When musicians perform, it’s all on display. Music puts you in an especially vulnerable position; especially if it’s music you’ve written yourself. The odd thing is, musicians should look out for each other. We have one major thing in common, yet we let it cause massive differences. Why? Surely we should encourage and nurture one another. But sadly, that’s not always the case. I, personally, think “Battle Of The Bands” nights are very mean-spirited, as it actually instigates arguments and comparisons. I would do an open mic night any night of the week opposed to a Battle Of The Bands, because the atmosphere’s better. Everyone’s having a go, nobody’s better than anyone else, it’s a much more pleasant situation to be in.

But there’s one thing that’s been bothering me ever since the question was posed to me – what does make us feel like performing is a form of competing? This is very deep stuff. It goes right to the very core of human instinct.

The reason why we perceive performing as a competition is because it’s the easiest way to gauge our own progress. I genuinely believe that. I don’t think it’s about satisfaction or winning (sure, there’s that side to it I suppose), I think we ‘compete’ with other musicians to measure our own skill. For example, if you’re at a gig and there’s another guitarist there, and you turn to another member of your band and ask them “is he/she a better guitarist than me?” you’re checking to see if you’re making progress. I do it all the time. In fact, I think the reason I possibly do it a little more than others (e.g. all the time) is that I’m self-taught, so I’ve never really had anyone telling me how fast I should be progressing (which is a bonus of sorts, I feel). And seeing as humans are, by their very nature, insecure, it’s only natural to seek assurance. This has nothing to do with who has the best gear, the best riffs etc. it’s about basic human psychology. The most competitive people in the world are often the most insecure, and that also applies to the world of performing.

As proof that this theory has merit, think about the last time you were in a music shop and there was a one-finger Smoke On The Water sensation doing the rounds (or something similar – it could be any of the Forbidden Guitar Shop Tunes, from Stairway To Heaven to Smells Like Teen Spirit). Did you ever compare yourself to them in a competitive light? Of course not, because you know you’re better than him. See? You don’t need to think about whether you’re better than him, so you don’t feel competitive (I happen to be very insecure at music shops, because I’m hit with Music Shop Amnesia – where you can’t think of ANYTHING to play – and, naturally there’s always someone at the classical guitar section shredding his way through a concerto while discussing the finer points of flatwound and roundwound strings and coming up with an alternative to fossil fuel).

However, the quality of your own personal playing definitely enters your head more when you watch the seven-year-old next to the Marshall stack reciting a Steve Vai solo perfectly. And you feel competitive and a little insecure in your own playing because you’re wondering if you’re better/could be better than the guitar shop virtuosos, whom I often suspect have been hired especially to stop me loitering in music shops when I’m broke. I’m not saying a little healthy competition can’t be good for you. If it makes you go home and practice then surely some good has come from it – I always practice more after seeing someone who’s a fret-board wizard. But “healthy competition” can often lead to “that lad’s wearing a Hendrix shirt, let’s dual” mentality, and it shouldn’t. Guitarists (all musicians, actually) have one brilliant thing in common – the ability to make music, and that’s something that should be shared and used to make new connections rather than used as argument fodder.

Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a man outside in a Jimi Hendrix shirt that I just don’t like the look of…

Competition was written by John Tucker for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Walk into your local music shop and you are instantly overwhelmed by the mass of items that are begging for your attention and cash. And they hit you all so hard that by the time you recover, you’re stuck with something you didn’t really want. So now you’ve got to save for ANOTHER week for that pedal. You go in the next week, BAM, and you’re stuck with a whimsical set of maracas and still no pedal. It happens. It shouldn’t happen.

This article is about one thing and one thing alone – saving money. Now, I’m going to be honest with you right here. If you’re the sort of person that uses bits of left-over electrical cable as a belt and refuses to spend £5 to replace the broken D, A and high E strings on your second-hand Hohner Strat copy, then this article is not for you. This is not one of those infomercial-esque money saving programs where if you do X here and Y there, you will soon have Gibsons to burn. It’s not like that. This article is about necessities. Sometimes, we have a hard time distinguishing necessary from not, especially when we have money in our pocket. In some places in this article, I’m actually going to recommend spending MORE than you were planning to. But before you close your wallet in disgust, I’m thinking long term, and if you’re serious about guitar playing, so should you.

The Little Things

You know the sort of thing. The little tiny things we can’t do without, such as straplocks, straps, tuners, slides, capos, picks… the list is endless. But is all of it necessary? That’s the question.

OK, there are some things that are DEFINITELY necessary, such as a pick, a strap, and some straplocks. Straps and straplocks, though, are subject to debate – what’s right for you? Is that £6 strap going to survive gigging? Do you WANT to gig? If you don’t, is that £25 strap REALLY necessary? Of course, the longer you’ve been playing, the easier these questions become – experience will prove to be your best and most trusted teacher. But at first, it can all be a little daunting. However, the fact of the matter is, if you plan to gig, you need a decent strap and some good straplocks.

When you think about straplocks, those little tiny pieces of metal (or plastic, which we’ll come to in a minute) can cause quite the discussion, can’t they? And I bet you’ve seen those small, cheap, black plastic straplocks that require no drilling or anything. And, if you are trying to save money, I bet you’ve considered them, and maybe even bought some. But is that really the best idea?

Consider this – you buy a set of £15 straplocks that protect your instrument for good. You’re out of pocket £15, but you’ve got peace of mind knowing that those straplocks will probably outlive you. Buy a £2.50 set that isn’t that reliable, and you could end up paying upwards of £50 in repairs. You might even have to start shopping for a new axe. So not only do you have to get a new guitar/pay for repairs, you also have to buy a decent set of straplocks. You’re out of pocket £67.50 in that case (£50 for the repairs, £15 for the new straplocks, and £2.50 for the straplocks that caused the whole ordeal). In the long term, I’d rather get the £15 set. If you can get them, have a look at the straps that come with straplocks already attached. No drilling, and a good quality set of straplocks to boot. I got mine for the same price as a set of Jim Dunlop straplocks by themselves, meaning I’ve also saved money on a strap. Well worth it, in my opinion. If your guitar is broken, then were you REALLY saving money? No, of course not.

As for picks, buy a few different gauges/brands, and then find a particular one you like and stick with it. As for things like slides (and, to a lesser extent, capos – I say lesser extent because no matter what your style is, you probably should consider one), this is yet another case of necessity. Yes, it WILL broaden your horizons slightly, but why pay for stuff you won’t use? Consider your style before you leap at a slide. Will it suit you? Will you use it? Is it necessary?

Comfort In Sound Part I – Of Amps And Ampleness

This only applies to those of us that require amplification (electric players and acoustic players that don’t like being drowned out), of course. If you play electric, you obviously need an amp. There’s no two ways about it. You can’t appreciate the full extent of your guitar’s capabilities (the sustain, the tone, that dial on your guitar that seemingly doesn’t do anything in particular) without some sort of amplification. But what do you REALLY need?

First of all, if you haven’t heard of a company/amp (I mean if you haven’t heard ANYTHING at all), leave it alone. I learnt this the hard way. Sure, my AcroBat practice amp is good for practicing, but I wouldn’t trust it at a club or gig. I’m getting myself a Marshall 30w, which is fine for what I’m realistically planning to do over the next 5-10 years (hey, if an agent spots us and demands we tour the globe’s biggest arenas for all the money we could dream of in the next three weeks, I’ll consider a 50w). And that’s fine for me – I’ve done some research into it, and yes, I did consider the 100w 4×12 cab. But what’s the point? The amp I need is primarily for A) playing in my room to develop new ideas and B) playing in very small places for no money where my fresh ideas are met with an overall sense of apathy. Besides, another thing to take into account is convenience. The bands you see on TV playing in front of a wall of Marshall cabs don’t have to lug them around themselves in a very small car. The bands you see on TV don’t have to toss a coin before a practice to see which poor soul has to load the gear into a car. Smaller amps cause no such trouble, and they’re nearly as loud as the ones that require a group of burly roadies with names like “Dustin” and “Twinge”. That’s something to think about.

Comfort In Sound Part II – Pedalpushers

Every guitar player who hasn’t taken their guitar to live in a cave knows that the market is forever being bombarded with new items. And some of them are truly revolutionary, and change the face of guitar playing. Some don’t. An awful lot of us get stuck with those that don’t. It’s a matter of – you guessed it – necessity.

Look at your set-up (I know that’s no hardship, because if there’s one thing a guitarist loves to do besides recite his set-up to an astonished onlooker, it’s to gaze upon his own brilliance). You should have a guitar, a pick, and if you play electric, a lead and an amp. Got more? We all do. I wouldn’t call myself excessive with my gear – I’ve got a Crybaby wah pedal, a Zoom 505mkII multi-FX unit and I’ll probably get a few more (perhaps an independent sustainer,). But many people have effects and other items that sit in the closet. Why? Because they’re not necessary.

When it comes to effects, we all know the truth. It is TOUGH. You go into a music store, and you’re just mesmerized by them all. You go in – again, knowing EXACTLY what you’re there for – and you can very easily be lured into something you neither need nor want.

Another truth – your sound (that sound that makes you you) can cost hundreds upon hundreds, even thousands. And if you care that much, then it’s worth every penny. But another truth is that some people feel there’s a stigma attached to certain items and sounds. There’s a thrift-shop aura around certain multi FX units (including my beloved Zoom 505mkII) that is ridiculous. And it’s a real shame that people refuse to even try some units because of hearsay. TRY them and clear your mind.

Comfort In Sound Part III – Your Voice

So far, we’ve covered amps, effects, straps, straplocks, and pretty much everything in between. But we have yet to cover the most important thing of all – your guitar. And there is one brilliant way to save money on guitars. This is really more for the beginner-approaching-intermediate, but I think it’s a good general statement:

Don’t invest in “chunks”.

By this, I mean that if you start with a Squier at about £150, fair enough – we all need something to start with, and you can’t go far wrong with a Squier (regardless of what some nay sayers will tell you). Then let’s say you’ve decided to make the commitment and you want to get a beautiful cherry red Epiphone SG for £460. Don’t talk yourself into getting a “mid-range” guitar to make sure you still want to do it – if you really want to do it, and I mean REALLY, you’ll know it. It’s an intuitive thing. Because if you get, say, an Ibanez for about £250 to make sure you want to invest in the SG, I can guarantee you’ll get the SG anyway. And when you do, what was the point in buying the Ibanez? It was money that could have been put towards the SG. Sure, you could sell the Ibanez and the Squier, but you still wouldn’t have enough from the resale to get the SG, and the resale value of the Ibanez CERTAINLY wouldn’t justify getting it in the first place. Think. Thinking actually saves you a fair bit of money.

If you’re looking towards getting your 20th or 30th guitar, then we’re usually talking about more money and even more brain racking. And in that respect, it’s both easier and harder at this level than ever before – easier because at this level, you know EXACTLY what you want and need from a guitar. Harder because at this level, you usually spend a bit more on guitars, which means that choice can blind you.

And with choices come questions. Lots of questions. HARD questions.

What’s the point in this one? Do you like Kurt Cobain enough – and is it tonally different enough from your other axes – to warrant spending $600 on a JagStang? Do you like BB King’s style, or do you just like the way the Lucille looks on you? Is this a “trophy” guitar, or are you actually going to get your money’s worth? Another way to make sure you definitely want a guitar is to try it once a week for a reasonable stretch of time, and then go and look at other things you want that cost the same or less. You’ll get more cynical and realistic about your potential purchase, and you may save a bit of money.

Conclusion

Guitars are investments, regardless of how you look at it – if you’re a beginner you’re investing in good learning conditions. If you’re leaving the beginner phase, you’re investing in the sounds that are going to define your whole sound and guitar philosophy. And if you’ve mastered your craft, then it could be for any number of reasons – a monetary investment in the future vintage market, an investment in experience, who knows. And investments cost money. And unwise investments always seem to cost a lot more. I hope you’ve found this article helpful and enjoyable, and I hope your next investment brings you exactly what you want from it.

Merry Christmas, and happy spending.

Necessity was written by John Tucker for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

These are merely SOME of the questions that come into play when buying the second guitar. Hopefully, this article will send you in well-prepared.

1. HOW MUCH?

This is the key point – how much are you looking to spend? I assume you’re looking to spend a little more than you did the first time round, which on one hand is a good thing, because you’ve got more choice, but on the other hand is a bad thing, because too much choice can be the killer.

Look at some guitars you like. How much are they? What do you like about them? What are you paying for here? If you can’t really see what you’re investing in, do you really think you should be investing in it? And are you paying for the guitar, or the brand?

I’ll be honest – when I was shopping around for my second, I had it set in my mind I was either getting a Fender or an Epiphone. Other brands? What other brands? Those were the two for me. I left the shop with a Tanglewood Memphis, with a much better sound and a fair bit of money left from what I thought I would be paying for the Telecaster or the Les Paul. Tanglewood are a small British brand, and it just so happens that the shop I bought it from owns 90% of the factory, and the owner’s a lefty. This means quality lefties. Not only has it taught me a valuable lesson about paying for brand names, but I have also discovered a whole new brand and sound.

2. WHERE?

Another vital point – Where are you planning to get it? Turns out that the shop I got my first guitar from ripped me off to the tune of at least £20. So I don’t go there for anything these days. Are you thinking of getting it over the internet? Because although you could be saving a fair lump of cash, what guarantee is there that the thing will arrive whole? Have you played it? How’s the action? Don’t know? Well, that’s something to consider. One thing to remember: NEVER underestimate the power of spending money locally. NEVER. If the store is anywhere near what you or I would deem “acceptable”, it will come back to you in one way or another. The manager of my favourite shop now knows me on a first name basis and most of the staff call me buddy or pal, and recognize me.

Good service, to me, is worth me spending my money there, even if the odd thing is a little more expensive. Because that investment has now provided me with a place where I know I can be frank with my concerns, and where I can have my own room to play in when I’m looking to spend. Don’t be led into thinking that the only investment you’re going to make is in your sound and your guitar. Invest in people.

3. WHY?

This is the killer. Why are you buying this guitar? Is it because of the brand name? Is that colour really the best for you? Unless you’re unbelievably sage and experienced, you probably won’t take a guitar down to sample if it doesn’t appeal to the visual side of things. Luckily for people like me, we’re not talking about people who are incredibly sage and experienced – we’re talking about real people, who will never utter the sentence “Oh yeah, that’s the Gibson Smartwood Chanacharana Les Paul I got this week. It’s not as good as the one I ordered last week, that was Peroba wood, but you win some, you lose some.” But you should always purchase based on sound. Sure, this guitar looks fabulous, but how does it sound? Does it sound crummy when it’s run through effects and amps that are set to just how you like them? Are you looking to buy an acoustic? An electric? An electro-acoustic? A semi-acoustic? A bass? An acoustic bass? Obviously, the more you think about this, the harder it gets, which is, in the end, a good thing.

Another question of why – is it so significantly different from guitar number one to justify the money you’re investing in it? Chances are most of your sound difficulties can be resolved with a tiny bit of practice.

When you get a new guitar, you sometimes feel like you’re capable of anything. I know I felt like that. I even had a crack at Clapton’s Tears in Heaven. But don’t be tricked into thinking the confidence boosts that come with a new guitar come ONLY with a new guitar, as I once thought. They come in all shapes and sizes, like learning a new trick/technique, mastering a song you consider to be difficult, and yes, getting a new effects pedal. As much as I hate to admit it, buying new equipment is good for us – it inspires to play more, and with that comes new ideas and techniques. But there’s many, many more ways to get a confidence boost that is not only much better than getting a new pedal, but it’s completely free.

I hope that this article has been of some benefit to you. If you’re shopping for your second guitar right now, keep the questions that you think are relevant to you in mind. More importantly, go in with an open mind – forget everything you think you know.

Best of luck and happy hunting!

Buying Your Second Guitar was written by John Tucker for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

If you’ve been involved in music for any stretch of time, and if you can look deep enough within music to find its social side, chances are you’ve thought about getting involved or are already involved in a band. Music cannot be a strictly individual affair; it’s one of the many things in life where two heads (or more) are usually better than one. Hey, if you think you can make it on your own, more power to you. There’s no reason you can’t.

But there are several reasons why people want to be involved in a band. They might get shy when performing and feel better when other people perform with them, they might see music as a strictly social affair (those two definitely apply to me), or whatever. Fact of the matter is, as long is there is music, there will be bands to play it. And judging from the page you’re on now, you’ve given it a thought. This article will cover starting a band, rehearsing, performing and finding work – the main things the average band works toward.

OK, so you’ve decided to start a band. Who do you include? Who does what? How many people? A lot of things have to be taken into consideration when you’re starting your new band. Now, just to get off on the right foot, don’t think of a band name BEFORE you’ve assembled a band and at least had one practice. Get the feel of the band before you brand it for life. You might call it The Exploited Youths and imagine you’re going to be a punk band, but you may discover punk isn’t for you. Then you’re stuck with an inappropriate name that you have to change. Don’t do it.

Assembling your band is probably a lot easier if your friends play instruments. The reason I suggest picking friends is because you know them (and they know you) better than a stranger you read about in the personals at Zed + Gimp’s Music Store. If it’s a choice between a friend and “22y/o drummer seeking band, n/s gsoh inf: Godsmack, RATM, Sepultura”, go with the friend EVERY time. Another thing – if you’ve got the choice between a phenomenal drummer who’s only a mild acquaintance and a really good friend who perhaps isn’t as technically skilled a drummer, go with the really good friend. Most musicians, and not just drummers (in my case it was a drummer, but it can be anyone), are bound to improve but relationships might not. I learned this the hard way – on paper, my last band would have set the world on fire, until I discovered our interests differed unbelievably. He has since left and we have taken on the very good friend, and the relationship within the band is much better… there’s a much better atmosphere.

Assembling a band, by the way, is a LOT easier if you are in school/work/somewhere you meet practically every day. Not only is it a lot easier to arrange rehearsals and establish a band to begin with, but you’ve also got an advantage over bands that meet in the Zed + Gimp personals. I’m sure 22y/o drummer is a very nice person, but you don’t know him or his style.

So now you’re in a band. Congratulations! But now, you need to rehearse. If you don’t, you’ll never get the better things about band life – One-hundred-date-mega-stadium-tours, fan sites spreading rumours about your personal life, people saying that one member of the band is dead based on “clues” on album covers, and executives camping outside your doorstep.

Starting out, depending on how well you know each other and how good you are at playing together, rehearsals will take time. You’ll need to learn a couple of sets of songs and get them down cold. Not only the songs themselves, but also whatever arrangements and presentation you choose. You should plan on doing some intense playing in order to get your act together.

But once you’ve gotten that down, you don’t need to rehearse that often, just enough so that the material doesn’t go stale and you don’t lose a feel for the other band-members’ tendencies. It may sound silly, but it happens – you come back after long hiatuses with different interests and ideas (“Guys, I’d like you to meet Yoko, and she’s got a lot of fantastic ideas.”) Don’t let this happen. Realistically, aim to practice at least once a month, but if you can manage once a week, that’s ideal. If you’re in school, try and find an empty room (a music room, a hall, whatever) to rehearse in. If not, try and rent out a local community centre for a few hours – I think you’ll find they’re very reasonable.

Now another crucial question arises – what do you rehearse? From personal experience, I usually find it’s better to rehearse something everyone in the band knows. For example, the band I’m in now (incidentally, it’s the most successful one yet) was really having trouble clicking as a group – we just couldn’t get it together. I was trying to teach the other members the parts for Nirvana’s epic Come As You Are, and it wasn’t going too badly either. But something was missing. Then, Electric Six released the controversial Gay Bar. We all found it hilarious, we all knew the parts for it, and we did it first time without a hitch. The next rehearsal, we did Come As You Are too, with very few problems. It’s simply a matter of finding a common interest and using it as a method of branching out.

Now for another issue that will come up forever – original material. Unless some members have been in bands before together, there’s probably no set-in-stone lyrics man, and usually in new bands the person with a lot of ideas doesn’t like to impose. If you feel one person (maybe it’s you, maybe it’s the keyboard player, whoever) has the majority of the good ideas, and they obviously have a gift for that sort of thing, use that person to wrangle ideas from other people. For example, Freddy Mercury (of Queen) was the main lyrics producer, if anyone else (usually John Deacon) felt they had a good idea he would sit with them and work on it. All original material should be a collaborative effort. If you’ve written the lyrics and the music, let the drummer pitch in with beat/fill ideas. Let the drummer write his own part – most drummers worth their salt can put a nice, appropriate beat to anything. When you work with other people, it’s surprising how easy it is to make music.

So now you have your band and some music for your band to play! Excellent! Now comes the part most bands (rock bands in particular) aim for – getting work. If I can give one piece of advice to you (I hope I’ve given you more than one piece in this relatively lengthy article, but oh well), let it be this – do NOT look at music as the solution to your financial struggles. I HATE to sound clichéd, but if you’re in music for the money, then you’re in music for all the wrong reasons. Most gigs pay pittance, and £50/$50 doesn’t go far when it’s split 3/4/5/6 ways. Some gigs won’t even pay at all. Just take work wherever you can find it. My band started out playing benefit concerts for issues we care about and school concerts, and we still are, and we’re still not being paid. The fact is we do it because we care about the charities we play for – and the more concerts we do, the more people have seen us. It’s all about EXPOSURE. At every concert you play, there could be somebody in the audience who’s interested in you. Spread yourself around. SOMEBODY is bound to like you.

I hope this has at least enlightened you somewhat, and I wish you every success in your band. At the very worst, you’ll have learned a valuable lesson about how NOT to do things and at least you can say you tried. At the very best, well… the sky’s the limit.

Good luck.

Band Creation 101 was written by John Tucker for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise

Ah, the life of the left-handed guitarist. Chances are that if you’ve picked up a guitar, this question has been posed to you – and the answer is, inevitably, that you’re left-handed. It’s not YOUR fault. It’s not YOUR fault that your brain just happens to work that way. It’s not YOUR fault that you are, statistically, 27% better at the creative arts than right-handed people. It’s not YOUR fault that you’re trying your hardest in a field that is generally dominated by the right-handed.

And many people don’t see it that way, which is tragic. A lot of lefties just look at the problems and quit before they’ve even had the chance to wrap their right hands around the neck of a guitar. This article is here to provide support and encouragement to those who are left handed. But, a few things before we start:

A lot of the tips here at Guitar Noise apply for us too (David Hodge is left-handed), so don’t disregard information that’s primarily aimed at right-handed people because you think it won’t apply to you. Chances are it does. And if there’s anything about placing your left hand on the frets or whatever, REVERSE IT.

If you’ve picked up a guitar and you’ve found you can comfortably play right-handed (left hand working the frets, right hand plucking/strumming the strings), then for God’s sake, CARRY ON DOING THAT. It will prove to work to your advantage. If it’s uncomfortable, then unlucky, you’re in the same boat as me, and about 1/9th of the world.

OK, so we’ve covered the requirements. Now, onto the advice:

I know how you’re feeling. “So what if I’m a leftie? Why should I have to pay extra for guitars because my brain just happens to be better at this sort of thing?” Well, the world isn’t always fair, but you’d be surprised as to the options left-handed people have in front of them. Any decent music shop usually offers a very good variety of left-handed instruments. Obviously, unless you’re in a specialist shop, there will be more right-handed guitars than left, because the majority is right-handed and to stock equal amounts of both would be bad for business. Don’t hate the store. They’ve got a mortgage to pay and a family to support. They’re just trying to make a living. Take a look over their selection, and for God’s sake, do NOT pick up a right-handed guitar, at least not in front of a salesperson. If a salesperson sees you plucking a right-handed guitar with your left-handed ways, the “SUCKER” alarm goes off in that salesman’s head, because you will look inexperienced. YOU DON’T WANT HIM TO KNOW/THINK THIS. If you’re new to this, then the way to spot a left-handed guitar is this: if the thickest string is on top when you’re playing it, then that’s the right guitar for you. If the thickest string is on the bottom, it is right-handed. PUT IT DOWN. Don’t drop it on the floor though. That’s asking for trouble.

MYTH: Some songs sound worse when played by a southpaw.
TRUTH: Here is the list of songs that sound different when played on a left-handed guitar by a left-handed person:

There are none.

OK, so you’ve got your guitar now. Well, the good news is that if it’s left-handed, you can now have lessons from a tutor/a friend/a relative/whoever. Even BETTER news is that since the Internet has become the best source for information available to man, you can get a lot of help online. If you’re worried you won’t read TAB the same way right-handed people do, you can. But often it’s simply a matter of finding a way that YOU can decipher it. You will find a system that works for you, honest. If all else fails, take the chord in question over to ChordFind.com – they have a left-handed option.

And you’re on your way! That’s pretty much all you need to know about left-handed playing. Here are some all-purpose does and don’ts to help you -

1. Don’t, don’t, DON’T take a right-handed acoustic and re-string it. It will constantly be falling out of tune.

2. Don’t try and learn to play on a right-handed guitar, as some chords will be impossible (G springs to mind). Also, if you ever decide to jump to a left-handed guitar later on, you’ll be forced to start from scratch.

3. Don’t feel bad about playing in front of right-handed people – you’ve got just as much potential as them.

And most importantly, have fun playing. That’s what it’s about. And before I go, here are some little snippets and statistics that you can tell any nay Sayers -

A band with a left-handed guitarist in it is 3% more likely to attract attention, because looks are almost everything these days, and left-handed guitarists look unique.

Kurt Cobain, Paul McCartney and Jimi Hendrix made a combined total of over $200million in their respective careers… all three were left-handed. Leonardo da Vinci and Napoleon were also left-handed, as well as – that’s right – Ned Flanders from the Simpsons.

The numbers of left-handed people in the UK has increased fourfold over the last 100 years.

About 11% of women and 13% of men are left-handed.

The Latin word for left-handed is “sinister”. The reason “sinister” means what it does today is because hundreds of years ago left-handed people were considered evil.

I hope this has been helpful to one in every nine of you… keep playing that baby upside-down, southpaws.

Lefties Anonymous – The Life of a Left-handed Guitarist was written by John Tucker for Guitar Noise. A good guitar player you will be if you visit the above site. © 2012 Guitar Noise