What's the best natural hand position for the fretting hand when playing up here?
I'm having trouble finding a position that is both comfortable and agile. I can either be comfortable, or I can be cramped but able to make a six fret move, like from the 17th to the 12th fret on the fifth string.
I can either have my thumb behind the fretboard, which is uncomfortable but seems to enable more motion. Or I can have the thumb above the fretboard, with the back of the neck cradled between my thumb and first finger. That's a lot more comfortable, but because there's a lot of surface area attached to the neck I can't move as quickly.
Does this matter? Is it simply a matter of picking one and just working it until it feels normal, or is there an idea way to hold the guitar above the 12th fret?
What about dealing with scales above the 17th fret? The join makes it really hard to deal with the sixth string.
