guitar positioned on right leg

caseyspaos

I learned to play guitar classical style, resting the guitar on my left knee. Now as I am learning manouche I noticed that every player rests it on the right knee. I have tried this, but have found the the left wrist is forced into an uncomfortable bend, and chords requiring wide stretches are nearly impossible to play. Michael, in his Gypsy Picking book (and every other player it seems) does not discuss playing on the left leg. Can I keep playing on my left leg with a foot stool, which is more comfortable, easier, and lends itself better to left hand technique? Or is there some magical gypsy power in playing on the right? How the heck do you guys do it? Are there other players who play on the left leg? Am I alone here?

Jack

It can be done...there's a guy in NJ named Tony Hughes who plays in a classical position, and he does great!

Duozona

Try it on the right leg, with a low setting on your footstool under the right foot, don't twist your body, and watch the neck angle (that's actually what causes the left wrist flexion to become drastic).

I also was trained classical and had to explore seating, but have become quite comfortable on the right leg.

-Chuck

BillyBob

I got a spanking from both Sebastian Giniaux and Gonzalo Bergara this year at Djangofest NW for playing classical style. I learned my lesson.

Actually, it can be done. I've played classical style for 30 years and thought I'd never be able to move to my right leg, but after a couple months I've gotten used to it. I think it has helped my left hand, but my right hand was lost for a while. It still isn't always sure where it's at, but that's getting better with time.

BillyBob

I got a spanking from both Sebastian Giniaux and Gonzalo Bergara this year at Djangofest NW for playing classical style. I learned my lesson.

Actually, it can be done. I've played classical style for 30 years and thought I'd never be able to move to my right leg, but after a couple months I've gotten used to it. I think it has helped my left hand, but my right hand was lost for a while. It still isn't always sure where it's at, but that's getting better with time.

Michael Bauer

I played classical for many years as well, and I played GJ with the guitar on the left leg for about a minute, but I find the right leg works better for three reasons: first, gypsy picking works better when the the strings are more parallel to the ground. The whole idea of letting the hand relax and fall on downstrokes would be negated, because you'd always be picking at kind of an odd angle for a pick; second, alot of gypsy chords involve wrapping the thumb around to fret the bass strings (so much for "better left hand technique"...), and I am here to tell you that unless you were born with deformed joints or elastic fingers, you will find them much easier to play with the guitar at the flatter angle that playing on the right leg promotes; and finally, most good gypsy players tap a foot to keep time, usually the left one, because it's free. In the classical position, the guitar is resting on both legs to a degree, and it will bounce a little when you tap either foot, making it very difficult for the right hand to do its job properly.

BluesBop Harry

I also studied classical guitar for 3 years, I tried the left leg posture with gypsy jazz for about six months and really liked it... seemed to free up my hands somewhat and I got a warmer sound.
But had some back problems in the beginning and found it a bit problematic to play without a footstool, as I forgot mine for Samois I went back to the right leg thing.

Bob Holo

I started on the left leg and for a time I was convinced I could play well that way, but eventually switched to the right leg. The reason? Well, technique-wise I've noticed that to get the sound I want - it's the falling-hand thing Michael Bauer mentioned. When you start to really get a feel for the right hand motion, you'll feel how important it is to relax that right hand and just sort of let it fall toward the ground. Maybe it's just psychology - but I found that really hard to do on the left leg because the hand isn't dropping down - more like shooting outward at an angle. I do like the access that a left-leg posture gives to the fretboard... but found that I preferred a little less left hand comfort to be able to get the right hand feel.

The left hand comfort/access is tolerable if you watch the neck angle as Chuck said. You wanna see textbook gypsy posture - find some videos of Nousche Rosenberg. He's like this perfectly relaxed statue with good posture and he never seems to strain regardless of what he's playing.

caseyspaos

a lot of gypsy chords involve wrapping the thumb around to fret the bass strings (so much for "better left hand technique"...)

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I have been messing around with position for a month now, and I find that I just can't get comfortable. I am 25 kilos overweight, which may be the reason. I can't wrap my left thumb around the fret to play the bass strings unless I play classical style. The right leg position just takes too much getting used to for my left hand. I will continue playing the way I am most comfortable.