Left Side
Left Side
 |
US $19.99
Left Handed Guitar Playing - a Guide
Left handed people can become guitar players but there are some adjustments you need to make to your guitar and your outlook. First if you think that you "should" be right handed because that is how guitars are designed, think again. If the hand that keeps telling you it wants to perform actions is your left hand, you are better off listening to it. This is your active hand, which makes your right hand passive. So in a way, your left hand tells your right hand what to do. Paul McCartney is one guitar player who tried to make his right hand do the picking and it did not work. He only started to get anywhere with playing the guitar after he changed the strings around and started picking with his left hand. There are lots of left handed guitar players who have mastered their instrument and gained fame and fortune. I have already mentioned Paul McCartney, and there are many others like Curt Cobain, Tony Iommi, Jimi Hendrix and Slim Whitman.
Dick Dale, "King Of The Surf Guitar" is one notable exception to this rule. The first guitar he learnt to play on was a normal right handed guitar. So he forced his hands to learn to play without changing the order of the strings on the guitar. Even after he was able to buy custom made left handed guitars, he still played with the strings in the right hand positions because that is what he was used to. Bobby Womack and Albert King also play like this.
So what changes need to be made to a guitar to make it suitable for playing left handed? Well, when you hold a guitar in playing position the sixth string - the E string which is the thickest guitar string needs to be on top of the guitar, that is closest to your shoulder. To achieve this the order of the strings needs to be reversed. If you hold a right handed guitar in front of you and look straight at it, the sixth string is on your right hand side. To string the guitar for left handed playing, the first string should be on the right hand side.
Also, the two parts of the guitar that actually hold the strings on - the bridge and the nut need to be changed around. If you look closely at these parts you will see that they have slots cut in them to hold the strings. Naturally the nut and bridge will need to be turned upside down to fit the strings in the reverse order.
Now for the question of buying left handed guitars. Many guitarists complain that left handed guitars cost around double the price of right handed guitars, so you will need to do some serious shopping. Tokai and Vintage make serviceable mid-range left handed guitars for a reasonable price,. Fender make all the 'basic' model Telecasters and Stratocasters for leftys, and Gibson make left handed versions of all their flagship guitars.
Now let us look at another challenge for left handed guitarists - chord charts. If you do a search on the web you will find a range of printed left handed chord charts and chord generators. A good on to start with is "Left Handed Guitar Chord Chart", by Robert Tarchara. There are also books that are written especially for left handed guitar players:
Mel Bay Left-Handed Guitar Chords, by William Bay, 2005
Guitar Case Guide to Left-Handed Chords, by Rikky Rooksby, 2001
Guitar Case Guide to Left-handed Scales, by Rikky Rooksby, 2006
Fortunately there are many left handed guitar players who have been willing to share the knowledge and experience on line. Some can be found on forums, others have set up their own websites. Among other tips they can help with where and how to buy left handed guitars.
About the Author
Do you want to learn to play the guitar? http://playaguitarforfree.com/ is my blog which shows you that there are many people like you who wish to learn how to play bass, acoustic or electric guitar. You will find guitar lessons, videos, articles and reviews to answer your questions, calm your fears and help you play the guitar.
|
|
Left Side Of The Brain $9.49 Left Side Of The Brain |
|
|
Left And Right Side Er-10 $108.99 LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE ER-10 |
|
|
ESCLS Left Side Exhaust $230 ESCLS Left Side Exhaust System |
|
|
Bosch TS1003 Left Side Support $29.99 Left Side Support - TS1003 |
|
|
Desk,Ped Left Side,Dwt $316.99 DESK,PED LEFT SIDE,DWT |
|
|
Left Side Mirror $26.28 Left side mirror, in black. Mirror Thread Size: M8x1.5 (Regular Thread) |
|
|
Left Hand Side of the Church Portal $49.99 Left Hand Side of the Church Portal - Giclee Print |
|
|
GSLRM Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels: Red $433.8 Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels |
|
|
GSLDO Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels: Dark $433.8 Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels |
|
|
GSLN Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels: $433.8 Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels |
|
|
GSLSW Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels: Special $433.8 Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels |
|
|
GSLE Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels: $433.8 Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels |
|
|
GSLB Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels: $433.8 Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels |
|
|
GSLW Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels: $433.8 Left Side Shelf for Georgian Mantels |
|
|
Man Clutches Left Side of Chest $24.99 George Marks Man Clutches Left Side of Chest - Photographic Print |
|
|
Left Side Floor Cover $16.85 Left Side Cover Under Floor Body Panel for 150cc and 125cc GY6 engine based Sport Style scooters. Shop the largest selection of scooter parts , gas scooters , electric scooters , and motorized scooters for sale. |
|
|
Left Side Crank Case $133.91 Left Side Crankcase for 250cc 4-stroke water-cooled CN250 engines. Shop the largest selection of scooter parts , gas scooters , electric scooters , and motorized scooters for sale. |
|
|
Left Lower Side Cover $14.87 Lower Left Side Cover for 150cc and 125cc GY6 engine based Sport Style Scooters. Shop the largest selection of scooter parts , gas scooters , electric scooters , and motorized scooters for sale. |
|
|
Sectional Sofa with Left-Side Chaise in Black Leatherette $1545 Sectional Sofa with Left-Side Chaise in Black Leatherette |
|
|
Sectional Sofa with Left-Side Chaise in Brown Leatherette $1545 Sectional Sofa with Left-Side Chaise in Brown Leatherette |
|
|
Honolua Left Side Shorts (KHA) $50 Honolua Left Side Shorts are 100% cotton, overdyed yarn dye, zipper and button fly, side pockets, back welt pockets, logo embroidery at the bottom left, and an 11 inseam. |
|
|
Ang. Side Wing 14sp Left Metal $236.99 ANG. SIDE WING 14SP LEFT METAL |
|
|
Ang. Left Side Wing 12spc Blk $225.99 ANG. LEFT SIDE WING 12SPC BLK |
|
|
Ang. Left Side Wing 12spc Mapl $225.99 ANG. LEFT SIDE WING 12SPC MAPL |
|
|
Ang. Left Side Wing Ebony Conf $199.99 ANG. LEFT SIDE WING EBONY CONF |
|
|
Ang. Left Side Wing Maple Conf $199.99 ANG. LEFT SIDE WING MAPLE CONF |
|
|
Left Side Rear Body Cover $18.84 Left Side Rear Body Cover for 150cc and 125cc 4-stroke Sport Style scooters. |
|
|
IBM Rail Right Side Only For X3550 (Left Side) 42R6462 $52.46 IBM Rail Right Side Only For X3550 (Left Side) 42R6462 |
|
|
Pseudo Left Side Muffler/ Pipes $314.99 Bassani Pseudo Left Side Muffler/ Pipes For use with Bassani Road Rage 2-into-1 systems Attaches to rear head pipe and OEM left-side muffler mount for a True Dual look Includes matching megaphone mufflers with billet end cap |
|
|
Omnirax Om13l 13-Rackspace Cabinet For The Left Side Of The Omnidesk $367.5 Omnirax OM13L 13-Rackspace Cabinet for the Left Side of the OmniDesk - Black |
|
|
Yamaha U0150401 Left Side Leg Post $89.99 In Store Clearance YAMAHA U0150401 LEFT SIDE LEG POST |
|
|
Krups Left Side Creamy Pod Holder - NEW STYLE $4.99 Left Side Creamy Pod Holder - NEW STYLE |
|
|
Krups Left Side Coffee Pod Holder - NEW STYLE $4.99 Left Side Coffee Pod Holder - NEW STYLE |
|
|
HAMILTON-LVS-L Modular Assembly Left Side Seat for Love $360.68 Modular Assembly Left Side Seat for Love Seat |
|
|
3D Carbon Body Kit - Side Skirt (Left) [05-06 Ford Mustang] $177 3D Carbon Body Kit - Side Skirt (Left) |
|
|
Xenon Body Kit - Side Skirt (Left) (Urethane) [94-98 Ford Mustang] $127.14 Xenon Body Kit - Side Skirt (Left) (Urethane) |