Very interesting contributions, thanks so much.

For the most part, we declare ourselves right or left handed depending on how we write.  The only other such declarations that come to mind as being in common parlance are how we play string instruments and baseball (or, I suppose, cricket).  Notably, Ringo Starr was forced to write right handed but calls himself left handed and says that it informs his playing.

I read an interesting article some years ago that refers to "mixed handedness" when folk do different tasks different ways.  Besides playing right handed, I (used to) bat right handed.  Another article I read on the subject reported that there's no relationship between the hand we use to write and how we hold a shovel, rake, or similar implements.

On guitar, many players who fret mostly with their left hand also fret or "tap" with the right.  I occasionally do this on dulcimer 1) for certain harmonics 2) for effect, if I do it really hard, or 3) to play a pitch while I'm holding down another string with my left.

Have a great day!

An interesting side effect of changing the roles of right and left hands is renewed facility on the original configuration...when I started playing button accordion,my fiddling changed for the better.On accordion the bellows is the driver(left hand),on the fiddle it's the bow(right hand)..perhaps it has something to with the sides of the brain!.Likewise,learning dulcimer(on the lap,the high strings opposite to the guitar,the droniness) changed my guitar playing.

As a rightie who does everything rightie, I'm not sure what I can add here. In general, lefties are better with their right hands than righties are with their lefts.

I can imagine fretting strings with my right hand and yet I would not be able to strum or pick with any fluidity with my left hand.

The general consensus is that strumming and picking is more important for the making of music than is fretting strings, which is why most of us strum and pick with our strong hand.  Let's all remember that when people ask for tab to learn songs as though all that matters is the fretting hand.

I would give my left arm to be ambidextrous.

Thanks, Nate.  I couldn't agree more.  It's one of the things I love about the dulcimer world is a sense of choice that differs so much from the classical music world where I've made my living all these years (while mostly playing folk instruments).  Even guitar feels to me like there are more fixed ideas about technique.

Things I do that I think might be easier for a lefty include bends (especially before I play a note, getting a chromatic pitch just right), harmonics (ones I've never heard anyone else play), and making big jumps all over the fingerboard.  OTOH (pun intended), I'm often blown away by right hand stuff other folk do that's way beyond me.

Have a great day.

Alex, i think it definitely depends on what kind of music is being played. Personally, i dont play very complex rhythms or strum patterns, and to me it feels like my fretting hand is dong a lot more precise movement compared to the strumming hand. It makes sense to me, though, that plucking would be more strenuous than fretting at a high level.

According to published research I've read, when the right hand plucks and/or bows, it's doing the more difficult task.  That may well seem counter-intuitive, but it also explains why it's the norm on every instrument everywhere.  That seems particularly remarkable on instruments without frets, although manipulating a bow with finesse is tricky.

That being said, as a very lefty lefty, I've struggled all my playing life with developing a facile right hand on quite a few instruments (this despite having earned my living in music all my life).  But I also agree that that are really interesting things one can do playing right handed while having a particularly deft left hand.  I'm pretty sure this is what led me to composing my own music (or my own parts) that allows me to use my left hand to its best advantage.  It's also why I wouldn't think of teaching any of my instruments, since my technique is pretty idiosyncratic.  (I've taught classical composition and related courses for almost fifty years.)

I've shared a few pieces, but you can hear a bunch on nearly all the major streaming services, including YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.  New album dropping any day now.

Thanks!

Thanks.  Forgive me, but I'm fairly new to this group and confused about how to post on the General Forum.  Please advise, thanks.

Hi, I'm a leftie who plays musical instruments as right-handed. I knit right handed as well. It just makes everything easier, and both hands are doing important things anyway.

BTW I moved this discussion from our 'For Sale' forum to this General forum.

I'm also a leftie that plays right-handed and started on guitar as a teenager. I've always thought of it as an advantage since my most dexterous hand is the one forming the chords. Someone told me once that on a dulcimer your strumming hand is the meat and potatoes. Your fretting hand is just the gravy!

Hi All,

I'm curious about folk who, like me, are lefties who play right handed.  Do you think it's affected your style?  Has it held you back in any way?

I started guitar about sixty years ago and at the time, at least for me, playing left handed was not an option, although I suspect I would have if I could have.  (My wife is also a lefty, but not as much as me, and she says it's never been an issue.  She plays drums, guitar, and flute.)

Have a great day.