Question for the southpaws

Hi 'Nomikal,

I am a ‘Lefty’ and I play right handed!  You are correct that the first guitar I picked up was a right-hander but it felt natural.  Flipping it over just felt awkward.  I put it down to living in a right-handed world.  I originally trained as an automotive engineer and as almost all threads are right handed I got used to using spanners and screwdrivers in my right hand.  Just to mix things up a bit more, as I said I play guitar right handed, I bowl right handed but I play golf and darts left handed!  I write with my left hand but I can type with both hands, one finger on each!  Being a lefty has its advantages I suppose.

Doctor.

I know one or two right handed people that play left handed and even more that are left but play right.... I was always told that you should ask a new player to play air guitar for you If they do it left handed then that's the best way for them to learn and vise-versa. You should play what feels most natural to you! Learning can be hard enough as it is and we should do everything we can to make it easy and enjoyable

I agree that most lefties playing right probably learned it that way because it's what was available to them at the time... My son is left handed but everyone told me it'd be best to teach him right handed since he was so young. We tried that for a bit and he struggled but still made some progress. Finally bought him a lefty and his rate of progress has increased considerably. It's definitely more natural to him to play left handed. I think it really all comes down to the individual though.... Some people are more set in there way (left or right handed) while some can switch back and forth fairly easily. It all comes down to the degree of favoritism/instinct/natural feel for that person.....

I'm right handed mostly... Though I write both ways and all my fishing gear is left handed

THREADJACK WARNING.

You mention darts left-handed.  Right handed, I consistently defeated tournament champions.  However, I am ambidextrous so I learned to play darts and keep score left handed well enough to matter.  So anyway back in my days when "mark" meant more than "integrity", my buddy and I would get someone to come up and ask if we wanted to play for beers.  Sure.  So we'd play for beers (me playing left-handed) and maybe we'd win and maybe we'd lose.  So then after a couple "best out of threes" (especially if we they were close and in the other guy's favor), there'd be that "so do you want to make it interesting" question.  At which point I'd say, "Sure.  If you want to make it really interesting, let's use our off hands..."   

Man, I've got some kharmic making up to do.

I NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED THREAD. 

- Zurf

I think a lefty has to adapt more to the right-handed world than does a righty.  When I started playing guitar the only left-handed guitar I was aware of was the bass Paul McCartney played in the Beatles.  There was no choice: play righty or don't play.  But, I also bat and play golf (assuming you call what I do "playing golf") right-handed.  I'm left-handed but almost ambidextrous.  I've tried picking a lefty guitar but it just doesn't work for me at all.

Yeah, probably true.  I am hopelessly left handed in all things but guitar.  And I think as said by some the first guitar you actually pick up kind of drives it.  But if a rockin song comes on and I mimic with "air guitar" would you believe it's left handed. I've tried to hold a left hand guitar and it's awkward so I'm staying.  Plus might cool to be able to play anyone else's (when they let you).

as i lefty we adapt to a right hand world. first
guitar was right hand used kona. never could
form chords as a righty. many years later
bought an lefty electric epiphone and took to it like
a duck to water.    albert king the great lefty
bluesman played a right hand guitar and did not
turn it upside down. looked weird ,steve cropper
who played on some of his cuts never could figure
out how he got such tone like that.   again  we adapt.

I am lefty but I play right handed.It felt natural ,plus I had no idea their was such a thing as a left handed guitar.I always saw one played righty and thought that was the only way to play.Never noticed if Hendrix or McCartney were left handed or not.