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Stuck in a very specific way…
Hello,
I am trying to figure out how to start on this journey. I bought my first guitar when I was 14 and amputated my left index finger the day after my 15th birthday. I have recently retired and would like to figure out a way to play. In the past, I even tried playing left-handed, but it didn’t feel right. To play right-handed, how would I approach it? Alternate tuning and cord shapes? Should I buy a smaller guitar? Partial capos?
I would appreciate any guidance you can provide!
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5 Replies
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I think it very much depends on what your goals are regarding your guitar journey and where you are currently. Based on your answers I might be able to give you more specific guidance.
- Are you a total beginner as in you have not played at all since you turned 15?
- Where are you headed? Just for personal enjoyment, play for others , play around the campfire player, do you want to play with others.
If you have higher aspirations I believe the best option would be to switch to a left handed guitar because you will be limited playing right handed. It doesn’t mean you can’t get to be very good by adjusting your style, learning how to play chords up and down the neck on fewer strings and/or utilizing alternate tunings.
TAC focuses mainly on standard tunings although there are a number of weeks that utilize alternate tuning.
I did come across this device that you may want to check out: https://www.rock-itbarre.com/missing-digit.html
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Are you able to make a bar with your index?
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Tony Immoni the guitarist for Black Sabbath lost the tips of two fingers and ended up created Heavy Metal music as a result of coming up with a way to play. He did create some fake fingertips and changed the tuning so the strings were easier to fret. Who knows maybe you too could create a while new genre.
I personally would change to playing left-handed. Yes, it will feel awkward at first but learning to play guitar is going to be awkward. Better to start off while you are a beginner so you don’t have to change it later.
Justin of Justin Guitar switched to left-handed and recorded himself taking everyone of his lessons so he could experience what a new player would experience. Search for Nitsuj on YouTube and watch his struggles and progress.
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Not one of us tagged you @GreyBeard so there, maybe this will prompt a response out of you! Hope you had a nice weekend, I sure did!
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Thank you all for your replies, and my apologies for not responding sooner. I had a family emergency pop up and have been( and still am) out of town. I cannot make a proper bar cord, and I am approaching this as a beginner. After reading all of your posts, I agree with the sentiment of playing left-handed. I believe that when I tried to play left-handed previously, I let my frustration get in the way. I no longer have my lefty dreadnought but have ordered something a little smaller and hopefully easier to navigate. We will see how it goes after it arrives at the end of the week!
Once again, thank you for the help!
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