Lefty guitars... why?

[AprioriMark]

Who cares about right or left handed-ness?  I just don't think there is such a thing when it comes to playing an instrument with both hands.  I can bat and pitch with both hands in baseball, and I'm right handed.  Why should it matter on a guitar?  Maybe I'll decide to be "no handed" and demand Warmoth make guitars that can be played with the bait-and-tackle.  WHAT NOW??!?

-Mark

 

[ocguy106]

Man, I know I should just hold my tongue, but your estimation is not in accordance with the golden ratio.:icon_thumright:
In fact, I'd be surprised if anybody with that attitude would know the first thing about something so true and prevalent in the first place.

10%?
Could I really be the only one annoyed by this?

Google it..... ranges come up from 7- 10 percent to as high as 15 percent so I don't think he is that far off

 

[Superlizard]

Maybe I'll decide to be "no handed" and demand Warmoth make guitars that can be played with the bait-and-tackle.  WHAT NOW??!?

-Mark

Well, a Fender Nocaster sounds about right... err, left... in that case.

 

[AutoBat]

^^anyone else think of William Murderface's no handed bass solo there?

 

[Cagey]

Man, I know I should just hold my tongue, but your estimation is not in accordance with the golden ratio.:icon_thumright:
In fact, I'd be surprised if anybody with that attitude would know the first thing about something so true and prevalent in the first place.

I wasn't speaking in absolutes. I said "vaguely" and "sorta". Besides, how else do you explain a preference for Apple computers? <grin>

 

[Cagey]

^^anyone else think of William Murderface's no handed bass solo there?

LOL! Well, now that you mention it... <grin>

 

[AutoBat]

<--loves his MacBook Pro

 

[jalane]

Besides, how else do you explain a preference for Apple computers? <grin>

Easy.  They are VASTLY superior computers, and some people prefer that.  :icon_biggrin:

 

[AGWAN]

Who cares about right or left handed-ness?  I just don't think there is such a thing when it comes to playing an instrument with both hands.  I can bat and pitch with both hands in baseball, and I'm right handed.  Why should it matter on a guitar?  Maybe I'll decide to be "no handed" and demand Warmoth make guitars that can be played with the bait-and-tackle.  WHAT NOW??!?

-Mark

let me repeat my self.

TWO OF THE FINGERS ON MY LEFT HAND CANT BEND TO FRET, DUE TO INJURY.

besides as an illustrator, my left hand has turned into a claw, perfect for picking.

 

[Cagey]

Besides, how else do you explain a preference for Apple computers? <grin>

Easy.  They are VASTLY superior computers, and some people prefer that.  :icon_biggrin:

Just keep telling yourself that <grin>

 

[hachikid]

I'll chime in here. I'm left handed, but I learned on a right handed bass. I suppose I'm sort of ambidextrous, but I think it's only out of necessity. I can only write with my left handed, though. I am actually glad I learned on a right handed bass because I'm able to pick up any bass and play it. I also use a three and four finger plucking technique pretty successfully, I'm able to tap, finger pick (the guitar type finger picking) chord with my fretting hand, and all this without too much mud. he just needs to practice. when I first got my bass, I was pretty much inseparable with it. I played something like 6 hours a day, at least. I just started hanging out with that chunk of wood, and I never really put it down. I can never be sure if I was ever "stunted" by learning right handed, but it doesn't seem that way. I've been able to pick out some Frank Zappa melodies, Dream Theater, Billy Sheehan, and St. Vincent stuff and play it without problems. also, a little bit of Bach, but it's more tapping stuff. but yea, I suppose unless he is just overly dominant with his left hand (which I assumed he would be when he's young), it may be better to teach him right handed just due to the fact that there's so many more choices available to him.

 

[AprioriMark]

Besides, how else do you explain a preference for Apple computers? <grin>

Easy.  They are VASTLY superior computers, and some people prefer that.  :icon_biggrin:

I question your understanding of the words "vast" and "superior."

-Mark

 

[Big V]

I'm windows through-and-through, but I guess it has something to do with me being a little bit of a gamer. THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO GOOD GAMES FOR MAC!! :tard:
Also, you can get the same hardware installed in a pc and a Mac, and the Mac will cost a lot more :tard:

On topic: I'd say that lefty would be the best if the kiddo is a lefty. There's nothing cooler than back-to-back-soloing :headbang1:

 

[AGWAN]

I'm bumping this to say that I've found out I can play equally (poorly) on both hands now.

BUT

Many Left handed guitars work well in my hands, and few right handed guitars feel good.

with a righty guitar, 12" radius or flatter is a MUST and the necks contours need to be tiny or really round (I think its called C-shaped?)

I imagine I will be buying both left and right handed guitars in the future.

but for now, at my skill level. I'm pushing Righty on myself.

 

[Cagey]

I think that's actually quite an accomplishment. I've been playing for about 100 years, and if you handed me a lefty guitar, I doubt I could form even the most rudimentary of chords, let alone play any kind of scales. I mean, seriously. It would be like I'd never picked up a guitar during my entire lifetime, or cracked my skull again.

You should know, though, that there's such a thing as "muscle memory", where certain moves get to be so automatic that you don't even have to think about them. It's not really in your muscles, but it feels that way. Kinda like a blink reflex or something. It takes time to develop, but it's important, so you need to commit to one style or the other.

 

[Jusatele]

Cagey, there are quite  few guitarist that started out playing one way and had to learn the other. I know it sounds strange, but switching is actually not that easy as you have to learn to think totally different, what you hear in your head does not translate unless you do a lot of practice, just as you did before. Why, because your mind needs to tell your fingers what to do, and it is used to doing it the other direction, I takes a while to switch over. If you started by learning to do it both ways, I think it would be natural.

 

[Jommit]

I`m a lefty to but play right handed. When I started to play I guess I played righty because that`s the way my father did it. Never had any problems with it, and maybe I could have been a better player if I played lefty but I don`t care. I enjoy playing very much the way I do it and I guess that is what`s important  :headbang:

 

[OzziePete]

My Brother-in-law is predominantly left handed but when he started playing a guitar in 1960s there wasn't any left handed guitars around, so he just assumed you had no choice and bought a right handed guitar. Wasn't til after playing for a while he found out you could get left handed ones, but by then he had gotten used to playing right handed. :dontknow:

He used to play guitar right handed (doesn't play anymore..), and I think he swings a golf club right handed too, but used to play tennis left handed...He shoots a rifle left handed which is funny when he used a semi automatic and had to dodge the hot cases as they flew out of the breach, they used to flick him on the face as they went flying.

Me? I'm quite dominatly right handed, but find when I do a lot of guitar playing that my left hand dexterity improves a lot. There was a point when I could sign my name with both left and right hand and almost write comfortably with my left hand too - that was when I was practicing about two hours a day. So I guess if I had some injury that forced me to switch I could do so after some practice.

I notice the lefties by sheer neccessity have to adapt - they play a righty upside down for example, because there may not be a lefty guitar around to play. That's something right handed players usually wouldn't contemplate, nor persevere with either!

 

[AGWAN]

Woah woah Woah.

I'm still REALLY awful at guitar.

but my major reason for looking at lefties was the discomfort I feel in my fretting hand (Wrist and broken finger) ON TOP of my pinky finger muting strings.

but I've played around with probably 2 or 3 HUNDRED guitars since I joined this forum. I might not have spent a lot of time with each one, Or played anything I would actually call music. but I've found that just the right neck will fix my pain/muting problems.

Oddly they all seem to be Ibanez guitars. which was a brand I hated when I started taking a serious interest. RG's and the ICT700 Iceman are super comfy for chugga, and the Artcore/Darkstones seem to have the perfect "Fat" necks for everything else.

everything seems to need a setup and new electronics... but I see that more as an oppourtunity then a hindrance.

...so what does this mean for Me and Warmoth? now that I'm not a dedicated lefty?

not that much is different. I still want a Telecaster that isn't remotely something fender will ever sell any part of. and I still want an Iceman with a real neck contour. when those two are done.... we will see how much my tastes have grown and changed and go from there.

And I get the feeling when my skill level gets to the higher frets. I'll try lefty again. so I can fret with the more flexible hand.

 

[GoDrex]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKY8KIt9kqc

There was a thing on PBS the other night - Albert King and SRV playing together in a studio. It was good, if you like that sort of thing, Noticed that Albert King had this sweet custom left V - - and he still played upside down. :laughing7:  Lefties are weird.  The psycho that works for Martin and tried twice to make a nut for my LP plays this way too. I say avoid.  :laughing7:


btw - I'm partially lefty (I write with my left hand and eat lefty, but play sports right handed) and I play guitar right handed - THANK BOB!