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Do you think your dominant had is best used for fingering or picking?

Picking. But I'm not sure why ;-)

Feels more natural that way, although I've got a moderate degree of 'ambidexterity'; using tools (saws particularly, tiny bit less so with planes) with my non-dominant left hand only feels marginally 'weird', and I think part of that is due to the fact my right eye is dominant, and doesn't like not being in straight line of sight.

Robert, after giving it some thought, I use my right for my right nostril and my left for my left, when I'm picking.

You are a funny guy

Now, what was the question?

Bob, being a lefty myself, I've always been of the opinion that it is better to pick with the dominant hand. I don't, and that's probably why I play so badly.

My theory is, the guitar was designed the way it is for a reason. It seems much easier to me to pick and keep the correct timing, or rythm with the dominant hand. Since the world is predominantly right handed the guitar was designed as a right handed instrument. At lease that's my theory.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

I got little bitty hands, that's my theory why I'm such a pathetic player. I had a professor that had absolutely huge fingers, at least 1 1/2 times as long as mine. I used to watch him in class hoping for the invention of the finger transplant.

It is interesting that I could never write with my left hand, but fingering notes on a guitar is easy. I couldn't imagine shifting from picking with my dominant hand. That goes for noses too.

I think I agree. My biggest question re: right hand for fingering is that I am monster left handed. Do everything left-even kick left footed. When I have tried to do things righty, I AM A TOTAL SPAZ. I believe it will be quite an endevor, but I have to give it a go. I will refrain from putting pick guard on until experiment over, that way I will only have to replace nut if I change. Does anyone know of a song-book of beautiful music that entails only the use of two non-barred chords?

One of the best guitarist I know is a lefty who picks with is right hand and fingers with is left. We were discussing this once and he told me that is wondered why right handed guitarists played the way they did.

If you look at a person who has never picked up a guitar before play one for the first time, you will see that there is a 50/50 chance they will put the fretboard in their right hand. I suspect that there are a couple of reasons for this. One, a comfortable playing position is arbitrary and two, people will often do something they have only seen other people do in a mirror image.

I'm so confused

Bob, one of the things I considered when I started playing was whether I wanted a leftie guitar. If that's what you choose, just remember it'll be very hard for you to swap guitars with someone in the middle of a jam session.

The availability of lefties is much better these days than it was when I started but that is another factor. Can you get the guitar you want in a leftie model? Of course you can, if you buils it yourself.

I went with doing the picking with my right hand, even though it was and still is awkward for me.

Let us know what you decide.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Luckily, I dont have to decide until I work on the nut, which is soooon. Sheeesh.

Really? Is it symetrically braced?

I have never built a leftie, but I guess I was under the assumption that the tone bars ran the other way on a left hand guitar?

True?

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Yes,
I asked a few people about effect of right tone bars played left and they felt it should really make no difference. Different opinions?

I think the angle of the saddle would be backwards as well, wouldn't it. Might be a little hard to do the intonation that way.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Right. Sheeesh, didn't think of that

As for why the guitar is played the way it is, you need to look at the historical context. Guitars have been around for hundred of years, but strumming cowboy chords is rather more recent. In other words, playing with your fingers is the historical basis of the guitar.

A nylon/gut guitar is capable of a very wide tonal palette, given good technique. Good technique requires exquisite control at high speed - succesfully placing your finger on a string so nail and flesh contact equally, simultaneously pulling and releasing the string so that you don't get fingernail clicking noise and also get the kind of sound expression that you want, all at 400 notes a minute is pretty darn hard, and that is the standard to which classical guitarists are held. So, it makes a lot of sense to use the right hand for this task.

So, yes, if you are strumming and playing cowboy chords, it'd make more sense to fret with the right hand and strum with the left. But playing intricate fingerstyle, classical, or even complex picking patterns all favor using the right hand for that task.
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