Left handed guitar
| Left Handed guitar background Where to find left-handed guitars and information Famous lefthanded guitarists |
Left Handed guitar background
We are often asked for advice from left-handed guitarists, both on the best way to teach guitar left-handed and for stockists of left-handed guitars.
Most left-handers find it natural to hold a guitar so they can strum the strings with their left handed and finger the chords with their right. If a standard right-handed guitar is just turned over the other way, all the strings are upside down, with the lowest notes at the bottom instead of the top. Some lefties have played this way, including Coco Montoya and Albert King but it is not ideal!
It is possible to re-string the guitar to change the string positions, and again many famous guitarists have played his way, notably Jimi Hendrix with his famous restrung Fender Stratocaster, but it is not really a great solution as the rest of the guitar is still in the wrong places - the direction of the string bridge, the protective panels, electric pickups, sound controls, cable jack, strap connections etc.
What you really need is a properly designed left-handed guitar with all the components made to be played left-handed.
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As with most things left-handed, the answers are never as straightforward as one would wish. If you are thinking of buying a left-handed guitar, you will find that the choice can be very limited. Whether it is acoustic or electric you are looking for, you may find there are no left-handers at all among the glittering display or, with luck, perhaps two or three may be tucked away behind the right-handers. As with expensive equipment for many other hobbies or activities the economics of guitar production and sales makes it impossible for most stores to supply the range of choice that right-handers enjoy. |
| Unfortunately, reversing the strings on a right-handed guitar is not sufficient, since the entire instrument must have all its parts reversed to produce an acceptable tone. We have only two options: to purchase from the few left-handed versions available, even if they are not entirely suitable or to order a left-handed version of a right-handed model you have seen. The second option may seem a reasonable compromise, but actually carries a number of pitfalls. Firstly, assessing the merits of a right-handed guitar by playing it left-handed is far from ideal as you can get only a rough idea of its tone and action. As any guitarist knows, even two guitars of the same model can vary slightly. Secondly, and most seriously, most manufacturers insist that once a guitar is ordered by a customer to be specially made, the customer is then obliged to buy it, even if it turns out to be less than ideal. Bearing in mind the guitar in question may cost in the region of £3,000 if it is a top of the range model, this is a high-risk option. So, not only can the left-hander not, in most cases, walk out of the shop with the guitar of their choice, they may also be obliged to wait anything up to a year before obtaining their purchase. |
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Learning left handed guitar
Finding a patient teacher who can instruct in reverse is almost as difficult as finding a left-handed instrument, since most teachers are right-handed. Some even refuse to teach left-handed pupils! yet the solution can be simple: just seat the left-handed pupil opposite the teacher, so it is like looking in a mirror - a simple and effective way to learn.
Some teachers will even argue that with any stringed instrument the right hand has to be pretty dextrous so it shouldn't make any difference which way round the instrument is played. For folk or classical guitar playing, the argument goes against this theory because much of the control is carried out by the right hand, which left-handers might find difficult.
But what if you have already been encouraged to play guitar right-handed - is it too late to change? The Guitar Workshop in New York made a detailed study of left-handed guitar playing and found that it took three to six months for players who changed over to regain their previous level of attainment, after which they improved even further! Composer and guitarist John Duarte, a 'changed' man said: "Now I would not encourage a lefty to learn right-handedly, and when I inherit a student who does play that way round, I advise him to change if he does not appear to be reaching his potential. I think there has been much irrational prejudice against lefties, and such things die hard"
Famous lefthanded guitarists
Thankfully, we can count some great guitarists among our numbers to even out the score. Here are a few we know and let us know of any other great left-handed guitarists to add to our Hall of Fame.
| Picture | Name | Background | Links |
| Jimi Hendrix | Jimi Hendrix pioneered the explosive possibilities of the electric guitar. Hendrix's innovative style of combining fuzz, feedback and controlled distortion created a new musical form. Because he was unable to read or write music, it is nothing short of remarkable that Jimi Hendrix's meteoric rise in the music took place in just four short years. His musical language continues to influence a host of modern musicians. | ||
| Paul McCartney | Played Bass for 'the Beatles' in the 60's. Generally considered the greatest pop composer of all time, along with fellow Beatle composer John Lennon. In the Guinness Book of Word Records for most records sold, most #1's (shared) and largest paid audience for a concert (350,000 people 1989 in Brazil). After 'the Beatles' he formed Wings, one of the most commercially successful groups of the '70's. Solo career in post 70's has been sporadic in both commercial and artistic terms. | ||
| Bobby Womack | He was born in Cleveland in 1944. Bobby and his brothers sang several memorable songs including his composition "It's All Over Now" which they recorded as The Valentinos for Sam Cooke's label, SAR. When the group who had begun as a gospel unit broke up, Bobby started out on a solo career. When he went down to Memphis to cut an album with Chips Moman, he met Wilson Pickett for whom he wrote "I'm A Midnight Mover". Bobby played guitar on Wilson's dates and began playing on many other sessions for artists such as Jerry Butler, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and Joe Tex. Bobby became a major soul recording artist of the 1970's, influencing folks such as Rod Stewart and The Stones. | ||
| Kurt Cobain | Kurt Donald Cobain was the leader of Nirvana, the multi-platinum grunge band that redefined the sound of the nineties. He was introduced to music at a very young age, by his aunt. At seven years of age his parents divorced and he was forced to look at the world in a different light. He spent time under a bridge here he would spend the time alone writting his first lyrics. At the age of 15 Nirvana was born. However at the age of just 27 he killed himself after the presure became too much. | ||
| Tony Iommi | As founding member of Black Sabbath and architect of such classic riffs as Black Sabbath, Paranoid, War Pigs, Iron Man and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Tony Iommi was - and is - the acknowledged progenitor of heavy rock guitar. His unique style and much copied sound have had a profound influence on succeeding generations of guitarists, and many of the leading bands of today owe more than a passing allegiance to the Black Sabbath sound as defined by Tony Iommi | ||
| Bob Geldof | Bob Geldof was the leader of the successful punk group the Boomtown Rats. Inspired by a documentary on starving Ethiopian children, Geldof contacted music personalities from the U.K. and the U.S. to make a recording, "Do They Know It's Christmas," whose 80 million dollars in benefits were sent to Ethiopia. In 1985, he organized two enormous Live Aid concerts, again featuring some of the most popular acts in modern pop music, and donated the proceeds to charity. As a result, Geldof received a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. He was also knighted. |
You will find full profiles of these left handed guitarists and many more in the book set Uncommon Sound - see below.
If you have any more information about these people or have any other successful left-handed guitarists that you would like us to feature, please add your comments below.
Shops that specialise in left-handed guitars
The Guitar Workshop in Ibstock, Leicestershire, UK
Comments 141
At home I have to use my right hand for the spoon and the left hand for the fork, but when comes to use a knife I am on my left hand again so now I am already 60 years old only for writing and the spoon I am using the right hand, for the rest of the things I am using my left hand, I feel so much about my mother forcing me to use a right hand coz I born by using a left handed, so sad....
eel different ,I can eat with my left hand now,and above all I play the guitar with my left hand which I'm so proud of..
I have been searching the net mainly for a left handed guitar for my son amongst other items and not had much joy. I then came across your site and was very excited. However I tried to click on the link for 'your UK partners' but it doesnt seem to work. Perhaps u can take a look at this as im not sure if its your site or my phone im using to access it. Thanks.
Jane x
i prefer the left handed way though
Yes, a right handed teacher can still show you how to play. It just takes a bit more focus, because you have to turn what they're playing, upside down, essentially. A very useful trick I've found, is placing a mirror next to the person, and watch them on the mirror. This obviously switches their style to lefty,and is therefore, easier to copy. Hope this helps :)
Does anyone else know of a righty who plays guitar left-handed? And does anyone know why I do that? =/
take care and good luck.
Off the guitar topic, it seems there are a lot of right-handed baseball players who bat left handed. Some bat from both sides of the plate--"switch hitters--", but at least as often, you'll see a player who throws with the right hand and bats as a lefty. A left-handed batter has a natural advantage against a right-handed pitcher, who, of course, outnumber left-handed pitchers. So I'm sure some of these players taught themselves to bat backward to gain that advantage; but it's hard to picture how they could manage. I play guitar left-handed, and I've stopped going into guitar stores because it's so frustrating knowing I can't play all those cool guitars. If it were easy to switch I would have done it by now. I did try for a while and I hated it.
There's good left handed guitars out there and instructors who will teach you that way. Stick with it!
I am 33, I started playing guitar left-handed when I was 10. I am so left-sided that when I first picked a guitar up I simply could not fathom holding it any other way around.
I played for 2 or 3 years left-handed, on a battered old acoustic strung 'upside -down' and reached a fairly intermediate level. I could strum chords to my favourite tunes, was making up my own chord progressions, and learning scales. When I went to finally buy my first electric guitar, the guy in the shop advised me to get a right handed one, as there was more choice, I'd only been playing a couple of years, and when I got older and joined a band I would be the same way round as everyone else.
I took his advice, bought a righty guitar, and went back to scratch. It took an awful lot of work and perseverence to become comfortable with just holding the guitar right handed way around, and even more to actually get good playing it that way.
Biggest mistake I ever made. For the last 20 years I have played right handed. I have been gigging for about 14 or 15 years. With all that experience you'd think I'd be pretty good by now, I'm not bad, but I never reached my potential. I play rhythm guitar, because lead is just too fiddly and tricky for me to do as well as other guitarists I know. I can do it, but I can't play really complicated or super fast stuff. My right hand just can't handle it. I do not play as good as I should, considering I have been playing for 23 years and actively gigging for the majority of that time too. I hit a ceiling and just can't get any better. The only good thing is that I've been able to play other people's guitars. Sure it's nice I can pick up a guitar anywhere and play, but it wasn't worth sacrificing my true potential and the ability to shred with the best of them.
So recently I bought a nice Lefty Les Paul and went back to scratch again. I'm learning guitar all over again for the third time in my life. It's hard, it felt weird at first, and I'm a beginner, nowhere near as good as I am right-handed yet, but I can instantly see and feel (and so can my band mates) that I am going to be a much better guitarist in the long run. My rhythm hand is way more accurate. It even looks more natural when I'm playing.
The heart and soul of what you play comes from your rhythm hand, not your chord hand. Sure it's nice to have your dominant hand doing the fretwork, but it's nothing your other hand can't do with a lot of hard work and practice. But your rhythm hand will never be quite as accurate if it's not your dominant one. It won't be quite as fast, or as flowing.
My advice is if you are left handed, play that way. There's a reason that way around feels right to us leftys. There's a reason your dominant hand wants to do the rhythm. Go with it. Sure Mark Knopfler can do it the other way around but guys like him are the exception. Let your dominant hand do the rhythm, and work hard at getting your right hand up to scratch on the fretboard. In the long run you will be a much much better guitarist, and will never hit that ability 'ceiling.'
My point is, don't let some ignorant jerk tell you that you'll be better off playing right handed when you're really a lefty!
Thanks for the information and your candor.
Regarding Segovia - his style was revolutionary in that he played classical music that was originally written for other instruments.
My point still stands - the 6-string guitar was a rhythm instrument until well into the 20th century.
What I am arguing against, and what appears to be the flavor of the article and (especially) the comments,
is that a lefty has to get his hands on a left-handed guitar if he wants to learn the instrument.
As you said, righties are more hard-wired to their brain hemispheres.
Perhaps it would be extremely difficult for almost any righty to play left-handed.
But lefty brains are more flexible (I didn't say softer ;-)
We are more adaptable.
So, let us not constrain ourselves, especially regarding how we choose to express ourselves through music.
A false legend based on intuition and ignorance.
Fender produced left-hand guitars in the 1960's, and Jimi could have bought one, no problem.
The fact is that Hendrix, for whatever reason, thought that the left-hand guitars were inferior in production.
Maybe he tried one and didn't like it, who knows why?
Are you celebrating left-handed guitarists?
Are you pushing left-handed guitars?
I was in a band that played clubs in New Jersey, many years ago.
The bass player and the lead guitarist (me) are both left-handed.
We both have always played conventionally.
How many left-handed guitarists have you failed to include in your "famous" list, simply because they play right-handed.
Are they not left-handed "enough" for you.
"Being" left-handed is special for me, and for most of my left-handed brothers and sisters in the world.
We are different from right-handers in the way we process information, and in how we learn things.
I have always played the guitar right-handed; over 40 years now.
Doe's that diminish my left-handedness?
No.
I'm a lefty. When I play the guitar, even if I played it with my teeth and toes, I'm still a lefty, and I learn and express myself as a right-brain dominant southpaw.
End of story.
I used to play right-handed too, although I wouldn't have called my playing style "conventional." The fact is that left-handed musical instruments are only becoming readily available nowadays and we oldies had to rough it with right-handed equipment back then.
So I agree, it is possible to learn to play a guitar the wrong way around. However, the design of a guitar is optimised for right-handers to play the very best they can and so I can't help feeling that a lefty needs a left-handed guitar to play the very best THEY can. I switched a few years ago and the main thing I have noticed is that my plucking and picking has become much more intuitive where it was more mechanical before, although I have to work a little harder on the bar chords now. I'd say my lead playing is the best it's ever been since switching but the rhythm playing still needs some work.
The differences are subtle and truly great musicians will make great music whatever way round they play their instruments.
Thanks in advance
Just read my post just below yours. Stand your ground and play the way that feels best for you.
I learned to use the mirror view when looking at right handed players opposing me and thet works like a charm.
Teachers that won't teach left handed people shouldn't be teaching at all.
It is very important your instrument feels alright for you. It will make learning to play easier and smoother.
Ok, you have less guitars to choose from, but being able to play the way you really feel you should is very important.
/Hans
You can restring an acoustic steel string but if you look at the saddle you will notice the bone is generally on an angle. On a classical the bone usually goes straight across. The bone on both guitars is usually slanted to fit the string thickness so make sure you also turn it around when you restring from right handed to left.
There are some things I can do with both hands, the funniest is tennis... I watched opponents go crazy over me switching hands while playing :D
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At the age of 12, I (and my parents) were send away from a musical instruments store. The message was "Lefthanded people can't play guitar ! ".
So I got an Acordeon (yuk) and played the for some 2 years.
At the age of ~16 I got myself an acoustic and after one or two months of trying to play rightie... I restrung the guitar. YES that was it !
I owned a number of righthanded guitars over the years and restrung them all. No lefthanded intrument in sight.
Well in my thirties I found a '83-'84 lefthanded Tokai Goldstar Stratocaster... Uh Ohhh my playing went from restricted to free and easy overnight.
Meanwhile I own 4 lefthanded instruments and love them to bits.
Tokai (will stay forever )
Epiphone Dot
Greg Bennet Avion (lp-alike)
Stagg (yup) Tele style.
and lets not forget my converted nylon string acoustic.
Over a couple of years I produced some things that could stand up with the "it's music" claim. (try my website if you can stand Slowblues and ballads)
I tend to get angry with people trying to bully/force lefthanded people into doing things righthanded. At school (first 2 years) I was forced to write righthanded and the teachers told my parents I was just being sloppy and lazy........
/Hans
I got my first real lefty guitar (a Gibson) when I was 22. It was the only one in the store, and although it listed at about $100 more than a righty of the same model, they sold it to me for about 50% off because they wanted to get rid of it. I was told that restringing a guitar the opposite way isn't good for the guitar because guitars are generally reinforced for the thicker strings on one side, and putting them on the opposite side will eventually warp the neck of the guitar.
I have found, when looking for a guitar, ask directly for a left-handed guitar. Reputable places will work with you. When my Gibson was damaged and I needed a new guitar, Gibson's were out of my price range, and I went for a Guild. I asked the salesman if they had a left-handed guitar (I knew what size and model I wanted, but I was open to suggestions, knowing left-handed guitars are often difficult to come by. It turned out, they didn't happen to have a left-handed guitar in the store at all, out of perhaps a thousand in stock. So, since I wanted a Guild, the man said, "No problem. We'll call Guild." Well, Guild didn't have one in stock either, so they started asking questions about the specifics of the guitar (mother of pearl or painted fret dots; what color wood on the front, etc.) and in about 6 weeks I received a custom-made guitar. It all started with asking.
Since I learned on a righty originally, when I switched, I could no longer apply the chord grids to what I was doing, but fortunately, I already knew most of the chords. I didn't know before these newsletters that there were lefty books. One thing I can do that I find odd that righties can't is watch a righty guitarist and mirror what he/she does.
You've hit something obvious about us lefties. We can just look at right handed players and accompany them, even though we have never heard the music before!!
I own several electrics and 2 acoustics,(both are Guilds, the D-40 and an F-30-12). Although we arn't offered as many color selections as the righty's, say for instance, a Fender American Stratocaster, many of the big name builders offer lefty electrics and acoustics. Carvin should be mentioned here also, I had a lefty acoustic they build, real nice guitar. Another point to bring up is guitar parts for lefty's, especially things like nuts, saddles. bridges, and six-in-line tuners. Can't forget volume controls that turn the right direction for lefty's........they're out there. I just recently "rebuilt" an Aria lefty Strat copy to bring it from an average guitar that wouldn't stay in tune to a killer player. It came with an solid alder body, great neck, and hot single coil pick-ups. I recently replaced the tuners with Gotoh's, replaced the cheap plastic nut with a lefty Tusq, and replaced the saddles and added springs to the bridge. Stewart-MacDonald, Guitars Parts Resource and Allparts can help a lefty out big-time.
One more builder I'd like to mention is Schecter. Many of their models are offered left-handed, including a killer acoustic. I have a "keeper" C-1 Blackjack w/Seymour Duncan humbuckers, Grover tuners, TonePro bridge, solid mahogany body, etc. The only thing I did to make it more lefty is reverse the volume pot wiring. Awesome player!!
I hope I have been a help to my fellow southpaws guitar players or soon to be players. Believe me, compared to when I first entered the guitar buying market place (late 60's early 70's), there are alot of lefty's available. The internet is loaded with them. Oh yeah, one guitar I regret selling.....a '75 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe lefty, cherry sunburst, mini humbuckers, killer crunch guitar through a '66 Fender Super Reverb amp. Sold both to race motocross..egahs! You can see the Les Paul by visiting myspace.com/cottonwooddrift and check out my pics. Peace and Love!
I eventually got my own 12-string acoustic and the shop reversed all the parts (excpet hte pick guard and fret dots, of course). Later, on a trip to NYC I got a lefty Fender Stratocaster with everything in the right place.
I actually started playing right-handed because I only lately discovered my left-handedness. For many years I thought I was ambidextrous until a neurological problem (that involved almost falling off of a mountain and some severe vertigo) convinced me that I had to come off of the fence. I've been fine since switching everything I do to the left side and the last thing to switch was my guitar playing.
Now, although I was a pretty good right-handed guitarist, I am a much better left-handed guitarist. So you may get the advice from teachers that it doesn't matter which way you learn (and it's easier for them if you go righty) but that is only because some really talented people can cope (eg Mark Knopfler). They would all play better left-handed and the average player will probably never get it sorted out unless they are allowed to play on their natural side. The Fender Strat is one of the most ergonomically designed instruments in the history of music. However you have to play one made for your natural sidedness to appreciate that.
I agree with the poster who says that you find better teachers when they are willing to teach lefties. We have the advantage of weeding out the poorer ones before we start lessons.
I was just interested as to whether the Skylark dude was able to make that specified guitar.
The bass/lead guitar? Any comments would be MOST welcome :)
Thanks
Andyroo.
Rubbish. Your saying, in effect, that a lefty could never be a truly accomplished pianist because a piano is "right-handed".
Listen, this is the reality.
All common tools and musical instruments evolved with righties in mind because 90% of humanity is that way.
When a child tries to play an instrument for the first time, he or she is endeavouring to master a set of skills unlike anything previously attempted. A blank slate.
A stratocaster is not "ergonomically designed" only for righties.
I'm totally left-handed and right-minded.
I play conventionally, and while my left hand moves up and down the neck playing the sounds I like, I totally appreciate the design qualities of my right-hand American Stratocaster. It's a beautiful thing.
What music do you play? I prefer latin/spanish e.g. Barrios, Villa-Lobos, Tarrega, Albeniz etc.
My teacher found teacher me very easy and we are working on some duets to perform in concert. Only trouble here in Virginia is that it is mostly bluegrass and C & W. They are not used to what the guitar can do..
If there 'is' an advantage it is for the lefty. Fingering chords is more difficult in the early months of playing than strumming.
Now, I'm glad that I learned to play right-handed. It's easy, even narural, for me to create vibrato on the frets, and I can master jazz chord progression more quickly. The right hand work is still a challenge, but hey, that's what metronomes are for!
I think that lefty's have a creative edge in most endeavors; which way they play the guitar will only change how that creativity is expressed.
By the way, IMHO, Paul McCartney is one of the truly great bassists, left or right. Ask any bass player, and I think McCartney will be in their top 10.
People who are ambidextrous are brain-damaged.
People who TELL they were ambidextrous are forced right-handers who don't remember their left-handed childhood because of the traumatic experience being re-educated.
Being left-handed but acting as a right-hander absorbs so much force of the left-hander that life can be very difficult. He has to be much better in all disciplines of everyday life than right-handed people. On one hand (litterally) overcompensation can be the result, on the other hand resignation.
The legend of left-handers being more intelligent can be derived from the overcompensation which you can find also with women in male-dominated occupations.
As far as myself is concerned I was a re-educated right-hander. They didn‘t do it the "hard" way but with "soft" hints like "use the good hand" etc. which ended up f.e. in learning to write with the right hand. My handwriting is still a cathastrophe.
Being on a holiday playin Cowboy and Indian at the age of 8, I had a "rifle" (a piece of wood) which I always "fired" with my left hand. My grandfather (left-handed and traumatised) told me to put the "rifle" into the other hand but I refused.
It was the same with "playing guitar". I strummed with my left hand and stayed doing it.
I discovered my left-handedness at the age of 19, and when I began to play guitar at twenty-eight I borrowed an acoustic guitar from a friend of mine. I could have played it upside-down without restringing it. But then I would have had to read the tabulatures for the chords not only vice-versa but upside-down too. Besides I thought that the inventors of the guitar
were clever people and that the arrangement of the strings was ergonomic.
So I decided to play upside-down and restringed the guitar. I did that with my first electric too. And when I had the money I bought a left-handed "axe".
But from the first time I had a guitar in my hand I found the string I had to pick with the fingers of my left hand without looking!
Ridiculous. A massive over-simplification of the brain and how it connects to everything.
I am left-handed, my wife is right-handed; there was no forcing on any issue with the exception of scissors..because he learned to use them before we managed to get left-handed ones, he can't use the left-handed ones.
If she spent 20 years coming to that conclusion, she wasted her time. Yes there are many cases of forced right-handed; in the UK and US until maybe the 50s, France up to at least the 70s.
My lead guitarist is right handed and always has to stand to my left so our guitar heads dont clash into each other. This has sometimes proved invaluable when playing smaller venues.
When I first started to learn chords I used to sit in front of a mirror so my guitar looked just like it did in the book.
Dave Burnham.
Your convo made a lot of good common sense. I know, although I am a left hander, I'm actually much more ambidextrous. For me, most of it is simply adjusting to a world designed for right handers. Although we may consider this a problem at times, it really can turn out to be a huge advantage for us. Right handers simply do not have the daily challenge we have. My mom is righthanded/ambidextrous naturally. I look at it all this way... We left handers have the rare treat to more fully use the left and right halves of our brains simultaneously. This comes in handy more ways than we all may know. In recent studies, music is the one activity that is not exclusive to one or two parts of the brain. It uses more parts of the brain than most anything else. Studies I have seen (through Dr. Oliver Sacks), show parts of the brain firing up all over the place when one is thinking of or playing music. So, when we left handers use our chosen adapted musical abilities, we actually have the "upper hand"!
I'm left-handed but have always played a right-handed guitar. My first teacher tried to encourage me to play left-handed, but I refused, because I found it more logical and easier to do the chord-fingering with my left hand. Unfortunately my right hand is so uncoordinated that I can't even do the strumming properly, let alone finger-picking techniques.
And another reason was, that I shared the lessons with my brother who is right-handed. And for once I wanted to be, like, not different from the rest of the family and to not delay someone's learning because I had to be taught everything the other way round.
I think, lefties who want to learn how to play the guitar should decide on the way that feels most comfortable and natural to them and not on the way that is considered most normal, like many people do. (Or you could just try and learn all three different ways, but you would need two guitars for that (; )
Greetings,
Julia
PS: Please excuse any Grammar/spelling mistakes. English isn't my native language and I'm still learning.
Funny thing is he play golf/baseball etc. left handed and I play that right-handed..
Playing with the strings upside down I would think would be a disadvantage with higher "lead" parts but if the gents. been doing it for 40 years, it can't be all bad..
With talent you can adjust to almost anything (see Django Reinhart on youtube..)
You pointed out the most sound reason for a left hander who plays the guitar to choose his/her correct style. Pick up the instrument. Try strumming or fretting for awhile. Then flip the guitar over and try it with the hands reversed in the strumming and fretting. Which just feels right? Which feels the most natural? Your choice is your way to learn to play your guitar - not what someone else tells you.. Hopefully, in years to come, teaching material will become readily available so you have an equal chance to play in the style that suits you. Most guitarists I know have multiple guitars to play. Although I prefer to play in one style (upsidedown backwards), I still have 6 guitars ready and waiting. They are half 6 and half 12 strings, and each is in a different tuning. And I can, when necessary, play a righthanded guitar righthanded. It by no means is natural to me, but, as a left hander, I'm blessed with having the choice! That's cool! Thanks, Julia!
Something not mentioned about restringing an instrument is the balance is all wrong on a non symetrical design, I've been looking at getting a guitar and been looking mostly at RH, as thats what they have in the shops, and wearing one upside down is very aukward.
I agree with Ed about not being able to use other peoples instruments, and the other way round as my sister came to visit and was going to show me some stuff on the bass but just couldn't use it.
i've been playing exactly the same way, on bass and guitar, for almost 20 years, and i find nothing wrong with it! i9f anything, it gives a different flavour to my sound. us lefties should go our own way!
good stuff
a
Paul formed Wings and the insertion of the word "he" would have made all the difference to your statement. Small word, BIG difference.
He's a GOD you know, you can't get it wrong.
Jimi Hendrix was a true" lefthanded guitarist ((-; the only thing was, he was nearly always using right-handed guitars because of the lack of lefthanded ones at that time. But he always restringed them for Lefties!
For examples of people who played a standard right-handed guitar upside down you could name Coco Montoya or Albert King [now updated in article, Keith]
So long
So, therefore it's a bit like combing your hair, you know you are looking at the wrong side but you also know it is the correct side you are combing.
We left handers are so clever.
For classical in the US, www.pavan.com guitars are very good as he is a lefty too.
If you do switch a right-handed, the problems are not that great; I play an aria travel guitar that is a righty and my first electric was too. The nut may need some adjustment.
Lessons are not a problem; if they are, find another teacher. They should be flexible enough.
As lefties are good at transposing in your head, I wouldn't recommend a left-handed teaching book as it will be at odds with most of the tab music out there. If you learn to read music, that issue goes away too.
Learning to transpose right hand chord boxes is a skill that left handed players learn thru experience. Left handed tutor books will give you a grounding, it should also give tips on using right handed materials. The most important tip is that left and right handed playing are mirror images of each other.
At first it is best to use left handed neck diagrams for scales. As you gain experience you're able to start using right handed neck diagrams; I just view them as 'stacked tab' read the bottom line from left to right (what you play is right to left and at first this can be a little confusing) and when you run out of dots on that line, move up one line and repeat the process as per the previous line.
Reading Tab or staff notation and translating it into sound is a skill and takes practice; whether you're left or right handed, Music Reading for Guitar by David Oakes adresses the issue of sightreading staff notation.
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