Left-Handed Guitar Beginner
Contents at a Glance
- Should You Learn to Play Guitar Left-Handed or Right-Handed?
- What Do ... Jimi Hendricks, Paul McCartney, Glenn Frey and Tony Iommi ... have in Common?
- Left-Handed Guitar Method
"As a lefty, you are in the unique position to learn how to play guitar left-handed or right-handed."
Should You Learn to Play Guitar Left-Handed or Right-Handed?
Here are a couple of great tips I found . . .
- Question: Should a left-hander learn to play with the standard string set-up or should the strings be switched? My son is 10 and just getting started.
Answer: The best thing to do with your lefty is hand him a guitar and see which way he holds it without any coaching. If he holds it like a lefty, a lefty guitar is probably what he needs. If he holds it like a righty, a right-handed guitar is probably what he needs.
If it turns out that a lefty is what he needs, it's better to actually get a guitar that's designed to be a lefty. Re-stringing a right-handed guitar backwards can cause a host of problems with action and intonation.
I'm left-handed on most things, but when I picked up my first guitar, for some reason I held it right-handed. My left-handed friend would always pick it up the other way. Some guitarists like Paul Simon and others like myself who are left handed, play the guitar right handed.
Click here to get more Lefty Guitar Wisdom
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- A super tip submitted by Tom Simms:
I play lefty, mostly because I'm a McCartney fan. I knew a guitar teacher with a doctorate in guitar performance. He was a lefty who played righty. He told us mere mortals of a simple test for determining if a student can play right-handed. Have the student applaud for 10 or 15 seconds. If he holds the right hand still and claps the left into it, he's probably too left-handed to play righty. If he moves both hands equally, or if he claps right into left, he can play right-handed pretty easily.
Most left-handers are at least a little ambidextrous. Considering the trouble and expense of getting a good lefty guitar, I advise every southpaw to give right-handed playing a fair trial before giving up on it. Steve Morse did.
Click here to get more Lefty Guitar Wisdom
What Do ... Jimi Hendricks, Paul McCartney, Glenn Frey and Tony Iommi ... have in Common?
- Guitarojam
- This site gives you brief bios of four famous lefty guitar players.
- Left-Handed Guitarists
- You might get a kick out of this book "Uncommon Sound." Info and bios of famous left-handed guitarists.
- 10 Great Left-Handed Guitarists
- Brief bios of ten of the great guitarists of our time who played left-handed.
Left-Handed Guitar Method
Left-Handed Guitar: The Complete Method (Guitar Educational)
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 12/24/2009)
Southpaws: it's time to turn your playing around! Complete with photos, diagrams and grids designed especially for the left-handed player, this book/CD pack teaches fundamentals such as: chords, scales, riffs, strumming; rock, blues, fingerpicking and other styles; tuning and theory; reading standard notation and tablature; and much more!
How Lefties Hold the Guitar Correctly
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Although we usually see performers standing up to play, it's a good idea to sit in the correct position for guitar practice. You'll be more at ease and won't get so tired.
To play while seated, rest the body of your guitar on whichever thigh it feels most comfortable. For a left-handed person this will usually be the left thigh.
- Sit in an upright position with the back of the guitar touching your chest and the neck of the guitar parallel with the floor.
Rest the left arm and hand over the guitar and use your left hand fingers for strumming. The left hand should naturally fall to where the sound hole is. The strings should be strummed directly over this hole, as that is where the sound
emanates from.
The thumb of your fretting hand should rest at the back of the guitar's neck and you'll find that when you are playing chords, your thumb will be pressed quite hard against the backside of the neck. [As you learn, you'll test various thumb positions while playing different kinds of chords and scales to see which ones suit you best.]
The right hand will be molded to the curved shape of the guitar's neck. The fingers of both hands should be curved at the knuckles, with the right-hand fingers balanced on top of the strings located at the fret board. Moving the wrist rather than the fingers is best for strumming. Once you get your position correct, the actual playing techniques you must learn will be easier to manage.
If you stand to play, you'll need to have one foot up on a footstool to form a rest with your leg for the guitar, or you'll need a strap over your shoulders to hold it up. If you choose to use a strap, a wide one will disperse the weight and so be more comfortable.
Other Lenses for the "Guitar Beginner"
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Guitars 101: What Types Are There?
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Guitars are among the most popular instruments played by music lovers of all ages. Even children can easily learn to play the guitar. But before you run out to buy the first slick-looking guitar that catches your eye, know this: there are many types...
Chord Instruction for Left-Handed Guitarists
Picture Chord Encyclopedia for Left Handed Guitarists: 6 inch. x 9 inch. Edition (Guitar Educational)
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 12/24/2009)
At long last, the ultimate reference for left-handed guitarists! This amazing book features photos and diagrams for over 2600 chords specifically shown for the left-handed player. It includes easy-to-read chord grids, easy-to-see photos, basic chord theory, basic fingering principles, open chords and barre chords, partial chords and broken-set forms.
Left-Handed Acoustic Guitar Package
SX MentorLH BK Left Handed Acoustic Guitar Package in Black with Instructional DVD & Carry Bag Included
Amazon Price: $69.95 (as of 12/24/2009)
A full size Left Handed acoustic with a rich pallet of sounds
Ships in beautiful color box . Instructional DVD on how to play guitar included along with Carry Bag. Beautiful detailing: Rosewood fingerboard and bridge. Basswood top, sides, and back; NuBone Left Handed Saddle
Acoustic Electric Lefty Guitar
SX FG 160 VT Left Handed Acoustic Electric Guitar, Dusk Sun Red Finish
Amazon Price: $85.00 (as of 12/24/2009)
A full size, left handed, acoustic electric with a rich pallet of sounds. Sounds great with an amplifier or without! Sound is controled by volume and presence sliders. Basswood top, sides, and back. Bound neck and body. Ebonized hardwood fingerboard and bridge.
Beginner's Left-Handed Electric Guitar Package
Left Handed Guitar Package SX RST BK Left w/GA1065
Amazon Price: $119.95 (as of 12/24/2009)
This Complete package includes the SX Left Handed EG1 guitar - Features of the guitar are:EG1 Left Handed Guitar: Perfect for many musical styles including rock, jazz, blues and Christian Dual cutaway solid Alder body allows access to the highest frets Die Chrome Tuners The body is contoured for hours of comfortable play
Other Lefty Guitars At Great Prices
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Give me a shout and let me know what else you'd like to see here . . .
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Reply
- TanituIsland TanituIsland Jan 25, 2009 @ 1:01 pm
- http://www.squidoo.com/LeftiesForObama
OBAMA: "I'm A Lefty, Get Used To It."
Enjoy :)
by nDee
When it comes to the guitar beginner, left-handers shouldn't be left out (no pun intended :-) This lens is devoted to "lefty guitars" and other relat...
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