On the weekend some old friends dropped in for lunch and some tunes. Great times! My mate loves his country music (A bit of Waylon....a bit of Willy) I ask you...who doesn't mind a bit of willy?! Anyway....not really my scene but I was willing to play along and had a good time. My friend always plays standing, and given that there was only 1 sheet of tab and 1 stand I was forced to stand alongside him.

To my point now: What a difference standing makes! Given I always play seated it is very easy for me to spend a lot of time staring at my fingers. A weakness I have been aware of but one I have done precious little to address. Standing really forced me to go by feel because I can't see the fretboard anyway, why bother to try?

For anyone looking to improve their feel, I suggest getting your strap on and playing standing up for a bit. It's difficult at first but a great way to improve your fretting.

No doubt this is obvious stuff for experienced players, but I thought newer players could take something from it.

You are so right. I put on a strap the other day, stood up, looked down and said "whoa where did the fret board go! A whole new look that's for sure.

Tony:

That epiphany hit me a while back in a similar situation. I also noticed that it took me out of my poor posture and gave me better reach for certain chord shapes. I still sit when playing alone (out of laziness), but the difference was VERY noticeable....

J

I find that if I strum some chords, standing is generally no problem. But if I need to fingerpick, it has to be a really easy song other wise I sit.

Marc

I nearly started a thread with the VERY same title a week or so ago.

I was playing guitar on the lounge. I was freezing bits of me off that I can't afford to lose and so decided to stand in front of the heater. Oops... Where did the fretboard go indeed! I was going to declare my new found appreciation for those that are able to do it standing so easily. I guess it is a feel thing to be sure. Perhaps I need to focus less on being able to see. My hats off.



Shel

Whenever I get the ridiculous urge to perform in public, like at an open-mic, I practice my songs standing up. It's a little disorienting at first, not being able to see the fret board. But I practice with my eyes closed so that I become less reliant on visual cues. Talk about weird! Try playing with your eyes closed. You'll make tons of mistakes at first, then your muscle memory will kick in.

dennisg wrote:
Try playing with your eyes closed. You'll make tons of mistakes at first, then your muscle memory will kick in.

Excellent point Dennis. I do that from time to time on songs that I have fully committed to memory. Like you say, it is a struggle at first, but with a little practice, it gets easier....