classical guitar posture

[Jeff2287]

My music theory teacher told me that classical guitarists hold their guitars the way they do (see pic) for easier right hand plucking. I tried position on bass and found that I could play difficult pieces with greater ease but that my left hand grew sore rather quickly. Is this soreness normal for trying this technique for the first time or is it a sign that I should stop?

[JMX]

It's probably just because you're not used to it (yet).

There's even a bass designed with that playing posture in mind, the Human Base ClassX.

http://www.humanbase.de/content/classxE.htm



Bassist Dave King plays like that:

www.dave-king.com

[Jeff2287]

Oy, if only I could read German. I'll take your word for it though. That's a pretty nifty design.

[ole Jason]

I play on both legs depending on the piece. For me, the scale of a bass prevents me from always playing on the left leg. It's just not comfortable if the majority of the notes are in the lower range, especially on basses with more than 5 strings.

[Wrong Robot]

I found that posture makes some songs I know a little bit easier.

A bassist I met(and had master classes with) named Bart samolis, plays like that pretty much exclusively(except when standing)

and he's totally awesome.

[Erlendur Már]

I play classical guitar, so I am used to this posture. It's probably just because you're not used to it.

[Christopher]

"Classical guitar posture" is suitable for classical guitar because the 45+ degree angle permits the left hand access to all positions (even the highest ones) while maintaining the ideal C-shape/thumb-in-the middle-of-the-neck without excessive strain on the left wrist.

I don't think it works all that well for bass - putting the bass on my left knee and having the neck angled at 45 degrees causes my left wrist to bend excessively in the lower positions. If you have longer arms, you might pull it off. I just keep the bass on my right knee for maximum comfort.

[ole Jason]

I play classical guitar also. My arms are just too short I guess haha.

[rougeporn]

Im pretty sure when I read garry willis' 101 bass tips book he suggested this way of playing when sitting down. As its closer to the positioning when playing standing??