What Sort Of Guitar Should I Get?

robman60

Hi, I'm hoping to take up guitar soon as a complete beginner. I'm in transition year at the moment so I think it's a good time to learn it as it's been something I've had on my mind for two years.

My favourite bands are Nirvana and Green Day, and I mainly just want to play their songs in my room as I find music quite therapeutic. Basically I'm wondering am I best to get an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar for playing these songs.

I've been looking on Thomann for a decent, reasonably priced guitar, and I'm considering this one: http://www.thomann.de/ie/harley_benton_hbd120cebk_lh.htm

Does that seem like a decent purchase, or am I best to get an electric straight away? My choice in shops is also limited as I'm left handed and was unable to strum with my right hand whatsoever, it feels so awkward and unnatural haha.

If you know any other reasonably priced guitars please suggest them and I'll see what suits.

Thanks for the advice guys.

Ravelleman

I'm a lefty that plays righty and I really think you should reconsider the decision to play left-handed. Normally I'm quite keen on finding a way to do things 'left-handed' but when it comes to guitars there's just no point going against the right-handed flow of the world. The selection available to you will be much, much better and usually guitars will be cheaper as a result.

As a beginner, you're at a stage where you can adapt quite easily to the right-handed way of playing. Once you start as a lefty, you'll never change.

When I started, playing right-handed felt awkward for sure, but then again playing left-handed felt equally alien because I hadn't yet developed the skills required to play in either hand. It can be awkward no matter how you start.

So, seriously, think it through. In five years time, should you become a real enthusiast you may come to regret your decision.

robman60

Hmmm... I consulted briefly with my cousin who plays and he recommended playing left handed as it really is by far my dominant hand.

I'm kind of set on going left-handed, and I thought there was a fairly impressive variety on the Thomann website.


You also say playing left handed felt just as alien as playing right handed - this is definitely not the case for me! Left handed feels quite easy and natural, whereas right-handed I didn't really feel I had much control of my fingers.

Keyzer

Check this guy out for a lefty...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A2AziIH9Mk

Alanstrainor

The thing about a lefty playing right handed, will mean that your dominant hand will be your fretting hand. It depends on your style, but a lot of playing would involve a lot more left hand involvement than right. (This is coming from a lefty who plays right handed.)

wellboys

I'm a lefty and the link you have for the acoustic on Thomann, was my first guitar. It's a great starter guitar and if after a few months you decide to stop playing, you haven't spent a massive amount on a guitar. If you feel you're ready to take it serious you can always buy a better acoustic or jump up to an electric (which is what I did).
I'd tell you go with whatever feels most natural and the most comfortable to you. Playing right handed opens up a lot of doors with regards to a greater variety of guitars and they will tend to be slightly cheaper. But at the end of the day, it's what feels best when it's sitting in your hands.

robman60

I really can't disagree with my instinct that i should play left handed if I'm honest.

@Wellboys: Thanks for the feedback on the guitar too. Out of interest though, do you have any regrets for playing left handed? If you were to start again, would you play right handed? I'm just curious, because although I can't see myself choosing right-handed, I'm interested to see if it's something you look back on.

Thanks for the opinions so far guys.

artvandulet

Another lefty here who plays right. I highly recommend it!
It feels so awkward at first but worth it. How it clicked for me was learning how to play one chord on a right-handed guitar then going into a shop and trying out a left-handed guitar. I couldn't play the chord anymore! So I stuck to right handed.
So go learn just one chord on a right handed guitar, then make a decision!
At the end of the day, both hands do a lot of work. The unnatural feeling will go away rapidly.
You'll also be able to pick up other peoples guitars and play them. Jam with people when u haven't brought your specific lefty guitar.

firefly08

I'm not a leftie myself but I do agree with what has been said about the advantages of learning right-handed, regardless. The tasks for each hand are equally difficult on the guitar, unless you allow your handedness to dictate your playing style, which would be a mistake. A big part of learning to play an instrument is getting out of your comfort zone - so start off as you mean to go on. You will encounter many things that will be uncomfortable and counter-intuitive at first, but you'll just deal with them.

With that said, most right-handed guitarists have more trouble with the left hand at first - so you might have an advantage doing it the "wrong" way around.

At the end of the day, the guitar is not a right-handed or left-handed instrument - it's a both-handed instrument.

Squidgy Black

One major part of learning it right-handed would be used guitars, you can save yourself a fortune as opposed to having to buy new most of the time.

wellboys

robman60 wrote: »

I really can't disagree with my instinct that i should play left handed if I'm honest.

@Wellboys: Thanks for the feedback on the guitar too. Out of interest though, do you have any regrets for playing left handed? If you were to start again, would you play right handed? I'm just curious, because although I can't see myself choosing right-handed, I'm interested to see if it's something you look back on.

Thanks for the opinions so far guys.

For me it was purely instinct that when I picked the guitar up, I put it in my lap in the "lefty" way. I don't really look back and think I should have played right-handed but it definitely would have been more practical. Being left handed never stopped Hendrix or Kurt Cobain!

Hannibal

wellboys wrote: »

For me it was purely instinct that when I picked the guitar up, I put it in my lap in the "lefty" way. I don't really look back and think I should have played right-handed but it definitely would have been more practical. Being left handed never stopped Hendrix or Kurt Cobain!

Noel Gallagher and Mark Knopfler are two leftys that play right handed

Paolo_M

Another lefty that plays right handed here.

It has a definite advantage if you want to play a lot of hammer on/legato style solos.
It has a definite disadvantage if you want to play right hand intensive rhythms like punk, metal etc.
For most things in between I've found that it's six of one and half dozen of the other.

As I'm not an 80s shredder, but like really tight metal rhythm playing, I'd have preferred just going lefty from the start.

robman60

Paolo_M wrote: »

Another lefty that plays right handed here.

It has a definite advantage if you want to play a lot of hammer on/legato style solos.
It has a definite disadvantage if you want to play right hand intensive rhythms like punk, metal etc.
For most things in between I've found that it's six of one and half dozen of the other.

As I'm not an 80s shredder, but like really tight metal rhythm playing, I'd have preferred just going lefty from the start.

Things like this just make the decision even tougher. I just can't see my right hand being nimble enough for some Nirvana songs.

Paolo_M

robman60 wrote: »

Things like this just make the decision even tougher. I just can't see my right hand being nimble enough for some Nirvana songs.

Don't let that put you off.

Nirvana tunes would not fall into the category of difficult rhythmically.
Accurate timing is extremely important, like any music, but the parts are not considered challenging by any standards.
Doing Basket Case by Green Day or Through The Never by Metallica all in down-strokes is challenging.
I can't think of a Nirvana that you would have difficulty with.
Cobain was a very tight player rhythmically but rarely went beyond 8th notes at moderate tempos.

Malice

I'm another lefty that plays right-handed but here's an important point: I think whatever way you pick up the guitar first, that's the way you should play it. Given that you've just mentioned your liking for Nirvana I'm sure you're aware Cobain was a lefty.

In my family, my cousin and my father are lefties and they play the guitar left-handed. My sister and I are lefties but we play the guitar right-handed.

robman60

Ya, playing left handed certainly didn't prevent Cobain from playing awesomely.

What I'm thinking now is that I'll borrow my cousin's righty guitar for a few days (he has two anyway, so hopefully it won't be an issue) and see if I can play it without too much difficulty. If I struggle, I'll probably try left-handed, but I guess that way I won't regret it in future.

Does that sound like a logical decision?

Ravelleman

That's definitely a logical decision. Good luck with whichever hand you choose.

robman60

Ravelleman wrote: »

That's definitely a logical decision. Good luck with whichever hand you choose.

^Thanks man!

I contacted my cousin, no problem at all in getting it. My Dad will be driving by the house tomorrow (it's an hour's drive away) and he won't pick it up for me.

I swear, he's the most disobliging cúnt, considering the fact I help him so regularly :mad:

I'll hopefully be able to collect it at the weekend though.

rcaz

What's it called when you learn the strings upside down? So it's a righty guitar pointing the other way? Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals does this... Would that be worth considering?

seanwhite20

I never realised so many lefties played right handed! My brother and I started learning guitar at the same time..He's left handed and im right handed. Anyway he started off playing left handed and I was getting miles ahead of him.....So he somehow managed to switch to right handed (although he'd spent months learning to play left) and he's never looked back!! He's actually delighted he switched because I've bought some beauties over the years that he'd never have been able to borrow if he'd stuck with playing lefty..

robman60

I've been playing right-handed so far, and I must say I haven't had any difficulties. I've learnt five chords but I'm still really slow switching from one to the other, but time I guess.

rcaz

robman60 wrote: »

I've learnt five chords but I'm still really slow switching from one to the other, but time I guess.

Aw deadly, I remember practicing my chord changes! So satisfying when you get it all up to speed! And your fingers have never done those kinds of movements in anything else before, it was doing my head in trying to figure it out! Great times

Yep, time is all it is! Just keep practicing the changes, when you get this stuff down you'll use it forever :cool:

Ostrom

robman60 wrote: »

I've been playing right-handed so far, and I must say I haven't had any difficulties. I've learnt five chords but I'm still really slow switching from one to the other, but time I guess.

Keep at it - eventually it all falls into place!

Sofaspud

Everyone was talking about learning righty being the most convenient because it opens up a lot more guitars that you'll be able to buy, but there's much more to it than that. I've been at gigs where another band broke a string and borrowed another guitar from another band, couldn't do that playing lefty, or if playing with friends, you can't just pick up their guitars and play. 3 of my brothers are lefties and play righty, and it makes life so much easier because we can all just switch around guitars / basses etc because they use the more common type.

Digitaljunkie

Alanstrainor wrote: »

The thing about a lefty playing right handed, will mean that your dominant hand will be your fretting hand. It depends on your style, but a lot of playing would involve a lot more left hand involvement than right. (This is coming from a lefty who plays right handed.)

100% right i'm a lefty who plays right handed too.

Malice

Sofaspud wrote: »

3 of my brothers are lefties and play righty, and it makes life so much easier because we can all just switch around guitars / basses etc because they use the more common type.

Was that a conscious decision when they were starting out? I played a couple of instruments as a kid (violin and piano) before playing a guitar. Every guitar I encountered was right-handed so that was the way I learned to play.

Sofaspud

Malice wrote: »

Was that a conscious decision when they were starting out? I played a couple of instruments as a kid (violin and piano) before playing a guitar. Every guitar I encountered was right-handed so that was the way I learned to play.

Well my eldest brother's a righty (I have 4 brothers, parents like rabbits!) and he was the first in the family to learn guitar so I think the others picked up his to play with before committing to learning and so that's way felt most natural to them.
That, and buying cheapy second hand ones to start at meant it was much handier to learn right handed.

Hayte

Lefty here who has been righty for 12 years then switched to lefty (another 2 years). Now I can sort of play both ways. Its hard to say which is easier although I'm inclined to say lefty, mainly because I've had a 12 year headstart and know not to fall into all the traps I did self learning with a righty.

I note that my posture and poise is completely different which changes...errr alot of things. Some of them may limit what you can do further down the line. I have a loose grip most of the time but I instinctively grip harder when my left hand is on the fingerboard - a tendency which I need to consciously override otherwise my fretting hand fatigues quicker. I also have an annoying habit of setting the tempo with my fretting hand which is another thing I have to consciously override. I'm not sure if thats to do with the dominant hand or because I've been doing it for 12 years so its automatic and unconscious.

Michael Hedges was a lefty who played righty and I can play Aerial Boundaries better with a righty guitar if that means anything. It may have nothing to do with playing it left or right handed and everything to do with having 12 years on a right handed guitar and only 2 on a left handed guitar.

It is a mystery. I also started by playing Nirvana and Green Day songs on a skanky fender strat clone into a terrible no name practice amp.

Here are the problems with distortion:

1) If you play with balls out distortion, its very hard to come back from that. By this I mean, that stylistically, it railroads you into playing a certain way (i.e. balls out). If you play with less distortion you can still trash it out, you can still make a "heavy" sound, you can still sound artificial harmonics and all that good stuff, but your technique and control has to be good.

2) Surprisingly, a really heavy distorted sound comes mainly from the amp (in particular, playing the amp loud with good control), not from having loads of distortion pedals. If you pile on loads of distortion pedal effects, you get alot of...umm..."fizz". So if you don't get the amp bit right, you can end up with a really fizzy but anemic guitar sound that just makes your ears hurt.

3) You will probably try to get a Smells Like Teen Spirit distortion sound but thats difficult to impossible because the way you get that sound is mainly with production trickery. You get it by doing multiple takes and then stacking them up so its double, triple or quadruple tracked. Sounds like one guitar playing one thing but it is in fact 2 or more guitars playing similar (but not identical) things and cleverly arranged to sound like 1.

I like to call it "HDR guitar" because its just like HDR photography. You take 3 or 4 images of the exact same scene with different contrast and colour ranges, then superimpose them so it looks like one image. Then you can mix between them so that image has a contrast range that is impossible to achieve using one camera.

kahler

just as a matter of interest, jimi hendrix was right handed. (gasps from the readers!) he played guitar left handed but everything else right handed. i have a picture in an old guitar mag taken by eddie kramer of him writing lyrics in the studio with his right hand. other than that, if at all possible, play right handed. just to have a better choice of guitars. (im right handed so i dont have a clue about the other stuff). but if it doesnt work, swap around. turn your strat upside down and your marshall stack up to eleven and off with you! most important bit of advice is to do what is most enjoyable to you. cause if you dont enjoy it, theres no point.

Ravelleman

My understanding was that Hendrix was actually ´multi-handed´, which is rather like being ambidextrous except that you use different hands to do specifics tasks - you don´t use both equally. So you might write with your left hand but play darts with your right. It sounds a bit wishy washy but, apparently, it´s a real medical/psychological term.

Malice

Ravelleman wrote: »

My understanding was that Hendrix was actually ´multi-handed´, which is rather like being ambidextrous except that you use different hands to do specifics tasks - you don´t use both equally. So you might write with your left hand but play darts with your right. It sounds a bit wishy washy but, apparently, it´s a real medical/psychological term.

Isn't that just what all us lefties who play right-handed do?

Rented Mule

Keyzer wrote: »

Check this guy out for a lefty...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A2AziIH9Mk

Clapton is so much better when he tours with Derek Trucks.

Welease

Ravelleman wrote: »

My understanding was that Hendrix was actually ´multi-handed´, which is rather like being ambidextrous except that you use different hands to do specifics tasks - you don´t use both equally. So you might write with your left hand but play darts with your right. It sounds a bit wishy washy but, apparently, it´s a real medical/psychological term.

It exists.. Thats what I do (without the Hendrix guitar style sadly).. Play right-handed guitar, write left handed (unless its on a upright chalk board, then i write right handed for some reason), darts right handed, pool left handed, saw left handed, hammer right handed etc..:)

kahler

@welease. you re not multi handed! you re just trying to confuse people and maintain an image of being an "enigmatic stranger"! like the guy from sandeman port. kinda know waht you mean. i play guitar right handed and i use a knife and fork left handed. and my writing is so bad, it doesnt really matter which hand i use. if i were a doctor, it would be useful for writing prescriptions. anyway, re mr hendrix, i stand corrected. i still think im right tho. or left. i dont know anymore...

Strings.ie

Another lefty here who plays right handed though I never understood why its called right handed. My left hand is doing all the fretboard work, my attention is to my left, the Guitar is pointing to the left. Seem perfectly left handed to me!

macpac26

*bump*

Like the OP im new to guitar playing and since im turning 30 this year ive decided to do something ive always wanted to do..play electric guitar.

Now being a lefty ive noticed that the guitar models are lacking and the price higher. Im looking at an Epiphone Les Paul Standard in Ebony at 400 euro where as i can get it close to 300 if i choose a right handed version. If i want some crazier models it appears Epiphone cater mainly for RH players.

My question is to those lefties who play right handed, what was it like at the beginning? What are the pros and cons of playing a right handed guitar in terms of actual playing rather than model or price of the hardware.

Ive held a left handed LP guitar in Waltons and it felt quite natural, i picked up a right handed guitar and i can see myself having issues with strumming and fatigue in my right hand. Does this get easier over time? Seen as i am starting from scratch and have ZERO knowledge of guitar playing would i be better advised to play on a right handed guitar?

thanks again

Paul

Malice

macpac26 wrote:

My question is to those lefties who play right handed, what was it like at the beginning?

In my case I was actually completely unaware that a distinction existed. I'd played piano and violin as a child but, at least in the case of the piano, there is no left handed version. At least if there is, I've never come across it. Anyway my rambling point is that I knew no better. Ignorance was bliss . All I had to go on were an electric that a school friend had just bought and an acoustic guitar belonging to my mother which were both right-handed instruments. After getting to grips with those there was no way I was going to switch to what felt wrong at that stage.

macpac26 wrote:

Ive held a left handed LP guitar in Waltons and it felt quite natural, i picked up a right handed guitar and i can see myself having issues with strumming and fatigue in my right hand. Does this get easier over time?

It should . I find that my left hand has far more work to do holding chords and fretting notes. As it's my dominant hand I believe it's only natural to play the guitar the way I do.

macpac26 wrote:

Seen as i am starting from scratch and have ZERO knowledge of guitar playing would i be better advised to play on a right handed guitar?

In my opinion yes.

Celly Smunt

Rented Mule wrote: »

Clapton is so much better when he tours with Derek Trucks.

I preferred clapton before he became an old black man from Mississippi.

macpac26

macpac26 wrote:

Seen as i am starting from scratch and have ZERO knowledge of guitar playing would i be better advised to play on a right handed guitar?

In my opinion yes.[/Quote]

Thanks for your reply Malice! I wonder am i too old to reprogram my system into thinking playing right handed is normal best bet is to get my hands on a RH and start playing. Waltons will be sick of the sight of me