How to Play Guitar for a Left-Handed Beginner

Left-handed guitars are mirror versions of right-handed guitars.

Being left-handed can make the process of learning to play guitar a little more challenging. Even with left-handed guitars available, most chord diagrams assume that everybody learning guitar is right handed. Sure, there are some hurdles to get over when learning, but please don't be discouraged. After all, guitarist greats like Jimi Hendrix and Albert King are lefties too. It makes very little difference once you get familiar with the instrument.

Instructions

1. Test out a standard guitar. There are many left-handed guitarists who play guitar comfortably using a right-handed guitar. Stereotypically, a person's strong hand is used to strum the strings and the weaker hand is used to fret notes. Play a note right handed. Turn the guitar upside down and practice playing a note left handed. If there is no difference in your level of comfort, you may be able to learn on a standard guitar.

2. Re-string a right-handed guitar. If you don't want to buy a special left-handed guitar, take the strings off and put them back on in reverse order. Then turn the guitar upside down and try it out. Jimi Hendrix famously went for this solution. Re-stringing his Stratocaster and playing it upside down worked for him. Alternatively, you can keep the strings where they are and try playing upside down. Just remember, things like the pick-guard and pickup selector switch will be on the wrong side.

3. Buy a left-handed guitar. If, after trying a standard guitar, you find you're more comfortable using your left hand to strum, purchase a guitar made for lefties. Most major companies, such as Gibson, Fender and Ibanez make left-handed guitars. They are generally the same price as their right-handed counterparts, because they are essentially just mirrored versions of right-handed guitars.

4. Rewrite chord diagrams. Chord diagrams show chords by plotting dots on a sketched fret-board. Tailored to a right-handed player, they cannot be used as easily by a left-handed player. Buy specialty left-handed books, or use a right-handed book by drawing a reverse version of the diagram. The thick or double bar at the top of the diagram represents the nut (the top of the fretboard). Keeping the double bar in the same position, copy the spots to the opposite strings on the same frets. For example, a G chord plotted on the diagram would have a dot on the second fret of the A string--the second string from the left on the diagram--but on a left-handed guitar the A string would be on the opposite side--the second string from the right.

5. Translate chord diagrams to fret numbers in your head or on paper. For example, an A chord is played with the second fret pressed down on the D, G, and B strings and all strings, apart from the thick E string, get plucked. Even though the image would need to be reversed to play the note left-handed, you can still see which fret numbers on which strings are being pressed. Do the same on your guitar. Plot the fret numbers on the diagram, if you like, to add clarity.

6. Learn guitar using your desired method. With the key differences between left and right-handed chord diagrams and guitars figured out, you can learn from any source, regardless of which hand it focuses on. Start with basic chords and scales, then build up to learning full songs and solos.

References

• Anything Left Handed: Left Handed Guitar

Resources

• Tab L Edit: Print Output