Should you learn to play Left Hand Guitar if you are left handed, or starting out does it make sense to try and learn right handed?
When I was a kid and was handed a guitar for the first time, I instinctively held it left handed. I write with my right hand, yet play pool left handed, so when I was younger I was probably a little ambidextrous. However, it was soon pointed out that I was holding the guitar "upside down", yet it didn't feel natural to hold it right handed. I learnt anyway, since the guitar I was given was right handed, the manuals on how to play were for right handed people. Ultimately I didn't feel that I had much choice.
And yet ... wait a minute. Some of the legends of the music industry play left handed, from Paul McCartney to Jimi Hendrix. So what are the choices for the left hand guitar play starting out?
You could just learn to play right handed, but (a) why should you? (b) Does it feel natural? There are plenty of people who do, who are naturally left handed, but just fight against their instincts and play right handed.
Another alternative is to learn to play the guitar upside down, i.e. a right handed guitar, but played left handed. This takes a lot of time and effort to master (Jimi Hendrix used this method), and you have to convert all the existing resources, such as manuals and chord books to be able to play upside down. In addition strumming is different.
Maybe you could just convert a right handed guitar to a left handed guitar? Well, this is not as easy as it seems, as it is a lot more than just re-stringing and reversing the strings. There is the nut, and the pick guard to think about. Where do you hook the strap now the attachment is at the bottom? Does the shape of the guitar body fit comfortably now it is reversed. Proper conversion is best done by a skilled guitar maker, and can prove to be expensive.
Get a left hand guitar? But don't they have to be custom made like Paul McCartney's was? Well, that was back then. Nowadays most guitar companies offer a range if left hand guitars, and they aren't much more expensive (if at all). Gibson, Fender, Takamine all make quality left hand guitar, covering acoustic, electric, semi-acoustic. Rock guitar shapes, classic acoustics, the full range. With the Internet and the likes of Amazon or eBay - or just a general search on left hand guitars, will give you a range of left hand guitars and resources and options for left hand guitars at affordable prices.
So my recommendation for the left hand guitar player, is go with what feels instinctive, and get yourself a left hand guitar.
When I was a kid and was handed a guitar for the first time, I instinctively held it left handed. I write with my right hand, yet play pool left handed, so when I was younger I was probably a little ambidextrous. However, it was soon pointed out that I was holding the guitar "upside down", yet it didn't feel natural to hold it right handed. I learnt anyway, since the guitar I was given was right handed, the manuals on how to play were for right handed people. Ultimately I didn't feel that I had much choice.
And yet ... wait a minute. Some of the legends of the music industry play left handed, from Paul McCartney to Jimi Hendrix. So what are the choices for the left hand guitar play starting out?
You could just learn to play right handed, but (a) why should you? (b) Does it feel natural? There are plenty of people who do, who are naturally left handed, but just fight against their instincts and play right handed.
Another alternative is to learn to play the guitar upside down, i.e. a right handed guitar, but played left handed. This takes a lot of time and effort to master (Jimi Hendrix used this method), and you have to convert all the existing resources, such as manuals and chord books to be able to play upside down. In addition strumming is different.
Maybe you could just convert a right handed guitar to a left handed guitar? Well, this is not as easy as it seems, as it is a lot more than just re-stringing and reversing the strings. There is the nut, and the pick guard to think about. Where do you hook the strap now the attachment is at the bottom? Does the shape of the guitar body fit comfortably now it is reversed. Proper conversion is best done by a skilled guitar maker, and can prove to be expensive.
Get a left hand guitar? But don't they have to be custom made like Paul McCartney's was? Well, that was back then. Nowadays most guitar companies offer a range if left hand guitars, and they aren't much more expensive (if at all). Gibson, Fender, Takamine all make quality left hand guitar, covering acoustic, electric, semi-acoustic. Rock guitar shapes, classic acoustics, the full range. With the Internet and the likes of Amazon or eBay - or just a general search on left hand guitars, will give you a range of left hand guitars and resources and options for left hand guitars at affordable prices.
So my recommendation for the left hand guitar player, is go with what feels instinctive, and get yourself a left hand guitar.
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