If your child is left-handed, you may be wondering if they should play a left-handed guitar or a right-handed one. While some people may think a lefty should play a lefty guitar, this isn’t necessarily the case. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of left-handed guitars vs right-handed guitars so that you can make an informed decision on which type of guitar to buy for your left-handed child.

ADULTS: Let's get this out of the way first - if you're a lefty adult, get a lefty guitar. It's that simple.

Why Does it Matter if a Child is Left or Right-Handed?

Children who are dominant left-handed live in a right-handed world, so it's important to make accommodations to normalize their dominance in daily activities. This applies to sports, hobbies and art/music too. When it comes to playing guitar, it's essential to get the right fit for your child; otherwise they will be discouraged immediately. If they're a lefty trying to do things righty because of pressure from a coach, teacher or professional, they'll be fighting an uphill battle against a right-handed system and setup. Left-handed guitar lessons and using a lefty guitar can make all the difference for your child's success and enjoyment in learning the instrument.

Advantages of Playing a Right-Handed Guitar

For a left-handed child, there aren’t many advantages to playing a right-handed guitar. All the same techniques, chords, scales and other activities can be done on a lefty guitar as well. The only thing that is really different between the two types of guitars is the orientation of the strings and fretboard. However, some left-handed guitar players have been known to play a right-handed guitar instead of purchasing a new left-handed one. This does mean that the lefty guitarist will have to learn to play upside down, which will absolutely take more time and effort, but it's still remotely possible. For those who do choose to go down this route, the biggest advantage is that there are more right-handed guitars available than lefty guitars, making it easier to find the exact model you are looking for.

Disadvantages of Playing a Right-Handed Guitar

For a left-handed person, playing a right-handed guitar presents several challenges. This is because the position of the strings, fretboard, and all other elements are set up for a right-handed guitar. Lefties often struggle when trying to play a right-handed guitar due to the orientation. Although it is possible to flip a right-handed guitar over so it's lefty-oriented, this can create many unnecessary struggles and make the experience much less enjoyable.

In my experience as a guitar teacher for over 20 years, I have never seen success with a left-handed player flipping over a right-handed guitar or being forced to play one. It's usually a very discouraging road for a lefty on a right instrument - no matter which way it's flipped. Playing a left-handed guitar is the best way for a left-handed person to play the guitar and get the most out of their experience. As a teacher, of course I can draw all the chord charts and neck pictures as lefty. For every guitar software/tutorial program/app I have, it's a simple click of a button to "flip chart to lefty". Several major guitar instruction book publishers also have lefty editions available.

So, Which is Better for My Child – Lefty or Righty?

Your lefty child should have a lefty guitar, plain and simple, just as we put our left shoe on our left foot and our right shoe on our right foot. A marathon runner in the Olympics would not be where they are as a top-ranking athlete with shoes on the opposite feet. Just as in that case, your lefty will not typically succeed if playing a righty guitar. Our right-handed world is already difficult enough for lefties. As a teacher, I encourage students to "stack the deck" in favor of success as much as possible. Let's make the guitar world a very lefty-friendly place!