Sitting Or Standing: Which Way Should You Practice Guitar?

Orfeev/Shutterstock.com. Slight modification by Hub Guitar.

Short Answer

Practice whichever way is most comfortable for you.

Although standing has many benefits over sitting, switching from sitting to standing will likely not have immediate benefits, and in fact you might be unaccostumed to the new position and feel that your playing is worse, at least initially. So be wary of inventing problems for yourself.

Worrying about standing or sitting is like paying a financial advisor $50 to tell you how to invest $100.

Long Answer

Most learners practice sitting down. Although standing has many benefits over sitting, neither is exclusively “right”.

Standing offers more freedom of movement

When standing, you can shift your body weight around, allowing for better ergonomics. This is especially helpful if you are having neck or back pain. Sitting in a chair tends to lock-in a postural position, and lack of motion tends to cause more pain.

Standing is cheaper

Practicing while standing will solve all of your chair problems, and save you the expense of buying a dedicated chair.

If you will perform, practice in the way you will perform

If you will perform standing, as with a band, then you should practice standing as much as possible. Even if you learn all of the songs during practice, you might be surprised how much of a difference it makes to be standing during rehearsal.

If you will sing, consider standing

Vocalists very often perform while standing, and many voice instructors believe that the standing position offers advantages to breathing and technique.

Practice in a way appropriate for your style and personality

Classical guitar players, and solo guitar players of almost every sort, tend to play sitting down. This stability may give them more concentration and accuracy. More active entertainers, especially those that move around and engage with an audience or other band members, tend to practice standing.

Nobody really cares, so do what’s best for you

Don’t choose a practice positioned based only on image.

Nobody cares if you’re standing up or sitting down. It’s up to you.

Standing up may be better for your health

Standing can help you keep control of your weight, as it burns considerably more calories than sitting. Research is starting to turn up that suggests sitting is the new smoking, and that long periods of sitting are taking years off of people’s life. Especially if you sit at work, why not mix it up by standing during practice?

As the creator of Hub Guitar, Grey has compiled hundreds of guitar lessons, written several books, and filmed hundreds of video lessons. He teaches private lessons in his Boston studio, as well as via video chat through TakeLessons.