Left-Handed Acoustic Guitar – Right Way to Play Lefty

Paul McCartney—the music icon is a left handed guitarist. This is a proof of the fact that being a lefty can not stop you from becoming a successful guitarist. True that from finding the right guitar to getting used to a playing position becomes a bit more difficult for lefty players, it is ultimately your talent and dedication that can take you to the top. Taking guitar lessons is as easy for the lefties as it is with the right handed students. Moreover with so many online stores out there, left handed guitars are easily available these days.

Left handed versus adjusted guitar

Some instructors maintain that it is better to readjust an acoustic guitar to suit the needs of lefty players. This helps in finding out the best quality instruments, maintain these school of teachers. But with acoustic guitars, this kind of customization is not only difficult, but expensive as well. To suit it to the needs of lefty guitarist, you have to first string it backwards. Then the bridge and nut of the guitar would have to be replaced too. As you continue to play it with a pick, the body of the instrument may get maimed.

A left handed acoustic guitar is an easy solution to all these problems. These days you can get lefty’s acoustic guitars from the leading brands like Fender. Thus buying an acoustic guitar specially made for the southpaws make a better solution than readjusting a right handed guitar.

Where to find

You can buy left handed guitars from the local stores. But buying online is the best option. There are a number of websites that directly cater to the lefty’s clientele. InstrumentPro, musiciansfriend.com, ZZounds, Woodwind and Brasswind are some of the online stores that stock huge amount of left handed acoustic guitars. Buying online is not only most convenient, but it also saves a lot of you money.
However it is recommended that along with the instrument, also consider buying left handed thumb picks and a range of chord and instruction books.

While buying an acoustic guitar to suit your left handed acoustic lessons, choose from the leading brands such as Fender, Hohner, Daisy Rock and Dean. In most of the cases, you won’t have to pay any extra shipping charges.

If you are a beginner, you can set out a budget of $200 to $400 for getting a good quality guitar. As you progress on your lesson, you can consider investing in more expensive brands like Washburn or Gibson—it may cost you anywhere between $1000 and $1,200.

By: Brian Jr Green

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Left-Handed Acoustic Guitars

Did you know nearly 90% of the world’s population is born right-handed? Yes, these are simply people who use their right hand to write with and almost everything else. Quite rarely do they use their left hand.

Left-handed musicians are the minority of all who make a living playing music. Still, there are well-known performers born left-handed as Jimi Hendrix and Dan Seals. Doesn’t that surprise you?

So how do left handed players prepare themselves to play guitars made for right-handed people? Many artists simply reverse the strings enabling them to play guitar left hand. Others simply turn the guitar upside down and play it that way. As strange as it sounds it works quite well.

The concept that one can play guitar left hand by rotating it has been accepted by some and rendered impossible by others. Write-ups have stated that playing guitar upside down is much too complicated to attempt. Still others argue that it can be done if you really try hard and put your mind to it. Some left-handed players have been successful when creating new methods. Those who play guitar left hand realize that by using the basic chords, a left-handed player needs to position his fingers on the same strings, only that it needs to be put the other way around.

Here are some things to consider when playing the acoustic guitar left hand. First you should have on hand a guitar guide or manual. If you were to play with an upside down guitar, don’t assume you need to change the way the fingering mode should be. The positioning of your fingers will still remain the same but the difference would rely on the finger you use on the fret of the guitar. By playing a right-handed guitar with your right hand, the C would require that your fourth finger be placed on the third fret dipping on the fifth string. Finally, your index finger must be placed on the first fret down the second string.

If you have a guitar made especially for lefties the finger placement must be done in an inverted way too. Remember, the last string stays on top and the fret remains as it is. It’s best to have a guitar to practice with if you must learn guitar left hand. Just follow the diagram closely and be careful not to strum the forbidden strings in each chord. Doing this is rather difficult so it’s best that you begin with the chords that necessitate only 2 or 3 fingers for now (such chords as C, A, G, E, D or some minor details). Whatever you do, never attempt to try and learn the harder chords first as you learn left handed guitar. You’ll surely become frustrated with the temptation to quit altogether.

And if you should find it too difficult to play guitar left hand, despite the fact you’re left-handed, you just may want to play the right-handed guitar with your right hand.

By: Liam Gibson

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Acoustic Guitars For Lefties

While most lefties (and right hander’s) start with an acoustic guitar, some of them are soon disappointed with their decision. An acoustic can seem like the obvious choose when you are starting out and it can be a good one, but the electric guitar is usually more forgiving to new players.

As if it was not hard enough to find a left handed guitar you like, now you have to decide on electric vs. acoustic. There is arguably no clear cut answer. Most of the old school players insist that a newbie start with an acoustic to learn how to play a “real” guitar, but the thinner strings of an electric can make for a much faster learning curve. Of course later if you want to play an acoustic guitar you will have to get use the fatter strings and wider neck. The thicker strings are typically harder to play because you have to concentrate more to push them down. The body of an acoustic guitar is also wider and can take some time to get use to, if you are swapping over from an electric.

If you start on an acoustic guitar, most players agree the swap to electric is pretty easy. This may seem odd if you have never played before. Many think the amplifier for magnify your mistakes but with the distortion and other special effects that can be attained with an electric guitar, they will typically be unnoticeable.

An acoustic guitar is definitely more convenient if you can master it. You simply pick it up and start playing. No amplifier, pickups, or cables. Does not even matter if the power is out. The price is another reason many people start with an acoustic. You can generally fine a brand new one on sale for less than a hundred bucks.

By: LH Gails

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Left-Handed Acoustic Guitars

Imported items are generally regarded as quality, and they can also usually offer some different features than non-imported guitars, as they come from a different country of origin. Guitars are obviously not an exception to this fact. Imported acoustic guitars are of high quality, available in different varieties, and they offer you great value for your money. There are several places where you can easily purchase imported acoustic guitars. These guitars are usually of different models from various well-known manufacturers.

Imported acoustic guitars can also be purchased through auctions. Different models and price ranges of your favorite guitars can also be found online. In general, these imported acoustic guitars are in great demand and the bidding rates increase by the day. It is still possible to find some bargains on these auctions, though – it really is a matter of looking for the right guitar at the right price. Perseverance pays when it comes to looking for anything on auction sites.

Imported acoustic guitars are available from various top brands like Fender, Rogue Starter, Yamaha GigMaker, Ibanez, Dreadnought, Ovation, Ariana, Washburn, and Epiphone. There are various musical stores available which provide you different models of imported acoustic guitars. Millennia Guitars are one of the very famous guitar importers, which provide you high quality acoustic guitars from several countries.

Imported acoustic guitars are increasing in their popularity, since some people prefer different or unique guitar selections. Many people prefer these guitars for their unique style, usage of quality wood, clear and natural sound, and most importantly the wide range available. These imported acoustic guitar models include both acoustic and acoustic-electric type guitars. Blueridge, Breedlove, and Morgan Monroe are very popular amongst imported acoustic guitar models.

Typically, imported acoustic guitars provide enhanced playability and a clear tone. Hand-carved bracing in pre-war patterns, peghead overlays, use of high quality wood, ornate pearl inlays using intricate abalone pearl, abalone inlays, delicate wood marquetry, natural high gloss finishes, nickel platted hardware, herringbone purfling, spruce tops, mahogany necks, and white binding on neck are few of the common features that one can often find when looking for imported acoustic guitars.

By: Damian Sofsian

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Left-Handed Acoustic Guitars

When learning the guitar, left hand technique is half of the job. The clearness or cleanness of your notes depends a lot on how good your technique is. So, if you are a beginner and want beautiful clear, clean chords, these guidelines will give you a good start.

Thumb placement

Though the thumb is not used in playing notes, it is, however, very important. The thumb serves two purposes. The first purpose is to mark the spot for the hand. Much like a home plate in a ball diamond, once you know where the home plate is, then you know where all the bases are. So, by being meticulous about thumb placement, you ensure that your fingers are accurate at finding their spot.

Place the thumb at the back of the neck of the guitar between the first and second frets (metal bars on the neck). Make sure that the thumb joints are flat, causing the wrist to hang down. The fingers of the left hand should be able to move freely in front of the guitar. It is very important that the wrist hang down and not support the guitar! There should be a gap between your hand and the bottom of the neck.

Thumb placement cannot be overstressed. In the beginning it will move and slide around. You need to be diligent. Always check your thumb position before you begin playing. Keep correcting yourself until it becomes a habit.

The second purpose of the thumb is to support the pressure exerted by the fingers. When the fingers press to make notes, it should feel like a gentle squeezing between the thumb and fingers.

When playing individual notes, the thumb should always remain in contact with the neck. Even when you are playing open strings, the thumb stays in contact with the neck. It helps to both mark your position and steady the neck of the guitar.

Finger tips

It’s important to remember that in most cases you are playing on your finger tips. Just like standing on your tip toes. It must be on the very tip. When pressing down, for instance the second string on the first fret with the first finger, you must make sure that that finger does not touch the first string or the third string. This is crucial for clean, beautiful playing. If you touch one of the other strings, they are then muted and make an unpleasant sound.

Adequate pressure

Very important is adequate pressure. This varies very much according to the condition of your guitar’s action (how far the strings are from the neck). If your action is very high, then you have to press very hard. In that case, I would suggest that you have it adjusted. Most music stores will have someone on staff who can do the job for you.

Assuming that you have reasonable action, it is important to press only as hard as necessary. Beginners often press much harder than they need to. Using more force than necessary, besides slowing you down and causing discomfort, can actually cause injury to your fingers. So, just use adequate pressure.

Buzzing test

To find the adequate pressure, start by pressing the string down so that you get a good, clear tone. Continue playing the note as you very gradually release pressure with the left hand. Continue to do this until you hear a buzzing sound from the note. This is the point where you have just crossed over the adequate pressure point.

Practice this exercise a few times, until you have a real feel for what is ‘just hard enough.’ It will gain you speed and much less wear and tear on your fingers.

Left hand wrist

The left hand wrist should be as straight as possible, in line with your arm. Make sure the tilt of your guitar (should be almost right angles with the floor), the height of the neck (slightly up) and the lower wrist (as described earlier) all lend to your wrist being flat and not bent.

Your wrist supports your fingers as you play more and more complex chords, and it is very important not to cause undue strain upon your wrist. Keeping your wrist as straight as possible is the best way to achieve this.

Angle of fingers to the neck

The fingers play at almost right angles to the neck. They do have to adjust slightly depending on where on the guitar you are playing. To get the proper angle, I suggest playing at the fifth fret, centrally located.

Place fingers one, two, three and four respectively on frets five, six, seven and eight. The thumb should be behind fret six or behind the second finger. Knuckles should all be bent. Fingers should all be on their tips, in a nice row.

Practice there for awhile and then gradually move more towards the head of the guitar. You will find that with the different angle of your arm, a bit of an adjustment is required, but it is basically the same angle.

To summarize, remember to use the tip, watch your thumb, don’t use more pressure than necessary and keep that wrist straight. Developing good habits right from the beginning will pay off handsomely. As you learn the guitar you will develop better and better left hand technique.

By: GK Eckert

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Acoustic Guitars For Lefties

Tablatures (more commonly referred to as tabs) are used for many stringed instruments, but most people immediately think of acoustic guitar tabs when they hear the term. This article provides the beginner with a basic understanding of tabs, and how they are used for playing the guitar.

Standard musical notation used when playing other instruments involves having to learn the complexities of sheet music, with note values, ledger lines, staffs, key signatures, time signatures and notes. Guitar players use a much less complicated kind of musical notation, called a tab. By using these tabs in your lessons, you can learn to play guitar without ever having to learn to read music in the traditional sense.

When you look at an acoustic guitar tab, you are actually looking at a diagram of the strings of the guitar. The lines represent the strings, with the first string at the top and the sixth string at the bottom. On the lines, you will see numbers, which represent which fret you are meant to play. A zero (0) indicates an open string. An X represents a muffled string. A good trick for beginners is to make your own tab cards that you can slide under the strings, then remove it again when you have positioned your fingers correctly.

If you are completely new to learning the guitar, you may have no idea what a fret is. The fret is the area between two metal bars on the neck, or fingerboard, of the guitar. Most guitars have between 21 and 24 frets. If your guitar has dots on the frets, they are just visual guides to help you know whereabouts you are on the guitar.

If you look at an acoustic guitar tab and there is a number on each of the lines and the numbers are stacked one on top of the other, it is telling you to play all of those notes at the same time, strumming all six strings.

When the tab is showing all of the numbers one after the other, all on one line, then the numbers indicate which fret to use on that string, and you pluck only that string. The numbers noted one after the other, indicates that you play one note at a time.

Once you get the hang of reading tabs, try doing a search for ’simple acoustic guitar tabs’ and pick out a very basic song that you already know spend a little time experimenting with it. Because it is a totally different way of interpreting music, reading and playing these tabs can take a little getting used to at first, but you might be surprised how quickly you can pick it up now that you know a bit more about tabs.

Being able to hear the song that you are learning to play always makes it easier to learn. Online and DVD guitar courses often combine playing the tune (or segments of it) with a visual representation of the tabs on screen. Even if you think you can remember how it goes, listening to it while practicing will help you with both rhythm and detail. Learning acoustic guitar tabs can be a lot of fun. In no time at all, you will have several tunes in your repertoire that you can play for your family and friends, or just for your own enjoyment.

By: Andy Turnbull

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Dean guitars are just flat out kick behind instruments. These are guitars that some of the most hard rocking heavy metal bands use to get their dynamite sound. On top of that, these guitars are just plain awesome to look at. Even a so-so musician is at least sure to look super cool with one of these instruments in his hand. Well, we’re going to take a look at just some of the many guitars that Dean manufactures.

Just the guitars that Dean makes that were new for this year alone could put some other guitar catalogues to shame. While we can’t possibly review all of them, we’re going to pick out some of the cooler models and give them the once over.

At the top of the list has to be the USA Razor Rebelback. The body of the guitar itself has a Hand Airbrushed Distressed Rebel Flag Finish that is just the coolest thing you’ve ever seen. Some people may be offended by it but you can’t argue with the artwork being truly awesome. The rest of the guitar comes with a Dimebucker Treble Pickup and Dimarzio Rhythm Pickup. It also has Grover Tuners and a Floyd Rose Tremolo.

Another Dean classic is the V White Gold guitar. This V shaped guitar has a pure white body with gold pickups. Turn out the lights and you’ll still see this thing. It’s features include 1 High-Output Gold Covered Humbucking Pickup and Grover Rotomatic Tuners. The sound of this guitar when cranked up is just flat out boss.

Of course you can’t go wrong with the Dean Dime From Hell Baby guitar. It is almost impossible to describe what this guitar looks like except to say that the body is mostly blue with what appears to be yellow streaks running through it that can be anything from rivers to lightening bolts. It is certainly very abstract looking. This guitar features 3/4 Size Basswood ML Body, Maple Neck Rosewood Fretboard, Custom Head and Body and Graphic Dual Humbuckers.

No review of Dean guitars would be complete without the Dean Lost 100. This is a limited edition guitar in which only 100 were produced. Want to talk about rare. The guitars were made with serial numbers starting from 77 000001 to 77 000100. These guitars were all built to exact specifications. Each one of the guitars was personally signed by Dean B. Zelinksy and came with a certificate of authenticity. These guitars were designed from the original guitars made in 1977. Each guitar comes with a flame maple top, ebony fingerboard, V profile neck, original Dimarzio super distortion pickups and a number of other features.

Aside from all the electric guitars that Dean makes, they also manufacture acoustic guitars and electric bass guitars. They even have a line of guitars for left handed players. But Dean’s electric guitars are the staple of their company.

If you’re a hard rocking, heavy metal or speed metal freak, then a Dean electric guitar is just the thing you need to bring your sound to the forefront.

By: Michael Russell

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If you already have an acoustic guitar and you do not know how to play it, you should start now. This is one of the easiest music instruments to play. In addition, guitar can be played with wide range of music notes. It can be played with almost every song. The best way to start is to learn to play guitar chords. This article gives you how to learn acoustic guitar by playing guitar chords.

1. Learn your playing position first.
You have to choose if you want to play by sitting or standing. If you want to stand, you will have to buy a guitar hanging strip. There are two sitting styles in playing guitar. You can cross your legs or you can choose not to. Learning the playing position is one of the basic when you acoustic guitar.

2. Use the hand right.
Are you left handed or right handed? Each one has different style. If you are right handed, your guitar body has to be on the right. Your guitar neck has to be on the left. You will have to use your left hand place the chords and right hand play the picking and stroke.

3. Now, study the chords.
Learn the first four easy chords. C, Am, F, G7 are the basic chords that are easy to place. Once you know how to place these four chords, you can play a song. Search on Google to find out the picture of the chords. Then place your figures on the guitar neck accordingly.

If you want to learn acoustic guitar, you can do it easily. This article is about how you can begin playing acoustic guitar by yourself.

By: Tom Founder

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Learning basic guitar is a matter of learning a few simple components to help you begin playing songs. The first thing you should learn is that your instrument has to be specially designed depending on whether you’re left handed or right handed. The second thing you should learn is all of the different parts of your instrument.

The third thing you should learn is some simple tablature to help you to learn the fingering on the fretboard and on the sound hole as you play. The fourth thing you should learn is how to listen to the rhythm of a song by playing the music slowly. And the fifth thing you should learn is practice, practice, practice to help you build calluses on your fingers to make them strong. These are the basics to learning guitar.

Depending upon whether you are left handed or right handed, you will need to find a basic guitar that you can hold comfortably and steady on your lap or against your stomach as you sit or stand with it. Your instrument should be comfortable to your hand and come with a shoulder strap. If you’re right handed, you will be playing the fretboard with your left hand and strumming the strings on the sound hole with your right hand.

If you’re left handed, the instrument will be facing the opposite direction, with your right hand on the fretboard and your left hand strumming the strings. Once you have found the perfect basic guitar you will be ready to learn all of its different parts.

Acoustic and electric instruments essentially have the same fundamental parts, and electrics have additional components to allow you to adjust sound, pitch, tone and volume. Both have a headstock, tuners and a nut for the strings to position themselves through. Both also have a fretboard, neck, body and bridge. Electric guitars have pickups, and acoustics have sound holes.

Electric instruments also have pickup switches, volume and tone knobs, and tremolo inputs. Getting started on an acoustic is easier to make sound on, and using nylon strings is much more comfortable for new fingers.

As you learn basic tablature, you will also learn how to position your fingers on the fretboard and the proper way to hold your instrument. Playing music on a CD player while you strum along to the music at a slow pace will help you to become familiar with the rhythm in the song as well. You can learn the other techniques from lessons online, and by signing up for one on one instruction.

By: Dan C Smith

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Many people start playing guitar back in high school but not many people start playing classical guitar until later in life. If you just so happen to be one of those people then you are in for a surprise because classical acoustic guitar is amazingly fun! Playing the classical acoustic guitar is considered by many to be a sort of art form and for good reasons, just do a search on the web and you will discover that the classical guitar has a history all its own.

The classical guitar and the acoustic guitar are two different instruments and played quite differently also. To play the classical guitar well the guitarist must learn how to focus his or her energy into the guitar and let it come out through the music. You will need to learn to listen and feel the music and put your own feeling and emotions into your playing. This is not something that just anyone can do without some years of practice but the more you practice the easier it will become.

Start out by relaxing and focusing on the music in front of you or in your mind, wherever it is coming from just focus on it. Get the feel for what the music is saying to you and your listeners and take that feeling and let it out through the guitar. Let the music consume you become a part of you, this is the secret to a great player! Do not be discouraged if you don’t think you can do all of this, it is really not as hard as it sounds and after a few days of practicing you will have it down pat.

Classical guitar will be a little difficult at first but don’t let this sway your decision to learn! Just keep practicing and you will soon become a seasoned player that many people will envy! Remember that patience and a lot of practicing are key components when learning classical guitar.

There are many places on the internet that you can go to find practice material for the classical acoustic guitar. If you want to spend a little money you find tons of guides and sheet music at your local music store. If you look hard enough though there are plenty of free resources on the internet to fulfill your needs.

By: Kevin E Brown

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