I’m a left handed but i play guitar as a right handed, should i learn to play as a left handed?
I have been playing guitar for over a year, and I’m actually a left handed but encouraged to play as a right handed, now many people tells me that those who are left handed and play guitar as right handed are not going to master guitar perfectly, luckily i dont have any problems with my hands playing as a right handed so far….so what do you all think?..and there is something else, if i learn guitar all over again as a lefty, i dont wanna be quitting the right hand playing so what should i do about my nails then?…and is it possible if i learn to play both right handed and left handed?..please dont forget bout my nails in this situation, now what should i do about this huge problem i’m having??
October 4th, 2010 at 11:08 am
i think u should stay the right if u quit right and start left then ull have to learn it all over and im also lefty who plays right and i wouldnt say im the best but im pretty good and i didnt have any problems
October 4th, 2010 at 11:20 am
I appreciate your nail problem but I personally would not walk around with uneven nails. Play the guitar naturally, if you are a lefty and are happy with that then OK. If you want to try another way they do make left handed guitars and you could play with both hands. Any of these options are open to you and it depends on how you feel with your own guitar playing.
October 4th, 2010 at 11:42 am
Well I play guitar and I started my son who
is left handed playing guitar “right handed”
To me it does not make sense to have
a right and left handed guitars. Is there a
right and left handed piano? Of course not.
Why? because to be proficient at the piano
you need to use both hands.The more you
play guitar the more you realize the importance of both hands.
I would stick to playing how you are now.
Good luck
October 4th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Playing left handed is way cool. Keep your nails long enough for plucking.
October 4th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
This is one of the most common questions here and in guitar classes. In your case, stick to what you’ve started. There’s no advantage either way. Back in the days when left-handed guitars were rare, lefties were told to play right-handed. Now it doesn’t matter b/c left-handed guitars are common. It’s up to the individual – usually one way “feels” more natural – just like writing. Go with what feels best.
I wouldn’t try both – you’re building pathways in the brain that would have to be doubled.
October 4th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Ritchie Blackmore is a left Dominant person who plays guitar right handed. Personally, I think that right handed people should turn their guitars around the other way and attempt to play the fingerboard with their right hands. That’s where most of the real coordination is required and I think personally, that you are at an advantage over anyone who does not chord / push down the strings with thier dominant hand. I have not gone so far as to attempt this myself, but I am seriously considering it. I am in the middle of an experiment with a five stringed guitar right now so it will probably be a few months.
If you are having any difficulty, I would recommend that you attempt the change, but if you are comfortable with the way your instrument is set up now, don’t fix what isn’t broken, and consider the theory that you may actually be putting yourself at a serious advantage over someone who does not use their dominant hand for such meticulous work!
The only other thing to consider is if you play fingerstyle. You may find a slight advantage playing tremolo patterns with your dominant hand, but again, it is a repetitive motion and as long as you have no deficiencies in your right hand, you should be able to master even that motion with little difficulty (at least no more than everyone else who attempts it)
October 4th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
I think you should stick with playing the right-handed guitar. You can master the guitar no matter what your dominant hand is. I’m left handed, too, and I play the violin (which is just as hard to play as a lefty as guitar is). My violin teacher is left handed, too, and she’s mastered the violin. My guess is that the same applies to the guitar.
October 4th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Stay exactly as you are. My husband is left handed but plays right handed just like you. Believe me you can master the guitar extremely well this way. My husband has been playing for many years and has mastered acoustic. semi-acoustic and electric guitars very well. Anyone that hears him play always comments on how good he is. You have the ability to produce a unique sound in an eye catching way. My husband strums and plays chords upside down. The only draw back is trying to teach a right hander as it gets very confusing for them.