Playing Music With The Hand You’re Dealt

by Migi de Belen

As a left-handed guitarist playing a right-handed guitar like a right-handed player, I’ve sometimes wondered if the reason I still can’t play lead after 20 years is the orientation of my instrument as it relates to my being a lefty. At the same time, as a classically-trained (read: forced-by-my-parents) pianist I have never encountered a left-handed piano; I could never tell the handedness of a pianist from their playing, nor could I feel any handedness bias for any of my pieces.

So how much does being left-handed matter to a musician? When it comes to guitar—which compared to other instruments is arguably much more asymetrical—I don’t know. Some of my left-handed friends (especially electric guitar players who would need to constantly tweak knobs on the guitar’s body conveniently) insist on a left-handed guitar, while others simply install the strings on a right-handed guitar in reverse order. Even more interesting is how others would keep the guitar’s default (read: “right-handed”) string orientation and simply flip it over so that the thinnest string would be on top. They would all strum/pluck with their left hand, and finger with their right. Meanwhile, I’ve tried playing the way they do but it actually feels unnatural to me, a lefty.

Now for most tasks it’s obvious where using one’s dominant hand would be naturally advantageous. Whether we’re writing, using tools, or even throwing a ball (or a punch), lefties gonna left. But when it comes to striking strings versus fingering chords, it seems that neither role would require more strength or skill per se. Personally I find pressing down notes and shaping chords more difficult and thus reserved for my left, dominant hand.

So which guitar—and which orientation—is best for you, fellow lefty? Left-handed guitars may be rarer and more expensive than their default versions, but you’ll never really know what orientation works for you until you get your hands on an instrument and try playing. If all you have access to is a “right-handed” guitar, you won’t break it if you switch its strings around or flip it over; even right-handed guitarists are notorious for obsessively tweaking their gear to match their evolving playing style. Don’t feel left out: as long as it sounds and feels good, then it’s the right way to play.