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Western music has changed quite a bit throughout history, particularly
in the 20th century. Modern music, especially rock-and-roll and jazz,
demands a totally different mix of instruments as compared to the last
500 years or so. The electric guitar is a relatively new instrument,
yet, as I will explain, it is being taught and mass-produced as if it
was used to play the guitar music of the past.
Most people, when
deciding to take up an instrument, are intent on learning to play the
popular music of the day. In the old days, guitar players not only were
limited in choice of genre, but were extremely limited in the choice
of what type of guitar to play.
Throughout history,
right hand technique was stressed in many forms of popular guitar music.
Historical styles like Flamenco and classical guitar feature advanced
right hand techniques. And thus the popular design for the mass-produced,
"right-handed" guitar has the right hand doing the strumming
and picking. The left hand does the fret work.
Enter rock-and-roll
and jazz- today's guitar heroes are mainly those who are great soloists.
Much of the melodic or intricate creations of the great guitar players
involve left hand fret work. Although strumming is still a necessary
skill, playing lead is the much more coveted ability, and is what the
great players are generally known for.
I don't know about
you, but when I first began to learn to play guitar, I wanted to be
able to play the great rock solos. My guitar idols were the ones who
could wail, not just strum and play chords.
The first guitar
I played was a standard right-handed folk guitar that I found in my
mom's closet. Being right-handed myself (as most people are), I didn't
give a second thought to whether this "right-handed" guitar
was going to be proper for me in the long run. I figured I was lucky-
I'm right handed and so is the guitar. In reality I was actually unlucky.
I would have been lucky if I was left-handed, or if by the very rare
chance the guitar was left-handed. But what did I know- after all, everyone
plays a right-handed guitar, except maybe Paul McCartney and his left-handed
violin bass.
I proceeded to learn
to play guitar, even taking some lessons and playing in rock and roll
bands for some years. I practiced a lot, and got to be a pretty good
player. I even went to Music School (College) as a jazz guitar performance
major, and got myself on the Dean's list.
My guitar hero was
(and still is) Steve Morse of Dixie Dregs fame. If you've never heard
this guy play, go to whatever website you have to and it take a listen
(or should I say lesson). I don't know how many years in a row he won
Guitar Player Magazine's guitarist of the year, but it's quite a few.
Talk about someone who has totally mastered his instrument. Anyway,
I got a chance to go to a clinic he was putting on where we were able
to ask him questions. He plays a right-handed guitar and someone asked
him if he was left-handed. He said "Yes, and I don't understand
why people would want to have their weak hand on the fret board."
He proceeded to give his little speech on how dumb it is to have your
weak uncoordinated hand on the fret board doing the creative work. He
even said that you could cut his right hand off at the wrist, and stick
a pick in the stump and he could still play just as well.
Think about it -
which hand do keyboard players use to play their solos with? Not their
weak uncoordinated left hand that's for sure.
You know, I think
that's about when I stopped playing the guitar. Not to sound morose
or anything, but he really had a point there. I actually tried to learn
to play guitar left-handed a few times, but it was so frustrating to
basically start over after 10 years of playing the other way, I quickly
gave up.
That's why I call
this "What you should know before you learn to play guitar."
You guys like me who have been playing for a while might have a tough
time switching from a right to a left-handed guitar. It can be done,
but it'll take some fortitude. You new guys need to switch right now.
Unless of course, you want to be a flamenco player or a finger-picker,
or you're a folksinger. But if you want to have a chance to be an exceptional,
trailblazing monster player, put your dominant hand on the fret board.
Try this - do some little drumbeat exercises on a table top with your
right-hand fingers, and then try the same ones with your left hand.
Which hand is more nimble? More creative?
Guitar teachers
and guitar manufacturers are just rotely continuing the habits of the
past. However, this is not the 1700's. If you have aspirations to be
a great soloist and your teacher is telling you to continue with your
weak hand on the fretboard, he is doing you a disservice. Develop your
strong hand, not your weak one. Just think if Nolan Ryan was forced
to pitch with his left hand all his life, do you think he'd ever have
struck anyone out? I don't think so. Give yourself a chance for greatness;
create your chops with your dominant hand, not the less creative one.
There's no doubt
you can learn to play guitar with your weaker hand on the fret board
and be a very good player, but take it from me, now that you know this,
you're going to be very upset with yourself later if you're lazy
about this now and don't switch around. And the guitar licks you'll
come up with using your good hand are going to beat the crap out of
the ones your weaker hand can come up with- if you choose to develop
it- and you know it!
With this essay
I'm hoping to help create fantastic young guitar players- ones that
will truly expand the art of music and take it to the next level, whatever
that may be!
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