Kate (lefty) from Canada

It seems to be such a personal thing. Some lefties are quite happy to play right handed. I think I must have a pretty dominant left preference. :grin:
During my journey of struggling I definitely had some doubt in the back of my mind. I found a video online that said however you play ā€œair guitarā€ should be your natural inclination to handedness. That really got my attention because I always play left. Also pounding out 4/2 time is always left/right for me. Clearly my left side was driving this bus!
I am just so happy to have figured it all out. Having loads of fun playing/learning now! :partying_face:

Welcome @Kbar
I am a fellow ā€œnaturalā€ lefty but played right handed for 40 years before I switched to left-handed a little over a year ago. This was because of a left hand injury. I have to say playing left handed feels really foreign to me still after a year. No doubt because of all my time playing righty.

I am glad you made the change early on and good luck on your journey!

Sorry to hear about your hand injury but good for you for making the switch. The hard part is retraining the brain! I love Justinā€™s video on brain plasticity- fascinating stuff.

1 Like

Hi Kate from a fellow Canadian!
Thatā€™s amazing that you play for an hour a day. I am a bit over three years into my guitar journey and I used to play as much as you. Iā€™ve gotten a bit lazy - do you have any advice how to keep your momentum and interest up? I know I should be practicing Justinā€™s lessons every day! :slight_smile:
Christina

Hello Kate and welcome to the community. What a big and life-changing decision you made. Iā€™m working with a student just now who has learned righty (due to having a right-handed guitar) but who is considering switching to her (natural) lefty side. Itā€™s great t know it worked out for you. :slight_smile:

Hi Kate and welcome!

This is exactly the kind of thing i make people test when they start with guitar and doubt thier handedness. Your dominant hand dictates the rhythm. clapping on your knee, using a spoon on a pot, air guitar, ā€¦ if it all feels natural with left, it is pretty clear ;D

Cheers from a fellow lefty :wink:

2 Likes

Awesome! Glad to hear this. We lefties need some TLC guidance at the beginning - lol. Get us off on the right path! Cheers

2 Likes

A belated welcome Kate.
:sunglasses:

1 Like