Left handed kids - teach them to play right handed?

Fuengi

Bit of a thing with this at school at the moment with my son and a friend being southpaw.

School music teacher says play right handed, I agree. Mums say they they think that's wrong but don't play.

Bigger issues in the world at the moment I know. 

What do you say? 

Winny_Pooh

Didnt hurt Knopler, Gary Moore not Steve Morse. I'd say have them try right handed and see how they take to it according to the school teacher's experience. 

WiresDreamDisasters

Play left handed. Make more interesting and better players.

brucegill

I can’t believe they actually recommend that in this day and age?! 

They’re left handed. Play left handed. 

stratman3142

I'm left handed and play right handed. I'd say give right handed a good try first. I'm glad I started that way as there are more options when buying guitars. Swap if the learner really can't get on with it.

Cols

I’m left handed but play right handed, because when I started I only had access to a right handed guitar.  By the time I had money to actually buy one of my own, I’d progressed too far and it would have meant effectively having to retrain my brain.  I’m not a terrible player, but I do wonder if I would have been better if I’d learned left handed from the start.

Playing guitar requires dexterity from both hands; I think it ended up with the dominant hand picking because a lot of rhythm and expressivity comes from how you strike the string.  But then you’ve got the poor old non-dominant hand doing all the vibrato, legato and the dreaded barre chords.

Back to the kids - they’ll probably do fine right handed, but better to go left handed from the beginning if possible.  Being an old cynic, I suspect the music teacher wants them to play right handed for the same reason I’ve ended up right handed; too much of a pain in the neck to source left handed instruments for them.

Fuengi

brucegill said:

I can’t believe they actually recommend that in this day and age?! 

They’re left handed. Play left handed. 

It's probably harmless enough. Let's not go too Markle about it, it's not like they are not enforcing slavery or anything, just suggesting kids try things out a different way. 

Brad

I’m also a lefty that plays righty as that’s what felt most comfortable when holding a guitar for the first time, I instinctively went right handed. I vividly remember being asked to try it the other way because I’m left handed, but that felt way more awkward, so I stuck with right handed. Seriously, just hold the guitar the wrong 

way round for you, then imagine having to learn from that starting point. It’s doable of course, plenty of examples of that. But why make life harder?

In my experience, go with what feels comfortable for the kids. I have my suspicions but I’d love to know the music teacher’s reasoning for wanting them to play right handed if it goes against what is comfortable for them. 

If possible get them the sit with a guitar right handed and to fret even just one note. Then do the same thing but sat left handed. Their reaction will tell you (and them) everything you need to know. 

soma1975

I'm a lefty that plays righty. It makes no difference which hand you lead with so don't limit their options for guitars and make them pay over the odds all their life and look weird to everyone else with their mirror guitars and not be able to pick up other people's guitars.

WiresDreamDisasters

soma1975 said:

I'm a lefty that plays righty. It makes no difference which hand you lead with so don't limit their options for guitars and make them pay over the odds all their life and look weird to everyone else with their mirror guitars and not be able to pick up other people's guitars.

This is your experience. It's not mine. So "it makes no difference.... etc etc" is not truth, it's just opinion.

My experience is that I tried to learn right handed initially, and really struggled. Then I got a left handed strat copy, and became a badassmotherfucker.

And the options for guitars these days are very good for left handed players.

Forcing a kid to play right handed when they might be more comfortable playing left handed, is just going to result in them giving it up quickly and getting into making synthwave.

monquixote

I'm a lefty who plays righty.

Just let them try it and swap if they struggle.

breezytele

Let them follow their instinctive grasp of the instrument 
yes, plenty of lefties play right handed, but they’re simply comfortable that way.

if they’re coerced into playing the wrong/uncomfortable  way, they’ll give up..

sammysaber

Another convert here - as a young teen had to have a Gibson Flying V (Chandler's sent a letter saying they could make one). Guitar teacher at school said given how crap I was, might as well go right handed. All good but a few years later when shred was everything, there was a Gary Moore interview where he said that due to switching hands, he found it more difficult to do bla bla - that really stuck in my mind for a while thinking what a mistake I made - not having the wisdom that practice and graft was needed rather than blaming my deficiencies on the switch.

I think the important thing here was that it was my choice.

As above, at worst they can switch back and be the next Jimi.

Best,

Sammy

Rich210

I think it's different for everyone but there should be options for kids to try and get a sense of what's right for them.

I'm a bit all over the place with my handedness. Left hand writing, right hand guitar, right arm throwing, left hand batting, right arm serving, left hand flicking, left hand table tennis, right arm punching etc. 

I think you can learn to improve your handedness but the key thing is enjoyment in learning. So if kids feel more comfortable with one way or another they should go with that. It's a really good question to be thinking about, maybe get him a uke and restring it left and right  and see which he prefers?

Teachers shouldn't dictate against natural inclination. 

axisus

stratman3142 said:

I'm left handed and play right handed. I'd say give right handed a good try first. I'm glad I started that way as there are more options when buying guitars. Swap if the learner really can't get on with it.

100% right for me.

Just go anywhere and check the (not very good) selection of left handed guitars. They will thank you for it in later life if they keep it up!

soma1975

WiresDreamDisasters said:

soma1975 said:

I'm a lefty that plays righty. It makes no difference which hand you lead with so don't limit their options for guitars and make them pay over the odds all their life and look weird to everyone else with their mirror guitars and not be able to pick up other people's guitars.

This is your experience. It's not mine. So "it makes no difference.... etc etc" is not truth, it's just opinion.

My experience is that I tried to learn right handed initially, and really struggled. Then I got a left handed strat copy, and became a badassmotherfucker.

And the options for guitars these days are very good for left handed players.

Forcing a kid to play right handed when they might be more comfortable playing left handed, is just going to result in them giving it up quickly and getting into making synthwave.

Alright mate, just a bit of fun. Sorry that everyone laughs at your back to front guitar. 

benecol

I'm the only right hander in my house. Everyone pretty fiercely southpaw (my wife's the same age as me, so grew up with the classic correct left-handedness at all costs thing). But I've always been lead to believe that, because guitar is pretty difficult for both hands, it's one of those things that it's fine for left handers to do right handed. Plus there'll be plenty more (and cheaper) guitars to choose from.

Kilgore

Brad said:

I’m also a lefty that plays righty as that’s what felt most comfortable when holding a guitar for the first time, I instinctively went right handed. I vividly remember being asked to try it the other way because I’m left handed, but that felt way more awkward, so I stuck with right handed. Seriously, just hold the guitar the wrong 

way round for you, then imaging having to learn from that starting point. It’s doable of course, plenty of examples of that. But why make life harder?

I'm inclined to agree with this. I'm a lefty who plays right handed. Holding the guitar lefty just didn't feel right. 

jmf1928

Lefty here. I play righty and prefer it. I’d rather have my dominant hand fretting than picking. Also much easier to buy and sell gear, which is the inevitable outcome for all of us guitar players. 

yorkio

benecol said:

Plus there'll be plenty more (and cheaper) guitars to choose from.

Just look at the classifieds here - 389 pages of right-handed guitars to wade through compared to two pages of lefties - and half of those ads are WTBs! Scrolling to the bottom of the first page of the main Guitars FS page takes you back to 20 September while the bottom ad of the lefties is from July 2018!

lysander

Worth noting that pretty much all other instruments are played the same way by right and left handed people, there’s no such thing as a left handed piano or violin or saxophone.
My wife is an excellent pianist and cellist and is left handed. One of my kids is left handed and will most likely be learning instruments in standard handedness including guitar if he feels like learning it.