Should You Practice Guitar Standing Up or Sitting?

One of the most overlooked yet debated questions in the guitar world is the dilemma of either practicing guitar sitting or standing up. The short answer is that you should practice however you are most comfortable with. However, both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages.

While standing up gives more freedom to your movement, sitting down provides more comfort to most guitarists. However, while sitting, you are more likely to have a poor posture and slouch, which may end up with bad singing technique as well as back problems. On the other hand, playing while standing up makes it hard to see the fretboard, which may make it hard for beginners to learn new techniques and songs.

Your practicing style affects your playing and learning style as well as your body. The way you practice has a significant impact on your comfort, playing, and overall progress. So, let’s dive deeper into the topic to figure out which way is the best for you!

Pros And Cons Practicing Guitar Sitting

Pros

Comfort and Stability: One of the main advantages of practicing while sitting is its comfort. Playing on a chair supports your back and lifts the staring on your feet and legs while having the guitar on your legs relaxes the shoulders, unlike the instrument hanging down your body. This way, you can concentrate solely on playing and practicing for longer periods.

Control and Precision: Sitting down leads to better control and precision over your playing as you can have your arms and hands more stable and closer to the instrument. This will improve performance with complex chord changes, fingerpicking and fretting patterns, and solos.

Better View on Fretboard: While sitting, players have a better view of the fretboard, making the process of learning a new technique, melody, or song smoother. Especially, beginner players can benefit from clearly seeing what they are doing on the fretboard.

Cons

Stage Performance Transition: If you are always practicing while sitting, you will find it challenging to play it standing. As playing on a stage often requires musicians standing, you must adjust your technique and posture to play your instrument. This transition can make you suffer.

Bad Posture: Playing guitar while sitting often leads to bad posture, slouching, and hunching. This may not only impact your guitar technique but also be fatal for your body, creating chronic back problems.

Bad Wrist Position: When playing seated, the wrist of your fretting hand often has a weird angle. It is often recommended for the wrist to have a parallel position with the thumb located over the fretboard. This bad angle may result in a bad technique or carpal tunnel syndrome.

Difficulty When Singing: Breathing properly and having good posture is crucial for singing; sitting is not optimal for vocalist-guitarists. 

Pros And Cons Practicing Guitar Standing

Pros

Live Performance Readiness: Practicing while standing prepares you for live performances, as stages typically require players to stand. You can get familiar with the posture, balance, techniques, and movements required to play standing to be ready to rock and roll on the stage.

Freedom of Movement: Many players feel freer while standing up, as it lifts the limitations on movement. While standing up, you can have better ergonomics and play with more expression as you can shift your body weight as you like. 

Healthy Posture: As you can’t slouch or hunch while standing, you will have better posture playing your guitar, leading to long-term comfort and preventing potential injuries.

Better For Singing: Standing up gives many advantages to vocalist-guitarists, as voice projection can be much better with the correct posture. 

Stamina and Endurance: Practicing standing up helps you build stamina and endurance, which you may need for long-live shows.

Better Wrist Position: Playing guitar while standing up allows you to adjust your guitar height to have the optimal wrist and forearm position according to your body.

Cons

Bad View on Fretboard: It is harder to see the fretboard while playing standing up, which may be harder for beginners.

Long-term Discomfort: Playing guitar while standing up for longer periods can be exhausting, as there will be too much strain on your feet and shoulders, especially if you have a heavy guitar.

Inconsistent Precision and Control: When you first start playing your instrument standing up, you may find it hard to have consistent precision and control. When you are more used to having the required balance and bodyweight shifts, this will be less of a problem. 

When to Practice Seated?

Practicing seated can be beneficial for beginners as well as experienced players who are looking for long practice sessions. 

It is often recommended for beginners to practice seated as they can see the fretboard easier and focus on their playing without thinking about the complexity of bodyweight shifts and balance.

To avoid exhaustion in long sessions, experienced players can consider practicing seated for at least a part of the practice. Also, practicing seated is a good idea to have more focus, precision, and view angle on the fretboard to learn new complex techniques.

When to Practice Standing?

Every guitarist should practice standing up as it improves your long-term posture, health, and playing technique. However, especially players who are about or want to perform live must definitely practice standing up to be ready for the show.

For stage presence and dynamic playing styles during a live show, players should be used to playing while standing up. So, playing your guitar standing up at least until you are tired is a must for live performer guitarists.

Finding The Balance

In the end, it is a personal choice to practice while standing up or seated. You should play your instrument however you feel comfortable with it. Also, you can perform on the stage while seated if you like. So, do not choose the practicing way on an image, but choose according to your style, health, and character. 

There are many guitarists, like acoustic and classical players, performing seated, while many players, especially in the rock world, play standing up, moving dynamically. So, choosing your way through the music world is up to you.

My recommendation would be to find a balance between the two approaches. When learning something new, you prefer to be seated to see what you are doing better and focus on your technique. But, the rest of the time, try to play standing up, which is better for your posture, long-term technique, and health. When you get tired, you can return to the sitting to be more comfortable.

Conclusion

There is no ultimate one-size-fits-all answer to the dilemma of whether you should practice guitar standing up or sitting. As you see, there are advantages and disadvantages on both sides. And the answer depends on your playing style, goals, and comfort.

As with anything in life, finding the balance is the key. Sitting is better for working on the technique, and precision and standing are better for posture and live performance adaptations. Create a practice routine that can make you feel comfortable in both positions to be a versatile guitarist.

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