Left Handed Guitar

Left Handed Acoustic Guitar

Acoustic guitar is one of the basic guitar models and uses only acoustic methods to project the sounds produced by the strumming of the strings. Unlike, electric guitars they do not depend on electronic amplification to make their sound audible. Earlier, acoustic guitars were only made for the right hand players as it was the dominant right hand that would strum the strings and left hand would be on the fret. However, with the birth of left handed guitar players, left handed acoustic guitar came into existence.

Today left handed acoustic guitar will cost you the same as any other right handed acoustic guitar. However, earlier when left handed acoustic guitar was not very many popular, left handed players had no other option but to go for a custom made left handed acoustic guitar that they could play. Hence, it would be a little costlier for them as the arrangement of strings, bridge and nut were entirely different from that of right handed acoustic guitars. Today, you might also find many other left handed acoustic guitar accessories along with the guitar that would make players job easier and lets them handle the guitar as they prefer.

Some of the popular left handed acoustic guitar companies are Fender, Gibson, Simon and Patrick, Faith and Yamaha. With the popularity of left handed acoustic guitar through music channels like MTV, you might easily find a left handed acoustic guitar on the internet as well. Many websites that sell musical instruments also sell left handed acoustic guitar at reasonable prices which you can buy and start playing your favorite chords. To make it look trendy and stylish left handed acoustic guitar comes with a laminated and glossy finish. Many guitar makers also provide more choices of designs and styles to the players at no extra costs.

Is It Difficult To Play The Left Handed Guitar?

Most musical instruments can be played with both hands, but the guitar is another story.  Guitars usually are meant for the right handed person to play and a left handed person may not be able to play it very effectively.

Although guitars can be built for either a right handed person or a left handed person, it is the dominant hand that decides how well the guitar can be played.  As a left handed person, your dominant hand it your left hand.  The dominant hand will pluck or strum the strings of the guitar.  The right hand or secondary hand will hold the strings against the neck of the guitar, initiating the desired chords.  Most of the musical chords is generated by the dominant hand, or in this case the left hand. 

There are some in the musical industry who believe that a left handed person should hold a guitar the same way a right handed person does. 

Constructing a left handed guitar takes a bit of rearranging of the strings, the bridge and the nut.  The thickest string of the guitar needs to be reversed what it normally is for the right handed guitar.  The bridge and the nut have to be turned upside down to fit the strings which will have been constructed in the reverse order. Some people insist that a left handed guitar costs more than a right handed one. 

Chord charts are another challenge for the left handed person.  There are many chord charts primarily printed for the left handed person.

With minimal modification to a guitar, a left handed person can learn to play the guitar as well as someone who is right handed.  Many famous left handed players have adjusted quite well and have been able to produce multi million gold records.  Being a “lefty” should not prove to be a handicap if your desire is to learn to play the 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.