left handed versions of all courses

Shodai

Blues Junior
Put a mirror in front of the screen, and watch the lessons on the mirror. Instant left handed.

I'm not a lefty, but as an instructor (firearms, not guitar) for over 30 years I understand the plight of left handed students. I learned to do everything I was teaching left handed just to be able to demonstrate to my students. With the majority of items in the world designed for right handed people it changes how things are done.

I don't know if it would be difficult to add left handed demonstrations to all of Griff's lessons (or anyone's lessons, for that matter), but with only 10% of the population being lefties, the cost/benefit equation just doesn't make a lot of sense from a business standpoint.
 
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Shodai

Blues Junior
Just an interesting observation:

One would think that right handed people would have more control and dexterity with their right hand. I have always wondered why the left hand is doing all the fine motor skills work when playing guitar. Fretting, bending, trills, etc... Seems it should be the other way around, doesn't it?

Maybe all us right handed people are doing it wrong.
 

PapaRaptor

Father Vyvian O'Blivion
Staff member
but with only 10% of the population being lefties, the cost/benefit equation just doesn't make a lot of sense from a business standpoint.
If 10% are lefties, I wonder how many of that group still play guitar right handed. Mark Knopfler, David Bowie, Billy Corgan, Elvis Costello, Duane Allman, Joe Perry, Steve Morse, and Gary Moore are all left handed, but play (or played) guitar right handed. Lesser known (unknown) guitar players, such as yours truly also fall into that category.
 

Shodai

Blues Junior
If 10% are lefties, I wonder how many of that group still play guitar right handed. Mark Knopfler, David Bowie, Billy Corgan, Elvis Costello, Duane Allman, Joe Perry, Steve Morse, and Gary Moore are all left handed, but play (or played) guitar right handed. Lesser known guitar players, such as yours truly also fall into that category.

Maybe they were so great because they played the fretted parts with the hand with the greatest natural dexterity. Like I said, it could well be that all of us right handed people are doing it wrong.
 

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
Hmmm. Maybe we should arrange keyboard keys in the reverse order, decreasing in pitch left to right, so left handed people can play melody with their left hand and bass with their right?
 

PapaRaptor

Father Vyvian O'Blivion
Staff member
Hmmm. Maybe we should arrange keyboard keys in the reverse order, decreasing in pitch left to right, so left handed people can play melody with their left hand and bass with their right?

Yeah, but how would you recognize on sight whether it's a left-handed piano or a right-handed piano?

On a slightly more serious note, I'm always impressed watching lefties play and in many cases the hoops they had to jump through to learn to play. All video and chord sheets are written for right-handed people. Then consider the number of players who simply took a right handed guitar and rolled it over to play left-handed. Albert King, Otis Rush, Doyle Bramhall II, Eric Gales, and Coco Montoya come to mind, where the low E is on the bottom of the guitar.

Interesting factoid, Eric Gales is NOT left-handed, but learned it left-handed... Go figure.
 

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
My point is that I don't think there is any evidence that the fingers on your dominant hand are any more genetically predisposed to be more efficient at either fretting or picking.

If there is evidence that the fingers on your dominant hand would be better for running the fretboard I'm gonna switch to a left handed guitar.:)

When you are an absolute beginner I think both hands would be equally uncoordinated at fretting and picking.

From that point you could "teach" either hand to handle either job.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGm96vFvmxk
 
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Paleo

Student Of The Blues
Also, since I'm right handed, and so is Griff, when I watch his videos our guitars are pointed in opposite directions.

If a left hand person watched Griff, they would be mirror images of each other. Seems like that should actually be easier.

I've also seen courses where fretboard diagrams have the headstock to the right, rather than the left.

I've seen some that have the high E string on the bottom of the diagram rather than the top.

I've seem some that have the diagrams vertically.

The point? You have to adapt to whatever convention the course you are taking uses. Or find a different instructor.

When I started with Griff I had to learn his Box system. I learned the patterns from John Canapes "Blues You Can Use".

It took me quite a bit of time and frustration before I finally caught on to the Boxes.

But now I am officially converted.:)
 
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artyman

Fareham UK
I play with a lefty and have trouble seeing what chord he's playing my poor old brain just can't manage to convert his fingering on the fly.
 

Al Holloway

Devizes UK
I was at the cricket Friday and noticed that there was more than 1 left handed batsman in the team (at least 3 out of 11) so higher than the national average. Does that mean there is some inherant skill that lends lefties to be better basman. Or is it just the selectors like to play with the oposition as you have to reset the field every time the dexterity of the basman changes. I also head of one of the professional golfers who plays left handed even thorugh he is right handed as he watched his dad and copied him (similar to Eric Gales). I also once heard that the guy who first made the lute was left handed and everyone played his instrument so it is actually a left handed instrument we all play wrong. But not sure I buy that one.

cheers

Al.
 

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
Does that mean there is some inherant skill that lends lefties to be better basman. Or is it just the selectors like to play with the oposition as you have to reset the field every time the dexterity of the basman changes.

This tends to be the rule in baseball, so I imagine also runs true in its ancestor. As lefties tend to be less common, good pitchers and hitters who throw/bat left can be desirable. Switch hitters are especially prized.

I also head of one of the professional golfers who plays left handed even thorugh he is right handed as he watched his dad and copied him (similar to Eric Gales).

This guy? https://philmickelson.com

I also once heard that the guy who first made the lute was left handed and everyone played his instrument so it is actually a left handed instrument we all play wrong. But not sure I buy that one.

Sounds apocryphal as hell but the idea amuses me. :Beer:
 
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