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Topic: Posture / Seat position question |
Regan Branch
From:
Alabama, USA
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Posted 15 Dec 2019 11:57 am |
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I feel when I'm sitting directly in front of the instrument, that it really strains my wrists playing above the 12th fret. Is it normal to sit at kind of the bottom right corner of the instrument? That feels more natural to me, but as a beginner I don't want to pick up any bad habits. My body's preservation is important to me. I already have carpel tunnel from being a PC gaming addict for years. Now as a single father I have no time for that. I just play my steel when I get a rare hour or two of free time. 
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David Knutson
From:
Cowichan Valley, Canada
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Posted 15 Dec 2019 2:01 pm
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As far as your body position relative to nut/bridge is concerned, I think you have to find a position that feels most natural for you. And sometimes you will have to reach outside of that and bend and twist a bit. That's why I like to gig standing up as often as possible, so I can move side to side as needed. But when I do play sitting down I am generally tucked over toward the right, as you described.
Also, you want to be sure your height is set so that your wrists are comfortably straight.
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David K |
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Jeff Spencer
From:
Queensland, Australia
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Posted 15 Dec 2019 4:58 pm
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'Rule of thumb'
Middle of body at the 14th fret for long scale. Short scale come back to 10 to 12th.
Works for me. I play a lot on the upper frets |
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Will Slack
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 15 Dec 2019 9:12 pm
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| Regan, when I began a couple years ago I felt the same way. Then I noticed in a video that Kayton Roberts sat way to the right of his guitar, with his legs straddling the right set of guitar legs. I’ve done the same ever since and it has solved the tightness in the wrist problem for me. |
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Gene Tani
From:
Pac NW
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Posted 15 Dec 2019 10:00 pm
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Great (and very important) question
When playing lap or pedal steel (lap on a flat stand ) i hvae same position, which is dictated by the PSG's right knee levers, which are centered at fret 26, so that's where my right femur is and the volume pedal. That way i'm only twisting my left (bar hand) wrist for slants and to play up the neck past 17th fret.
Another thing that helps me a lot ergonomically is having a padded wrist rest, about 3 inches wide. I haven't quite figured this out for my 2 laps, I've been using a 2x4 sometimes (and getting splinters from it)
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- The secret sauce: polyester sweatpants to buff your picks, cheapo Presonus channel strip for preamp/EQ/compress/limiter, Diet Mountain Dew |
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Dom Franco
From:
Beaverton, OR, 97007
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Posted 20 Dec 2019 11:46 am
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I always sit well to the right of the 12th fret... more like 15 or 17th fret.
It's simple physics, your left (bar) hand can easily reach to the nut without strain, but it is difficult and somewhat painful to move your bar hand past the right side of your body to reach the highest notes.
Just sit behind your steel, and slide from the nut to the 24th fret (2 octaves)... then adjust your center position to where it feels the most comfortable.
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