How many Lefties?

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by para_adams

I got my first guitar in 9th grade. It was standard right-handed and I've played that way since. But before that wonderful day in 9th grade, I'd naturally played "air guitar" left handed being of the southpaw persuasion in most things. I'm now pondering how few lefty guitars are hanging on the walls of guitar stores I visit. It certainly seems to be lower than the 10%-12% of the population of left handed people.

Do I just not "see" those one in ten lefty guitars at the stores because I'm not looking for them? Or are left-handed guitars as rare as they seem to be?

How many natural lefties (like me) simply learn to play right handed because their parents found a cheap right handed guitar one sale or at the local garage sale?

If you're naturally left-handed and learn to play right handed, do you tend to find chording easier (using your dominant hand) but finger picking harder (using your otherwise useless right hand, LOL)?

Lastly, we lefties are in our "right" minds, lefties UNITE!

Hi p_a…

I'm sure you will hear individual experiences galore in the thread.

I'm a left hander who plays ALL my instruments (keyboards, brass, guitars, rifles, bow-n-arrow, throwing a ball) conventionally. It takes both hands to play many instruments.

I write, eat, cut with knives, shoot pool left handed. I throw with my right hand, and kick with my left foot.

I arm wrestle, & use cooking utensils left handed, but I flip pancakes right handed.

I taught fingerstyle guitar for 40 years locally, and in all those years I had two great left handed people who fretted with the right hand, and they were competent players, and it was a lot of fun. Sitting across from each other, it was like looking in a mirror.

I've also taught a great number of left handers who learned conventionally without issues, and became quite proficient players.

Were it not for Paul McCartney, and Jimmy Hendrix, many of us would have never considered playing the other-way-round.

I chose a conventional guitar because I was 15, had played accordion for 11 years, uke for several years, piano, and guitars, pianos, accordions, and brass instruments where we bought them from were what they were. There were no left-hand instruments around.

I was not forced to play guitar right handed.
I excitedly jumped in of my own accord with both feet (hands) and learned quickly. In fact when we start to play the left hand commands more attention because of the fretting then the right hand.

If anything my parents would have probably preferred if hadn't added guitars. I was on an educational path from a jr high to be a full-time school band/orchestra teacher. Guitar seemed to my parents to be a departure from that. But they tolerated it, and the friends it brought (folk singers hanging around the house).

The band and orchestra teachers were not supportive of guitars either.

My parents were actually proud of my playing pretty early on, because it involved both playing and singing…they liked my singing.

I started out learning to fingerstyle from the start, and had to look around to even see people who played with skill with both hands at the same time.

Having taught hundreds of students for 40 years (for $$$) I never encountered anyone who decided reversing hands was for them.

Had they chosen that path as a beginner, I'd have supported and worked with them and helped them find an instrument which was able to be set up to play easily.

Looking back, I'm happy I play conventionally. Instrument choices would almost certainly have been limited till I was on my own financially (and the kids pretty much raised).

What's your experience been like?

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Jamolay

…Of course gear is one reason. But the main reason was brain development. I am a neurologist and feel (or believe?) that crossed tasks (developing the non-dominant hemisphere too) challenge our brain more and make it stronger.

…I also believe that although we have innate handedness, there is no reason we can’t learn equal handedness.

Hi Jamolay…
Interesting addition of making us stronger thoughts.

Some of the benefits for me have been:
I hammer equally well (some would say equally poor) with either hand
I manually saw with either hand.
I run drills and drivers with either hand.
I wrench (under hoods) with either hand.
Cameras right eye dominant, shooting pool, left eye dominant.

Interestingly, my knife sharpening (stones, steels or on belt sanders) I do left handed. I have not done it long enough to be consistent with my right hand.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[para_adams]

Originally Posted by DBW

I grew up confused. I do some things left handed and some things right handed.

Left handed- bowling, baseball, basketball, football (throwing and kicking)

Right handed- darts, eating utensils, scissors (asked for the left handed scissors then found out it was awkward to use them), shooting (right eye dominant),

I am also mixed handed but your mirror image. I feel I'm left handed and right armed. Handedness is such an odd mysterious thing. But I'm thankful I'm at least mostly "sinister."

[Jengstrom]

Wow, I’m in the minority here.

I’ve posted this before, but I’ll regurgitate the short version. I had a couple right handed guitars as a kid. I could play some cowboy chords, but no leads or barre chords. Of course, instruction was practically non-existant and the action was a quarter of an inch, so that didn’t help. Bit it always felt awkward.

In my fifties, I wanted to learn. I bought a lefty guitar and got a teacher. I also discovered the various online resources, many of which are free.

There is no question that the resources available make learning easier, but the fact is that playing lefty is right (pardon the pun) for me. Chording is easier, I can play leads and melodies, I can barre. No one will ever accuse me of playing like Clapton, Tommy Emmanuel, Billy Strings, or Leo Kottke, but I play a hundred times better than I ever did trying to play righty. Playing lefty is the correct thing for me.

John

[para_adams]

In my fifties, I wanted to learn. I bought a lefty guitar and got a teacher. I also discovered the various online resources, many of which are free.

There is no question that the resources available make learning easier, but the fact is that playing lefty is right (pardon the pun) for me. Chording is easier, I can play leads and melodies...I play a hundred times better than I ever did trying to play righty. Playing lefty is the correct thing for me.

John[/QUOTE]

Fascinating! I often wonder if I'd be a better player if I'd learned left-handed. I've carried a deep love of the guitar since Jr High so the desire has always been there. Of course, I know I have mediocre hand/eye coordination in most things, so guitar is just another challenge for me, probably would have been so left handed too. But maybe someday I should pick up a left guitar and try playing it in the sinister way for a month and see what happens just out of curiosity.

[DMZ]

I’m a lefty playing right. Sports were always right. I fine draw left and shade right nearly simultaneously. A career designer, I can only mouse right. I can only airbrush and shoot paint right. I have to eat left. I have picked up a lefty guitar and it is odd. I’m a mess ha!

[NotveryGood]

We have discussed this before. At times it surprisingly becomes heated and intolerant.
There is the "I'm left handed, I learned right handed, so can you" view, or the nonsense about " there are no left handed pianos" (Who holds a piano????) ,and the (not very pleasant) inference that left handedness is some sort of affliction to be cured or at best barely tolerated.
I started out in the 70s, very left handed and found handling a guitar hard enough without the complication of wrestling with a right handed one. I knew playing guitar was possible left handed , it came far more naturally so why not?
This was the UK in the Seventies, guitar stores might have one lefty that no one bought because it was cheap and nasty, and the proprietor would use this as a reason not to stock any more , "There's no demand for them, I've had that one for a year and no one has bought it".
Credit to Yamaha and EKO, they both produced an affordable, playable starter instrument that came left handed, I found those and I was on my way.
Thankfully things are much better now, Lefties are more readily available and are easily found on the net, though try before you buy can still be difficult.
There will always be more choice for those that play right handed, and that's fair enough ,more people are right handed. But nowadays (especially in these times of supporting minorities) lefties should be encouraged , only by more of us playing left handed will there be a better choice of instruments and that can only be a good thing surely?

[The Bard Rocks]

Originally Posted by NotveryGood

We have discussed this before. At times it surprisingly becomes heated and intolerant.
There is the "I'm left handed, I learned right handed, so can you" view, or the nonsense about " there are no left handed pianos" (Who holds a piano????)

The left and right hands do very different things on the piano. Normally, the left provides the rhythm and chords while the right does melody and improvisation. Same as guitar in that the high notes is where the melody and improv stands out and the low notes typically provide support and rhythm.

And yes, I am a leftist who plays right. Never regretted it. And when I started, reasoned that my left hand was going to be doing all the difficult stuff while the right hand could be on auto-pilot.(I have a more sophisticated view now.) I feel leftists tend to be more ambidextrous than rightys - because we are forced to adapt. For instance, when I finally got left-handed scissors, I discovered I couldn't use them at all. But rightys can adapt when forced to - my wife no longer complains about using the mouse left-handed.

[Jengstrom]

One more comment: The vast number of people who say they’re lefty but play righty explains why, when the general population is about 10% left handed, only 2-3% of all guitars sold are lefty.

OK, one more comment: NotVeryGood’s comment about stores only stocking 1 crappy lefty guitar and then saying nobody wants lefty stuff makes me ask the question,”what comes first, the chicken or the egg?” Do stores not stock more (and nicer) lefty guitars because people won’t buy them, or do people not buy them because stores don’t stock them? No doubt left handed guitars will never be big sellers, but it sure is frustrating to shop for one. Of course, that does nip GAS in the bud…

John

[DanR]

I'm left handed but I play right handed. As a 12 year old learning that a left handed guitar might take 6 months to order, I was convinced to learn right handed. Strangely, if someone tells me a sad story and I mockingly play air violin, I do play air violin left handed.

[Jamolay]

I do think I would be progressing a bit faster with guitar if I had started left handed rather than right.

I am spending additional time training my right hand to be consistent, rhythmic and independent.

Of course I don’t know what training it would have needed to fret, so I am only supposing. But righties also need train a poorly coordinated hand, so it is marginally different.

But that wasn’t my only goal. I did choose to accept the additional challenge. I also firmly believe that I can train my right hand to be coordinated enough to adequately play.

I am also learning to brush my teeth with my right hand. [emoji33][emoji450]

It is funny, as I write this I am trying to imagine playing left handed and it seems awkward to me now.

[NotveryGood]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

The left and right hands do very different things on the piano. Normally, the left provides the rhythm and chords while the right does melody and improvisation. Same as guitar in that the high notes is where the melody and improv stands out and the low notes typically provide support and rhythm.

With respect though, its not quite the same is it? The basics for both hands with the piano is to sit on the stool and press the keys. I was never aware learning the piano that left or right handedness came into play, yet with guitar it was obvious immediately that I had a preference and a problem.
Some of us are brilliant at adjusting and as mentioned many left handed people play guitar right handed and never look back. All credit to them. But it was always going to be awkward for me, plus I resented the lack of choice , and having to defend myself. Its almost as if some feel left handed guitars should be illegal!

[para_adams]

These are wonderful posts and I thank each and every one. Reading how we Lefties describe ourselves reminds me that there seems to be three varieties of folks who deem themselves Lefty.

1) Somewhat ambidextrous but generally favor the left hand in most things

2) Mixed handedness where some things are naturally done left handed and others right handed with no ambidexterity involved (ME) but left handed in most things

3) Pure left handers in all things. I know two guitar players who are 100% lefties in all things and both play left handed. One is particularly talented musically and can pick up a right handed guitar, flip it over and play left handed upside down quite well but he only plays with the headstock pointed to his right.

So my next question:

I wonder if those are the folks who buy the 2-3% portion of guitars made left-handed while the mixed handers cross over to the right handed guitars more readily?

[s2y]

Lefty playing right. I started right before the internet and local shops had a NO return policy on lefty guitars. I'm right eye dominant, but can shoot a rifle on either side. Truthfully, my handwriting was so bad that nuns tried to switch me.

Maybe I'd play lefty in a perfect world, but a huge amount of guitars and basses I love were never released left handed.

[guitararmy]

Leftie playing right handed.
I think it did make chord changes easier to learn.
And probably explains my difficulties picking quickly with my right hand…