My daughter's a lefty, do I teach her to play left or right handed?

hobbio

I'm getting my 8 year old girl a guitar for Christmas. She's a lefty, but she already plays the violin right handed. Do we teach her to play guitar right handed too, or left handed? I've read a few things in various places about the pros and cons of both ways, but for me it boils down to the following:

Comfort - Playing left handed will probably feel more natural to her at first, but will she get used to it quickly especially seeing as how she already plays violin right handed? She's got experience of pressing down on strings with her left hand to produce a note is what I mean, so maybe it will already feel more natural.

Choice - It's so much easier to get right handed guitars, and she'll be able to use mine too.

Any thoughts? Anything I haven't considered about this?

stickyfiddle

Right handed. I find it baffling that guitars are even available left handed when no other musical instruments are. 

- Easier to get instruments

- easier to play in bands when all headstocks face the same way

- can borrow instruments from bandmates more easily

- violin thought-process will transfer more easily

VimFuego

as she already plays violin R handed I reckon she'll make a much easier transition to R handed guitar.

Roland

Some left handlers are comfortable playing right handed, and even find it easier because all the really complicated stuff is in the left hand. There are a few that need to play left handed. If she is managing the violin then she is not one of them. Learning right handed will give access to a much greater range of instruments.

John_P

I'm left handed but play right.    It matters more for some lefties than others, it sounds like she will be fine playing RH so I would suggest trying that first - I know some lefties who would struggle but if she does then - I do dep gigs with one and he claims it felt very wrong when he tried a right handed guitar as his first and felt comfortable as soon as he started learning left handed.
If she is ok with it, I think there are more advantages to playing RH.

hobbio

Yeah, I'm inclined to agree. Thanks for confirming it for me

axisus

+1 on RH, but I'd include her in the decision personally

monquixote

I'm a lefty that plays righty. I'm really glad I learned to play this way around. 

I guess try her righty and if she doesn't like it then get her a lefty one.

fretmeister

Take her to the shop and let her pick.

DesVegas

both ways... with delay

hobbio

I think she'd naturally gravitate towards a lefty after a couple of the tests we've done (get her to play air guitar and see what position she takes up, get her to clap and see which hand is dominant etc) but I think in the long term we'd be better steering her towards a right hander to begin with, especially after trying her out today on one of mine.

Besides, if we end up getting her a lefty later on it means there'll be a spare full sized right handed guitar and I know someone else who plays those...

sweepy

Gary Moore and Mark Knopfler were/are lefties that learnt to play R/H  seemed to work for them 

Lixarto

You let her decide.

Forge

Both my daughter and I are lefties playing RH. I strongly recommend you look at the Squier Mini, I was sceptical but it is a cracking little guitar.

axisus

sweepy said:

Gary Moore and Mark Knopfler were/are lefties that learnt to play R/H  seemed to work for them 

Also Steve Morse

frankus

I'm a lefty and frankly aged 6 playing guitar left handed was the only thing I ever put my foot down about - parents forgetting birthdays, fine... only wearing hand-me-downs - okay new pants would be nice though, getting told off for kicking my older, bullying brother in the nuts ... that's life.

But when I held a guitar there was only one way it felt right and I drew a line in the sand.

What are the down sides?

• I buy USACG, Tokai, Suhr, MIJ Strats only... that way I can get the guitars I want without restriction or extra fees by making it or having it made - that's okay - I'm left handed we're creative.
• I'm a bit of a guitar horder because I can't walk into shops and pickup any instrument. But then I found this place and realised that has NOTHING to do with being left handed - it has to do with not having enough time to play the things and a surplus of money to spend on them.
• I spent a year or so flipping chord patterns.
• I have to ignore comments like "use your right hand to..."
• I have to ignore jibes like "someone made it the wrong way around"
• I am not allowed to kick people in the nuts for saying "you don't see left handed pianos" ... most people don't see a left hook coming - what's your point?
• The log pots on electrics need to be reverse log.

What are the up sides?

• Every guitar teacher is like looking in the mirror: so easy to see what they're playing.
• I'm better at playing right handed than right handers are at playing left handed - in fact I play right handed guitar left handed some time to simply find new riffs and imbalances in my dexterity.
• My playing has always felt like the most natural thing.
• I took ownership of my playing guitar from an early age - went native, savage and vicious - it made me.
• Second hand price on Lefties is lower or they stay in shops longer so deals can be struck.

There are different degrees of left handedness and there are different degrees of bloody mindedness - the important thing with kids is to encourage them, my family inadvertently crushed a lot of my spirit. Whether or not it was the right thing to do, they honoured my wanting to play left handed and that acceptance was possibly the most valuable thing I have from my childhood.

The reality is my Grandpa (who I really liked) bought the guitar, and my Mum being left handed was keen to see someone not be punished in the school system for being left handed - but emotionally it's the only time it felt like they cared - with quiet kids you never know when those moments are.. until they're teenagers and they throw it in your face, much to your bewilderment.

I'm a left handed guitarist, it's awesome, I'm awesome and I've got a chip on my shoulder that means I pity those who betrayed their sinistrality for an easy life. And when I say pity, you know the kids in Pullman's Northern Lights, who are cut from their daemons? That kind of pity.. it's a bit mixed with disgust... it's bigotry and frankly it's challenged by most left handed people who play right handed.

I've played lefty for years and gave up, I've tried playing right handed, then left handed like Albert King, then I got a lefty and couldn't play so strung it for right handed (a reverse Albert King) then gave in and played left handed again.. I've tried tuning in fifths and open Cm6 - something to help it make sense...

I don't think anyone can have strong recommendations, because, you're uniquely in your situation and we only know the sketchiest of information about it, and the same can be said of your situation with your daughter - you don't know the impact or import of her left handedness (if at all) it might define her, it might mean nothing to her. It's your job as a parent to proceed with caution and surplus self-doubt. Good luck

xSkarloey

stickyfiddle said:

Right handed. I find it baffling that guitars are even available left handed when no other musical instruments are. 

- Easier to get instruments

- easier to play in bands when all headstocks face the same way

- can borrow instruments from bandmates more easily

- violin thought-process will transfer more easily

Er... I think it's got something to do with the fact that some of us actually NEED to play that way. 

I wouldn't have a fucking chance playing violin in the conventional right handed manner. Ditto guitar, much to my annoyance. This post is though, with all due respect, far too simplistic. 

Piano, sax, other kinds of stuff, yes no problem. But with guitar and violin to name those two I think we're talking about a more complex interaction of gross/ fine motor function. 

Anyway, back on topic, let your daughter have a go and see which way she naturally holds the guitar. 

I'm thinking of getting my daughter a Uke for Christmas and she's left handed like me. I'm taking her to a shop and going to let her just hold the thing and will go with what's natural for her. 

It might be that your daughter copes well with the violin taught right handed but chooses to go with the guitar left handed, such is the way of these things. 

HAL9000

axisus said:

sweepy said:

Gary Moore and Mark Knopfler were/are lefties that learnt to play R/H  seemed to work for them 

Also Steve Morse

And Wilko Johnson. 

But, as others have suggested, I'd say see which way round your daughter instinctively picks up a guitar. Then go with it. 

(I'm right-handed but do a number of things left-handed. When I was very young one of my grandparents would rap my knuckles if I did anything left-handed - until my parents put him straight that is. I suspect that without this particular grandparent I'd be much more left-handed than I am, and that some tasks requiring dexterity* might have come easier to me. Consequently I am now firmly of the opinion that people shouldn't be influenced when it comes to handedness unless there is some compelling reason.)

* Yeah, I know, bad choice of word but even 'adroitness' has right-handed connotations.

Drew_TNBD

I play lefty because it feels more comfortable. I tried to play right handed, couldn't get it. Got myself a lefty guitar, within weeks I was banging out riffs and my playing went from strength to strength.

Take her to a shop and let her try out both so she can decide which is more comfortable for her.

frankus

care to recommend a shop? I remember wandering around loads of shops trying out their black squier strat, squier precision bass and hondo acoustic ... I think the lefty selections has got better but not greatly

digitalscream

stickyfiddle said:

I find it baffling that guitars are even available left handed when no other musical instruments are. 

You know what I find baffling? The fact that right-handed and left-handed guitars are both the wrong way round.

Think about it - generally, your fretting hand needs to be the most nimble and dextrous, but for some stupid reason none of us want to assign that role to our dominant hand.

It would've suited me far better to play left-handed, given what I now know - my left hand is showing signs of arthritis and my right arm has nerve and tendon problems which make lateral wrist movement very difficult and bending my elbow in an accurate fashion (eg strumming, you dirty folk) is often really painful. Swapping them over would be the ideal solution.