Guided route
Take the back & playing-posture self-check
Use where you feel it, how your sitting position changes, when it builds, and what adjustments help to choose the most useful starting resource.
Take the back & posture self-checkBack pain & playing posture
Make sitting and holding the guitar less costly for your back.
Upper-back tension, lower-back fatigue, slumping, arching, chair height, and guitar balance can all change how long a playing position stays comfortable. Start with the pattern closest to what you notice.
You do not need a perfect posture. Look for the position you can vary, support, and sustain with less unnecessary effort.
Focused support
Need a focused lower-back and pelvis starting point?
The Foundation Protocol is the broadest of the back and pelvis protocol cards when the problem is not clearly an anterior- or posterior-tilt pattern.
See the Foundation protocolBest places to begin
Start with the closest match
Practice Ergonomics
Whats What’s the Best Playing Posture for Guitarists Over 40?
If you’ve ever felt stiff, sore, or awkward after a practice session you’re definitely not alone. Most guitarists over 40 experience some kind of postural tension when playing guit…
Practice Ergonomics
The Best Guitar Chairs and Posture Hacks for Older Players
My lower back made the decision before my brain did. I'd been coaching for about three hours straight, sitting in this wooden chair I'd picked up at a charity shop because it "loo…
Practice Ergonomics
The Guitarist's Body Blueprint: How Your Posture, Setup, and Body Mechanics Shape Your Sound (And Your Musical Longevity)
Your body is part of the instrument. Treat it like one. The short version The Guitarist's Body Blueprint Your body isn't separate from your music — it's the instrument th…
Explore the full topic
More back, posture & setup guidance
Practice Ergonomics
The Guitar Setup Nobody Thinks About That Reduces Tension
Before we even get to your hands, or shoulders or even your spine, we need to talk about your feet. I know. You're sitting down when you play most of the time. Your feet aren't do…
Shoulder & Neck Ease
Why Guitarists Develop Rounded Shoulders and Why Stretching Your Chest Won't Fix It
The short version Why Guitarists Develop Rounded Shoulders and Why Stretching Your Chest Won't Fix It Guitar playing structurally loads the left shoulder into protractio…
Practice Ergonomics
The Practice Space That Protects Your Playing: 7 Setup Changes That Support Comfort Over 40
Your Environment Is Either Working With Your Body or Against It Do you practice in the same spot each time? Is it the couch? Maybe it's your desk chair. Maybe it's that old stool…
Choose the depth