: Guitar held flat? how is this way of guitar playing called? The boy on the right keeps the Guitar in a different way than usual. I wonder how you call this style.

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The guitar being played "lap style" standing up is unique type of guitar commonly referred to as a resonator, or more commonly a Dobro. They are naturally loud and employ open tuning which allows them to be played using a metal bar. The action is usually set quite high and there is no effort to actually fret the note by pushing the strings down. Instead the "bar" acts as a movable fret. The guitar is held in the flat position in order to access the strings from the top instead of the front. Personally, I liken it to an acoustic version of an electric steel guitar, although I recognize a number of differences. The sound of this instrument immediately catches your attention when you hear it. It is uniquely American, but was developed by European immigrants to the U.S. It's history is approximately 100 years old.