So where do I put my boob when I'm playing guitar?

[OpalCat]

I have recently started trying to learn to play acoustic guitar. My guitar is a classical, 3/4 size, and my boyfriends is a full sized acoustic. I can't play his yet because the metal strings are too hurty. That, plus I'm in a different state right now.

Anyway, so I'm sitting here with the guitar--classical, so no strap--and it fits pretty well on my lap against my leg... but my right boob is kind of mashed under the fat part of the body of the guitar. I have 32DD boobs, so they're a noticeable obstacle and make the guitar sit too far out from my body (aside from being uncomfortable.)

I can lift my boob up and rest it in the "waist" section of the body... but I think that looks tacky as hell. Is there a standard way to deal with this?

[Johnny L.A.]

So where do I put my boob when I'm playing guitar?
Tell him to go into the other room until you're finished.

[Chefguy]

Tell him to go into the other room until you're finished.

A big hand, ladies and gentlemen! Catch the midnight show and try the steak tartare!

[OpalCat]

You're not allowed to shill meat products in my thread, Chefguy :P Vegetarian's prerogative.

[Mr. Excellent]

I'm sorry, I can't help it:

Hi, Opal!

[SSG Schwartz]

Whenever I have a question like this, I look to the best source for an answer. Liz Phair (http://www.geocities.com/kingsnake_boomboom/liz_phair_2a.jpg) may be of help.

SSG Schwartz

[Zsofia]

Well, I don't have double-anythings, but I don't have a problem with Cs. Are you possibly leaning forward too much? That could combine with boobage to shove the guitar out more than you want it.

[Eutychus]

So where do I put my boob when I'm playing guitar?

The Boobie Trap?

[Krokodil]

I think your options boil down to:

--Let it sit on top
--Park it behind
--Buy a strap

I don't know. I'm a guy. Sorry.

[DrFidelius]

I have asked The Wife this question, and now she is afraid to pick up her guitar. Despite thirty-five years of playing, she fears that she will not know how to hold the instrument.

Thank you for injecting doubt into my wife's mind...

[Greg Charles]

1. I'll hold on to it.
2. Preferably while your boyfriend is somewhere else.
3. Hi, Opal! How you doing?

[freekalette]

D-cup bassist checkin' in!

A strap is a good idea, but I know that with an acoustic, sometimes you want to sit down and do the whole "folk singer" thing. What I do is prop my right foot up on something small, like a milk crate, and hunch my back a little bit. YMMV, but it works for me.

And yes, when I am home alone, I so totally prop my boob on the top. It's comfy!

[lobotomyboy63]

1. I'll hold on to it.
2. Preferably while your boyfriend is somewhere else.
3. Hi, Opal! How you doing?

You walked right into that one, Opal.

Since dopers like to ponder all things, here's one for you.

The unique Traveling Songwriter has a thin body of solid mahogany with a rear sound hole

(underlining mine)

http://www.birdlandmusic.net/product.php?productid=2961

How would the lovely, talented, and uh, buxom Opal play without blocking it?

Hi, Opal? How you doing?

[Savannah]

I plob the boob over top. It actually helps hold the guitar in place. Of course, I do not perform in public. Only when alone in the house.

[gaffa]

D-cup bassist checkin' in!
From what I've seen, most bassists other than John Entwhistle tend to sling it fairly low.

[Bryan Ekers]

On the drums.

[gaffa]

I decided to check the videos I've shot. I hadn't paid attention to it before, but this piece of video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zzcMmfGBjY) features a female vocalist playing a full-sized acoustic guitar, and she seems to have her right breast tucked into the left cutaway. This was before an audience, and I'm a healthy heterosexual male and I hadn't noticed this until now. So I wouldn't worry too much about what people think. If you're talented enough, people aren't going to be looking at your breasts. If not, there's always "American Idol".

[freekalette]

From what I've seen, most bassists other than John Entwhistle tend to sling it fairly low.
Pssst! Me too, but we were talkin' about playing sitting down. :smack: :D

[OpalCat]

Whenever I have a question like this, I look to the best source for an answer. Liz Phair (http://www.geocities.com/kingsnake_boomboom/liz_phair_2a.jpg) may be of help.

SSG Schwartz
Nope, no good. She's standing up and has a strap. Mine is a classical guitar with no strap--you have to play it sitting down.

I have to emphasize this since a lot of people seem to be suggesting getting a strap: it's a classical guitar. Not an acoustic guitar. I would have to drill holes in it to put a strap on it and I'm not willing to do that. (There is some kind of strap that clips onto the sound hole but I've heard that can chew into the wood.)

Additionally, there are two reasons why I don't want to play standing up. First, I have very low blood pressure and get dizzy a lot--I generally don't do most things standing up if I can avoid it. More importantly, though, is that the stuff I want to play would, I think, be a lot harder to do standing up. I don't want to do chord-strum-strum-strum, chord-strum-strum-strum type stuff. The stuff I'm learning is all single-string picking and playing individual notes. (I have yet to actually try to play anything that involves any strumming at all, in fact.)

The video of Happy Rhodes is encouraging, but she plays standing up and so her guitar sits a little lower than mine does, so it's more nestled in. To get my boob on top of my guitar I actually have to lift it up and it's sort of squished up in addition to sitting on top. Plus, being a 3/4 size guitar and therefore small, so that part of the guitar is much closer to the middle of my body, meaning my boob is also squished to the middle. :/

Zsofia - that's a good point. I'm just learning and so I do lean forward a bit to see the strings. I'm really, really not to the stage yet when I can even come close to doing a chord without looking at the strings. Also, since I'm not just strumming, at this stage of learning I have to look at my right hand, too.

Savannah - it's encouraging to hear that putting the boob on top is at least considered acceptable to some!

[Equipoise]

The video of Happy Rhodes is encouraging, but she plays standing up and so her guitar sits a little lower than mine does, so it's more nestled in. Here are a few of videos of her playing while sitting. It's funny, I never noticed where she keeps her boob before either, now it's very noticeable to me! Damn, it's like the "cigarette burn" being pointed out on films.

Temporary and Eternal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XVVkbUwprc)

Collective Heart (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l13g3FkUB4w)

Feed The Fire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zuMeMx3tnY)

If Wishes Were Horses How Beggars Would Ride (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyG_g73R0wY) (well, actually she's standing up but with her foot on a chair) (warning: excruciatingly sad song about putting a beloved cat to sleep)

[Red Barchetta]

So where do I put my boob when I'm playing guitar?

I'll hold it for you :p

[ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies]

If playing in front of other people, I sit and hunch. When recording at home, I sit and prop. Because my left hand skills are so sucky that I have to watch what I'm doing, even if I stand and use a strap the right boob is still in the way.

[Krokodil]

Savannah - it's encouraging to hear that putting the boob on top is at least considered acceptable to some!
I want to go on record as saying this is totally acceptable, and a fine idea to boot.

[Euthanasiast]

Opal, which leg are you resting the lower waist of the guitar on? The short answer to your question is that your chest needs to be behind the body of the guitar, but you can switch legs for comfort. Some women prefer the left leg when presented with your issue.

I assume you are holding the guitar in the traditional classical manner, with the waist resting on your right leg. Try switching to the left leg and make some comfort adjustments in your posture and the way you position your arms and hands and you might find that it suits you better. Take a picture of yourself as you are holding it now and post it. That might also help us to determine the best position for you.

large, classical guitars really are a different breed.

[Euthanasiast]

Here (http://www.introductiontoguitar.com/images/how-i-hold-guitar.jpg). Found this online, and this is about what I am referring to. Again, your comfort is the most important thing, because you won't continue to play if it isn't comfortable.

Send in a picture of you with the guitar. It's possible that this thing is just so massive that it is completely wrong for you.

[OpalCat]

Well, "large" isn't an issue as it's a 3/4 size guitar. I can't take a picture because I'm in New Hampshire in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, by myself until Thursday. Tomorrow when I attempt to practice again I will try different legs.

[OpalCat]

Send in a picture of you with the guitar. It's possible that this thing is just so massive that it is completely wrong for you.
It might be massive for a hobbit or something, but it's a tiny guitar.

[kaylasdad99]

Like a requinto? (http://www.demarsguitars.com/images/namm2006/Jeff-L-w-flame.jpg)

[pbbth]

Cut a hole in the back to leave space for your boob? Sorry, I got nothing.

[Euthanasiast]

It might be massive for a hobbit or something, but it's a tiny guitar.

Ok, then you should have no problem switching to the other leg.

[OpalCat]

Like a requinto? (http://www.demarsguitars.com/images/namm2006/Jeff-L-w-flame.jpg)
No, like a 3/4 sized classical guitar. (http://www.amazon.com/Amigo-4-Size-Classical-Guitar/dp/B0002IHEUE)


Enthusiast: I just tried resting it like the picture, and it doesn't work because I am a short, small-framed person* (with proportionately short arms) and putting it on my left leg means that my left arm is pretty much straight out to reach the end of the neck. Maybe if I was a better guitar player I could play like that but at the skill level I'm at now, I need some bend in my elbow.




*my reason for getting a small guitar to begin with, incidentally.

[Snooooopy]

According to legend, the Amazons would cut off one breast in order to enhance their ability to rock out.

[OpalCat]

Ah, see, but I have no desire to rock out. I want to play delicate, complex classical guitar pieces, not rock.

[Clockwork Jackal]

No, like a 3/4 sized classical guitar. (http://www.amazon.com/Amigo-4-Size-Classical-Guitar/dp/B0002IHEUE)


Enthusiast: I just tried resting it like the picture, and it doesn't work because I am a short, small-framed person* (with proportionately short arms) and putting it on my left leg means that my left arm is pretty much straight out to reach the end of the neck. Maybe if I was a better guitar player I could play like that but at the skill level I'm at now, I need some bend in my elbow.




*my reason for getting a small guitar to begin with, incidentally.


I think the 3/4 size guitar might be your problem. I play on a full sized classical guitar (a Yamaha G-80 from 1969, the sound is really nice.) I'm a small-framed person too, (5 feet tall, 110 pounds) and I'm right handed, so I play with the guitar on my lap with my left leg raised and I have no problems reaching the fretboard. Actually, my arm is quite bent, as I have the headstock part of the guitar angled back just slightly. The "shoulder" (I can't remember the term I'm looking for) of the guitar hits me right between the chest. You might want to consider switching to a full sized guitar. Also, my very first guitar was a total piece of crap, made by valencia, it was also 3/4 sized. I didn't get very far when I first started learning, probably because of that crap guitar. I found the G-80 to be heaven compared to it, and I've progressed quite far comparatively. (Although I seem to be doing the exact opposite of what you're doing. I'm learning more chord, strum, strum, strum while singing.)

So, my advice: get a decent full sized guitar. :D

ETA: Here's a stupid question: What kind of guitar is it exactly? What brand/model?

[Snooooopy]

Ah, see, but I have no desire to rock out. I want to play delicate, complex classical guitar pieces, not rock.

Aw, you know what I mean! Now get out that scalpel!

[Sage Rat]

Never played a guitar, but I'd suggest perhaps trying something like putting a pillow between your belly and the guitar for example. Takes zero time or money to test, at any rate.

And if you learn to play anything like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UkYg1yG_TE) or this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9efHwnFAkuA), make sure to post a vid. :)

[Euthanasiast]

No, like a 3/4 sized classical guitar. (http://www.amazon.com/Amigo-4-Size-Classical-Guitar/dp/B0002IHEUE)


Enthusiast: I just tried resting it like the picture, and it doesn't work because I am a short, small-framed person* (with proportionately short arms) and putting it on my left leg means that my left arm is pretty much straight out to reach the end of the neck. Maybe if I was a better guitar player I could play like that but at the skill level I'm at now, I need some bend in my elbow.




*my reason for getting a small guitar to begin with, incidentally.

What is the make and model? If I could get a better look at it, I might be able to make other suggestions. The short answer is to do whatever it takes to make it comfortable and easy for you to reach all of the frets on the neck, but I suspect you already knew that.

Also, I say this in every thread I post to on playing the guitar. It is worth every time and pain to learn to play the guitar. It is the most rewarding hobby I've ever had, and I've had hundreds.

[bienville]

Can't tell you what to do with the guitar you've got, but if you go guitar shopping I always point out this guitar to big boobed guitarists. It's even a classical guitar- just your flavor!

Of course the artist in the picture is the only person I have ever seen with such a guitar (and, as follows, the actual individual guitar that she herself owns is the only one of its kind that I've ever seen) so, even if you are guitar shopping, it might not be an easy find.

But its unique cut seems pretty good for respecting boobage! (http://www.anitacoats.com/index.jpg)
(Yes, the artist pictured is not big boobed, and yes she is standing, but look at the cut of the guitar)

[si_blakely]

Why not look at one of these (http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Yamaha-SLG120NW---Silent-Guitar~ID~4880.asp) - I am pretty sure that you don't even need the upper frame ;)

Do Ovation do a classical guitar? - the bowl back may be more comfortable.
Hmm - I see that they do (http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/guitars/classical-guitars/Ovation/1773LX-4.asp).


Otherwise, I see a new market for a slightly different form of cut-away classical acoustic guitar :D

Si

[CalMeacham]

According to legend, the Amazons would cut off one breast in order to enhance their ability to rock out.



I've always been suspicious of this. If you look at ancient depictions of the Mazaons -- on vases and sarcophagi and the like -- they clearly haven't had any surgery done. And most mythological sources that tell stories about the Amazons don't say anything about this supposed practice. And you have to ark at it to make "Amazon" = "without Breast". The "breast" part is pretty iffy. In short, I suspect another o'them male fantasies here.



If it ain't worth it for archery, it certainly isn't worth it for guitar-playing. Just say "no" to performamce mastectomies.

[Sage Rat]

I've always been suspicious of this. If you look at ancient depictions of the Mazaons -- on vases and sarcophagi and the like -- they clearly haven't had any surgery done. And most mythological sources that tell stories about the Amazons don't say anything about this supposed practice. And you have to ark at it to make "Amazon" = "without Breast". The "breast" part is pretty iffy. In short, I suspect another o'them male fantasies here.
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mamazon.html

[Lobohan]

I have the same problem with my scrotum when I play the cello.

[CalMeacham]

I've felt that way since long before Bibliophage wrote that entry, Sage Rat.

And see Tyrrell's book Amazons on the topic:

http://www.amazon.com/Amazons-Mythmaking-William-Blake-Tyrrell/dp/0801838584/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217851861&sr=1-4

[Cervaise]

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mamazon.htmlSnerk. "Mamazon."

[Doctor Who]

Have you thought about holding it in a classical style? (http://www.learnclassicalguitar.com/how-to-hold-a-guitar.html)

It sounds like you are holding it like most guitar players --- on your right leg, pressed up against your right side. There is an alternative that you usually see in classical style guitar playing. Hold it on your left leg like the pictures in my link.

Apologies if anyone mentioned this yet - I read the thread but didn't see anything.

ETA: And, as an aside, despite what my link seems to suggest, you CAN hold the guitar on your left leg without needing a foot rest.

[Snooooopy]

I've always been suspicious of this. If you look at ancient depictions of the Mazaons -- on vases and sarcophagi and the like -- they clearly haven't had any surgery done. And most mythological sources that tell stories about the Amazons don't say anything about this supposed practice. And you have to ark at it to make "Amazon" = "without Breast". The "breast" part is pretty iffy. In short, I suspect another o'them male fantasies here.



If it ain't worth it for archery, it certainly isn't worth it for guitar-playing. Just say "no" to performamce mastectomies.

Yeah, I posted my advice knowing full well that the legend doesn't really hold up.

[CalMeacham]

Yeah, I posted my advice knowing full well that the legend doesn't really hold up.


It's OK. I knew ya wasn't serious.

[lieu]

Well there's a perfectly good metronome going to waste.

[OpalCat]

Have you thought about holding it in a classical style? (http://www.learnclassicalguitar.com/how-to-hold-a-guitar.html)

It sounds like you are holding it like most guitar players --- on your right leg, pressed up against your right side.
The way I hold it now, it's on my right leg, but it's pretty much flat across the front of me. I will try it the way in the picture.

As for the many people offering advice on buying a new guitar, you can stop now. It isn't happening anytime soon. I'm a full time student and a single parent. I don't have a job. I certainly can't afford to spend money on something like a new guitar. Not for many years to come, anyway. My guitar cost $70 about 8 years ago (yeah I got it that long ago but haven't gotten around to trying to learn until recently) and I couldn't afford to pay even that little to buy a new one today.

My guitar is Gremlin, model G10N. It looks like this (http://profile.ultimate-guitar.com/thickhead/pictures/gear/206049/). My mom picked it out for me. She played it and said it had good sound and various other features good for a beginner like me. She's been playing for about 40 years and has taught others, so I figure she probably knows what she's talking about.

[Duckster]

Despite thirty-five years of playing, she fears that she will not know how to hold the instrument.
Um, we're talking about a guitar here. What are you talking about? :D

[velvetjones]

Have you thought about holding it in a classical style? (http://www.learnclassicalguitar.com/how-to-hold-a-guitar.html)

I was going to say that. Back in the dark ages, I took a semester of classical guitar in college. I'm a (old) girl with a generous C cup but didn't have any trouble once I used the traditional classical stance of one foot propped up. You hold the neck a little higher which makes is easier to press the strings into the neck of the guitar because you keep your wrist more in line with your forearm. And with the butt of the guitar lowered it's not hitting so high on your chest.

[Fiddle Peghead]

Nope, no good. She's standing up and has a strap. Mine is a classical guitar with no strap--you have to play it sitting down.


Don't tell that to this (http://www.libertyfilmfestival.com/libertas/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/nelson_wideweb__430x370.jpg) guy. :)

[OpalCat]

Don't tell that to this (http://www.libertyfilmfestival.com/libertas/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/nelson_wideweb__430x370.jpg) guy. :)
I already said that the straps you clip onto the sound hole can chew up the wood, and I don't feel like ruining my guitar just so I can play standing up, which I wouldn't want to do anyway.

[Sarahfeena]

My guitar is Gremlin, model G10N. It looks like this (http://profile.ultimate-guitar.com/thickhead/pictures/gear/206049/). My mom picked it out for me. She played it and said it had good sound and various other features good for a beginner like me. She's been playing for about 40 years and has taught others, so I figure she probably knows what she's talking about. Have you asked her for help with how to hold the guitar? She might have run into this problem with other beginners.

[OpalCat]

She's a lawyer, not a guitar teacher. She has taught a few people how to play, that's all. She herself has very small breasts.

[Clockwork Jackal]

The way I hold it now, it's on my right leg, but it's pretty much flat across the front of me. I will try it the way in the picture.

As for the many people offering advice on buying a new guitar, you can stop now. It isn't happening anytime soon. I'm a full time student and a single parent. I don't have a job. I certainly can't afford to spend money on something like a new guitar. Not for many years to come, anyway. My guitar cost $70 about 8 years ago (yeah I got it that long ago but haven't gotten around to trying to learn until recently) and I couldn't afford to pay even that little to buy a new one today.

My guitar is Gremlin, model G10N. It looks like this (http://profile.ultimate-guitar.com/thickhead/pictures/gear/206049/). My mom picked it out for me. She played it and said it had good sound and various other features good for a beginner like me. She's been playing for about 40 years and has taught others, so I figure she probably knows what she's talking about.

Hmmmm I can't find the specs for the Gremlin you have, so I really have no idea if it's a decent guitar or not.

But definitely try holding it "classical style" like in the picture Doctor Who showed you. (I didn't know that the way I held it was called "classical style". Thanks Doctor Who! Boy, I've found as I become I better player I learn more and more. I think I'm at the point now where I've learned enough that now I realize there is SO MUCH left to learn. Neat!) You might also try putting something under your left foot so as to raise you left leg a bit and angle your right leg down. You have to kinda sit on the edge of the chair to do this. That works for me, but I'm only a B cup, so I don't really have a lot to avoid! I find this works for me, so try it, and report back. :)

[ChordedZither]

I already said that the straps you clip onto the sound hole can chew up the wood, and I don't feel like ruining my guitar just so I can play standing up, which I wouldn't want to do anyway.

FWIW, I've used a classical guitar strap on my guitar for 20+ years with no visible wear around the sound hole where the hook fits. I've accumulated far more damage over that time from my fingernails striking the wood on occasion while strumming. When i first started using a classical strap, I worried about possible damage from the hook, but I just slipped the hook into a cloth "bag" (the toe from an old sock, with a few stitches to hold it over the hook) before placing it on the guitar.

If I shorten the strap up a bit, I can use it sitting down. In fact, I far prefer this to perching the guitar over either leg. The classical strap has the advantage of naturally positioning the guitar in an almost ideal ergonomic position - the sound hole centered directly in front of the body, which leaves my left arm at a very comfortable extension. (I don't know if the same would be true of a longer-necked steel string guitar).

For the few bucks a classical strap costs, you might want to give it a try.

[OpalCat]

Your guitar may be made of a higher quality wood than mine, though. Not worth the risk, IMO, especially since I have no desire to play standing up.

[Mojo Pin]

You mentioned that when holding it classical style left the neck too far out for you to reach comfortably--one thing to keep in mind is that you don't want to keep the guitar straight across your body as you would holding it cowboy style. You want to angle the guitar upward as appropriate, pulling the neck in towards your head. That will bring your left hand closer in, as well as give your right hand digits a better angle with the strings for fingerpicking (if there's a better way to play those oh so delicate, complex classical pieces, I don't know it :D ).

[Harmonious Discord]

I'm going to be looking now, every time I see a woman guitarist, to see what she's doing with her boob. Darn you OpalCat!

[OpalCat]

You mentioned that when holding it classical style...

well no, I wasn't holding it "classical style" I was just holding it on my lap but moving it to the other leg. Later someone mentioned classical style and linked to a picture and I said I'd try it, but I haven't done so yet.

[Doctor Who]

well no, I wasn't holding it "classical style" I was just holding it on my lap but moving it to the other leg. Later someone mentioned classical style and linked to a picture and I said I'd try it, but I haven't done so yet.Out of curiosity, how did it work out for you?

[OpalCat]

*hangs head in shame*
I haven't practiced again since that was posted.

I'm bad. :(

[Myglaren]

XueFei Yang (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XXgv2Oc4BLk&feature=related) seems to manage OK. She is quite small.
While her boobs are not huge, they are not to be discounted as a factor. Cavatina (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bcV2UIGFu60&feature=related).
Asturias (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehxfblyr-UI&feature=related). I thought that in the interview after the music that she talked about the importance of intimate contact with the guitar but apparently not. Too good not to include though.

[Myglaren]

The aforementioned need to hold the guitar in close contact is at the end of this clip of Romance De Amor (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=e_p0dxEGvj8&feature=related)

[ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies]

The aforementioned need to hold the guitar in close contact is at the end of this clip of Romance De Amor (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=e_p0dxEGvj8&feature=related)

Wow. She's amazing.

[ftg]

One of the cable movie stations had The Search for John Gissing (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250716/) on a couple weeks ago. There's a scene with Sonya Walger that made me think of this thread.

[JThunder]

Can't you just tell him to leave the room?