Left hander playing right handed

[ZebbyMcNutty]

Hello!

I was wondering if strumming with your weak hand is a disadvantage.


I'm a lefthander and at first it felt weird picking up the guitar right-handed, but now it doesn't really feel weird and rather natural (even though I can't play anything on it but an E major chord). Will I have issues in the long run when playing like this (strumming with right hand)? I play the drums right-handed and i've noticed that's not really an issue.


Thanks!

 

[megalizzie]

Hey! Welcome! I saw your intro post, I hope you’re enjoying everything so far.

I’m certainly no expert, but I wouldn’t worry about right versus left handed. Both hands have to learn the new movements anyway, so unless you have a particular interest in playing left-handed, I would just stick with the “regular” setup. Your right and left hands will learn the movements with practice

 

[ZebbyMcNutty]

Hey! Welcome! I saw your intro post, I hope you’re enjoying everything so far.

I’m certainly no expert, but I wouldn’t worry about right versus left handed. Both hands have to learn the new movements anyway, so unless you have a particular interest in playing left-handed, I would just stick with the “regular” setup. Your right and left hands will learn the movements with practice

Hey!

Thanks for the response! Wanted to make sure I didn't make a fundamental mistake from day one.

I'm surely enjoying the site (or the app in this case, this app works really well )!

 

[William B.]

I tried strumming my guitar upside down (left handed) it was good like maybe I'm left handed. Maybe cause I already knew what to do, a problem was stretching my right hand fingers, super awkward.
It's weird, when I skateboarded I had the weird stance too, probably why I always fell

 

[Batbia]

Personally, I don't think it will be a problem, there's definitely pros and cons considering you'll need precision and strength on both your fretting and your picking hands, so in a way or another you'll have to develop your "weak" hand either for fretting or for picking if this makes sense I know Kiko Loureiro is a left handed playing guitar right handed, so if it feels natural you probably won't have any issue!

 

[Christian Schulze]

Hello!

I was wondering if strumming with your weak hand is a disadvantage.


I'm a lefthander and at first it felt weird picking up the guitar right-handed, but now it doesn't really feel weird and rather natural (even though I can't play anything on it but an E major chord). Will I have issues in the long run when playing like this (strumming with right hand)? I play the drums right-handed and i've noticed that's not really an issue.


Thanks!

First of all fellow leftie here!!!

I personally I play left handed cause It feels more natural to me (played air guitar all my life left handed before picking the instrument up)

But I hear it is in the beginning just as tought either way you play. Thus there should not be an issue

 

[ZebbyMcNutty]

First of all fellow leftie here!!!

I personally I play left handed cause It feels more natural to me (played air guitar all my life left handed before picking the instrument up)

But I hear it is in the beginning just as tought either way you play. Thus there should not be an issue

Also part of the 1% leftie population I see!

Yeah I also played air guitar left handed, but actually picking up a guitar I feel like that habit can go away quick, it's an entirely different animal!

Fretting with the left hand seems like an advantage as well, so I'm going to go right-handed I think!


Thanks to everyone in this thread!!

 

[Christian Schulze]

Also part of the 1% leftie population I see!

Yeah I also played air guitar left handed, but actually picking up a guitar I feel like that habit can go away quick, it's an entirely different animal!

Fretting with the left hand seems like an advantage as well, so I'm going to go right-handed I think!


Thanks to everyone in this thread!!

If you can choose....


Personally..as an advice...go right handed....

Cheaper and more variety at guitars....believe me.....

 

[Riff36]

Im a lefthanded. And no doubt this is how i play since i started my 1st day learning basic guitar chords, strums training and practice. So no argument or debate over our right strumming as a weak hand. Just keep praticing and training slowly and progress gradually. Plenty of my musician friends do question me and asked me same question till today “Why are you left handed and play guitar righ-handed.” Obviously The brain goes the other way actually. Haha lefty are more to incline in ideas and creativity like art and craft… deep thought and curiosity and realistic ideas anyway more than the righ-handed. Don’t get disheartened at 1st. Keep doing what u doing and u be a badass.

 

[Riff36]

Hey!

Thanks for the response! Wanted to make sure I didn't make a fundamental mistake from day one.

I'm surely enjoying the site (or the app in this case, this app works really well )!

another theory is if u ever played a skateboard before… or a skater. Majority of right handed are goofy and most of the lefty are comfortable being regular or some are both as they practice both ways from the start. In a nutshell the 1st moment u pickup ur guitar with zero knowledge u can actually sense which is more comfy and secure. Or both = rare.

 

[Riff36]

I tried strumming my guitar upside down (left handed) it was good like maybe I'm left handed. Maybe cause I already knew what to do, a problem was stretching my right hand fingers, super awkward.
It's weird, when I skateboarded I had the weird stance too, probably why I always fell

Exactly… Ive tried in my youngers days to play the other way chords to play are super akward man.

 

[Shade]

Hello!

I was wondering if strumming with your weak hand is a disadvantage.


I'm a lefthander and at first it felt weird picking up the guitar right-handed, but now it doesn't really feel weird and rather natural (even though I can't play anything on it but an E major chord). Will I have issues in the long run when playing like this (strumming with right hand)? I play the drums right-handed and i've noticed that's not really an issue.


Thanks!

I had a similar issue when i picked up guitar a year ago. I am ambidextrous and first picked up the guitar right handed and it felt really unnatural. I then started playing left handed and it also felt unnatural. I would play a couple hours a day each hand to see if the feeling went away overtime and it did. I think how soon the feeling passes depends on how frequently you practice and what methods you use to practice. I also started playing drums left handed not long after i started playing guitar and i didnt have that problem with drums either. Maybe it could have something to do with not being used to playing guitar? I dont think using your weak hand could be a disadvantage, i think you might see improvement further down the road. If you are a beginner, i would reccommend starting 20 minutes a day for a couple weeks so that your finger hurt less from getting used to the fret board and as time goes on add more time for practice. i found out the hard way that if you play for hours when you first start, it can cause pain and you might have to take a break for a day or 2 so that it doesnt hurt to use your hands.

 

[Riff36]

Cannot agree more buddy!

 

[ZebbyMcNutty]

I had a similar issue when i picked up guitar a year ago. I am ambidextrous and first picked up the guitar right handed and it felt really unnatural. I then started playing left handed and it also felt unnatural. I would play a couple hours a day each hand to see if the feeling went away overtime and it did. I think how soon the feeling passes depends on how frequently you practice and what methods you use to practice. I also started playing drums left handed not long after i started playing guitar and i didnt have that problem with drums either. Maybe it could have something to do with not being used to playing guitar? I dont think using your weak hand could be a disadvantage, i think you might see improvement further down the road. If you are a beginner, i would reccommend starting 20 minutes a day for a couple weeks so that your finger hurt less from getting used to the fret board and as time goes on add more time for practice. i found out the hard way that if you play for hours when you first start, it can cause pain and you might have to take a break for a day or 2 so that it doesnt hurt to use your hands.

Hey Shade!

Yeah the fretboard isn't your friend at the start, so thanks for reminding me!

Must be interesting to be ambidextrous, I can't imagine that for the life of me.


I played the drums righty because changing the drums up from a right handed set up to a left handed one is just shit I didn't want to deal with, so it was a lazy pick for me haha.

I'll try to do a lot of exercise on both hands to get them to do their part well! I really like this community, you get a lot of different views on topics!


Thanks!

 

[Muz Malek]

I'm a lefty but playing the guitar right-handed too. I don't really find any strengths nor weaknesses tho. Because when it comes to techniques and strumming and all, it's all just like a basic, muscle memory build-up.

I'm guessing those that play lefty being a lefty have different coordination preference. I naturally picked up right-handed just because I didn't see any exclusive reason that I should try lefty guitar despite knowing guitarists like ZV. Plus, lefty guitars were limited at the time hahaha.