Playing standing up vs sitting down (additional strap button)

[HeavyMetalVagabond]

Hi Mr Broderick and guys on the forum,

I, like a lot of guitarists, practise guitar while standing up waaaaay less than I should! I've realized I have to be sitting down to play the more difficult solos that I've learned and I just had a massive freak out like "oh man, how the hell am i ever gonna play live when the band gets off the ground".

I'm sure, like everything else, it is just a case of practice but then i really thought about the potential reasons WHY I can't play as well standing up. And I came to the conclusion that (other than lack of practice) the guitar just doesn't stay in the position i want it to. I am currently playing a Schecter Loomis 7 FR which is an incredible guitar, but when standing up it has an annoying neck dive/neck angle that forces my picking hand into an unnatural position.

I noticed in your interview with 'sweetwater minute' that your guitar stays in the exact same position when standing or sitting, and that on your RG1527's (back in the day haha) you had an extra strap button drilled at the end of the body (i guess to improve the neck angle?). I guess my main question is, how did you get the holes drilled? I wouldn't want to drill the hole and damage the structural integrity/tone/sustain of the guitar or have any other kind of problem occur.

Do you think that (besides buying your signature guitar ) this is the best thing to do to solve my problem?

Many thanks to all who read/answer

 

[da.benson8r]

Hey there HeavyMetal,

That's definitely one of the more difficult facets of playing live, especially if you're playing really shred-heavy lead playing. One of the most important things (at least that I learned) about the playing is keeping the hands comfortable and away from pain, and I've found it really depends on the style you're playing. My assumption is that, since you're using such an awesome 7 string, you're playing some really metal stuff - and that's perfect. I've found that you can alleviate the problem in one of two ways: either by changing the neck angle, which is much better if your guitar sits very low on the strap, or by adjusting the height of your guitar to compensate. Having the guitar sit higher on the strap allows it to be in a more natural position, more conducive to a sitting position; however, it's hard to play like that without looking you're one of the Beatles (haha). While wearing it low looks cooler, especially for rock and metal, it's a lot harder to get a natural hand position at most times. If a lot of your lead stuff is legato-based or two-hand, it's not quite as bad.

If you choose to drill in a new strap hole, it's a very minimal amount of wood that's going to be taken out; in reality, it's very unlikely that you'll notice a tonal difference. If it helps in making your live playing a more comfortable experience, then I'd say go for it. Ultimately, the choice is yours; go with what feels best for you. After all, it is a part of what gives a player their own individual style.

 

[Mack Addy]

First of all, what benson said. He speaks much truth.

Here's a (semi) short cliffnotes version of my journey to find the perfect stage playing position:

First off, I had to determine how I wanted to present myself. This came down to choices in playing style, the kind of guitars I liked, etc. From there I tried out every possible combination of guitars and strap positions I could to find the most natural fit for myself. I decided that I liked cool, angular-based guitars (but nothing too outrageous) as opposed to guitars that Marty Friedman classified as "boring" and "something you can drink coffee off of" and I liked my guitars strapped down pretty low. I'm talking almost nu-metal low. After careful consideration and testing I had found my calling: Explorer-based guitars. Think Al Pitrelli in he was in Megadeth. The Rude Awakening dvd is a perfect example of everything I wanted for myself: comfortable, most natural feeling playing position; ease of playability; strapped low down to my balls; and it just looked cool as all hell. This was actually my main inspiration to check out Explorers in the first place!

If you really love the way your guitars sound, look and feel, definitely play around with strap button positions. If you feel that something is missing, take a trip to a local guitar store (as long as it's not Guitar Center; fuck them ) and go on a stage playing pilgrimage. Try EVERYTHING.

Another reason you might not play as well standing up: you just haven't practiced playing standing up enough. It doesn't hurt to check out videos of other guitar players and pay attention to how they use their guitars. For crazier guitar parts, John Petrucci has a foot rest that he uses to prop a foot up and keeps his guitar on his thigh like he is playing classical style.

Has your been blown yet?

 

[Mr.Sister]

I'm putting my foot up the monitor box nearly all the time I'm playing lead.

 

[HeavyMetalVagabond]

thanks for the advice guys, I've gotten a lot better at it since posting this thread. Haven't been able to bring myself to drilling a hole in to the beast that is the Loomis 7 but I'm still keeping that in mind.

I just had a long play around with the strap and finding a position to stand in that is accessible but also doesn't make me look like a dork on stage. I'm also looking into some more "ergonomic" guitars as well like Chris' signature and the Mayones Regius 7 guitars etc.

 

[da.benson8r]

That depends - what, to you, feels "ergonomic"? If you're looking for guitars with balance, check out the MM John Petrucci signature models. I've never played a guitar so well balanced. Then again, I haven't played Chris' Jackson yet, so... Haha.