My kids are naturally right-handed, but for some reason or another, they are being taught to play guitar in school left-handed. As they are just beginning, I want them to switch to right-handed. I am getting resistance. They're playing full size guitars, so either way is going to be uncomfortable until they grow into it.
Should I let it go, or make them switch to right? Thoughts?
"Always ready with the ray of sunshine"
There are many more right handed guitars on the market, also second hand.
Just so I'm clear on what you're saying... you're saying that they are being asked to pick or strum the guitar with their LEFT hand and fret the guitar with their RIGHT hand?Originally Posted by strawberrybrick
If that is what you are saying, and your children are naturally right handed, then I'd ask the teacher why they are doing it backwards. In the end, it probably won't matter that much, but overall as a guitarist I think one is far better off playing right handed than left handed just in terms of availability of instruments. If they don't have a rationale for approaching learning the guitar this way that satisfies you, then I would demand a switch.
Do they force the left handed kids to play guitar right handed? Maybe they think the "dominant" hand is the better fretting hand. That flies in the face of convention, but if they have evidence to that effect, it might be interesting to hear it and make an objective evaluation.
Interesting issue, keep us posted.
Bill
I teach guitar 24-7 and start them all righty , regardless of which hand they write or throw with.
no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone
Yes, they're strumming with the left and fretting with the right. Now that the teacher has put left into their heads, I'm getting serious resistance from the kids about switching to right.
The practical matter is that I'm willing to get them a guitar for home, and as I righty myself, I don't mind investing in a Seagull or similar if we can all use it. But as one who's played guitar since I was a kid, left just doesn't seem right!
"Always ready with the ray of sunshine"
Look how his guitar is stringed
That's not just frickin' weird; it's wrong! What the hell is the matter with that teacher?!
As it should be. I'm a lefty, but I play guitar righty. I took lessons from age 10 - 12. I went through two different teachers and they were both horrible (which I came to realize after having taught myself), but at least the first one showed me that I was (initially) holding the guitar upside down.
I don't know how long they've been playing lefty now; at a certain point, it might be too much of a setback to make the switch. But if they're still beginner status, you might want to consider it. And find another teacher.
Ernie is correct. Fire that teacher right now and move on!
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
If that is true, then theoretically it won't matter in the end in terms of learning to play.
There's a point to this. But as Chris said, lefty kids are often learn to play righty, so it's not like it's impossible to learn with your dominant hand as the fretting hand rather than the picking had. The big issue, as Strawberrybricks points out, is a practical one. The vast majority of instruments and literature for guitar is geared to righty players. If there's an opportunity to guide your kids back to that, it's probably the right thing to do in the long run - particularly if they are themselves right handed.
I still wonder what rationale the teacher has for doing this.
Bill
My guess is that he or she is a lefty and doesn't want to strain his or her brain to teach righties. Of course if that's the case, he or she shouldn't be teaching guitar.
Or maybe the teacher is some sort of subversive that gives a new meaning to "the radical left."
It's a full time grade school music teacher. One kid is taking "rock band" or something the other is learning ukelele. I think his rational is to "keep the kids comfortable", since they are small for standard guitars, and two, who knows if they'll stick with it. Anyway looks like I need to have a chat with this guy.
"Always ready with the ray of sunshine"
Mighty Righty, that's my motto!
no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone
This hits home for me, because when I joined concert band in sixth grade and took up percussion, I was taught to lead with my left hand. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but I ended up being a left-dominant drummer, even though I do everything right-handed. I wasn't the only one this happened to, as I found out years later that the same band teacher taught all her percussionists to play left-handed. Maybe she was a lefty; I don't remember anymore. But boy, did it mess me up when I started trying to play a full kit instead of just a concert snare. I can't play a left-handed setup, as my right hand and left foot just feel more natural on the hi-hat, while my right foot feels right on the kick drum. But I always sucked at doing tom fills because I led with my left hand!
I hope these kids don't have trouble playing their guitars down the road for similar reasons.
It doesn't fly. First of all, there are smaller guitars for kids: http://www.smallguitars.com/ Secondly, if they DO stick with, they're also stuck with playing lefty, limiting their access to good guitars. Definitely have that chat.
Actually, I let my oldest read this thread and gave her the option of telling her teacher she wants to switch, or I have the conversation. She said she'll talk to him about it!
Will let you know how it goes... thank you for al the replies!
"Always ready with the ray of sunshine"
Good call. Good for her to talk with the teacher, too. Well played. Keep us posted, now I'm curious how it turns out.
So am I! Good luck to all.Good call. Good for her to talk with the teacher, too. Well played. Keep us posted, now I'm curious how it turns out.
Glad you decided to have her talk to the teacher.
My 2 cents: Speaking to the reverse...Having taught GTR for 16 years, I NEVER forced a natural lefty to switch to righty despite the arguement for "wider choice of guitars, etc.)...if the kid is lefty, he's lefty.
side note: I'm lefty, meaning I write and eat (hold a fork) with my left hand. However, I do ALL sports and play all instruments righty...go figure.
Same here, as I mentioned on another thread about lefties. Most of the lefties I know do some things righty; strange but true. However, I did initially hold a guitar lefty and was corrected the first time I took a guitar lesson. No regrets on my part! I don't think one hand plays a more important role than the other.
Agree. That teacher knows very little about guitar if they are doing that.
I'm the same way. Lefty for fork, chopsticks, or writing, righty for guitar, throwing, etc. I think my left hand is better for fine motor skills, my right hand is used more for feats of strength, lol. It's one reason I couldn't get into keyboards. I just felt my right hand would never have the dexterity of my left.
I experimented with playing guitar both left and right handed when I first started out and I just can't imagine forcing someone to play in what, for them, is an unnatural way. It wasn't something I was ambivalent (or ambi-anything) about, I had a strong preference.
<sig out of order>
The story has an ending, my daughter talked to the teacher and she has switched to right-handed guitar. A friend is going to let us borrow a 3/4 sized guitar for a while, which should help her get comfortable with the guitar.
I'm also going to enroll them in some piano/music classes at the Old Town School, so they learn music (hopefully) first, instrument's second.
c
"Always ready with the ray of sunshine"
That was the same thing that happened to me too. I didn't mention it in my first post so I wouldn't confuse the issue.
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