Left handed or right handed?

Lord-Fraquart

My son is left handed. When we bought his acoustic some years ago, an assistant at Lovemore Music suggested we buy him a right handed guitar. His said that having his stronger had doing the opposite to what it is supposed to do would be better. So we did.

When i bought him an electric guitar last year, the thought that he is left handed did not even cross my mind. That is until this week when his coach said the fact that he was struggling with timing or something bothered him and he could not pinpoint the cause. Until he realized my son was left handed.

He recons we must take him to a shop or two that has left handed guitars and see ho it works out. What say you?

IceCreamMan

How old is your son ....

There are a number of leftys who have ended up playing right handed , there are advantages to this being a wide selection of guitars, pedals are also set up for right handers (yip its true) etc. Left handed guitars are also generally sold at a premium on retail price (although i have found one can gernerally negotiate a better deal allowing the store to actually move the left handed guitar. So there are some advantages to maintaining his right handedness...

having said that i think yr idea is right , take him to a store and let him play a lefty or two (if he wants too of course, maybe he is happy playing righty), if it feels more natural then that is the way to go. i cannot imagine playing right handed to be honest but then i am an extreme lefty (yip u get varying degrees) i play all sports lefty, am left footed , eat left handed , drink left handed etc etc etc ?

at the risk of offending some i believe that lefties who adopt right handedness in sport or activities (such as guitar) never reach the same heights they could of reached had they remained true to their natural handedness.. i have researched handedness extensively and of course i can never prove potential unrealised.

the assistant at lovermore music dod yr son a huge disfavour i reckon though ...the assitant had no understadning of handedness or how the brain/body work.

aubs1

If my son was left handed, I would not interfere with what is natural to him. I would not give a rat's behind about left handed equipment (be that a guitar or anything else) costing a bit more. If he was good at whatever he was doing, I would encourage it.

Remember there are MANY guitarists (seeing that's the topic) I know of who are lefties, and they are brilliant......I'm not even gonna mention them.

Also remember about 40% of the best tennis players in the world are lefties ..... and many other sport and musical disciplines.

Just my 2c worth.

IceCreamMan wrote: ............. i believe that lefties who adopt right handedness in sport or activities (such as guitar) never reach the same heights they could of reached had they remained true to their natural handedness..
the assistant at lovermore music dod yr son a huge disfavour i reckon though ...the assitant had no understadning of handedness or how the brain/body work.

+1 I agree.

bruciekins

I have taught quite a few lefties to play right handed succesfully. The only time it becomes a problem is when they have already played left handed- getting them to change doesn't usually work, so I leave well enough alone. After all, in the larger musical world no other instrument comes in a left handed model. (imagine a leftie and a righty playing together at a violin desk. They'd be getting up each othere noses- literally ? ). The musical universe is full of great left handed musicians who play right handed.
The main reason people play left handed guitar is that the guitar is such a casual instrument that many people teach themselves, and do what comes naturally. I taught myself and have spent years correcting the things that came naturally, so I have no faith in it.