Thumb position

I play with my thumb over the top of the fretboard virtually all of the time, unless I'm playing a song that's using powerchords and 6th and 7th powerchords; it's the only way I can play barre chords for any length of time without hand pain. I severed a tendon in the back of my hand a couple of years back, and since then I find playing with the thumb behind the neck in the classic position causes a lot of pain in my hand after only a few minutes.

Fortunately, I do have large hands, with long thin fingers!

:D :D :D

Vic

my thumb is in constant motion as i switch chords, positions, and play runs/licks. parallel, perpendicular, overhanging, and fretting. trying to hold it in one position is just impossibly limiting for me.

Now I don't know what to think. Either the correct thumb position is pointing perpendicular to the neck or it is parallel with the neck and pointing to the headstock. Both can't be right, can it? Maybe the important part is not to grip the neck with the palm, although that is what the guy seem to be doing in Vic's picture. Also acoustic guitar usually have fatter necks than electric ones.

Hi,

There seems to be almost as many thumb positions, and opinions, as players. :o

The 'correct' classical position has the thumb almost permanently positioned behind the neck (although it will occasionally pop up briefly alongside), but that seems a lot easier to achieve if you also use the classical posture as well.

At the other end of the scale is the way that Vic talks about - which is actually very common. If you watch videos of rockers on Youtube they pretty much all use variations of it, and not just when they're doing bends either. It probably makes guitars teachers wince, but it does seem to work for some people.

Like Vic, I have fairly large hands and I can have the thumb in the 'wrong' position and still have plenty of usable finger length. I agree with Jason Brann who talks about a thumb that moves from the back to the side and all points between, depending on what I'm playing.

Here's a send up of the whole debate that I posted awhile back - with multiple photos.

Thumb Clinic

The positions shown there are all deliberately wrong, but do check out the link to Richie Havens site - his use of thumb is amazing... :)

Cheers,

Chris

Here's a great video of how I would like to play.... Thumb doing pretty much what Jason mentions. Just watch it go. :)

Naudo

And here's a different use of the thumb - where it stays pretty much sticking up alongside or on the neck for the whole time. Very little room between the palm of the hand and the woodwork.... but I'd kill to be able to play like this too...

Knopfler

Both guys choke me up with the sheer joy and beauty of what they can do.

But in fact I play more in the "don't know any better' way that NoteBoat refers to.

Cheers,

Chris

Mark Knopfler again, giving a guitar lesson, and actually mentioning his thumb positioning.

Mark Knopfler shows Bill Oddie how to play...

EDIT:

You'll probably notice that he says that he "breaks the rules" so he's well aware that the traditionalist think differently, but few would argue that his way works for him. And many others too. Like it or not, variations of it are extremely common now.

I try and look at all the styles and options and see why they are favoured by those who use them - because they all have their own reasons. I try to keep more than one version going, but if one style just feels more comfortable and 'right for me' then that's what will win in the end.

Cheers,

Chris

Naudo

Nothing to do with thumbs, Chris, but thanks for the heads-up on Naudo. There are so many great players still waiting for me to 'discover' them.

In the first picture you're in the right place, but using the wrong part of your thumb. Put your thumb FLAT against the neck (but still pointed 'up'). The way you're holding it, using more of the tip of the thumb, you're putting strain on the muscles at the base of your thumb in the palm of your hand.

The people you see holding the guitar as in picture 2, the "baseball bat" grip, are either doing big bends and want the leverage, they have huge hands and are able to arch their fingers properly anyway, or they don't know any better.

According to this, I have huge hands. I guess the old rule of thumb concerning hand size in relation to other body parts has just been proven false then...

I do the move-your-thumb-about-depending-on-what-you're-playing thing that Jason Brann does, but the default position tends to be to baseball bat it. As I'm doing scales, my thumb gets lower on the neck as I move to higher strings.

Nothing to do with thumbs, Chris, but thanks for the heads-up on Naudo. There are so many great players still waiting for me to 'discover' them.

Glad you liked him Ron. He's something of a Youtube legend and became so popular that various music giants like Warners pressured Youtube to close his Channel on copyright grounds. The videos keep popping up from other sources though. He seems so relaxed in style, but his playing is just awesome to listen to, and the fingers are an absolute joy to watch. Warm and wonderful style. :)

Cheers,

Chris

I find the 'standard' position (ie pad of the thumb on the back of the neck, thumb vertical) impossible to work with. I cannot keep my wrist comfortably straight and my thumb in that position at the same time. I tend to place the pad of my thumb on the upper curve of the neck.

This means my the part of my palm where it meets the fingers does make contact with the neck, but only on the lower curve, so it doesn't interfere with the 1st string. I've had no problems with it, and it's better placed for muting the 6th string when necessary.