Left handed playing a right handed guitar

[Skyedriver]

I am a left handed person and have tried as a youngster to play guitar left handed ( and failed mainly I seem to recall, because my fingers weren't quick enough to move on the frets)
I was wondering if I would be any better playing right handed as my left hand might be better suited and faster on the frets. It'll be an acoustic.
Anyone ever tried?
I know there are pros who have swopped hands.

[Motown Junk]

When I was learning as a kid, tried left and right. I always wrote, played cricket/golf/squash, left handed; (even a goofey footer on a skateboard) but preferred guitar right handed. Like you, think fretwork was easier with my left. Whatever feels most natural I spose.

[MrOnTheRopes]

Motown Junk said:

Whatever feels most natural I spose.

Got to agree with that.

I'm a lefty guitarist - it feels so wrong righty - but other than that I only write left handed. Everything else (throwing, snooker cues, kicking you name it) I can only do righty.

[scumbagjag]

My father writes left handed but does everything else (shoot, play pool, and play guita) right handed.
Go for it.

[Chris71]

Worked for Hendrix IIRC?

[crofty1984]

Chris71 said:

Worked for Hendrix IIRC?

Thought he played an upside down re-strung right-hander? (so left handed)

[scumbagjag]

crofty1984 said:

Chris71 said:

Worked for Hendrix IIRC?

Thought he played an upside down re-strung right-hander? (so left handed)

That's right (left?).
Watching Jools on the gogglybox the other night there was a chap playing a right handed bass left handed, but still strung for right so the E was the top string (physical bottom).

[mull]

scumbagjag said:

crofty1984 said:

Chris71 said:

Worked for Hendrix IIRC?

Thought he played an upside down re-strung right-hander? (so left handed)

That's right (left?).
Watching Jools on the gogglybox the other night there was a chap playing a right handed bass left handed, but still strung for right so the E was the top string (physical bottom).

That'll be Jimi Goodwin from Doves. I've noticed that a few times and wondered if I was seeing things but its obviously not just my eyes playing tricks on me. Saw him on some channel 4 show the other night playing an 12 string acoustic strung for a right-hander as a leftie so i guess he's got used to the strings being the wrong way round

[Alfanatic]

crofty1984 said:

Chris71 said:

Worked for Hendrix IIRC?

Thought he played an upside down re-strung right-hander? (so left handed)

Yeah Hendrix played left handed. I believe Gary Moore is a lefty who plays right handed though.

[JimCross]

It's always seemed odd to me, doing the more intricate work with your weaker hand, but it feels right to me.

Hendrix was also capable of playing right-handed guitars strung normally upside down (so the high E was at the top, low E at the bottom)

[Skyedriver]

Been trying out both ways for the last couple of days.
Guess i am just left handed.
Can select the chords quicker and more precisly with my left hand, but my right hand has no rythym or sense whatsoever.
Keep trying i guess

[gingerpaul]

As a motivation for playing right handed you will have much more choice of guitars as and when you decide to chop and change. There never seem to be many left handed instruments in guitar shops. Just a thought.

[Ganglandboss]

Alfanatic said:

crofty1984 said:

Chris71 said:

Worked for Hendrix IIRC?

Thought he played an upside down re-strung right-hander? (so left handed)

Yeah Hendrix played left handed. I believe Gary Moore is a lefty who plays right handed though.

Correct - he indead is, as is Mark Knopfler. Jimi Hendrix was actually the opposite; he was right-handed but played left-handed (he played right handed during his early career and wrote right-handed).

[celticpilgrim]

I'm naturally left-handed, but even though I've tried, just can't play right handed. Whether the fact that I've played piano since i was a kid might help

[Skyedriver]

gingerpaul said:

As a motivation for playing right handed you will have much more choice of guitars as and when you decide to chop and change. There never seem to be many left handed instruments in guitar shops. Just a thought.

logical answer and very true but if I cannot master the basics due to lack of syncopation....
now re-aquired my old '60s guitar which can be strung either way, complete with rust, and nylon strings.....
Now have another question.
The strings are fixed at the "bottom" in a steel "frame" but then pass over a wooden "bridge" before continuing up the soundbox and then frets. This wooden bridge is not fixed. What should the dimension be from the frets to the bridge? I'll get out the glue....
Tony H ( putting a new meaning to the word amateur......)

[Alfanatic]

Skyedriver said:

gingerpaul said:

As a motivation for playing right handed you will have much more choice of guitars as and when you decide to chop and change. There never seem to be many left handed instruments in guitar shops. Just a thought.

logical answer and very true but if I cannot master the basics due to lack of syncopation....
now re-aquired my old '60s guitar which can be strung either way, complete with rust, and nylon strings.....
Now have another question.
The strings are fixed at the "bottom" in a steel "frame" but then pass over a wooden "bridge" before continuing up the soundbox and then frets. This wooden bridge is not fixed. What should the dimension be from the frets to the bridge? I'll get out the glue....
Tony H ( putting a new meaning to the word amateur......)

The length from the bridge to the nut / zero fret (scale length) varies from guitar to guitar, but the 12th fret should be halfway, so double the distance from nut to 12th fret to get scale length. If the bridge isn't fixed and isn't obviously broken off, I suspect it shouldn't be fixed, and would be a floating bridge held in place by string tension. I'd be hesitant to go anywhere near it with glue.

[Skyedriver]

hi, floating bridge, so it could be meant to be like this?
String tension certainly holds it but you can slide it up and down the sound box if you so desire, but if i set it as you suggest, then don't keep fiddling with it I should be ok.
(and before someone points out, it's a guitar, not a fiddle and won't fit under my chin!)
Tony

[Alfanatic]

yeah, if it doesn't look like it was ever fixed to the guitar - no dry glue or anything on it - then I would guess it's supposed to be loose. Am I right in thinking your guitar looks a little bit like this?



and this?



I'm surprised the bridge can be moved with the strings up to tension and don't know if that's right or not... I don't have enough experience with them, but I would have expected there to be some kind of structure on which to locate the bridge so that you don't have to work out where it's supposed to be with a tape measure or something every time you change the strings.

[Skyedriver]

no, nowt as flash as those.
TBH it wa a Christmas present from parents to a teenager back in the 60's, guess it was a pretty much bottom of the range (sorry mum and dad.)
The bridge just sort of sits there.....
It was right handed but I strung it left handed back in the 60's. Sister restrung it right handed in the 90's and i strung it back to left handed today......and snapped a string

[Alfanatic]

OK, I was really thinking of the steel frame holding the strings on, if that's the kind of arrangement you guitar has, as opposed to the strings being held in with pegs.

EDIT: Actually I may be getting it wrong because I'm thinking steel string. Nylons tend to be tied around a bar..

Edited by Alfanatic on Monday 20th April 11:32