Should a lefty start out on a left handed guitar?

[SunnyDee]

I strongly support more availability of instruments, from lefty guitars and drum sets to smaller piano keys. Much of what we see is just tradition and marketing, imo. In an age where we should want a musical education to be available to anyone who wants it, the view is outdated that pianos can only have one size keyboards and guitars should only be oriented one way, etc.

We also have very strong research showing that rhythm is carried on the dominant side, so, yes, in the first few months of trying to make chords and just simple up and down strumming, it may seem like it would be easier to play with the non-dominant side, but other guitarists don't do that, do they? Why not? It's just not easier to require rhythm and intricate dynamics and fine motor coordination on the non-dominant side, it's just not. Why didn't Django switch hands, why didn't Tommy Iommi? Yes, Knopfler plays right, but examine his style and you can see how he developed his technique to compensate. Ringo was left-handed playing on right-handed drums and developed an overhanded technique to compensate. The fact that people can adjust doesn't mean it should be policy that they have to. Many people talk about air guitar, but, in fact, I still air guitar on the right because I took up guitar late in life, I assume, and that's what air guitar always was. However, a better test might be to check which hand you would snap your fingers in time to a song with. If you want research, just google scholar rhythm and hand dominance, etc.

Almost everyone says they are happy playing right because they can buy/play more guitars. Yes, it's annoying not to be able to buy all the guitars I see, but, I figure, something has to keep the GAS under control. I traveled all year last year in Ireland and Spain visiting guitars everywhere I went and finding mostly right-handed ones. The money I saved probably paid for the trip!

EDIT: On a personal note, as a lefty, I've had to learn things all my life mirroring right-handed teachers or just right-handed. Most of us probably do that, and many of us would have learned to mirror easily. It's not difficult for me to mirror what I've learned on the left to the right, so, I can form chord shapes on the right, not really play them well, because I haven't practiced at all, but it's not difficult to form them. I am sure I could change to chording on a right-handed guitar with some practice. I could also do basic strumming, I assume. The intricate patterns I play, though, would likely be impossible right-handed.

It seems to me what you see here is a lot of left-handed people who play righty and say they are happy and a lot of people who are lefty saying they play lefty and are happy. I figure, basically, playing guitar makes people happy.

[s2y]

I'm another lefty playing right handed. I struggled when I started out, but don't we all? Glad I chose to play right handed guitars and basses. So many things I play have never been released in a left handed configuration.

[RP]

Originally Posted by MrDB

I'm left handed. I play righty, but obviously my left hand is involved. You have to use both hands to play so it never seemed important to me which hand does which.

Originally Posted by jpbrooks

I am left handed and started learning about 4 years ago. I chose to buy and learn on right-handed guitars and am really glad I did. Must easier to find guitars and I don't think it would have been easier had I went with left-handed.

Playing guitar is the only thing I do right handed.

Originally Posted by s2y

I'm another lefty playing right handed. I struggled when I started out, but don't we all? Glad I chose to play right handed guitars and basses. So many things I play have never been released in a left handed configuration.

Originally Posted by Methos1979

I'm a left that plays right. Thank heavens! I just came naturally that way. I played air guitar righty. Once I started playing it always seemed that the more difficult stuff was going on with the left hand anyway. Strumming is easy and most people start out strumming. I personally think it's backwards.

But regardless, I'm so very glad I learned righty or I would have missed out on playing a whole bunch of really nice guitars. I'm a huge fan of being left-handed and generally consider it a badge of honor but when it comes to guitar, righty all the way.

Makes sense to me....

[Seagull S6]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

I am a lefty that plays righty, and I have an opinion on this.

We live in a right handed world and so every lefty has to learn sooner or later to be ambidextrous.

Whilst I was beaten in school for being left handed, which ruined my beautiful left hand writing style, I feel that it makes for an easier life to learn to play right handed.
When I started playing drums then guitar it never occurred to me that I had a choice.

Firstly - why not have your dominant hand doing the complicated stuff on the fret board,

Secondly , as you develop your playing skills you have to go through a fair amount of guitar purchases to discover what suits your hands and style best. This is much easier seeking out right handed guitars than lefties.

As a teacher, you should not "force" anyone to go any way but it might be good to tell them the disadvantages of electing to be in a minority.

Sounds like a lot of the misinformation my dad spouted out. Being ambidextrous isn't something you can learn, it is a trait that either you have or don't have. I f you don't have that trait you learn to adapt to a backwards world.

Over the centuries guitars were designed/made so that the fret board is played by your less dominant hand for a very specific reason. That is because the less dominant hand sets up the dominant hand to actually play the music.

I tried R/H playing for years and my right handed just didn't have the articulation to strum without it sounding like I was clubbing the strings.

One very real advantage to playing L/H that doesn't occur to most is that for the most part people don't even ask to play/borrow your guitars. The look on someones face when they drool over one of your nicer guitars and it sinks in that they most likely will never be able to play it, priceless.

Be careful with advice to student because a lot of times advice can be just well meaning misinformation.

[waveform]

Im left handed and I play right. When I was a teenager I spent a lot of time figuring this out and decided to go right handed. This was for two reasons, guitars were right handed and teaching would be easier.

I think you will find most left handed people are some what ambidextrous.
A left handed player (playing right handed guitar) will use their left hand to fret chords. Out of picking/strumming and fretting I would say making chords is harder so use your best hand for that, left.

If it were me I would have all my students play right. Then when they got together on there own they could teach each other and work together easier.

[Mr Fingers]

I'd listen to Seagull 6. As a lefty playing righty out of poverty and lack of availability -- I learned on the only guitar I could have -- I have adapted reasonably well and cannot know how things would have gone had someone plopped a lefty guitar in my hands from the start. But Seagull 6 is right. Guitars are definitely "handed" objects. And wow, am I tired of the observations that "it must be easier for you to play because you can fret with your "good" hand." Uh -- and I have to locate and pick strings, with timing and touch with the "bad" one. Tell me which is easier, again? Why aren't righties snapping up all the lefty guitars to enjoy this same "advantage"? Neuroscientists tell us that we develop neural networks based on what we do, so I'm sure there's some huge degree of adaptability there; we can also compensate physically a lot (though if you saw my golf game, another lefty-playing-right deal, you would laugh out loud). I'm going to guess that for many of us lefties who always played righty, we can do OK and feel comfortable. But back to the OP and the question not of what's possible, but of what's best, I'm going to say that it makes most sense to honor your handedness as an asset and get a lefty guitar.

[Seagull S6]

Originally Posted by varmonter

this has always been my thought as well.
hendrix played upside down.

Jimi was certainly a force of nature, wasn't he? However, the only time he ever played upside down was when he was a kid and his dad would come into the room and he would quickly switch over to playing his L/H strung guitar upside down right handed.

I wish I had thought of that when I was a kid but being that my dad did play on a professional level, I probably would have been beaten for doing it.

"Don't interfere wife! It looks like I'm just going to have to beat the backwardness out of this child".

[Jambi]

If I had continued playing on a right handed guitar I would have learned with bass strings on bottom. I would have quit playing if forced to hold it right handed. Listen to each child and follow the direction they gravitate toward.


Guitar is daunting to tackle at first as is, why make a child start in a way that is already additionally cumbersome?

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by waveform

I think you will find most left handed people are some what ambidextrous.

Actually most right-handed people are also ambidextrous.

[Dukesdad]

Lefty playing right handed guitars. When I started 15, or so, years ago I figured I would get some advantage using my left hand for fretting. After all, it IS my left hand and I am supposed to be more nimble with it.

Ultimately, it probably did not matter much.

However, most of the really elegant guitars are right handed. So, you can feed your GAS if you play right handed much more easily.

[SunnyDee]

Originally Posted by waveform

If it were me I would have all my students play right. Then when they got together on there own they could teach each other and work together easier.

I'm not sure why right-hand players think it's difficult for lefty learners. It's not at all difficult to mirror what other people are doing. It takes a little bit of orienting in the beginning to see chord stamps the right way, but that's not difficult either once you get it. Iow, in my experience teaching myself from youtube, internet, watching, playing left-handed while looking at right-handed players was no problem at all.

[barley]

As a lefty playing lefty I’ll offer my input.

I’m not an accomplished player although I’ve been playing off and on for many years. My experiences lead me to believe that the most difficult part of mastering the guitar lies in the hand doing the picking. Therefore this should be the dominant hand.

There are definite disadvantages, well stated in other replies, for those playing lefty guitars. However, the most important thing for a new player is to have the best chance at maintaining enthusiasm for the instrument and this is most likely to occur when making good progress.

[Jambi]

Originally Posted by SunnyDee

It's not at all difficult to mirror what other people are doing.

So true! The mirror image thing was actually considered a plus with the guys I was in bands with.

[SunnyDee]

Originally Posted by Jambi

So true! The mirror image thing was actually considered a plus with the guys I was in bands with.

There's a kiddy uke school that shows lefty kids how to mirror chord charts which I thought was just brilliant. I wish I'd thought of it myself when I was first trying to orient myself to righty chord stamps. Such an obvious elegant solution. I won't embed it because I think most won't care, but for some, it might be interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RexWiLjSdDI

[menhir]

Natural born lefty here who plays righty. It was training rather than inclination that made me function right handed. I recall my mom telling me that I was evaluated as left handed when I entered grade School (no kindergarten or preschool back then) but my right hand was adept enough that they chose to train me that way. There were classmates of mine who were taught left handed, so the decisions to train who as what weren't dogmatic.

Things I learned to do before school, using eating utensils for example, I continued to do left handed...until college. Bumping elbows with your friends at a crowded cafeteria table gets old real quick. I made the effort to covert.

I may still revert to my left hand when I don't think about it much. I've noticed, and never really paid attention before, that I shave with my left hand.

So my case may be a bit unusual because I wasn't strongly left handed. By now, I'm close to being ambidextrous.

My take regarding the guitar is that all too often novices, or families or friends of novices, just assume that a left handed person must play a left handed guitar and don't explore the other option first...or at all.

When asked for advice in this arena I say..."Don't assume."