Holding the Guitar in Different Ways

 Jimi Hendrix is said to be one of the best guitarists that ever lived. He is known for songs like "Purple Haze", "Hey Joe", and many other songs. One thing that was different about Hendrix was that he was left-handed. When learning how to play the guitar, Hendrix was forced to learn playing the guitar "upside down" by having the strings restrung backwards. In the text it says "Hendrix pushed guitar playing to its absolute limits both in terms of tonal quality and melodic experimentation all using his 'left-handed' Stratocasters." (Greig Powlesland 248) This excerpt describes just how Jimi Hendrix was able to change music forever with the usage of his altered guitars. Quotes are around left-handed because he played with right-handed guitars and changed the strings and how he held it to make it fit him.

This image shows the comfortable and go-to way to hold the guitar for me. Being right-handed, I use my left hand to hold down the strings on the neck and my other hand to strum the strings near the soundhole, which is where the sound from the vibrations is amplified and gives the guitar the acoustic name.






 This image shows the way that someone who was left-handed, like Jimi Hendrix or Kurt Cobain might hold it. Everything I said about the right-hand method is mirrored when holding it like this. Although it doesn't look very different compared to the right-handed way, it sure did feel weird. The uncomfortable difference was similar to switching to the non-dominant hand to write.




Learning about how Hendrix and many other musicians cope with the right-handed dominated society was very interesting and made me think about even more different ways that the guitar might be held.



Who is your favorite guitarist? Are they left-handed or right-handed?


Greig, Charlotte, and Nick Powlesland. The Guitar Book: The Ultimate Guide to Playing like the Greats: Blues, Rock, Pop, Folk, Jazz. London: Amber, 2010. Print.