Should a lefty start out on a left handed guitar?

[Seagull S6]

Originally Posted by jimmy bookout

+1

These "lefty" threads seem to end up with some silly scenario that, if it even happened, would probably not happen the way the scenario has been laid out.
And when did a Cmaj7 become a complicated chord?

Pleas expand on your thought. Apparently we haven't reached that point yet.............

Added: Oh I got ya. The post I commented on........

[Otterhound]

I'll take a different tact .
If you have a left handed student that plays or wants to play left handed and you feel uncomfortable or unable to teach them that way , please forward them to someone that can and will .
It really is that simple .
No anger or malice . Just plain common courtesy .
How can this possibly be wrong ?
Making music is supposed to be something enjoyable , not forced regimentation and dogma .

[SunnyDee]

Originally Posted by Otterhound

I'll take a different tact .
If you have a left handed student that plays or wants to play left handed and you feel uncomfortable or unable to teach them that way , please forward them to someone that can and will .
It really is that simple .
No anger or malice . Just plain common courtesy .
How can this possibly be wrong ?
Making music is supposed to be something enjoyable , not forced regimentation and dogma .

+1 This is going to be my standard post on this topic from now on. Brilliant.

[jimmy bookout]

Originally Posted by Seagull S6

Pleas expand on your thought. Apparently we haven't reached that point yet.............

Added: Oh I got ya. The post I commented on........

Yes, sorry. I was agreeing with your comments on the "what if lefty/righty students...."

[s2y]

Originally Posted by Otterhound

I'll take a different tact .
If you have a left handed student that plays or wants to play left handed and you feel uncomfortable or unable to teach them that way , please forward them to someone that can and will .
It really is that simple .
No anger or malice . Just plain common courtesy .
How can this possibly be wrong ?
Making music is supposed to be something enjoyable , not forced regimentation and dogma .

It's going to feel awkward and uncomfortable either way.

[SunnyDee]

Originally Posted by s2y

It's going to feel awkward and uncomfortable either way.

In regard to this, I feel that people sometimes get too hung up on the initial stage of chord formation in standard tuning. Yes, that's always awkward for everyone, but it's a temporary problem. How about this? Take that out of the equation completely. Give a beginner, especially kids, a choice of choosing orientation with a nice Open G tuning and play something simple they can strum, pick, whatever, along to. Which feels more comfortable and musical? Personally, I think ALL beginners should start with open tuning for at least 2-3 tries. They can play I, IV, V in one lesson with nylon strings. Before I knew a single chord, I picked up a guitar left-handed and in Open G. It took only moments to fall in love. After a couple of weeks, I was so committed, I wanted to learn standard tuning.

I know I said I had a standard post from now on, but, hey, it's too late now, right?

[Seagull S6]

Originally Posted by Otterhound

I'll take a different tact .
If you have a left handed student that plays or wants to play left handed and you feel uncomfortable or unable to teach them that way , please forward them to someone that can and will .
It really is that simple .
No anger or malice . Just plain common courtesy .
How can this possibly be wrong ?
Making music is supposed to be something enjoyable , not forced regimentation and dogma .

Well put. I can't imagine why someone wood be uncomfortable teaching with a process that is so intuitive and easy for the other handed person to pick up on. If I was a guitar teacher, which I'm not, I would prefer to teach other handed people. Instead of the usual put your lndex finger here etc, you would show them your fretted chord figure and just say "do this". They might say oh wow! It's as easy as combing your hair!

But I guess there are people that have issues with being able to comb their hair in a mirror, like say this guy: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...stein_Head.jpg

[Otterhound]

Originally Posted by Seagull S6

Well put. I can't imagine why someone wood be uncomfortable teaching with a process that is so intuitive and easy for the other handed person to pick up on. If I was a guitar teacher, which I'm not, I would prefer to teach other handed people. Instead of the usual put your lndex finger here etc, you would show them your fretted chord figure and just say do this. They might say oh wow! It's as easy as combing your hair!

But I guess there are people that have issues with being able to comb their hair in a mirror, like say this guy: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...stein_Head.jpg

People tend to resist things they don't understand . They also tend not to understand that which is not like them .
There is a myriad of reasons why there is resistance to left handers . For the most part , they are rooted in ignorance or blind obedience .
These are 2 very difficult obstacles to break down and it is likely to continue that way because people resist change .
There are many places in the world today where there are no left handed people . There still remains a percentage of people born to left handedness but it is/has been beaten out of them . Literally beaten .
To think that this type of open and permissible prejudice exists here today is testimony to how little we as a race have progressed over the ages .
Even wild animals don't show this type of distinction based of sidedness . A pretty sad commentary if you cared to ask me .

[Pitar]

Originally Posted by Bone28

About a quarter of my beginner guitar students are left handed! Should I encourage them to play left handed (with a left handed guitar)? Many of them already have a right handed guitar.

I thought I would consult the wisdom of the forum, especially left handed folks.

As I recall a guitar in my hands for the first time, it was not a wholly unworldly experience as a righty with a righty guitar. My playing partner, however, was completely behind the learning curve as a lefty playing a righty guitar. He could not get his right hand dexterity working for a very long time. Holding a pick and using it were two very distinct steps. Frustrated with that, he tried finger picking instead and found he could not get his 2nd thru 4th fingers to cooperate. His ambition won the day, though, and he eventually got the pick working. Then, he got some basic finger picking going but only used his 1st and third fingers. His middle finger was dead. He looked like he was giving the dreaded gesture when he played. I have tried to hold and play a left handed guitar. No way.

[lweb10]

Very left handed, play right handed (the only thing I do right handed.) As a child, the two biggest disconnects for me were scissors and tying my shoes. Somehow I could never please whoever was trying to teach me to tie my shoes when I’d do it mirror image of what they just did. I finally figured out that it made no difference. When I starting playing I figured I’d be just as clumsy either way so I learned right handed. It doesn’t seem to hinder me, although I sometimes wonder if it has some effect on keeping an even beat. On the other hand, my atrial fib might be doing that. Wouldn’t switch now after 50 years and, I must say, watching a left handed player makes me a bit disoriented. I usually listen carefully and look at something else. I haven’t given a guitar lesson in 40 years so I’m glad I haven’t had to deal with it as a teacher.

[Seagull S6]

Pitar, I think you understand perfectly. Guitar is one of those skills that once mastered will serve you for a life time.

It's never to late to learn. I tried to learn R/H for almost 20 years before I went and bought a proper L/H guitar. Once your playing partner develops left handed muscle strength/callouses and muscle memory, stuff that was learned R/H will be able to be played L/H except that his playing will sound a lot better and more natural.

The downside for you is that your he might even become a better player than you.

[Blueser100]

Originally Posted by Bone28

About a quarter of my beginner guitar students are left handed! Should I encourage them to play left handed (with a left handed guitar)? Many of them already have a right handed guitar.



I thought I would consult the wisdom of the forum, especially left handed folks.

I am a lefty. Learned to play righty as a kid.

[Guitars+gems]

Here is Paul McCartney teaching a little guitar. Mirror imaging works well. Makes me wonder how I ever learned anything from watching a right handed player, being right handed myself!

[theegg]

I am strongly left handed but play righty. You definitely play differently as your left fretting hand is so much stronger. I like playing righty as I can play other peoples guitars rather than only lefty.

[Steadfastly]

Should a righty start out on a right handed guitar?