Fret hand positioning

Should any other part of the left/fret hand, besides the thumb, be touching the neck? I've been learning for a few months and I tend to let the neck sit in the valley between my thumb and fore finger. Is this OK or should I work to change this?

That can be a good position for some moves on the guitar neck. However it puts your hand at a disadvantage for many others.

Try to keep your wrist straight in most situations. If you don't bend your wrist you put much less stress on your entire forearm. The question is how much disadvatage do you want to live with?

Originally Posted by: garthknowles

Should any other part of the left/fret hand, besides the thumb, be touching the neck? I've been learning for a few months and I tend to let the neck sit in the valley between my thumb and fore finger. Is this OK or should I work to change this?

Hey garthknowles,

This is going to vary depending on what you're playing. If you watch any great guitar player you will see the position of their thumb and wrist angle shifting constantly depending on what they're playing.

Here's the first video that popped up when I searched for Guthrie Govan, who is technically amazing. Watch his thumb position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyqJtyk8nsc

The point of this is, don't worry about finding one exact position for it. Do what feels best and is most efficient and least painful as you develop.

Unless you're studying classical guitar and need to adhere to strict rules. :)

-Carl.