Left-Handed Guitar

[Rev. Green]

When someone plays a stringed instrument - not a piano - left-handed, do they reverse the order of the strings? i.e. does a left-handed guitarist or violinist still have the higher-pitched strings physically higher?

[pixie374]

Yes, they are restrung.

[murraymints]

Yes

[Rev. Green]

Sorry, I meant "lower-pitched".

[Baldric]

Restrung in 'reverse' order

[Arksided]

I've only known one left handed guitar player personally, and he'd restring them but tune up same as a right handed player.

[Old_Geezer]

My brother is left handed and he doesn't reverse string order. Don't think is obligatory.

[Old_Geezer]

IT'S !

[davegosling]

Some do, some don't.

[Arksided]

I don't really think it makes a difference, it whatever makes him feel comfortable and relaxed playing it, most guitar players make too much din anyway. you can't hear the drummer ;-)

[andy-hughes]

Some musicians like Marc Ribot are left-handed, but play a right-handed guitar. Others like Jimi Hendrix were ambidextrous and could play either way - in Jimi's case, he liked to switch the guitar over mid-solo.

[aelmpvw]

i doubt if a left handed violinist would ever be employed by a professional orchestra

[Peter Pedant]

I thought they looked different - guitars

from the answers above - - - it depends on the degree of left-handedness. Baldric can tell you if a leftie can fire a bolt rifle left-handedly - you get the bolt in your right eye dont you ?

the answers betray degrees of let handedness
( I eat left handed and write right handed )
and there is even a professor who has written books about this !

McManus: amazon
Right Hand, Left Hand, Prof. Chris McManus. Paperback
by Chris McManus (Author)
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I was able to tell him how to estimate left handedness two thousand years ago....
hey how do you do that ?
Hand spun wool and cotton is S - spun (L) or Z spun (R) looking at the spirally twisty direction
and yup Rev in the time of Christ it was still - - - 8%

You asked

typical AB
answers of varying quality and content
salut baby

[douglas9401]

You could be right ael. I use cutlery in opposite hands from the norm and it gets some very agitated.
I doubt fiddlers would appreciate an elbow to the jaw from a lefty freak.
They'd need to have a very odd chin too. :-)

[aelmpvw]

a left handed violinist in an orchestra would look like a soldier out of step with the rest of his platoon :-)

[melv16]

I've seen left handed fiddlers and flautists on the folk circuit.

[kvalidir]

You could play lead guitar left handedly without restringing but you couldn't play chords and finger pick because if you didn't restring then the shapes required of your fingers are more or less anatomically impossible if you wanted to play to any meaningful level.

[maggiebee]

Didn't Paul McCartney play guitar left handed?