The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Is there such a thing as left handed tablature? I use Neck Diagrams to make chord diagrams for my students. Every now and again I have a left handed student. So it's easy to flip chords over. Is there such a thing for TAB? Do left handed students want/need left handed TABs? Does this exist?

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Standard guitar tab notation is just fret numbers on lines that indicate strings, usually written under staff. I don't see how that can depend on the orientation.

  4. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tal_175
    Standard guitar tab notation is just fret numbers on lines that indicate strings, usually written under staff. I don't see how that can depend on the orientation.
    Thanks. You’ve never seen such a thing? Left players have no problem?


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  5. #4

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    I haven't seen it. I think it's the same for both orientations. For example this tab would work equally well for both right and left handed players, I don't see how it can be different:
    Attached Images Attached Images Is there such a thing as left handed TAB?-guitar_tablature_sample-png 
    Last edited by Tal_175; 08-27-2021 at 03:05 PM.

  6. #5

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    The only issue would be if they are playing a guitar strung for RH playing, like Elizabeth Cotton and, IIRC, at least on LH blues guitarist (Albert King?), did.

  7. #6

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    Coming from a lefty, here are a couple thoughts.


    1 - Poor kid, he'll never have fun in a guitar shop.

    2 - I've never seen such a thing.

    3 - You won't be doing the kid any favors by either finding it, or making it yourself. Whatever time and energy you may think you're saving him now, will long be replaced by struggle when you are no longer there to hold his hand.


    I commend your effort as a teacher though. This is just one of the things they have to suck up and do. Though truthfully, I never even thought about it being right handed. I guess I always just thought of it as the low notes are on the bottom.

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by henryrobinett
    Is there such a thing as left handed tablature? I use Neck Diagrams to make chord diagrams for my students. Every now and again I have a left handed student. So it's easy to flip chords over. Is there such a thing for TAB? Do left handed students want/need left handed TABs? Does this exist?
    I am left handed, and keep guitar left handed so I play lefty guitar.
    I find left handed tab a very bad idea.

    A few years ago my friend looked for left handed guitar teacher for his left handed son. (The boy complained, he had hard time to get what the teacher are teaching him.)
    Why on earth, you want hurt your son I asked him?

    Think about, the boy will see 1 left handed guitarist, for every 50 right handed in his future life. Why he would learn to see a left handed guitar player, and apply what he see? He will see right handed players all the time (youtube, gigs, concerts etc). Learn that.

    Besides of this, ironic, but it is more easy to get from a mirrored image. (I mean the fretboard). So this is the only benefit being lefty, when I see you guys with a fretboard, it is just like seeing myself in a mirror. (Teacher and student are sitting face to face, necks point to the same direction, same for Skype, same for youtube) How hard is to get what is going on the teachers guitar? Easy for me :-) (but finding decent lefty guitars?, tell me about it, no GB Ibanez, no PM Ibanez, neither Sco... Epi do not have a decent left model anymore)

    ***

    I did not told my friend my sad conclusion. It may be an attitude problem with the boy. I mean is this an obstacle? The boy not even tried, not even thought about it, just tried to find why the external world causes he had hard time.

    Sorry for the long anecdote: The same goes for the tab :-) Will the student always in his life complaining for his custom lefty tabs? (I mean when he see a transcription on the youtube, etc) It is really contra productive to learn something where the majority (all?) of the literature is the opposite way.
    Last edited by Gabor; 08-28-2021 at 12:37 AM.

  9. #8

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    My Son is left handed. He started playing when 8. First thing we did was find a right handed guitar for him. Without being left handed myself, I believe humans and their brains are remarkably malleable. He has also learnt to kick left or right foot in soccer. Makes for a powerful winger. Still paints or writes at 13 with his left hand.
    He now has full choice in the Guitar shop.
    I once heard some place that what is commonly referred to as a right handed guitar was actually intended for left hand since there was a higher intricacy and precision required in the fretting hand. This might though be a throwback from baroque times when the lute was the precursor to what is now the modern guitar.
    One of the craziest things I have seen was Nigel Kennedy (crazy in his own right) and his Baroque Chamber orchestra accompanying a Lute for a Vivaldi's Concerto. From our seats in the Box Stalls, the scale length on that particular Lute was roughly 50inches.

    Cheers
    EMike

  10. #9

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    When Matt Uminov had a place on Bleeker Street in NY, someone came in and asked to see where the left handed guitars were. He said "Did you ever see a left handed piano?"

  11. #10

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    I say that all the time. Left handed piano.


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  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by henryrobinett
    I say that all the time. Left handed piano.


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    If I went into a percussion shop, could I get a left handed tympani? Left handed triangle? Are there left handed harmonicas?
    If I walked into a voice teacher and said "My daughter is left handed, do you have any experience?". Ha ha ha, Henry, this is a good thread. Left handed cowbell? There MUST be some country music players who are left handed!

  13. #12

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    Does anybody make a left handed computer keyboard?

  14. #13

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    I first heard left handed pianos when I was teaching a guitar class about 1993. The subject came up. I never know what to say. I always do say that if you want to put in the work initially all the brand happen in the fretting hand so if you can get the coordination together a leftie who plays righty should be way ahead of the game. And I listed some of the many shredders who were lefty but played right handed. But fir a beginner you can’t play anyway. How do you know if harder? You don’t because you can’t play yet!

    Then one guy chimed in. “I’m a left handed guitarist who plays right handed. I don’t understand all these namby-pamby whiny guitar players. Have ever seen a left handed piano? Just deal with it and stop complaining!”

    It cracked up.


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  15. #14

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    Mick Goodrick is a lefty who plays a standard tuned guitar. He jokingly says it gives him a left hand technique edge. Funny part is he plays fingerstyle a la classical, and that's picking chords and lines on his non dominant hand.
    While he was teaching at Berklee, he got the top students as his private students. He told me there were a surprisingly high percentage of lefties for some reason. And all of them, without exception, played standard 'right hand' string tuning. Something about those who don't accept the perceived obstacles that seem to be dealt, possess an elusive attitude that helps succeed where others fail.
    Once you're over the learning curve, it's just a matter of coming up with things you want to play; the rest comes naturally.

    And on the thread of left handed instruments, anybody know where I can get a left handed kazoo?