Lefty wants some advice...

Muhammad

Hey guys,

just wanted some thoughts on this, I'm a lefty who's been playing right handed for about 12 years (couldn't afford lefty guitars when I started and didn't even know they existed till two years into playing)

for te most part I've gotten quite used to it, and my right hand listens to my brain most of the time, lately however, I've been trying to get into shredding for the purposes of building speed and accuracy, but my right hand goes through phases where I can alternate pick like a demon, and then thereare times when it's like a limp fish... Where everything sounds terrible..

Anyone have any experience/students with this problem? Should I try to go lefty?
I use a PRS custom 22 which I absolutely love so my biggest problem is not finding a lefty PRS here and I won't afford one from the US... dilemma!

Any thoughts?

Bob-Dubery

Aren't these the usual ups and downs of learning and improving and extending oneself?

It seems to me that switching from right hand to left hand after all this time is going to create even more problems. Starting with getting your guitar modified - which is certainly possible.

Could it be that you are over practicing? That you are hammering away for hours on end and the hands just get tired?

Yesterday I played so badly that I swore to give it up and sell all my guitars. This afternoon I may feel differently.

AlanRatcliffe

Stick with playing righty. If you've got 12 years under your belt already, you're going to get frustrated learning from scratch as a lefty (and trying to find a decent lefty guitar). Like Bob, I think you've just hit one of those "learning plateaus" that you just have to power your way through with practice.

Muhammad

Thanks Alan and Bob, you guys make valid points..
@Bob I don't think I'd be too comfortable modding a PRS, even reversing strings because then the horns would be reversed so higher fret access would become impossible..

I think I'll keep trying for a bit longer, one thing I'm trying to do is use my right hand for more daily tasks.. To sort of improve my co-ordination etc..
I am fairly ambidextrous in most things do it's actually not all that bad..
One good thing about my playing style is that my legato is pretty good ?

doc-phil

I'm left handed but play right handed. I wanted to play guitar for about two years before I actually started, and even at that stage I knew playing left handed would cost a lot, in terms of money and frustration in not being able to find lefty guitars, so what I did was every time I jammed air guitar I made sure I did it right handed. It felt funny at first, but by the time I got my first guitar I wouldn't have dreamt of playing left handed.

There are pros and cons to me playing right handed as a lefty, the pro being that my fretting hand is a lot more nimble than I think it would be if I was using my weak hand. The only con is that this is juxtaposed with the fact that my picking hand often feels clumsy when learning new techniques and when trying to build up picking speed. But hey, right handers run into the same problems when playing right handed, so maybe the way you play isn't really a factor at all. Whichever feels the most comfortable should be the way you play.

They shouldn't make left handed guitars, just like they don't make left handed hockey sticks! ?

[deleted]

X-rated Bob wrote: Yesterday I played so badly that I swore to give it up and give away all my guitars.

Fixed. (You know where to find me.)

Bob-Dubery

Stratisfear wrote:
X-rated Bob wrote: Yesterday I played so badly that I swore to give it up and give away all my guitars.
Fixed. (You know where to find me.)

Fingerpicker

Hi,
I am left handed playing right handed. My right hand was always the "better" hand because that is the one I did most of the practising with (fingerpicking) over the years. Only in the last 3 years have I been practising scales etc, and moving around the fretboard more, and my left hand is catching up very quickly.

Keep playing right handed. I am sure that changing over will not be worth the time you have to spend on it. Think of what you can learn in the mean time.

The cyclists say "train your weaknesses and race your strengths". ie if you are not good on hills train a lot on hills, it will make your strong races stronger.

So with guitar I am training my weaknesses (left hand) but still playing a lot of music with a right hand bias with left hand moves starting to appear more frequently.

If something feels uncomfortable keep practising it until you hardly notice that you're playing it. This may take months but it will happen.

I hope this is of some use.

Muhammad

Fingerpicker wrote: Hi,
I am left handed playing right handed. My right hand was always the "better" hand because that is the one I did most of the practising with (fingerpicking) over the years. Only in the last 3 years have I been practising scales etc, and moving around the fretboard more, and my left hand is catching up very quickly.

Keep playing right handed. I am sure that changing over will not be worth the time you have to spend on it. Think of what you can learn in the mean time.

The cyclists say "train your weaknesses and race your strengths". ie if you are not good on hills train a lot on hills, it will make your strong races stronger.

So with guitar I am training my weaknesses (left hand) but still playing a lot of music with a right hand bias with left hand moves starting to appear more frequently.

If something feels uncomfortable keep practising it until you hardly notice that you're playing it. This may take months but it will happen.

I hope this is of some use.

Thanks man, it is, I've been grinding away and i can now do 3note per string runs at about 170 bpm on most days.. It's getting a bit easier, but my right hand will always feel.."weaker"..

IceCreamMan

i changed over to a lefty after a hiatus of many years ...i did play a right handed guitar "upside down" previously.

after 12 years i reckon stick with what you know.