Playing Left Handed Guitar
Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 Saturday, 12 September 2009 12:43
Anyone who is left handed will know how biased and unfair the guitar world is. Guitars are, by default, made for right handed people. However, you don't have to play a right handed guitar upside down Hendrix style, as most guitar manufacturers make left handed guitars.
It may seem like a no brainer to buy a left handed guitar, but there is a surprising number of pro guitarists who actually prefer playing a right handed guitar the "wrong" way round!
In actual fact, if you are left handed you have three options:
- Learn to play right handed, regardless
- Restring your right handed guitar so that it appears to be left handed
- Get your wallet out and stump up the cash for an expensive left handed guitar. Just kidding - left handed guitars may have been wildly expensive back in the day, but now you should be able to get them for the same price as a right handed instrument.
Playing A Right Handed Guitar - Left Handed
If you do choose to play a right handed guitar upside down, don't change the order of the strings.
One thing that bothers some left handers is the fact that the knobs are now on the upper part of the body - they often interfere with your picking hand and wrist. You may find yourself inadvertently changing your volume or tone settings when playing. Also, the power cable will be in the wrong way too, though this problem can be dealt with by the shrewd use of some strong tape.
Left Handed Guitars
There are a few well known websites out there that sell left handed guitars: