Thinking of Taking up Guitar - Any tips ?

[delb0y]

Yes, if it's a left handers you should turn it round the other way and have the neck in your right hand.

 

[icowden]

so in a left handed guitar - the left hand does the the strumming ? - I would have though your dominant hand would do the finger movements on the neck - but Im guessing not !!

Nope. This is why a lot of left handers prefer a right handed guitar...

On a normal guitar, the left hand does the fret work and the right hand does the plucking / strumming

 

[DRM]

Nope. This is why a lot of left handers prefer a right handed guitar...

On a normal guitar, the left hand does the fret work and the right hand does the plucking / strumming

That’s me too, I’m left handed, but it just feels right using my left hand to fret with, and right hand for strumming/picking, so I have a right handed guitar

 

[Grant Fondo]

I've learnt something today! Always thought lefties (apart from Jimi) had right hand on the fretboard

 

[delb0y]

Depends on the style you ultimately gravitate to, but my right hand ( my plucking hand) does a lot more work than my left hand.

 

[kingrollo]

I've learnt something today! Always thought lefties (apart from Jimi) had right hand on the fretboard

They do don't they ?

 

[delb0y]

I think the majority of players, whether left handed or right handed learn to play with the left hand on the fret board and the right hand picking. For some this means the "strongest" hand is the picking hand, for others it means the strongest hand is on the fretboard.

That said, some southpaws, like Jimi, do go the other way and play with the right hand on the fretboard. Back in the 60s, before the advent of purpose build left-handed guitars, Jimi simply turned a guitar upside down, reversed the strings, and was away.

There are some lefties who turned the guitar upside down, but never reversed the strings - so they learned to play with different shapes and fingerings to the rest if us. Look up a video of Elizabeth Cotton as an example.

In the 70s purpose built left handed guitars became more widely available and so it was easier for left handed players to get a guitar set up for them ( because it isn't quite as easy as just reversing the strings - ideally you should also reverse the nut and the pickups so the thicker strings still sit right and the pick up volumes remain balanced).

There was even then the optíon for a right handed player to buy a lefties guitar, turn it upside down, restring it, and play it as normal (i.e. left hand on fretboard), just to look like Jimi...

I also suspect there are many right handed folks who want to play with their dominant hand on the fret board, rather than picking, and so they use a left handed guitar and play with their right hand on the fretboard.

Then there's the amazing Jeff Healey who plays a regular guitar flat on his lap.

I guess you do whatever feels most natural, in the end.

But I will reiterate something I said earlier, in my experience - and it's a bit counter-intuitive - but the picking hand is the more active, busier, needs to be stronger and faster hand. Most weaknesses in folks' playing will turn out to be at the picking hand.

Derek

 

[kingrollo]

I think the majority of players, whether left handed or right handed learn to play with the left hand on the fret board and the right hand picking. For some this means the "strongest" hand is the picking hand, for others it means the strongest hand is on the fretboard.

That said, some southpaws, like Jimi, do go the other way and play with the right hand on the fretboard. Back in the 60s, before the advent of purpose build left-handed guitars, Jimi simply turned a guitar upside down, reversed the strings, and was away.

There are some lefties who turned the guitar upside down, but never reversed the strings - so they learned to play with different shapes and fingerings to the rest if us. Look up a video of Elizabeth Cotton as an example.

In the 70s purpose built left handed guitars became more widely available and so it was easier for left handed players to get a guitar set up for them ( because it isn't quite as easy as just reversing the strings - ideally you should also reverse the nut and the pickups so the thicker strings still sit right and the pick up volumes remain balanced).

There was even then the optíon for a right handed player to buy a lefties guitar, turn it upside down, restring it, and play it as normal (i.e. left hand on fretboard), just to look like Jimi...

I also suspect there are many right handed folks who want to play with their dominant hand on the fret board, rather than picking, and so they use a left handed guitar and play with their right hand on the fretboard.

Then there's the amazing Jeff Healey who plays a regular guitar flat on his lap.

I guess you do whatever feels most natural, in the end.

But I will reiterate something I said earlier, in my experience - and it's a bit counter-intuitive - but the picking hand is the more active, busier, needs to be stronger and faster hand. Most weaknesses in folks' playing will turn out to be at the picking hand.

Derek

If you have a left handed guitar - you have to have your right hand on the fret board .???

If you don't the strings are the wrong away around ?

 

[delb0y]

No, you don't have to, but that's the design intent.

Normal guitar is designed to be played with the left hand on the fretboard and the thinest string at the bottom (nearest the ground).

Left handed guitar is a mirror image - designed to be played with the right hand on the fretboard, but still with the thinest string nearest the ground.

But some left handed people play normal/right handed guitars, some right handed people choose left handed guitars, some buy a right ( or left) handed guitar and turn it upside down but don't bother reversing the strings. Others play it flat on their laps.

Some people even play accordions, so clearly there are no rules!

 

[delb0y]

As an aside, I would always advise a beginner, whether left handed or right handed, to give playing a regular right handed guitar a couple of weeks before electing to go the left handed guitar route. Almost all the instruction material you will come across in life, all the videos, etc will be designed for that configuration, and as you're using both hands for some pretty complex stuff it's quite common to find lefties can still do fine using the same set up as righties.

 

[kingrollo]

No, you don't have to, but that's the design intent.

Normal guitar is designed to be played with the left hand on the fretboard and the thinest string at the bottom (nearest the ground).

Left handed guitar is a mirror image - designed to be played with the right hand on the fretboard, but still with the thinest string nearest the ground.

But some left handed people play normal/right handed guitars, some right handed people choose left handed guitars, some buy a right ( or left) handed guitar and turn it upside down but don't bother reversing the strings. Others play it flat on their laps.

Some people even play accordions, so clearly there are no rules!

Sorry to seem a bit thick.

But how do you play a left handed guitar with the left hand on the fret board? - unless you alter the strings or accept that will be in different order to every tutorial?

Confused.

 

[delb0y]

If you want the left hand on the fret board then that's just a normal guitar - let's call it a right handed guitar i.e the guitar you will see 99% of players using. Again, generally, you'd only buy a left handed guitar if you wanted the right hand on the fret board (the opposite to those 99%).

The big mistake is to think the hand on the fretboard is the key hand. It's not. The strumming / plucking hand is the one that does all the work so right handed people have this hand doing all that work with their left hand on the fretboard.

Left handed people have an early decision to make - learn to play as above with their weaker hand strumming but their dominant hand doing all those fancy chord shapes. Or buy a left handed guitar, and have that dominant left hand doing the strumming.

In the end both hands are doing some amazing hard work and intricate stuff, so left or right handed both appendages are working hard.

 

[kingrollo]

If you want the left hand on the fret board then that's just a normal guitar - let's call it a right handed guitar i.e the guitar you will see 99% of players using. Again, generally, you'd only buy a left handed guitar if you wanted the right hand on the fret board (the opposite to those 99%).

The big mistake is to think the hand on the fretboard is the key hand. It's not. The strumming / plucking hand is the one that does all the work so right handed people have this hand doing all that work with their left hand on the fretboard.

Left handed people have an early decision to make - learn to play as above with their weaker hand strumming but their dominant hand doing all those fancy chord shapes. Or buy a left handed guitar, and have that dominant left hand doing the strumming.

In the end both hands are doing some amazing hard work and intricate stuff, so left or right handed both appendages are working hard.

Think you are overcomplicating the question.
If you have a left handed guitar then by default your right hand is on the fret board or neck of the guitar.

 

[delb0y]

Exactly. But the question was how do you play a left handed guitar with the left hand on the fretboard.

If you want the left hand on the fretboard why buy a left handed guitar (other than to look like Jimi)?

 

[kingrollo]

Exactly. But the question was how do you play a left handed guitar with the left hand on the fretboard.

If you want the left hand on the fretboard why buy a left handed guitar (other than to look like Jimi)?

Ok - I thought the question was - which hand is on the fret board on a left handed guitar.