If you are left-handed, you are faced with a unique problem when you start guitar classes: Do you purchase a left-handed guitar, or do you simply learn it right-handed? Is there such a thing as left handed guitar lessons? People may try to steer you in one direction or another, but it is literally impossible for anyone to know the answer except you. The truth may not be what you expect.
Are You Truly Left-handed?
This is the biggest question you will have to deal with. The reality of the matter is that some people may falsely believe they are left-handed because of the predominance of that hand in activities such as writing, throwing or eating. In reality, you may be demonstrating mixed-handedness. This simply means that your hand preference can vary a good deal between activities. This is often confused with true ambidexterity, which means you can do activities equally well with both hands.
Take a week or so to observe what hand you automatically choose for various activities, whether it is opening a door knob, brushing your teeth, cutting up vegetables or drawing. You may be surprised to find out that you are not a true lefty. If you overwhelmingly choose your left hand, it is safe to conclude that you are left-handed. In this case, the choice is clear: buy a left left handed guitar.
Mixed-handedness – Which Way Do I Play Guitar?
If you discover that your activities are split, you are going to have look a little deeper. Even if you are mixed-handed you will still have a hand which is more dominant. Which hand do you use more often? Basic actions such as going to grab objects and scratching behind the back of your neck will reveal the true answer. Take into account that left-handed people do many things right-handed simply because they must adapt to a right-handed world. On the other hand, you may just be right-handed but with a few eccentricities.
Do I Need Left Handed Guitar Lessons?
Many people will try to convince you to play guitar right-handed when you are starting out. Don’t listen to them. Your dominant hand handles sounding the notes because it is a very precise task. Additionally, people may try to deter you by saying there are less guitar choices. While the majority of guitar stock is right-handed, the Internet makes it easy to find a large selection of left-handed guitars. Elite Music sells various left handed guitars by Yamaha, like FG720SL, for example.
There is actually a small advantage to being left-handed as well. When getting guitar lessons from someone who is right-handed, be it in person or from a video, their guitar neck will be pointing in the same direction as yours. While it is a seemingly minute detail, this will likely make it more intuitive to mimic your teacher’s playing; in other words, you don’t need to take left handed guitar lessons from a left handed guitar teacher.
If you are looking to take guitar lessons, it is best that you figure out your handedness beforehand. There are many otherwise great teachers that have certain aspects of playing they are pushy about, and this can be one of them. While you may have to deal with minor inconveniences such as looking up left-handed chord diagrams or reversing them yourself, it beats out the major inconvenience of teaching a clumsy right hand the needed precision.
