De-beginner yourself! 3 points to change the “beginner-like appearance” [Things guitarists should know about their body]

Hello!
My name is Fujioka Takuto and I am a "guitarist with a good posture".

Today, I'd like to write a column for guitar beginners who are worried that they can't improve much!
Techniques are something that you can't learn without continuous practice. I think it depends on the level you are aiming for, but in the beginning, you may feel irritated or frustrated when you can’t get the sound you want (but don't forget that feeling, because you can only feel it during this phase!)

However, anyone can change the posture of playing the guitar and have the "look" once you learn the ropes!
Moreover, if you can change your "look", you will inevitably be able to play the guitar in a better posture suitable for practicing and live performances!

There are probably more people out there too focused on playing the guitar to considering how they "look"!?
Let's take this opportunity to graduate from beginner level starting by fixing the "look"!

[Example: Postures that beginners tend to take]

What was your impression at first glance?
From the "look" point of view, I think I look uneasy and unreliable. For example, if you see this kind of posture at a show, you'll feel anxiety and nervousness even when watching.

The characteristics of this posture are

• Looking too much at your hands (too much neck bending)
• Stooping and the pelvis inclined backward (or overstretched back)

In a word, the "neck" and "spine" are weird!!

If you bend your neck to see your hands, the position of your head will change, and so does the position of the center of gravity of your body. Also, the muscles around the neck may be stretched or exerted more than needed, which may adversely affect the muscles of the shoulders and arms.
In addition, the "Stoop and the pelvis inclined backward" posture restricts the movement of the hip and knee joints due to the structure of the body, so it's hard to move your body.

[Tips for de-beginner posture]

You might think I'm writing something difficult, but if you can improve the "neck" and "spine" I explained earlier, it "de-beginners" your posture.
I wrote 3 points about how to think and improve your posture, so please refer to them.

• Be conscious of having a relaxed posture (remove nervousness).
  →Relax does not mean becoming flabby. Let's relax moderately, picturing the natural state when you're not holding a guitar. Feel every part of your body to check if there's any place where you using too much strength, and remove that unnecessary tension.
• Move freely without a stiff body.
  →The neck tends to be bent too much and stooped to see the hands. If you want to see the fingerboard and hands, not only move your body, but also try to change the guitar position or angle so that your posture doesn't become unnatural.
  Checking your hand isn't a bad thing. However, if you're stuck looking at your hands all the time, try practicing playing while moving your eyes and body(ﾟ∀ﾟ)
• Try to put your weight on both feet in a balanced manner.
  →If your body is stiff, it will be difficult to know where your center of gravity is. At first, try to stand with your weight evenly on both feet.
  For example, please recall the state before jumping side-to-side. The important thing is the image.
  The state when your body is fully prepared to "move now!", it should be moderately relaxed and free from unnecessary tension and strength. If you jump side-to-side with a stiff body, you'll fall over.

Now let's take a posture based on the above points.

I think that you are holding the guitar in a more natural posture compared to the initial posture. Maybe there's no feeling of anxiety or tension.
(At least you don't look like a beginner... or that's how it should look. Lol)

As I said earlier, if you want to check your hands, instead of lowering your eyes, tilt the guitar like this to move the neck forward and put it within your line of sight to keep your posture relaxed, and I think you'll be able to concentrate more on your performance.
Sometimes I get the question, "Can I move the guitar while playing?"... it's okay to move it!
It's not a bad thing to bring your guitar to a position where it's easy for you to move your body and to play the guitar.

How was it!?
If you don't understand, please look at the above picture and try to imitate only the posture anyway. Beginning with the look, I think the awareness may gradually grow, and you'll understand "that's what he means!"

Also, instead of just carrying out the motions, please actually watch yourself in the mirror and performance footage of yourself. Check if there's a gap between "the posture you actually have" and "the posture you want to have", and picture it in your mind. If there's a gap, find out how what you're doing is different from what you imagine you're doing.
If you can link what you think "I want to do it like this!" with the actual movement, I think it will have a positive effect not only on your posture, but also on your playing technique!

Also, as the look changes, so does the impression given to the people around you. This may be the most important thing for a guitarist!
Why not forget about the playing technique, and start off from the look to de-beginner yourself!?

Thank you for reading to the end!
See you!