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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 1:13 pm
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I am naturally left-handed but I play the "normal way", that is, right-handed. I play this way because when I was 9 and we were looking at a guitar for me to take lessons on, the store manager said to just play right-handed, for these reasons:

1. More options.

2. Cheaper options.

3. Your brain doesn't know the difference, because this is totally new to it.

4. Your hands are able to play either way, and because of the aforementioned
reasons, right-handed is a better choice.

I believe him, and +1 to you, Nevin. 8)

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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 2:31 pm
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Once you get beyond strumming simple chords, the picking hand begins to do an awful lot of work. I would argue that for many styles (bluegrass, for example), the picking hand is often performing significantly more complex actions than the fretting hand.

If you're left-handed and have no trouble playing right-handed, by all means keep playing a right-handed guitar. You'll have a better selection of instruments to choose from, and probably spend less money on them in the long run.

I'm just saying that, there is, in fact, a portion of the left-handed population that has tried playing guitar right handed and it simply doesn't work all that well for them (I count myself among this crowd). Given that fact, I would never discourage a novice player from learning to play left-handed if it truly seems to feel more comfortable for them.


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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 9:37 pm
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I have a friend who is right handed, but he plays left handed--I wonder what he would think about all of this?

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Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 10:20 am
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My wife is right-handed, but plays bass lefty. When she first picked it up, a right-handed instrument just wasn't comfortable to her. So, she switched to lefty and away she went. She's been playing about 6 years now and won't even think about switching to a right-handed instrument. There's no reason why she should.


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Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 10:55 am
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sfmelo1980 wrote:
eccentric0 wrote:
nobody should make stupid posts about crap like this that no one can help. Its like saying why should people have blue eyes.


I think it led to an interesting conversation. Being mainly a guitar forum, I thought it was interesting to hear peoples thoughts and experiences.

If you don't like the thread that's fine, but there is not need to say it is a stupid post.


exactly, that's why I expressed mine!


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Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:13 pm
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OR, you could become a Switch Hitter :lol:

But physiologically speaking the right side of the brain coordinates actions on the left side of the body, and vice-versa for the left side of the brain. I believe this is actually flipped around for people who are left-handed. This isn't to say though that left handed people can't also fret with their left hand and strum with their right hands - there are people who still find this comfortable.
I guess what I'm getting at is to just play the side that comes naturally to you. There shouldn't be any reason to fight it :wink:


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Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2010 3:15 pm
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Fender Vox wrote:
My wife is right-handed, but plays bass lefty. When she first picked it up, a right-handed instrument just wasn't comfortable to her. So, she switched to lefty and away she went. She's been playing about 6 years now and won't even think about switching to a right-handed instrument. There's no reason why she should.


Cool, nice to know my friend isn't the only one who plays, "backwards" from right to left.

I have no problem with it--except it makes it awkward for me to play his guitars

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Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2010 6:43 pm
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In 1964 when A friend of my parents tried to teach me guitar, it didn't feel natural so he told my parents not waste their money on a guitar because I didn't have the talent!

Feb Ed Sullivan show, Beatles, & I have had a great career in playing & working in the music business (over 40yrs) & just retired :lol:

not bad for no talent!

P.S. I still play though! :D

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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 10:14 pm
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I am a southpaw ( Lefty ) and play regular right hand Fenders prettty much normal like anyone who plays right hand guitars does but I am ambidextrous so it really never phased me ....
But I could play backwards and lefty fretting with my right hand upside down lol
so 20 years back I bought a left handed Stratocaster in Ny and played it rightie lol just to bug people out .

My friend Darryl is a southpaw ( lefty ) like me played my strats flipped upside down we had fun 2 south paws

Purposely we played our guitars in opposite directions because it is fun .


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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 4:30 am
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I'm left handed and like most lefties have spent a lifetime overcoming life's little day to day obstacles like buttons, writing left to right (no place to rest your hand on the notepaper), etc. without complaint. I think most of us are proud to be a little bit unique in this world.

That being said, I prefer to play lefty, it's just more comfortable and I could care less what anybody else thinks. I can still remember walking into the local music store when I was 12 for my first guitar lesson and the look of disgust I got from the "instuctor" when he saw I was a lefty.

Rant over.

Brian


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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 4:47 am
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old lefty wrote:
I'm left handed and like most lefties have spent a lifetime overcoming life's little day to day obstacles like buttons, writing left to right (no place to rest your hand on the notepaper), etc. without complaint. I think most of us are proud to be a little bit unique in this world.

That being said, I prefer to play lefty, it's just more comfortable and I could care less what anybody else thinks. I can still remember walking into the local music store when I was 12 for my first guitar lesson and the look of disgust I got from the "instuctor" when he saw I was a lefty.

Rant over.

Brian



My thoughts exactly! :D


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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 5:05 am
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The only way you SHOULD play is whatever way feels right to you, not the way someone else thinks you should.

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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 5:22 am
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I guess I can understand a righty questioning why play left because it means focusing on the dominant hand but I don't think that's always the case.
Just speaking for myself, it's a right handed world and left handed people are regularly forced to do things that come easier for righties. Not complaining at all, majority rules and I support that. Please don't start making lefty parking spaces or anything like that. We can overcome.
My point is that we are kind of forced to be better at using both sides regularly where righties generally are not. As a result, it's possible that my overall combined left and right hand coordination may be better than a righty. So choice to play lefty is based on how the guitar feels to me, from just holding it to strumming to fretting. Just feels so wrong the other way.

My god, there a point in there somewhere.....

Brian


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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 5:43 pm
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schnepf13 wrote:
63supro wrote:
The Nun's couldn't beat the left handiness out of me and couldn't scare it out of me by calling it "the devils hand" either LOL. Lefties pay more for their guitars and there is usually less of a selection unless they flip them over and set the guitar up to play correctly. So what's the problem?


Exactly! I have no problem paying more for left-handed guitars. I understand that there is less of a demand so I'm willing to pay a premium to get the exact product that I want (and honestly, the lack of selection is probaby a blessing in disguise, since I'm less likely to blow a ton of money in a GAS attack).

What does kind of bother me is when people say that no one should play left-handed guitars, or that I'm somehow incorrect in playing left-handed. What does it matter? I don't tell anyone else how to play. I can honestly say that if there were no lefty guitars, I probably would've given up the instrument in frustration a long time ago (or have been forced keep buying righty guitars and flipping them upside-down).


Agreed!!!! What's so wrong with playing lefty??? I do everything left handed. And why do you care??????


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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 5:57 pm
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I was at a family reunion/wedding this weekend past and my lefty uncle who plays a lefty strung for left was passed a right hand guitar and just flipped it over and played lefty just inverting the chords-it looked quite impressive.

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