Famous Southpaws who play guitar right handed

guitars4you

Recently came across a list of famous guitar players who play the conventional 'right handed' way, but are left handed - some mighty fine players amongst this 

Billy Bob Thornton - Billy Corgan - Bob Brozman - Carl Wilson - Chris Rea - Danny Gatton - David Bowie - Duanne Allman - Elvis Costello - Gary Moore - George Barnes - George Van Eps - Johnny Winter - Mark Knopfler - Mike Bloomfield - Nick Lowe - Noel Gallagher - Paul Simon - Phil Hilbourne - Preston Reid - Rik Emmett - Robert Fripp - Steve Cropper - Steve Morse - Ted Greene - Neal Schon - Wilko Johnson

Bridgehouse

Yeah - me as well, of course

monquixote

Me!

Alnico

Ben Johnston.

Alnico

guitars4you said:

Recently came across a list of famous guitar players who play the conventional 'right handed' way, but are left handed - some mighty fine players amongst this 

Billy Bob Thornton - Billy Corgan - Bob Brozman - Carl Wilson - Chris Rea - Danny Gatton - David Bowie - Duanne Allman - Elvis Costello - Gary Moore - George Barnes - George Van Eps - Johnny Winter - Mark Knopfler - Mike Bloomfield - Nick Lowe - Noel Gallagher - Paul Simon - Phil Hilbourne - Preston Reid - Rik Emmett - Robert Fripp - Steve Cropper - Steve Morse - Ted Greene - Neal Schon - Wilko Johnson

That's a surprising list Mark !

Really didn't know a lot of those guys were left handed  people.
I knew a guy once who could play a right handed guitar simply upside down, strings and all, played left handed. He could see all the chords the other way up like a mirror image. It was really something to watch and listen to.

vasselmeyer

I'm right-handed but my initial instinct was to play left-handed. Took a while for my (left-handed) dad to persuade me how much of an inconvenience it would cause me and how limited my choices would be.

I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes to the musician in the end. You don't see many other types if left-handed instruments do you? Can you imagine a left-handed violinist in the middle of an orchestra's string section?

Voxman

Interestingly a lot of right-handed people do at least one thing left handed and vice-a-versa.  I'm right handed but hold a cricket bat/golf club left-handed.  My late mum was right handed but played tennis left-handed. 

guitars4you

Alnico said:

guitars4you said:

Recently came across a list of famous guitar players who play the conventional 'right handed' way, but are left handed - some mighty fine players amongst this 

Billy Bob Thornton - Billy Corgan - Bob Brozman - Carl Wilson - Chris Rea - Danny Gatton - David Bowie - Duanne Allman - Elvis Costello - Gary Moore - George Barnes - George Van Eps - Johnny Winter - Mark Knopfler - Mike Bloomfield - Nick Lowe - Noel Gallagher - Paul Simon - Phil Hilbourne - Preston Reid - Rik Emmett - Robert Fripp - Steve Cropper - Steve Morse - Ted Greene - Neal Schon - Wilko Johnson

That's a surprising list Mark !

Really didn't know a lot of those guys were left handed  people.
I knew a guy once who could play a right handed guitar simply upside down, strings and all, played left handed. He could see all the chords the other way up like a mirror image. It was really something to watch and listen to.

I've seen that before as well - obviously how you start of in the first place - didn't Albert King do like wise

stratman3142

Bridgehouse said:

Yeah - me as well, of course

monquixote said:

Me!

...and me, but not famous obviously.

Philly_Q

As a right-hander I've picked up a couple of left-handed guitars and it felt extremely odd, although doubtless it would be possible to adapt over time.

I've read interviews with several of the players listed above including, I think, Rik Emmett, Gary Moore and Steve Morse who said they thought it was an advantage having their dominant hand on the fretboard - which is interesting, but surely the majority wouldn't have persisted with the "wrong" way round for hundreds of years if it didn't work?  

I wonder if left-handers are naturally, or become, a bit more ambidextrous than right-handers because they have to live in a largely right-handed world?

In this context, it's interesting that Hendrix persisted with playing left-handed.  And Tony Iommi didn't switch, even after losing a couple of fingertips.

I'm pretty sure I read an interview with a righty who plays lefty, but I can't think who it is.

Plectrum

guitars4you said:

Alnico said:

guitars4you said:

Recently came across a list of famous guitar players who play the conventional 'right handed' way, but are left handed - some mighty fine players amongst this 

Billy Bob Thornton - Billy Corgan - Bob Brozman - Carl Wilson - Chris Rea - Danny Gatton - David Bowie - Duanne Allman - Elvis Costello - Gary Moore - George Barnes - George Van Eps - Johnny Winter - Mark Knopfler - Mike Bloomfield - Nick Lowe - Noel Gallagher - Paul Simon - Phil Hilbourne - Preston Reid - Rik Emmett - Robert Fripp - Steve Cropper - Steve Morse - Ted Greene - Neal Schon - Wilko Johnson

That's a surprising list Mark !

Really didn't know a lot of those guys were left handed  people.
I knew a guy once who could play a right handed guitar simply upside down, strings and all, played left handed. He could see all the chords the other way up like a mirror image. It was really something to watch and listen to.

I've seen that before as well - obviously how you start of in the first place - didn't Albert King do like wise

I believe he did. And I'm sure I read somewhere that Dick Dale does to.

EricTheWeary

Coco Montoya also plays with upside down strings ( although I think he worked as Albert King's drummer for a bit so there's a clear link).

Also Ernie Isley who I think is right handed but taught himself to play left handed as well so can play the same stuff on a left or right handed guitar which always seems amazing.

guitars4you said:

Alnico said:

guitars4you said:

Recently came across a list of famous guitar players who play the conventional 'right handed' way, but are left handed - some mighty fine players amongst this 

Billy Bob Thornton - Billy Corgan - Bob Brozman - Carl Wilson - Chris Rea - Danny Gatton - David Bowie - Duanne Allman - Elvis Costello - Gary Moore - George Barnes - George Van Eps - Johnny Winter - Mark Knopfler - Mike Bloomfield - Nick Lowe - Noel Gallagher - Paul Simon - Phil Hilbourne - Preston Reid - Rik Emmett - Robert Fripp - Steve Cropper - Steve Morse - Ted Greene - Neal Schon - Wilko Johnson

That's a surprising list Mark !

Really didn't know a lot of those guys were left handed  people.
I knew a guy once who could play a right handed guitar simply upside down, strings and all, played left handed. He could see all the chords the other way up like a mirror image. It was really something to watch and listen to.

I've seen that before as well - obviously how you start of in the first place - didn't Albert King do like wise

guitars4you

Voxman said:

Interestingly a lot of right-handed people do at least one thing left handed and vice-a-versa.  I'm right handed but hold a cricket bat/golf club left-handed.  My late mum was right handed but played tennis left-handed. 

Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad are both examples of players who bowl right handed and bat left handed

My daughter is right handed regarding everything she does - but for some reason holds a knife and fork cack handed

guitars4you

Philly_Q said:

I've read interviews with several of the players listed above including, I think, Rik Emmett, Gary Moore and Steve Morse who said they thought it was an advantage having their dominant hand on the fretboard - which is interesting, but surely the majority wouldn't have persisted with the "wrong" way round for hundreds of years if it didn't work?  

I've read that or heard that - Have I not read like wise that EVH is lefty and quotes something similar about the dexterity of a dominant left hand - don't quote me on that but recall it somewhere - some big EVH fan will update accordingly I hope 

EricTheWeary

I assume in part it's the kind of playing you do. So for something like a Gary Moore solo with big bends, vibrato, trills then having your dominant hand doing that whilst your picking hand does something relatively simple makes sense. On the other hand if you were doing complex finger picking maybe you'd want the dominant hand doing that.

 In the history of the development of the guitar when the handedness was being developed it maybe that styles were more about picking rythmns than string bending or complex harmony. For example open tunings were common in folk and blues. There were big crazes for Hawaiian and ukulele music mid 20th century that preceded the popularity of modern guitar styles and they relied on open tunings (open tuning a ukulele seems to have largely gone out of fashion but George Formby did it, for example) where the fretting hand was doing the less complex job. 

lustycourtier

Alnico said:

guitars4you said:

Recently came across a list of famous guitar players who play the conventional 'right handed' way, but are left handed - some mighty fine players amongst this 

Billy Bob Thornton - Billy Corgan - Bob Brozman - Carl Wilson - Chris Rea - Danny Gatton - David Bowie - Duanne Allman - Elvis Costello - Gary Moore - George Barnes - George Van Eps - Johnny Winter - Mark Knopfler - Mike Bloomfield - Nick Lowe - Noel Gallagher - Paul Simon - Phil Hilbourne - Preston Reid - Rik Emmett - Robert Fripp - Steve Cropper - Steve Morse - Ted Greene - Neal Schon - Wilko Johnson

That's a surprising list Mark !

Really didn't know a lot of those guys were left handed  people.
I knew a guy once who could play a right handed guitar simply upside down, strings and all, played left handed. He could see all the chords the other way up like a mirror image. It was really something to watch and listen to.

Gruff from the Super Furry Animals plays like that

bluechargeboy

Not famous, but a leftie chap in our local music shop plays right-handed strung guitars in the left-handed manner, years of practice in the shop! I have tried playing a LH guitar in my normal manner and although I know where the notes are, my fingers just won't listen to me! Very strange experience.

Pity the poor classical musicians who have no choice...

gubble

stratman3142 said:

Bridgehouse said:

Yeah - me as well, of course

monquixote said:

Me!

...and me, but not famous obviously.

& Me too

Skipped

Yep. There are people in that list that I was not aware of.

I once saw Gary Moore playing a very small gig and watched him from literally a few feet away. Didn't know at the time he was left handed but the power of his fretting hand seemed to be obvious. And significant.

In an eary interview he was asked about playing a RH guitar. He pointed out that he was lucky to have any cheap guitar when he was growing up - never mind a LH guitar. He then says to the interviewer (while looking down at the newly acquired Greeny he is holding) : "And anyway.....you don't find too many of these Left Handed"

lasermonkey

I met a guy, bass player for the Sex Gang Children IIRC, who was a southpaw. He could play left-handed, right-handed, left-handed upside down and right-handed upside down, all better than I could play normally!

Loobs

me!