Are 'lefty' guitars a good idea?

[Dad3353]

Just curious...
I've yet to see a left-handed piano, or double bass, or saxaphone. I have seen lots of left-handed guitarists (my brother, amonst others...) who deal with right-handed guitars from scratch, with no ill effects (indeed, perhaps even a 'left-hand' advantage, at first...).
Is the guitar inherently 'handed', or was there a 'moment of madness' when a luthier capitulated and made the first 'heretical' version?
Not to say the lefties are bad players or whatever; the list is long (our own janepaints, of course, on a 'normal' guitar; but why..?). Just wondering why one would 'paint oneself into a corner', restricting the choice of instruments, follow the prof. in a mirror, invert all tabs etc. when, imho, it can all be done on a standard guitar.
Any valid reasons or explanations, anyone?

[GodinFan]

FWIW, I have seen a couple of one off left-handed clarinets.

[fastFingers]

Yes, it's a good "natural" idea. One of the books that I studied actually mentions that it's probably wasn't a bad idea since it probably is easier to finger chords/play on a left handed guitar since the right hand is much more natural. Why put your left hand through what it's not used to. It says that right handed people probably should have started out with left handed guitars.

There are also quite a few videos online featuring professional rockers playing 2 or 4 necks guitars...2 necks on left, and 2 necks on right...and they're showing off their shredding skills. There are also some rockers that do that in concert, so I think it's all come down to what you want to do. Do you want to be more versatile with the ability to play both left and right, play behind the neck/back, up and down, or with even with your teeth or toes if you want to now that I think about it...

4 neck guitar playing up/down, right/left...all over
play with toes no hands
behind the back guitar playing @ 7:34

[derek]

As you might guess, there has been some research done on this. I saw a study a few years back (lost the link), where the study talked about the advantages of having your dominant hand be your picking hand. The rationale was that picking, whether with a plectrum or fingers, requires a higher level of fine motor skills, than fretting.

Makes sense to me, but there are a whole host of lefties who played righty, like Chet and Joe Pass. Of course lefties tend to be more ambidextrous than righties, since it is a right handed world. All I know is your choices in guitar go up exponentially if you play righty.

[Shadow of the Sun]

I'm a lefty who plays righty. I've tried playing lefty- I found it impossible to play even the most basic of chords.

I like how I play. It's never been an issue for me.

[cosmic gumbo]

I'm a lefty who plays guitar normal, but when it comes to many other tools, I know how awkward and uncoordinated it is to use something built for a righthander. I know that's the case for some left handed guitarists. Just try flipping your guitar over and play it left handed and you'll see what I mean about awkward.

[patskywriter]

i figure as long as a lefty guitarist doesn't try to join the orchestra, where everyone plays righty, he or she should go ahead and get a southpaw guitar.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Ashley Macisaac:



It just occurred to my that a left-handed piano (with the pass notes on the right) would be totally whacky.

[Patrick Brown]

One good thing about lefty models,,,it keeps others from playing your instrument.(for the most part)
PS Ashley there is one mean player.(dunno if he does jazz), and he's over the top,,that is backwards, cuz it's alot harder to restring a fiddle lefty. You need to build one that way. You can't see it in the photo, but he's likely got army boots on with that kilt. Hilarious.

[Sredna]

The First Left-Handed Piano - they exist!

[cisco kid]

I'm a lefty. My guitar music teacher was a lefty. He didn't know I was a southpaw in the beginning until he finished tuning my guitar ... after ... he realized my guitar was altered for lefthanded playing..he was amused he didn't caught on right away...started to crack up laughing.
He said if your lefthand play lefthanded. I realize I can't play right handed it's like somebody playing right handed and trying to playing lefthanded ... try it. It's awkward.
Jimi Hendrix played lefthanded guitar but I noticed he wrote right handed. I seen him write autographs with his right hand.
I grab a golf club, baseball bat, bowling ball with my right. But guitar and utensils it has to be lefthanded. The downside guitars are made for right handed players for the most part. But nobody messes with your guitar unless they are lefty.

[lindydanny]

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

~DB

[kamlapati]

I am a lefty who plays righty, and have never considered any other way for me.

The problem with playing lefty is that you will never have the same selection of instruments available for you.