Left Handed Electric Guitar
Left Handed Electric Guitar Fast Facts
The most famous of all left-handed guitarists was perhaps Jimi Hendrix. Despite being left-handed, Hendrix preferred right-handed guitars. This meant that he was able to use the controls and tremolo arm – then at the top – in his own unique way. Most of the time Hendrix played right-handed Fender Stratocasters turned upside down and with the strings reversed. He also used a Gibson Les Paul for blues and, later on, a left-handed Gibson Flying V which he called his “Flying Angel.”
A Brief History of Left Handed Electric Guitars
The function of your left hand is to press the strings down onto the frets in order to sound the required notes. Before your right hand strikes the stings, your left hand must be in position, creating a specific selection of fretted notes for your right hand to play.
Many of the lead guitarist’s left-hand techniques for example, hammering-on, string-bending, slides and vibratos are part of the arsenal of tricks associated primarily with the sound of the modern guitar. In contrast, the rhythm guitarist’s left hand tends to be more concerned with fingering chord shapes. However, modern rhythm guitarists also use many syncopation and “chop” techniques that rely on the left hand for damping effects. It is, after all, let-handed damping that creates specific time values by releasing the string when it has sounded for the required duration, and that cancels unwanted notes when several strings are played at once.
There are various rules and conventions about how the left hand should be positioned and how the fingers should fret the strings. Classical guitarists are taught to use a specific left-handed technique which allows them to play without altering their basic hand position or posture. Some rock guitarists, however, will use any trick in the book.
The classical approach is that your thumb should always be in the middle of the back of the neck. This means that there should be a clear space between the neck and the palm of your hand, and that your wrist will be slightly bent so that your fingers will rest comfortably on the stings. Your thumb then acts as a fulcrum, allowing you to deliver just the right amount of pressure to your fingertips in order to fret the notes clearly. Many chord positions are difficult unless your thumb is providing pressure from the back of the neck. This position will give you maximum precision, flexibility and speed.
Many guitarists place their thumb too high on the
back of the neck, and end up cradling the neck in their palm. It is an
easy habit to slip into, since it provides extra support for rock and
country techniques. However, regardless of technique, if you sit your
guitar on your lap or wear it from a strap, the neck should always be
balanced so that it stays in the same position when you take your left
hand away.
In some modern styles, the thumb is hooked over the top of the
neck to fret notes on the bottom E (6th) strong. This may be done with
eight when extending a “barre chord” or when playing separate melody and
bass lines. Although condemned by classical guitarists, the technique
does open up other fingering possibilities. It is also useful for getting
extra “leverage” when bending strings.
To play a single clear note without touching any other strings, your fingers should be arched so that the tips come down onto the fret board more or less at right angles to it. This obviously means that your fingernails should not protrude beyond the ends of your fingertips. If they are too long, you will probably find that you cannot fret the strings firmly or that, when you do, you accidentally deaden other strings.
When you fret a string, you should hold it down between two frets, but just behind the one you want. The vibrating length of the string will then be the distance from the higher of the frets to the saddle.
Use only as much finger pressure as is necessary to make the note sound clearly. Pressing too hard will tire your fingers and may well hurt. Beginners often experience this immediately – especially with steel strings – since it takes a little while to toughen the fingertips and learn how to apply just the right amount of pressure to the strings.
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