When playing guitar, just 10% of players are left-handed. Guitar, like every other thing in the world, is often dominated by right-handed persons. But that doesn't mean you can't learn to play guitar left-handed. Remember how that didn't stop famous left-handed guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney from honing their craft and setting the standard for future performers.
Sure, it can be difficult to locate left-handed guitar lessons that address the specific issues that southpaws confront when starting up their instrument. However, in this post, I'll go over some of the main concerns for left-handed players when choosing their first guitar.
What is the distinction between left and right-handed guitars?
Because the left and right hands play extremely different roles when playing guitar, the type of instrument you choose is important. Your hands are the fretting hand and the strumming hand (also known as the plucking hand) in guitar playing. The picking hand is usually your dominant hand (left hand for left-handed people).
The fretting hand is used to travel the guitar fretboard, such as fingering chords and individual notes or performing slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs. Meanwhile, the picking hand picks and strums the strings, either with a guitar pick or your fingertips. Fingerpicking and palm muting are also tasks of the picking hand.
A left-handed guitarist has three alternatives when it comes to playing style. When you first begin learning the guitar, you should make this selection. This is because it might be difficult to transition to a new style of play and change your playing style once you've become accustomed to one.
Lefties have three options: play a right-handed guitar like right-handed players, use a right-handed guitar and flip it the other way, or get a lefthanded electric guitar. So, which one should you go with?
Learning to play the standard right-handed guitar
One method of left-handed guitar playing is to play like other right-handed guitarists. This entails fretting with your left hand and picking with your right hand. In this instance, unlike right-handed musicians, your dominant hand (your left hand) will not be used for strumming and picking. However, this is a viable alternative, especially with so many various types of right-handed guitars available.
Playing a right-handed guitar backwards
You may have heard of folks playing left-handed guitar by simply flipping the guitar upside down so that the headstock of a standard right-handed guitar points to the right. This is one approach, but there are a few factors to consider.
To begin with, utilising right-handed guitars like way might be difficult with most types of guitars. Guitars are often asymmetrical, which means that holding the instrument in the "wrong" way may be impossible. Furthermore, learning to play will be more challenging because most learning resources and instructions are not built for this style of play. Nonetheless, this method is an alternative to purchasing a left-handed instrument.
Playing a guitar made for left-handed people
Of course, there is also the option of purchasing a lefthanded electric guitar which is statistically your best chance to become good at playing in the shortest amount of time. This necessitates the purchase of an instrument designed expressly for left-handed performers. These can be more difficult to find as well as slightly more expensive. Fortunately, an excellent left-handed electric guitar (or an acoustic) may be found online or at your local music store.
Right-handed vs. left-handed guitars: Which one is better suited for you?
A little more than 10% of the world's population is left-handed. As a result, there is less demand for left-handed guitars. Producing a left-handed guitar is also more labour for the manufacturer. As a result, left-handed guitars are typically more expensive than right-handed versions. Aside from the extra price, finding left-handed gear or learning material may be more challenging. However, if you want to make the investment and find a guitar for lefties, a left-hand model is the best choice for you if you want to succeed in the music field with a dominant left hand!
What is the proper way to handle a left-handed guitar?
A left-handed model is essentially a mirror version of its right-handed sibling; you just strumming or picking the strings with your right hand on the fretboard and your left hand on the fretboard.
When purchasing a left-handed guitar, simply ensure that the strings are oriented correctly. How do you put this to the test? Here are a few indicators as to whether the instrument is left- or right-handed:
Hold the left handed electric guitar as if you were a lefty (headstock to the right) and check to see if the thickest E string is closest to you. Examine the position of the fretboard markings. These are the little dots on the side of the guitar neck that aid in playing and locating specific frets on the fretboard. When holding the guitar, the dots should face you, as if you were playing a left-handed model.
If the guitar has a strap, look for the strap button. Most guitars have a strap button at the bottom of the body as well as on top at where the neck protrudes from the body. When holding the instrument in a left-handed position, the other strap button will be on top.
