Holding the Guitar

Now, pick up your guitar, and hold it so the back of the body of the instrument comes in contact with your stomach/chest, and the bottom of the neck runs parallel to the floor. The thickest string on the guitar should be the closest to the ceiling, while the thinnest should be closest to the floor. If this isn't the case, turn the guitar the in other direction. Typically, a right-handed person will hold the guitar so the headstock points to the left, whereas a left-handed person will hold the guitar so the headstock points to the right. (NOTE: to play the guitar as a lefty would, you will need a left-handed guitar or you can do what Jimmy Hendrix did and just play a right handed guitar upside down. If you decide to do the latter, you will need to have a qualified guitar technician put a new nut on it because you will also have to string the guitar opposite of a right handed person and the strings will cross the nut exactly inverse of normal. There have been a number of left handed guitarists who have left the guitar as is and just learned to play it “upside down” so to speak. Though this is certainly possible and there is nothing “wrong” with it, to my knowledge there exists no learning materials to address this method, so you would be on your own to adjust accordingly.)

When playing the guitar sitting down, the body of the guitar will rest on one of your legs. In most styles of guitar playing, the guitar will rest on the leg farthest away from the headstock. This means, a person playing the guitar in a right-handed fashion will typically rest the guitar on his/her right leg, while someone playing the guitar in a lefty manner will rest it on their left leg.
For those times you may want to play standing up, such as when you might be playing in a band or leading a group of people, try and find a strap that is comfortable for you and distributes the weight of the guitar evenly. Be sure the holes in the ends of the strap fit snugly over the guitar “knobs” so the guitar will not suddenly fall off your body because the strap slipped off. Strap locks can be purchased to prevent this from happening.

Next, concentrate on your "fretting hand" (the hand closest to the neck of the guitar, when sitting in proper position). The thumb of your fretting hand should rest behind the neck of the guitar, with your fingers in a slightly curled position, poised above the strings. It is extremely important to keep these fingers curled at the knuckles, except when specifically instructed not to do so. There are some times this will differ, but for now get in the habit of playing this way.

If you are brand new to this, you will notice your fingers will hurt from the contortions you are putting them through and from trying to fret the notes against the metal strings. As far as the latter goes, callouses will eventually form on the ends of your fingers to pad them. To strengthen your fingers, get a rubber ball and keep it with you always. Continually squeeze it when watching television or just sitting around. This will strengthen your fingers making playing easier.