How to Play Guitar Left-Handed

Posted on May 28th, 2009 by Marck

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Kurt Cobain, Jimmy Hendrix, Paul McCartney, and Tony Iommi are just four of the names of great guitarists who play the instrument left-handed. Most guitars are built and designed to be played by right-handed people, but left-handed guitarists can buy a left-handed guitar, or convert a conventional right-handed guitar to ones made for southpaws. Here are some ways to play guitar left-handed.

Left-Handed Guitars

Most musical instruments, like other tools and equipment used in everyday life, are mostly for the use of right-handed people. Left-handed people have to handle musical instruments in a different way. The fretboard of a guitar is typically handled with the left hand, while the strings across the soundboard are played with the right hand. There are three ways to play for a left-handed guitarist to play a guitar:

Conventional guitar. Some left-handed guitarists play the guitar the way it’s built, with the sixth string (the thickest string of the instrument) at the bottom, and the first string on top. The guitar is then strummed upward, and the frets are manipulated in reverse.
Left-handed guitar. Some guitar makers and manufacturers of musical instruments build guitars specially designed for left-handed guitarists. A left-handed guitar is built and constructed in the same way as a conventional guitar, only that the fretboard is on the right-hand side of the instrument.
Converted guitar. Many left-handed guitarists prefer to convert conventional right-handed guitars into ones that can be played left-handed.

Converting the Guitar

To convert a right-handed guitar to a left-handed guitar, follow these steps:

Remove the strings of the guitar.
Remove the nut, saddle, and bridge of the guitar.
On less-expensive guitars, you can simply invert the nut, saddle, and bridge to allow the instrument to be stringed in reverse. For most guitars, though, you have to use a router and a plane to re-finish rework the grooves and angle of the parts.
Replace the nut, saddle, and bridge. Make sure that the thinnest grooves are on the left side of the guitar, while the thickest grooves face the right side.
Replace the strings on the guitar.

A left-handed guitar is a great way for southpaws to enjoy and play music. With these steps and tips, you can rock and roll to some of the best guitar pieces regardless of what hand you use to play the instrument with.