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Right Handed or Left Handed


Terrible Tim

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How do you decide if you are a right handed or left handed player?  I have a few instruments around the house from other family members that are all right handed.  I recently purchased the L&M course from Steve and have been trying to get the C and G7 chord right handed and it is fairly difficult right now but if I flip the Stratocaster around and hold it lefty it seems more natural for some reason.

 

I tend to write left handed but I do a lot of things right handed.  Baseball for example I bat right handed but prefer to throw left handed.  I guess growing up in a house with a bunch of right handed people I have learned to adapt on certain things.  I guess the question is do I persist to do it right handed since I have instruments around or do I go get a left handed guitar and let the more natural feel win? 

 

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Read the Words of Guitar Wisdom in my signature link. Steve talks about it

Steve says starting out it's a new skill and you can learn either direction. 

One thing is, choice.

Stores gave billions of what's called right handed guitars (fretted left, strum right), but very little choice for left handed guitars 

 

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@Terrible Tim  I won't attempt to offer advice, but it is a fascinating subject: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-dominance

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Whatever is more natural for you.  Pick up both and determine which one feels correct for you.  I'm left handed but a left handed guitar is very awkward for me and I can't play it. I won't force myself into an uncomfortable position.  My right is more useful and used more frequently for things that my left hand doesn't do.  I often have to hold things before I can decide if I can use it left or right handed.

Edited by Jusca
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I am left handed, where the majority of people are right handed we adapt to doing somethings because we are taught that way.  I started my guitar journey as an adult, and it was suggested to play right handed because of the dexterity in my left hand be better for fretting, think about that, would not all right haded people play left then!  I did this silly test,  listening to music I played air guitar, I play the way it feels most comfortable.    ( I did try for 2 months to play right handed) 

  It's about choice, your choice.

Peace

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And then there are people like me who are "ambidextrous" (well, almost) ! As far as guitar is concerned, when I started in my teens (too long ago) I was handed a "right" hand guitar and went with that.  I probably could switch (if it wheren't for a damaged index finger) but at this point, why?

It's a right handed world, like it or not. In my humble opinion, if you can play right equally as well, go with it.

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Thanks for the responses. I am going to stick with the right handed option.  I guess starting out most of the chords are uncomfortable in the beginning but after awhile your fingers learn what they are suppose to do. I'll keep practicing right handed even if it takes a little longer on each lesson.  

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I fully agree with lefty54. As a left hander myself. I also bat right handed. My older brother taught me simply because he was right handed. I a only 7 or 8. O shoot right handed because dad made me due to his WWII experience. But I throw and shoot a pistol left handed. Right handed wasn’t as natural to me. So I went left handed. You will be more limited in choices of guitars. That’s the only negative I can think of. 
 

if I remember correctly, Paul McCartney started right handed. And switched when he discovered there were left handed guitars.

 

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I am a left hander as well. Like many others, I write left handed and do just about everything else right handed. I tried to play guitar left handed but it felt awkward. The picking hand was fine but my fingers on my right hand would not adjust to the fretboard probably due to not being able to fully rotate my hand completely from previous injuries. The limitation did not affect my right hand for strumming or picking so I decided to play right handed due to it being more comfortable for me. 

Best of luck in your guitar journey! 

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