Right vs. Left?

[DoubleD1]

I've been lurking on here for a while but haven't really posted.

Anyway --some background on the question:

I've been "learning" off and on for about two years (due to frustration). Most recently, about the last 21/2 months I have really been taking it seriously and putting time in practicing and taking lessons.

At this point I'm very frustrated, as I can play a lot of chords but I still can't play any songs becase my right hand struggles with the rhythm and my left hand often can't change chords fast enough. I practice AT LEAST 30 minutes each day often more but it just isn't clicking.(very frustrating at this point )

Well, the question is: I'm a natural leftly trying my darndest to learn right handed. At this point, I'm thinking I may have more luck learning leftly before I get to far along.

I know it will be difficult at first but may be better in the long run. What are your thoughts? Any input/advice is appreciated?

Thanks, Donnie

[Gilliangirl]

Welcome to the forum, DoubleD1!

I think you're wise to try and play the 'conventional' way first. I've got a book here called 10 Minute Guitar Workout by David Mead. He suggests that left-handed people should try to play right-handed when they're first learning because there are advantages to that. His theory is that there's no such a thing as a left-handed piano, so try to learn the conventional way first. When first learning, you face so many challenges, so orienteering yourself to playing the conventional way may as well be one of the challenges. He goes on to say that no one is exclusively left or right handed. Instead, your ability to use one or the other occurs more on a continuum. He concludes by saying if, months later, it just feels wrong, go ahead and learn on a left-handed guitar. But he feels it's better to persevere.

That being said, when I'm learning new material, I will often just mute the strings altogether with my left hand and concentrate solely on my right hand. Get the rhythm going in that hand, and practice just that until you've got it down. Then, practice just fretting the song with your left hand (no right hand). Then, once you've got that down, try and put them together, concentrating on just bits of the song at first. Sounds a bit involved and drawn out, but it works.

[Bern]

Considering that most, if not all, natural righties play right handed, I would suggest to seriously consider playing left handed in your case, being a natural lefty.

[ljguitar]

Hi DD1...
Welcome to the group and have a great time...

I am one of many in this group who are natural lefties who play conventionally. In fact, it was a great benefit to me when I started that I learned to play right handed. As a beginner I needed the dexterity in the left hand more than the right.

Since I also play keyboard and brass, I'd already built some dexterity into the right hand so fingerstyling came easy as well. My recommendation is to learn conventionally and not switch to left.

It's sure your decision, but having learned and now having played right handed for over 30 years, I'm glad to be conventional. I can play other folk's guitars, hang out at guitar stores and try out other instruments and allow others to play my instruments as well (which I love to do). Lefties really have a problem finding a high end guitar that is available to play before buying one, and I don't like ordering manufactured instruments without playing them first.

Keep us posted as to what you decide...

[bluesman67]

You know the perks of playing righty, so I'm not going to restate them. At a certain point, they don't matter.

With the amount of effort you've been putting in, you really should not be so frustrated at this point and you should be experiencing progress in your playing that pleases you. I think you gave it a more than fair shot. I play lefty, I always wish I learned righty so I know how you feel...but, it sounds like you gave it a go and you aren't getting anywhere. To say all lefties can play righty is WRONG (that was confusing). We are all individuals. If your not seeing progress, I think you are depriving yourself of enjoying a great instrument by forcing yourself to do something that isn't the way it is natural for you. The good news for you, is that you will always be able to pick up a righty guitar and play it a little, because you'll never lose what you already have learned. I think you will be surprised at how much more comfortable you will be, in a very short time, if you go to lefty.

[Kevin A]

DoubleD1

As other have stated here, it really pays off in the long run to play conventionally (i.e., right-handed). Plenty more guitars out there to play and share. I'm sure you'll have many folks here encourage you to 'hang in there' and keep on with what you're doing...

Having said that, I am a lefty who tried to play conventionally, and experienced much of the frustration you've encountered— in particular, no rhythm feel with the right hand. Eventually, I made the decision to play left-handed and went & bought a left-handed guitar. I was much happier as I was able to progress MUCH faster than I had playing in the 'conventional' manner.

Have I regretted that decision? At times...especially when faced with the vast majority of guitars I can't play. But for my own personal situation and ability, left-handed was the way to go.

[Gilliangirl]

Originally Posted by bluesman67

To say all lefties can play righty is WRONG (that was confusing).

Sorry, was MY post confusing? Don't want that! I'll try and explain it a bit better.

The science says that very few people are exclusively left OR right handed. Most can use one better than the other.

100%/0%________75%/25%________50%/50%________25%/75%_______0%/100%

Most people fall somewhere on a continuum. So, I might be 60% right-handed and 40% left-handed. Jane Doe might be 80% left-handed and 20% right-handed. You might be 35% right-handed and 65% left-handed, etc, and so on.

David Mead is saying that when you're first trying to learn guitar, you're better off trying to learn the conventional way because of the advantages to you later on down the road. If both hands are facing new skill-challenges, what difference does it make which is doing what? He doesn't say you should play right-handed regardless. He says you should give it your best shot because you may fall closer to the middle on the continuum. There are, however, people that may fall closer to the end of the continuum who, no matter how how they try, just are better-suited to playing a left-handed guitar.

Hope that makes more sense.....

[MattysPop]

Many of the posts here suggest playing right-handed because there are many more right-handed guitars from which to choose.

Back in the early seventies, I started to play golf and was faced with the same problem: lefty golf clubs were hard to come by. Nevertheless, the Wilson Sporting Company did make some premium clubs as well as some other companies. Nowadays almost all major companies make lefty clubs, mainly because there are lots of lefties out there.

The same thing is happening with guitars. Many companies are making lefty guitars, but the downside is that many smaller dealers don't carry a large selection for obvious reasons.

That being said there is a lot of information available about the quality, sound and aesthetics of the guitars made the various guitar companies and one could order one from a larger guitar store that has a return policy so one could find a guitar to suit their needs.

In my own case, I'm just learning to play and bought a Simon & Patrick and a Seagull based on just reading up on guitars that offer a good bang for the buck. These guitars are made by Godin that make good quality lefty guitars and are widely available.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's not necessarily worth a major effort to learn to play rightie, if there is a strong tendency to play left.

Cheers

Warren

[DoubleD1]

Thanks for all the repsonses so far. At this point, I really don't care about the whole availability of lefty guitars. I will do what it takes to get a good instrument in my hands and taylor, larravee, etc.. make leftly guitars.

I am more concerned with learning to play the instrument in a way that will be enjoyable to myself and my family. I'm just wondering if it would be better to try leftty at this point. I play some chords, etc. on some left handed guitars at GC today and let's just say it felt "different".

Keep the suggestions coming.

Thanks.

[Bern]

It seems they are two choices...
Learning quicker & playing more comfortably vs. considering the availability or choices of left handed guitars out there.
Make up your mind...

[mishmannah]

Aw...it's a tough one.

If you had never heard of lefty guitarists, you would not be blaming your current problems on guitar orientation, but looking more to increase your technique. I think this could possibly confusing the issue.

I have a good friend who took up guitar a few years ago. She writes with her left hand, and played guitar for three months rightie until she declared she wanted to try playing a guitar lefty because she did not feel the way she was playing was correct.

I lent her one of my guitars overnight, advising her that she was better off learning guitar right handed and she returned it to me the next day, deciding firmly that it was just bringing another complication into an already frustrating issue, and FIRMLY decided she was going to stay rightie.


It does take a while to build up fluidity, and speed in chord changes, and of course muscle memory to instantly recall chord shapes, so I would advise you stay as you are, and work at your technique.

If you find you are still frustrated after a good year's practice, THEN I recommend you try leftie.

(I think one of the only benefits of being leftie is that you don't knock each other out with the headstocks if you are looking at the same music sheet!!)

[Lefty Guy]

Go lefty! The lack of available guitars is something you get used to & I just do not understand how anyone can play right handed if naturally a lefty. My problem trying to play right handed was a complete inability to keep any sort of rhythm going with my right hand. The fretting hand seems easier to train IMHO, so I would advise using that dominant left hand for the strumming/picking.

[LOTF]

Because of my physical disability (residual of polio), I am so left-handed that I have to play conventionally. My right hand simply was never able to work well enough to finger the chords and runs on the fretboard but I was able to make it work for strumming and picking (and even, recently, some very limited fingerpicking).

I wish this were not true because if I could use my left hand to hit the strings, I would be a much better guitarist. C'est la vie; I suppose you just have to work with what you have....

On the plus side, my right hand works a lot better in general than it would have had I not learned to play guitar.

[wthurman]

Changing chords fast enough is an issue regardless of hand. In fact, your left hand will be better at that part than your right. Rhythm is also a possible struggle.

However, speaking for myself (and it's easy enough to say) were most instruments the other way, I'd learn the other way. I'd have to start over in many ways... my left hand would feel a bit overwhelmed. However, when I first started playing, my right felt overwhelmed, so there you go. There are left handed violins, violas, cellos... and they are virtually unused for very practical reasons... when bowing, they'd always be knocking each others' elbows in orchestras. And bowing technique is much harder to do well than strumming, regardless.

The other side is that guitars are very individual instruments. If you're only going to play alone, no big deal at all. If you're in a band or a group of people where you might trade around, it's a bit more problematic, but it's still about your choice. I've had at least once situation where a guitar went out and I had to borrow one on the spot. Had I been playing lefty, there would not have been one I could use.

It's a matter of personal choice and which struggles you want to deal with - there are struggles regardless.

[GRW3]

Perhaps you are like my wife, who is also left handed (or "in her right mind" as she says). When she learns from someone else by observation, all her actions are mirrpr images. This is OK for some things but it was a real handicap in martial arts where you just can't do the forms backwards. She says not everybody is so hard wired to mirror image. Since so much guitar education is face to face this could be a strong driver for you. Good deals on guitars are kind of moot point if you cannot enjoy them.