Famous left hand players who still play right handed

guitars4you

I hate the term 'right handed guitar' as ultimately you still need 2 hands to play a guitar, but I know why we use such a term - However I stumbled across an article that listed the following well known southpaws who still play the guitar in the traditional manner - A few I knew that are south paws like Gary Moore but a few surprises as well

Billy Corgan -Carl Wilson - Chris Rea - Danny Gatton - David Bowie - Duanne Allman - Elvis Costello - Gary Moore - George Barnes - George Van Eps - Johnny Winter - Mark Knopfler - Mike Bloomfield - Nick Lowe - Noel Gallagher - Paul Simon - Phil Hilbourne - Preston Reed - Rik Emmett - Robert Fripp - Steve Cropper - Steve Morse - Ted Greene - Neal Schon - Wilko Johnson

I'm sure I've seen before from an interview that EVH and Hank Marvin are also Southpaws - I think I recall a statement from EVH that he stated that the dexterity required from his left hand is helped by the fact that he is left handed - Maybe the fact he played piano a lot as a youngster would have helped with this co-ordination - Maybe this 'theory' reflects in many of the above been 'flashy and skillful' orientated players and a strong/dominate  left hand has helped them

GavRichList

Me

octatonic

I reject the notion that being left or right handed gives you any real advantage- you might find you need to work on your weaker hand a bit but given you still need to build up the interdependence between the hands there is still a lot of work to do.

Don't believe me- pick up a guitar that is left handed (if you are a right-handed player- otherwise the opposite) and try to play.

gubble

You also forgot me

AsleepAtTheWheel

& me too. Going the other way, Hendrix played left-handed but was right-handed.

guitars4you

AsleepAtTheWheel said:

& me too. Going the other way, Hendrix played left-handed but was right-handed.

never knew he was right handed - just assumed he was lefty - learn something everyday

not_the_dj

Hendrix wrote with his right hand (plenty of photos show that)....but I'd read his dad forced him to be right handed when he was naturally left....but then a lot of rubbish has been written about the father/son relationship....and then re-written by his dear beloved "sister" of course!

https://musiccourt.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/2003974123.jpg

stratman3142

octatonic said:

I reject the notion that being left or right handed gives you any real advantage- you might find you need to work on your weaker hand a bit but given you still need to build up the interdependence between the hands there is still a lot of work to do.

Don't believe me- pick up a guitar that is left handed (if you are a right-handed player- otherwise the opposite) and try to play.

I agree. I'm left handed but play right handed.

I've had to work very hard on my right hand technique. Then there came a point where I realised it was actually my left hand that was holding me up, so I had to start working on that hand.

If you're a left hander starting out, I'd definitely recommend trying to play right handed. You'll have many more options in choosing instruments.

Here's are couple more lefties that play right handed (I think), but correct me if I've got it wrong
Nils Lofgren
Dave Kilminster

Regarding the OP: I didn't know about Neal Schon. That's quite interesting (QI). He's one of my favourite players, but I'm not sure it means much in the broad scheme of things.

John_P

I'm left handed too,    tbh I don't get left handed guitars, I think if I'd started playing that way I'd be happy with but I can't think of another instrument available both ways,  I play right handed as that's all the shop had when I started. 

underdog

Me too, I'm left handed but play the right way around.

monquixote

I'm a lefty righty. 

Pain in the arse being restricted to lefty guitars.

RocknRollDave

IIRC Janick Gers of Iron Maiden can be seen in documentaries signing autographs with his left hand, but he plays right handed... I seem to also recall meeting the guys in Thunder and noticing that as well as Luke Morley, who played left handed anyway, the other guitar player signed autographs with his left hand despite playing right handedly.....Was a while back, so I may have made that up...

kennedydream1980

I've heard a tale about the guy who plays Paul McCartney in the Bootleg Beatles. He is actually right handed, but re-learnt himself to play all of McCartney's parts left handed to be authentic to the man himself. That's dedication for you!!

I mean I can't even begin to comprehend how frustrating that would be.

This came from my brother in law who is very good friends with the Keyboard player in the band, so I believe it's true. :-)

lasermonkey

I once met a guy who could play guitar right handed, left handed, right handed upside down and left handed upside down, almost equally well. I'm sure he's not the only one, but it's still one of the most impressive things I've witnessed.

Spandex

There's also mixed handedness. This is where you use the best hand for the job. Whilst I'm left handed for writing, I throw with my right. I can't interchange, I just use what feels right and it's a mixture. I play right handed, though I know my left hand is more dexterous as I use it for quite a lot of things that a fully right handed person would not.

So my legato is awesome. However, my fast picking is shite, because day to day I usually only hit things with my right hand.

One more thing that this affliction brings with it. I really don't know my lefts from rights and have a process to think through when I'm directed to go left or right. Yes, I did have an L and an R on my kid shoes. And I don't know instinctively which way a screw thread turns (righty tighty lefty loosey), and I also set the knives and forks the wrong way.

Still, my legato's awesome.

Deijavoo

Nick Johnston.

stratman3142

A few more
Shawn Lane
Michael Angelo Battio
Dave Hill (Slade)

jeztone2

Me

dafuzz

not_the_dj said:

Hendrix wrote with his right hand (plenty of photos show that)....but I'd read his dad forced him to be right handed when he was naturally left....but then a lot of rubbish has been written about the father/son relationship....and then re-written by his dear beloved "sister" of course!

Aye, I remember an article in Guitarist many years ago that claimed he was righty but played lefty because of Albert King, all based on a photo of him writing righty. A bizarre theory really. I've always thought it was far more likely the school system (never considered his dad) had forced him to write righty.

Oh, and me

freakboy1610

Joe Strummer was left handed.

JookyChap

Oddly I'm ambidextrous, but am shit when I play either left or right handed