Left Handed Guitar

Left Hand Guitar Playing

There are many great left handed guitarists; all it takes is some minor adjustments to your guitar and attitude in order to become a competent at left hand guitar playing. Firstly, never think that you should be right handed because of the way that most guitars are designed. You know if you are left handed and you can not change that.

Your right hand is the passive hand and your left hand is active. Paul McCartney is a famous left handed guitar player who tried playing with his right hand but failed. Other famous left handed guitar players include Kurt Cobain from Nirvana, Slim Whitman and of course, the great Jimi Hendrix. As you can see, being left handed is no handicap when it comes to guitar playing.

The “King Of The Surf Guitar” Dick Dale is one exception in that he learned to play on a regular right handed guitar so he made himself adjust to playing with his right hand as the active hand – he did not change the string order on the guitar as many others do. Once he was able to buy left handed guitars he still chose to play in the right hand position as he was used to that. Albert King and Bobby Womack are two other players who played in this style.

To make a right handed guitar into a left handed guitar, the strings need to be reversed so that the lowest string, the E string, needs to be on top as it is on a regular guitar. Also the nut and bridge – the parts that hold the strings on to the guitar – must also be adjusted for a left hander. There are slots on these parts so attach them to the strings, and they need to be turned upside down so that the strings are able to fit in the reverse order.

Many players have noticed that price difference between right and left handed players. You need to shop around to get a left handed guitar for a good price. There are now many more mid range models available for left handers. Gibson and Fender now make left handed guitars of all their top models.

Some books that will assist in your playing include Mel Bay Left-Handed Guitar Chords by William Bay and Guitar Case Guide to Left-Handed Chords by Rikky Rooksby.

Websites and forums can also assist in your left handed guitar playing as well as choosing a left handed guitar.

Left Handed Acoustic Guitar Playing

How to Use a Right Handed Guitar for Left Handed Acoustic Guitar Playing 

If you’re left handed and you want to learn to play the acoustic guitar you might be able to find a left handed guitar at your local music shop but chances are good that you’ll have to order one.  Ordering a special guitar for left handed acoustic guitar playing can be expensive and it might take a long time to get the guitar.  If you haven’t played the guitar before then you might be hesitant to spend the money and take the time to order an expensive guitar before you even know if you want to really pursue playing the guitar. But you can use a less expensive right handed guitar for left handed playing if you have the guitar restrung professionally or if you restring it yourself with the strings backwards. More »