chord?

Originally Posted by: Deanhorneck

So my question is: should I learned to play the D-Chord with my thumb in the same positon it is when I play the C-Chord; or should I learn to move my thumb position when switching between the C and D Chord?

When you first start playing it's okay to get the chords and notes happening anyway you can manage! After that it's good to start refining & working toward efficiency of motion.

So, to answer your question, yes, it's a good idea because a lot of songs use those chords back to back & it will be a more efficient way to play guitar overall.

Also, in the long run as you continue to play, it's beneficial to learn to play chords in multiple ways, with different fingerings & different positions. This becomes useful as you encounter more music that might require different motions.

Hope this helps!

Thank you.

I have learned to play an effective D-Chord with the same thumb positioning as a C-Chord, as well as, play an A-chord in the same thumb positioning. This has allowed for easy access to smooth transitions.