Is it worth learning to play left handed?

thecolourbox

I play right handed (as in I fret with my left and pick with my right) but I've never been convinced that is necessarily the best way around as really you'd think that you'd want your stronger hand doing the more athletic technique work. I played piano for 10 years before I picked up a guitar so my right/left coordination is OK, so would it be worth trying to learn to play left handed?

Or strung upside down? Or both?

Just wondering if it'd be worth the challenge, and whether it might improve my musicality by looking at it differently

viz

Nope

Sporky

If you're right handed, your left hand îs probably stronger.

thecolourbox

Sporky said:

If you're right handed, your left hand îs probably stronger.

It doesn't feel it on piano haha

How about the upside down string thing?

notanon

Which do you think is the most complex if you introduce finger picking? Don't count Jazz though - that is just plain weird, hence why I am trying to learn :-) 

Remember: You need to consider harmonics with pick and thumb, palm muting, string skipping, attack, position of the stroke relative to sound hole/pups, . . . .

I remember thinking the same when I first picked up a guitar, the complex stuff is with my lesser coordinated hand. 

octatonic

Nope.
Strength isn't a significant factor with guitar playing- it is actually left and right hand synchronisation.
You get good at what you practice.

notanon

@octatonic ;

Would you agree that stamina is a better phrase and that strength can actually cause you problems? You don't want to strangle the damn thing. Need the old hand exercises and massages to stop cramp and other hassles - I should do more :-(

TheBlueWolf

I'm left handed but play guitar the regular way. Hendrix aside I had no idea about left handed guitars but I'm glad I learnt the right way round. Playing guitar involves bot your hands being synchronized so you might as well stick with what you've got.

octatonic

notanon said:

@octatonic ;;

Would you agree that stamina is a better phrase and that strength can actually cause you problems? You don't want to strangle the damn thing. Need the old hand exercises and massages to stop cramp and other hassles - I should do more :-(

Stamina implies a certain amount of tension that I wouldn't want to emphasise- how about 'conditioning'?

viz

Or relaxing

Rocker

My natural shotgun shooting stance is from the left shoulder. But my right eye is master so I 'had' to learn to shoot from the right shoulder. Easier too as most guns are built for right handed shooters. I play golf left handed due to injury but right handed would be my natural swing. Always putted right handed though. Guitar and bass right handed.

dtr

I'd rather listen to a guitarist with excellent picking technique and sloppy fretting than the other way round.

I'm left handed for most things but play right-handed after learning on mates' guitars, and i think that's a big factor in me sounding shit

bacchanalian

I think that more than 50% of a players style and tone comes from the picking hand.  At the beginning you have to focus on the fretting hand to get any where at all.  I think it takes a few years to get your picking hand sorted out.  If I am ever discussing this I use Keith Richard's intro to Honky Tonk Women from Love You Live as an example.  He only uses his right hand and five strings but is amazing.

Old_Swanner

I did this some years back to test my old method of working with beginners and to see how long it ought to take to get someone playing from scratch.  I expected my right hand to be better at fretting notes than I remember my left being when I first learned.  I was disappointed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL6yI1fDta0