Left-Handed Guitar: Should You Learn Lefty or Righty?

Quick answer: there's no single right answer. Try both ways before you buy. If a right-handed guitar feels workable, playing right-handed gives you the widest choice of guitars and makes borrowing easy. If it feels clearly wrong, or you're strongly left-handed, learn on a true left-handed guitar - they're widely available now. Research on professional musicians (Kopiez and colleagues, 2012) found no clear performance disadvantage for left-handers playing in the standard position, but some players do feel constrained. Choose what makes you want to practise.

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Editorial guide from published research and learner discussion (see Sources). Not hands-on testing.

Your three options

1. Right-handed guitar, played right-handed. Your left (dominant) hand frets; your right hand strums.
2. Left-handed guitar. A mirror-image guitar built for lefties: your right hand frets, your left hand strums.
3. Right-handed guitar flipped upside down. Either restrung (as Jimi Hendrix famously played) or left strung "upside down" (as Albert King and Elizabeth Cotten played). Restringing a right-handed guitar often needs nut and saddle work, so it's not ideal for a beginner.

A 10-minute test to decide

A thoughtful r/Leftyguitarists reply suggests trying both orientations in a guitar store - picking, strumming, fretting - without needing to know any songs. Here's a structured version:

1. Hold a right-handed guitar normally. Strum open strings for one minute. Then hold it upside-down as a lefty would and strum. Which hand feels natural strumming?
2. Pick single notes on one string, slowly and in time. Which hand keeps the rhythm better?
3. Try a simple two-finger Em shape with each hand on the neck.
4. Note which way your body wants to hold it - many strong lefties find a neck pointing left feels "backwards".

If strumming with your right hand feels workable, give right-handed a fair try for a couple of weeks. If your rhythm hand is clearly your left, go left-handed.

What the research says

A 2012 study by Kopiez, Jabusch and colleagues compared left- and right-handed professional string players and pianists playing in the standard position and found no evidence of a performance-related or well-being disadvantage for the non-right-handers. The authors conclude that professionals adapt to the standard position - but also say they can't rule out that some left-handers feel constrained. In other words: many lefties do fine right-handed, and some don't. Your own test matters more than any rule.

Pros and cons of each way

A common argument for lefty playing (made in r/guitarlessons) is that much of the coordination and timing is in the picking hand, so lefties may want their dominant hand there. The counter-argument (r/Guitar) is availability and easy borrowing. Both are real.

Famous guitarists both ways

• Left-handed players who play lefty: Jimi Hendrix (restrung right-handed guitars), Paul McCartney, Kurt Cobain.
• Upside-down players: Albert King and Elizabeth Cotten played right-handed guitars flipped without restringing.
• Left-handers who play right-handed: Mark Knopfler is often cited.

Learning left-handed: practical tips

• Chord diagrams: standard diagrams are drawn for right-handers. Flip them mentally, or draw your first five chords mirrored. Our chord finder helps you check shapes.
• Video lessons: watching a right-handed teacher as a mirror often works naturally. Test it in a free trial - see best guitar lessons for left-handed players.
• Tabs work exactly the same for lefties - string 1 is still the high E. See how to read tabs.
• Setup: have a left-handed guitar checked like any other - action and intonation matter just as much. See guitar setup explained.

Buying a left-handed guitar

Buy a model actually built left-handed, not a right-handed guitar restrung: the nut slots, saddle compensation and controls are made for one direction. Our left-handed beginner guitars guide covers what to check. These two are true left-handed versions of guitars on our beginner list; we opened each exact Amazon listing to confirm it's the left-handed model. Specs follow the maker's right-handed version of the same model.

ILLUSTRATION

Illustration - AI-generated, not a photo of the exact product.

Starter

Fender CD-60S Dreadnought (Left-Handed)

Best for Left-handed beginners who want a true lefty solid-top dreadnought, not a restrung right-hander

Solid spruce topmahogany back/sides25.3in scaleeasy-to-play neck with rolled fingerboard edges

Specs: Fender official product page, checked 2026-10-21.

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ILLUSTRATION

Illustration - AI-generated, not a photo of the exact product.

Starter

Squier Sonic Stratocaster (Left-Handed)

Best for Left-handed beginners wanting a light, classic Strat-style electric built for lefties

25.5in scaleslim C neckthin lightweight body3 single-coil pickupstremolo bridge

Specs: Fender official product page, checked 2026-10-21.

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FAQ

Should a left-handed person learn guitar right-handed?

Many do successfully, and it gives the widest guitar choice. If it feels clearly wrong after a fair try, switch to a left-handed guitar.

Is it harder to learn guitar left-handed?

Not physically. The main extra work is flipping chord diagrams and having fewer guitars to choose from.

Can I just restring a right-handed guitar?

It's possible, but the nut and saddle usually need adjusting. For a beginner, a true left-handed guitar is easier.

Do left-handed guitars cost more?

Sometimes they cost the same as the right-handed version, sometimes a bit more, and there are fewer budget models.