Left Handed Guitar

Guitars Left Handed

Guitars are undoubtedly the most popular and widely used musical instrument in the world. Today we cannot imagine music without guitars and even if you go to any wedding party or ceremonial function or in a rock concert, you will see that guitar plays a vital role among the other musical instruments. When we speak of guitars we normally talk about the regular right handed guitars that is being used by millions of guitar players across the world. However, with the rise of left handed guitar players many guitars that are left handed were being made.

Guitars for left handed players are different from the regular right handed guitars as the construction and the placement of strings is totally mirrored and opposite and it would really frustrated the normal guitarist if they go ahead and play guitars for left handed. Guitars for left handed players were initially not available in the music stores and it was really a pain to search for one if the players had to find one. So the best thing they could do was to go for custom made left handed guitars that they can play with the help of their dominant left hand.

Today, guitar companies like Fender and Gibson have launched left handed guitars for those who have passion for music and guitars but are left handed. Gradually, these guitar companies saw that the trend for left handed guitars was increasing as many other left handed players decided to go for guitars that are made for left handed rather than forcing one’s mind to play the regular right handed guitar. Though some of the songs had very complex chord notes, today you will find many popular artists across the globe that play left handed guitars every time they are on the stage.

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.