Originally Posted by: spbk12As a newbie (I guess it can only really be a decision for a newbie) the decision to play left-handed was an unconscious one. I had always played air guitar left-handed, I was left-handed at many but not all things and I just assumed I was supposed to be a left-handed guitar player.

Its taken me two false starts over 30+ years to try my (left) hand at it again.

Lisa M the Guitar Tricks tutor really made me think though when she suggested in one of the early lessons of Guitar Fundamentals that it was probably worth just making the effort to learn right-handed than to create all the future drawbacks by persisting with my "natural" inclination to play left-handed. She pointed out that both hands were learning brand new skills anyway and with a little initial resolve it would pay dividends in the long run.

Unfortunately that advice came too late for me as I already have my LH drive guitar and I don't think I could bare another distraction to moving on through that initial struggle barrier of learning enough to actually play a few basic songs and keep the desire there.

I wonder if anyone else has made the decision to play Right even against an initial sense to play Left?

Does anyone know of any science, or pseudo science to support staying left. The only thing I can remember regarding left-handedness was that supposedly Left-handed kids made to write right-handed sometimes developed stuttering etc. Possibly an urban myth...

Maybe in my case it was a repressed desire not to be put on the spot as I could always say - "no I play left-handed" if offered to play a friends guitar.

Anyway so far so good - its a really great program and fully featured

cheers Steve

Are you maybe ambidextrous?

I was told I was born ambidextrous but my parents 'trained me to do everything right handed. As I got older, some stuff I just change to left handed because it was easier for whatever reason.

Pool playing, I always struggled right handed but one day I just swapped left for some reason and it was natural. Handy that I was ok right handed too cuz some shots can use 'the other' hand. Rifle shooting, what little I did, same way.

It doesn't really answer your question but because we think we're supposed to be one way doesn't always actually mean it's true. I do nearly everything right handed but not everything.

Even if you may not seriously change to a righty, stop by the local store a few times to try playing right handed just to try it a few times. It's not going to be 'natural' per se but it may seem more comfortable.

It's free to try, ya know. In the end, you're playing to enjoy so it it works better lefty or righty, go with the one that works.