The Thumb

where is it comfy?

Make sure your fingers aren't flat against the fretboard and see where your thumb ends up.

I spent a few minutes of a lesson last week showing my student that I could play barre chords on my acoustic without placing my thumb on the neck at all.

My thumb usually ends up peeking over the top of the neck.

My thumb's reaching around 99.44% of the time too, but when there's a stretch that's hard to make, you'll be surprised how much easier it is to make it if you drop that thumb. If you find your self having trouble reaching a some notes on a difficult chord, try dropping the thumb.

Mikey

There are times when you want your thumb above the neck, for instance when bending strings like a Blues player. The thumb gives support and strength to the hand for the bend.

But if you want real stretch, and real speed on the fretboard, you need to learn to keep your thumb behind the neck. This is how the super-fast metal players play. But if they want to bend, then for those moments they will extend their thumb above the neck.

Check out this video that was in another post. You won't see this guy's thumb.

Video

I'll wrap my thumb once in a while to do a big bend or occasionally to grab a bass note with it. Other than that, my thumb is always behind the neck.

If I had monster hands like Hendrix, that might be different. But for 95+% of guitarists, keeping the thumb behind the neck will give you better reach. So you're right, there might not be one correct way - but the thumb behind the neck is the closest you can get to one-size-fits-all.

When I work with beginners, there's a very good reason - even if they have big hands - to stress keeping the thumb in back: you need a bit of pressure to fret that string, and inexperienced (soft) fingers need more than the hardened ones of old pros. If you get that pressure by squeezing the neck against the palm of your hand - as you must do if you're wrapping the thumb over the top - you are very likely to mute the high E string with the side of your hand, and certain chord changes will requre you to completely re-position your hand on the neck. That slows you down, and makes changing in tempo even harder to learn.

If you have your thumb behind the neck, you cope with this changes by rotating the wrist - the thumb stays put. It simplifies the mechanics of learning to play.

Just because everybody says something doesn't make it true... but just because ten guitarists you saw all do things one way doesn't mean they have great technique either. Learn with the thumb in back, then change if it feels right.

I do want to clarify, that when I say "peek" I mean peek. You might be able to see the tip of my thumb.

Keep your palm off the bottom of the neck, keep your fingers coming down perpendicular to the strings and your thumb should be taking care of itself.

For many, thumb-behind-neck (TBN) is very difficult to maintain unless holding the guitar in a classical posture (high, neck angled toward one's body). If one holds the neck lower and more perpendicular, the amount of bend in the wrist must increase dramatically to maintain TBN, resulting a lot of fatigue and increased danger of repetitive stress injury. After 30ish years of playing, I find avoiding RSI from excessive wrist flexure far more important than where I place my thumb. So as Nick says, thumb goes where it's comfy Over the years, my guitar posture has slowly drifted toward classical (or maybe jazz geek), as this is a real wrist-saver.

-Greg

As I'm sure people have pointed out above (too lazy to read); the general consensus is to switch between the two different grips when you need to. Just don't pin yourself exclusively into one grip, they both have advantages and disadvantages that overlap, so use them both.

The important thing is that you don't grip the neck at all. No thumb pressure, ever. Your thumb position is controlled by the angle of your hand. An angle designed for greater reach happens to put your thumb behind the neck. An angle that's designed for less reach and more relaxation happens to put your thumb more over the top of the neck. Your thumb position is more a measure of the technique you're using than it is a part of technique in and of itself.

The important thing is that you don't grip the neck at all. No thumb pressure, ever.

This advice works for bass and some types of single line (note) playing on guitar. For chords and stretch intervals, some gripping pressure is necessary. On the stretch intervals, the thumb placement and controlled pressure is important.

Hey you guys seem like experts on this stuff, but my problem is that when i play standing, and preform a bend or vibrato i find the guitar neck rocking around with the strings. How should i keep this from happening.

This advice works for bass and some types of single line (note) playing on guitar. For chords and stretch intervals, some gripping pressure is necessary. On the stretch intervals, the thumb placement and controlled pressure is important.
I don't agree. I find that lack of pressure is especially important at those times, since that's when it's easiest to wear out your hand. Still, I do need to amend my statement. You do need to use your thumb to bend the three high guitar strings right. You place it on the top of the neck and turn your wrist, with your thumb as a pivot. To go the other way, use the side of your hand as a pivot. That may help you, BMX.

I consider my hands to be slightly on the small side and cannot get my thumb wrapped around to use it for a bass note ala Handrix/SRV/numerous others....I keep my behind the neck and good ol' Mel Bay is happy as a clam. 8)

yes I said Handrix. :lol:

good ol' Mel Bay is happy as a clam

I learned to fret bass notes with my thumb FROM a Mel Bay book!

:)

I learned to fret bass notes with my thumb FROM a Mel Bay book!

Hey Tom can you play an Fm chord at the first fret and if so whish is the easiest electric neck you've found for that?