It’s strange that it took me this long to comment on this, since I get questions about this all the time. It seems obvious at first. If you’re right-handed you should play the guitar right-handed, right? Well, when you first start playing every little thing can seem so difficult that you begin to question your own common sense.
The problem is that playing guitar, to the beginner seems like a venture that will involve very heavy use of you fretting hand; requiring dexterity and strength. The right hand (or left if you are left-handed) seems like it has the easy job. And you begin to wonder, “Should I try switching hands?” It’s a normal part of the process that almost everyone goes through at some level.
What you don’t realize as a beginner is that your right hand (plucking hand) is the one that will be hardest to develop. Everything that you do as a new guitar player is going to feel awkward at first. You are asking your body to do things that it has never done before. You body needs time to adjust to what you are asking of it. But as time goes on, the things that you ask your fretting hand to do are going to become second nature. The dominant hand is needed for complicated picking, finger-style playing, etc. These things will be much harder for your non-dominant hand to pull off.
As a guitar instructor I’ve actually taught a left handed player who decided to play right handed, since his friends played right-handed, and the guitars were right-handed. He was self-taught for three years but reached a point where he just couldn’t progress anymore. He came to me to help him to get over those humps, but this required a massive reworking of his technique, that he wasn’t willing to undertake. He decided to make the best of his limitation rather than learn all over again. It limited him from playing styles that he really wanted to play. I felt bad as an instructor that I wasn’t able to help him, and I hope that he eventually found someone who did.
The lesson? Don’t fall for the trap of thinking that even though you are left-handed guitar would be easier for you if you were to learn to play right-handed. Since, guitar is going to be a challenge anyway, why not do what is right and not suffer a future limitation that you may not be able to overcome.
Now, I know that someone out there is going to say that they know someone, or they themselves, are outstanding guitar players and they play with their non-dominant hand. I’m sure that there is someone for whom this is true. But they are great players in spite of their poor initial choice. They would likely have progress quicker and farther if they made a more orthodox choice. Or perhaps they are so uniquely talented that they would have been a great guitar player even if they played with their feet! Fine, but for the rest of us there is an easier way. Choose the easier way and spend more time playing music and less time fighting with your body.
Filed under: Guitar, Music Technique and Education
I’m the one that will say that being left handed has had a neutral effect on my guitar playing. The fact that I play air guitar left handed should be an indicator that the left hand orientation seems to me to be more comfortable. As for style, I think that both hands work independently while in sync. Kinda like patting your head and rubbing your tummy. Everything takes practice, and with enough perseverance, I think that anyone can learn to do anything with either hand. That being said, I do know a guy that has NO arms, and plays guitar with his feet…right handed…or is that footed?
I think hand dominance is left up to chance. Growing up in a family of 4 I was the only southpaw. My wife is also left handed. Her father was left handed, but back in the 40’s left handed people were considered demon spawn, and he was forced to change over to right handed. None of our 3 kids are left handed. I don’t know for sure, but it may be some kind of neuro-wiring that makes a person favor one hand over the other. I think that left handed people have an advantage over right handed people, in that they can do more with both hands, while right handed people tend to be right handed exclusively.
History states that one day I picked up a pencil in my left hand, and that was it. But I throw right handed, bat as a switch hitter, can kick a soccer ball or football with both feet, sight with my right eye, but put my left ear to a door to eavesdrop… oh yeah, I play guitar right handed.
All my family are left handed, apart from me. I think my brother who plays guitar plays it right handed (I think)….
I want to learn, but will try and play it the right handed way I think. One of the Beatles played guitar left handed didn`t he?
I`m still practising the flute. My sister bought me a lovely up to date music book for the flute for Christmas. I must get pracising again.
This does seem self evident but I can see the logic in this. Since I am right handed in everything else I went right handed with the guitar without questioning the logic of it. I do see the wisdom in this as development of my plucking hand to this day is still more of a challenge than the fret hand.
Hey! It’s been a while! How are yah? I started out lefty, then was switched to right. I play bass with my right, throw with my right, but use the computer mouse with my left, and play the congas left-handed. I’m a mess:)
I think your right that with enough practice and preserverance you can pretty much learn anything with any hand.
For the congas, I learned it left handed on purpose. I found the rocking hand motion in conga technique to be very similar to slap bass technique. So I learned it left handed to try to kill two birds with one stone.
Anyway….happy new year!
I play guitar right-handed, fire pistols right-handed, write left-handed, fire rifles left-handed, and throw right-handed. I’m not really sure which way to learn the guitar, but I’ve done it right-handed so far.
I may be wrong, but it seems to me that placing fingers on indivudual frets is more difficult than plucking the strings, even while finger picking. Playing right-handed leaves me hitting the frets with my left hand, so I’ve always gone with that.
I am new in playing guitar and I thought that perhaps I could get a better start playing a lefty though I am right handed…simplistic reasons is that holding that would be a mirror image of visual guitar teaching books and that would kickstart my playing. Haven’t tried yet though but was tempted because someone is offering me a left Gibson ES 335 at a great price. any one done that before?
An ES335, unless I’m have my model numbers confused, should be able to be played left or right handed. The only difference is how the nut is carved at the top of the neck. The controls will be on the opposite side but you can play it either way in a pinch. It is my belief that playing left handed, simply because it will provide a mirror image, is silly. The brain will adjust to looking at the images very quickly. Investing in such an expensive instrument just because its available and not buying a right handed guitar seems to me to be a mistake. No matter how good a deal it is, that is still an expensive instrument to invest in. If you find out later that playing left handed is causing you difficulties then you will be out a lot of cash!
Like I’ve said, the reason behind switching hands seems logical; the right hand fingers seem like they would have greater dexterity for a seemingly more demanding task. But, what you don’t realize as a begginer is that the left hand portion will become much easier than the right hand as time goes on. It doesn’t seem like its so, with 22 frets and six strings, versus just having six strings under the picking hand. But, with more advanced playing the right hand parts are more demanding. The right hand requires more control, sensitivity, etc.
Of course, you can learn to play left handed. And many people do so without difficulty. But, if you invest two years in playing and then realize that you’ve come to a plateau that can’t be crossed playing left handed, you will find it hard to start the whole process over again. The number of people who can play with thier opposite hand are far fewer than those who are heading down a dead end path.
I’d just like to say that i agree very much with this article. I’m a lefthander who started out thinking playing right-handed wouldn’t be that bad.
I found out after a while that the picking was just getting way too frustrating, and switching the guitar over immediately made it feel way more comfortable, even though I had spent a couple of months practicing the other way around!
So in the end, I switched over to playing left-handed and I’ve since then never regretted it (except when I try to get new guitars!)
This article definetly makes sense.i am a southpaw but my instructor wanted me to play right handed (so that i could play on anybodys guitar)..i tried for many months but without much progress i finally lost confidence and interest..but i think i am going to give it another go..a left handed one this time
Please listen to who is at the top. I play great guitar right handed but i am a south-paw. It was a huge mistake that I did this. I was self taught for five years. I am very good but you reach a point where you realize your limitations. Its like throwing a football. You can get real good using your other hand if you practice a lot. But you will never get as good as using your dominate hand (or learn as fast). TRUST ME if I could go back in time I would buy a left handed guitar and go that direction. Once you realize that the true music comes from your picking hand the extra coordination will be the much wiser choice. DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE I DID.
I thank everyone for all of the comments. It great to see that this is still getting readers a year after I posted it.
I do understand the thoughts of those who disagree with my assertion. I am right handed and do everything right handed…..except play billiards and drums! I drum like a lefty and shoot pool like a lefty….always have.
My assertion is the same as Steves. You can learn to play with your other hand….but why. It will take longer to learn, and I firmly believe that you will reach a ceiling earlier than if you use your dominant hand for picking instead of fretting.
Being a lefty has always been about compromise with the rest of the world. for the most part, the default hand is the Right” letfys improvise, overcome and or adapt to the fact that the world is right handed….
back in my day, lefty guitars were more scares than they are now…my parents came from the generation that believed that if your child was left handed, they were demon spawn…and if they were guitar players…that was even worse.
C.D., it’s been awhile…time for some football analysis
Thank you for this article. It confirmed what I suspected. I’ve only been playing guitar for about a year. I started out leftie as I am a leftie and that’s what made the most sense to me.
I’m taking lessons now with a new instruction who suggested I should switch to playing right-handed and I started to doubt myself. But trying it a few times, I could tell my right hand has no rhythm whatsoever.
Plus, no instructor ever asks their right-handed students to learn to play a leftie guitar. So, if it makes no sense for righties to go against their nature, why would it make sense for lefties?
A lot of people that are considered “leftie” are actually ambidextrous who happen to write with their left hand. Those are the “lefties” arguing that they’ve done better playing right-handed. True lefties would be better served to go with their nature and learn to play left-handed.
I picked up guitar (right handed) about 4 years ago but somewhat fell out of practice. I am right handed but the pinky on my left hand is about a centimeter shorter (and my hands are small as it is) making it is really hard to use as a fret hand. Like, if I put all my fingers on the same string especially the low ones, I cannot reach it with my pinky unless I really twist my wrist. I don’t know what to do about it, but I am trying lefty guitar now. I don’t know if this is the best thing for me. I have learned some basic chords with my right hand being the fret hand and my pinky’s reach is much better, but I have a lot of trouble strumming lefty now(fingerpicking not so much). I don’t know but I feel like the physical limitation of my left hand will affect me worse in the long run but it’s possible that I won’t get good lefty either. So I don’t know if I should just keep practicing lefty guitar or switch back to righty and try to deal with it. But I keep getting the urge to play righty again hah because it is just more natural to me.
I’m stumped on this myself. I’ll state that I write left handed, yet before a shoulder injury played sports right handed. fought right handed. Playing air guitar it almost seems like my right hand would actually grow more accustomed to the fretboard than my left. But for a very long time i’ve only played right handed guitars. I’ve been out of practice and am trying to focus on making sure i practice every day now and hope that being a left handed writer won’t thwart me when i do start getting better again.
Even though this topic’s last comment was 7 months ago, this really helped me out.
I’m a lefty but couldn’t make the decision: Left-handed guitar or right-handed guitar..
Today is my big day: I’ll buy my first electric guitar after 6 monts of acoustic playing.
But before I left my house to buy my guitar, I visited this forum and ‘m finally sure about what to do: left-handed guitar for me =D
I’m glad to have helped. My mission is done!
Grand and Lala are 100% correct. If you are a left hander and feel you should play left handed. Play left hand guitar. Don’t let anyone tell you differently about there being better guitars for righties and you can play anyone’s guitar bla bla bla. You play a guitar to have fun and be the best musician you can be. To go with the natural flow of your rhythm. If you are dedicated to be good then you will make the much wiser choice to go with what feels right. Also if you ever want to have some fun….tell a right handed player to play your guitar…Hell look at you like your crazy