When I was young and had been playing guitar for a few years, I saw a guy at a party playing upside down. I arrogantly said to him, "you can't that way", and the guy asked, "why?" I said, "because it's wrong". He replied, "there are no rules in music, man!" It shut me up and made an impression on me. 😄
Hi there. Am so glad to have found this video. I have been playing left handed, upside down ( cack-handed ), since i was around 15. I am now 68, and play my old beat-up Epiphone acoustic nearly every day. The chords i struggle with the most are probably Bm , Bb and F. Having short fingers probably doesn't help with that, but it doesn't slow me down too much. I don't use a plectrum at all, and i can do enough finger picking to get by. Anyway, thanks again for your great video, and maybe i,ll see you around the camp fire one day! Cheers. Graham. Adelaide SA 🎸
Hi there Graham - thanks so much for your comments. Yes, the Bm, Bb and F are the tricky ones for sure. And thanks for the walk down memory lane...I havn't heard the term "cack-handed" for years, but was used a lot when I was a kid growing up 😄 cheers
I started playing the guitar around 2-3 weeks ago and I play it exactly this way. The reason why is because I always thought it was the right way to play it. But the problen is my bandmates judge me for it after they saw me playing, because of that I never really got the chance to play it in front of then anymore even though I've learned quite a lot of songs. Which means I also don't get to perform songs while playing the guitar since they don't let me. Seeing you post this really increased my confidence. I really thank you for that.
Hi there Nick...so glad this has helped you with your confidence. The bottom line here is it should not matter HOW you play the guitar as long as you are enjoying it and steadily improving. The professionals I show in the video have certainly provided me with inspiration to keep working on my craft also. Glad you enjoyed the video, take care. regards. Dene
Let me guess, your bandmates consider themselves punk. Haha! Oh the irony if they are. Even if they’re rock, they’re in the wrong genre. Sounds like you need a new band. Not letting society or others dictate how YOU do things is what punk and rock-n-roll is all about. It’s about figuring out who you are and finding a way to express your unique self. It’s not about conforming to how everyone else does something or thinks you should be, or allowing others to dictate who YOU are or how YOU do things. There is no right or wrong way to do most things, usually there’s more than one way to anything, regardless of what it is. Educate yourself on the famous upside down lefties, then educate them. If they’re still being dicks, find another band. Life is short, don’t waste it spending time with narrow-minded posers. I say posers because that type of thinking they are displaying is NOT what rock, punk or even country is all about. It’s quite the opposite really.
@@jbfrodsham I understand why you'd think I'm lying but I'm not. During that time I never really learned what tabs are and just usually strum the chords from every song that I wanted to learn. So in those 2-3 weeks, I learned quite a lot of songs with simple basic chord progression. I had a lot of time to play my guitar since it was a school holiday. It's okay if you don't believe me. Have a good day Edit: Also during that time my band was known to play slow and easy songs since the teachers wanted us to lol. So I learned a lot of the songs that my band wanted to perform but like I said, they didn't like how I played the guitar upside down.
Firstly, there are definite limitations. Songs in the main are written using right handed guitars, therefore theres a barrier there. Thankfully its only a barrier if you want to copy the original. Bring your own version to the table, develop it, and it'll sound like YOU. Playing bass lines with a pinkie is difficult but there are ways. I've played this way for 50 years - problems yes - regrets none.
I'm left handed and play the traditional way with your low e on top, but I've become decently good at playing upside down like you just from picking up friends guitars. If your're left handed I think it's worth at least practicing a few chords and songs upside down, because then like you said it doesn't matter what guitar you have, you'll always be able to play. And if you think about it, it's not really like it's holding back your progress by spending time learning it upside down because you're still building your dexterity, timing, and rhythm in the same respective hands, your just playing different chord shapes. One of these days I'm gonna pickup another guitar (probably just a cheap one) and keep it strung right handed so I can practice more playing upside down.
I could not have said it better myself Ethan. I think I’ll screen grab your comment and include it in an upcoming video of mine because you are so on point 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍 Thanks for watching. Cheers.
I play bass guitar like this...I am right handed and knew 2 guys that play guitar like you, I thought it was interesting so about 13 years ago I flipped my strings and I find it really makes better sense, on the downside I play both ways and playing it flipped makes some techniques difficult and had to modify my playing style s bit...but I still love it.
You sound very versatile, and I agree, we have to modify a few things but it is definitely doable. Thanks for sharing, I love to hear from fellow LH upside-downers. cheers.
I learned on my brother's right hand guitar and about a year later, someone told me I had to reverse the strings, so I did. My brother became irate and my fingers wouldn't cooperate. I prefer the high E on top. Thanks for the references to others like me.
Nice to see another one of us out there getting on with it and enjoying the guitar. Playing LH upside down is definitely not a limitation. Thanks for watching. cheers.
I NEEDED THIS! I’m an ambidextrous and when I first got my guitar (two days ago) I naturally started to play my right handed guitar upside down and felt comfortable rather than playing it normally. I became paranoid because I thought I was the only one 😭but luckily I decided to Google if it was okay to play it upside down and found your channel! Thank you, you’ve encouraged me to continue playing the guitar upside down!
Hi Eyman - so glad this has helped. Your comment has made my day! When you read through the comments to this particular video, you will see a growing group of us who have discovered this video and are all saying similar things...we can ROCK also!! PS: Not sure what level player you are, but if you are starting out you may get value with this LH upside down guitar lesson I did on how to form the major, minor and 7th chords...ua-cam.com/video/eTaFV0V4mTI/v-deo.html. cheers!
Even if you were the only one - it's okay to be you. Many times, it's only even possible to enjoy things because you're doing it your way. Unless there are safety issues or something feel free to go your own way. The world really needs leaders over followers
I play more than 50years this way, all mine electric guitars are left handed but srtung righthanded so no problems with the knobs and cable my classic and flamenco guitars are right handed. just flip over and play. so easy greets Dimitri
Hey Dimitri, nice to hear. there are more of us out there. I think my next guitar will be a LH cutaway but i'll string it RH like you have done so everything remains "the right way around"...for me. Thanks for watching. Cheers.
Hi Dimitri, I’ve been playing this way on Acoustic guitars for years. Looking to get into electric and thinking of buying a lefty guitar. For your left handed electrics what setup customization did you need to do? I imagine there are problems with bridge, saddle, and nut designed for strings strung the other way.
first replace the nut with one for left-handed guitars, you just have to adjust the bridge and the saddle, first take a picture before you loosen everything, then adjust everything in mirror image. Hope this is clear. Good luck Dimitri
Albert King played this way and little Jimmy king another lefty could play with strings either way, I'm left handed and play right handed using my left hand on the fretboard I probably would have learned upside down except for the fact I always felt the guitar looked weird upside down also I found it easier to play right handed, I guess it's about what works for the individual
You have amazing skills Dene. Its hard enough to play normally (well easier with your amazing videos) but playing the way you do WOW......Keep up the great work.
12:33 sadly Miche died 2 years ago. I discovered him about a year ago so never got the chance to talk to him. I also play upsidedown left handed. I’ve been playing that way for 25 years. When your friends are all righty’s and you grow up poor, you can only learn on their rig lol but honestly, I have very few limitations today. Although I use to blame a lot of my poor playing on it. But It wasn’t until only a few years ago when I heard Eric Gales play that I decided to start really taking it serious, and stop hiding behind my faux limitations I set on myself. When I stopped doing that I found out a determined player can figure anything out. Today, I can jam blues for hours. Sometimes a whole day will go by and I don’t even realize it until the sun goes down.
A great story👍 inspiration. I’ve recently been coming to the same conclusion as you, the only limits are our own. I’m grappling with fingerpicking and picking techniques right now to see what I’ll stick with. Not textbook, but whatever I can do to make it work and keep improving. Thanks for watching and commenting. It’s great to hear from fellow upside downers 😎
I do most everything right handed except I written, and play guitar left handed. So, as a kid my mom had an acoustic guitar that was never really played that I can recall, and I picked it up, left hand3d and figured out how to play simple songs. I then tuned the 2 high ‘skinny’ strings to be open tuned like the others and that was all she wrote. Played in a couple bands (rythum primarily) and like he said,, always got a kick out of watching other guitarists faces when watching me play the first time or two. Great video, enjoyed reliving the good, the bad and the ugly of it all. LOL
Great video! I am glad I started learning guitar this way, since it makes it easy for me to play my guitars both ways - right handed and left handed - by just turning them around. I'm a left handed player who already knows how to play with my right hand and still uses right handed playing for professional purposes, since that's how I was trained since childhood. I also spent some years practicing playing left handed with the low strings up, but stopped doing so, because of needing 2 models that way.
Thanks for introducing me to this video Dene. Really interesting. I've played "proper" lefty guitar for nearly 40 years so too late for me to change, anyway, since arthritis got the better of my thumbs I gave up guitar and focussed on lefty ukulele. This is where it gets interesting because you mentioned about the comments of your strumming sound being different; well, you strummed some chords at around 6 minutes but never really strummed all 6 strings, missing the bass strings, and, do you know, your strumming sounds a lot like my baritone ukulele tuned DGBE, 4 strings with no bass strings.
Cool video! I've been playing like this for years as well :) To combat the electric problem with controls like you mentioned I just pull off the knobs, even on the slider, which makes them very tiny and more shallow, even if you do bump them (specifically the dial ones) they won't move, and it's still simple enough to adjust volume/tone if you need to, just might not look so pretty seeing those metal nubs instead of a pretty plastic dial. Also the walking bass line trick, especially with D, I usually use my thumb for the high E string in the 2nd, ring on the B string in the 3rd, and index on the G string in the 2nd, which leaves my middle finger free to easily reach for the low E in the 2nd if I wanna play like D/F#, such a common walk-down in lotsa music say G, D/F#, Em. I also find lots of chords even less of a stretch than "proper" players, and even "fuller" where they usually do some weirdness to mute like the A string. Say, Am11 for instance. (labelled from the low E: EADGBe) [5-3-5-5-3-3], you can barre the entire 3rd, and pinki/ring/middle on the 5's, and play everything! As Notes: [G-C-G-C-D-G] stacked those notes are 1st, min3, 7th, min3, 11th, 7th. which add up to an Am11! Most rightys mute the A string with whatever finger holds the D string, and do an odd stretch back with their index to reach the 3rd on the B string, and ignore the high E. I can play every open position chord, and also use all my open position shapes as barre chords, even modify them to get Suspended, Diminished, Major 7ths, Dominant 7ths, add9 chords, etc... Might not be the same "go-to" shape as a righty but I can still make them somewhere on the neck :) I would have to say the biggest drawback is open string droning, especially if you use lots of barre chords, as it's almost impossible most the time either the meat of your palm mutes the low E or how you make that barre there's no way to let the low strings be open, where as a "proper" player can easily not barre as high with their index finger leaving the E or A etc.. string open to drone on. Us upside-down lefty's those low strings start at the base of our index finger when we barre haha! The second biggest drawback, especially with guitars that have a cut-out, is the balance point, even if you put a strap button in an ideal location, the weight distribution is just off, and it causes neck-dive, which is a real pain to deal with, I mostly stay seated, or if I need to play one unbalanced like that standing, I safety pin my strap to my shirt in a couple places to "lock" the strap so it can't slide over my shoulder preventing the neck from diving. If it's really off (heavy like les pauls) and still pulls funny, I'll just use one safety pin and a small piece of cordage, and pin the cordage to the strap, and tie the other end to a belt loop haha :)
some excellent tips and observations there Sean! Yes, the bass string drones etc are tricky (impossible) for those that play like us. I've come to accept there are some things I can do better, some I can't, and some not at all. Appreciate your feedback and comments, hopefully others read this also and get value from what you have shared. cheers.
I have been playing this way since I was 7 years old but I also play it traditionally strung. I have never found it to be any more difficult playing inverted vs. playing it “normal.” I just wish that I knew more players that played the same way, as it gets a bit tiresome at every gig/jam having people come up to me wanting to talk about. It isn’t as hard as people might think. Btw, I am a natural lefty that has left handed guitars but prefer to play right handed guitars.
Recommended by myself as a back up . I have been successful enough to afford a few decent lefties but I still play other peoples guitars upside down for a party trick. Try using a finger style with bass runs, I use my pinky but I have been playing for 30 years.
Wow, I’d love to see that, you can play both way 👏🏼👏🏼 using the pinky for bass lines is something I have considered but I just haven’t put the time in yet to train the brain and hand to do this. I’m working on box2 of the pentatonic right now. Box1 is ok, working my way one at a time. Cheers.
Ive played this way since i was 9 it has never been a problem all chords are accessible even complex b flat 9th cords i play very complex arrangements its not allien its how we learn
Agreed Matthew. It's definitely reachable as long as the mindset is not the barrier. I'm getting some good comments from people on this video who did not think it was OK to play this way but now they are giving it a go. Sounds like you are a living case study that it is infinitely doable. Cheers.
Love that. You can do it either way, now that is a skill! You should post something on UA-cam, same tune, played different ways, people would love that. thanks for watching and commenting. cheers
I play this way my dad taught me some years ago simple g c and d cords and I use a lot of tab to learn some songs. I’ve been told for years I need to learn the “right” way and stop but honestly I don’t care and will continue to play this way as I’m not a performing musician nor do I ever plan to be. Just a causal player
Could not agree with you more. You do you. If it works, and you enjoy playing the guitar that way then you are WAY AHEAD of 99% of the population who wish they could play but can't. Thanks for your feedback, it's great to know there are other upside-downers out there.
Absolutely Jayson. It has never been a barrier for me, so I encourage you to pick up the guitar and have some fun (and subscribe to this channel of course 👍)
@CampfireGuitarHero ua-cam.com/video/NoweGN8cm5g/v-deo.htmlsi=Z3EqqKxHJgbccTfS He rarely plays guitar, really. But here's one of his songs where he does.
Wow, seems between the two of us we have all the unusual combinations covered 😝 Nice to meet a fellow non-conventional player. Thanks for watching. Cheers. Dene. PS: Have you downloaded my free songbook, 50 Epic Campfire Guitar Songs. It doesn't have all of the "standard" songs like the other books do... campfireguitarhero.gumroad.com/l/campfireguitarsongbook
I learned the play the exact same way as you I can play left handed right or right handed upside down left handed either either way I know the man knows but it is so hard I wanna learn so much more
I’ve made enquires about it but never committed to it just yet due to $$. Most bridges need to be re-laid, plus the nut grooves won’t match the string widths. I still have a LH cutaway custom made guitar on my bucket list, probably my retirement gift to myself …one day😎
I am at the most confusing stage in my life right now, because I’ve always played right handed guitars, while actually being left handed, and now I’ve tried my new lefty guitar, but started to play it upside down, so what the f is going on. Am I playing double flipped now? What year is it? Where am I? WHO AM I 🤯
Thanks James - I was not aware of Uffe Steen until you commented. I went and checked him out on UA-cam, and you are correct, he is awesome. I'll follow his channel now, inspiration for me. Cheers.
Hi Punit - No I can't becuase I have programmed my brain and fingers to form the chords for RH strings (upside-down). I would have to re-learn my finger patterns to form chords on a true LH guitar. If a LH guitar was strung upside down I could play that though. cheers Dene
@@CampfireGuitarHero I'm a left handed but play in the traditional orientation, just thought it would be cool if I could nail some chords down this way though ;)
hi there, is your strumming upwards (downwards for righties) , or downwards (upwards for righties)? Im also an upside down player, I usually strum upwards , and i've only met 1 upside down guitar player in my life one time here in the Philippines
Hey Justin, I mostly do downstrums on the beat, I find them much easier than up strums. I don’t think there is a “right way” here, it’s what works best for you. By the way, nice to meet a fellow upside down LHdr out there 👏🏼👏🏼👍🎸
@@CampfireGuitarHero alright! thanks! when I was first playing UD guitar, I thought I had to invert everything.. I did upstrums ever since.. back then (15 something years ago) youtube was not very prominent here in the Philippines, techniques were self taught I could remember that my trigger to play my guitar UD was that... I could not easily visualize chord shapes using the regular way, but when I flipped it,,, it somehow found it easier This is so cool! will subscribe to your channel Thanks again man
😂LOL. I'd do what any self-respecting guitarist would do and ignore them, pick up the guitar, shred the hell out of the room and leave them all breathless (I wish...)
When I was young and had been playing guitar for a few years, I saw a guy at a party playing upside down. I arrogantly said to him, "you can't that way", and the guy asked, "why?" I said, "because it's wrong". He replied, "there are no rules in music, man!" It shut me up and made an impression on me. 😄
Love that one. I’ve pinned this comment to the top 👍👏🏼👏🏼
@@CampfireGuitarHero Oops. I meant to write, "you can't play that way".
Hi there. Am so glad to have found this video. I have been playing left handed, upside down ( cack-handed ), since i was around 15. I am now 68, and play my old beat-up Epiphone acoustic nearly every day. The chords i struggle with the most are probably Bm , Bb and F. Having short fingers probably doesn't help with that, but it doesn't slow me down too much. I don't use a plectrum at all, and i can do enough finger picking to get by. Anyway, thanks again for your great video, and maybe i,ll see you around the camp fire one day! Cheers. Graham. Adelaide SA 🎸
Hi there Graham - thanks so much for your comments. Yes, the Bm, Bb and F are the tricky ones for sure. And thanks for the walk down memory lane...I havn't heard the term "cack-handed" for years, but was used a lot when I was a kid growing up 😄 cheers
I started playing the guitar around 2-3 weeks ago and I play it exactly this way. The reason why is because I always thought it was the right way to play it. But the problen is my bandmates judge me for it after they saw me playing, because of that I never really got the chance to play it in front of then anymore even though I've learned quite a lot of songs. Which means I also don't get to perform songs while playing the guitar since they don't let me. Seeing you post this really increased my confidence. I really thank you for that.
Hi there Nick...so glad this has helped you with your confidence. The bottom line here is it should not matter HOW you play the guitar as long as you are enjoying it and steadily improving. The professionals I show in the video have certainly provided me with inspiration to keep working on my craft also. Glad you enjoyed the video, take care. regards. Dene
Let me guess, your bandmates consider themselves punk. Haha! Oh the irony if they are. Even if they’re rock, they’re in the wrong genre. Sounds like you need a new band. Not letting society or others dictate how YOU do things is what punk and rock-n-roll is all about. It’s about figuring out who you are and finding a way to express your unique self. It’s not about conforming to how everyone else does something or thinks you should be, or allowing others to dictate who YOU are or how YOU do things. There is no right or wrong way to do most things, usually there’s more than one way to anything, regardless of what it is. Educate yourself on the famous upside down lefties, then educate them. If they’re still being dicks, find another band. Life is short, don’t waste it spending time with narrow-minded posers. I say posers because that type of thinking they are displaying is NOT what rock, punk or even country is all about. It’s quite the opposite really.
2 to 3 weeks, lol what can you play twinkle twinkle on one string. You are lying.
@@jbfrodsham I understand why you'd think I'm lying but I'm not. During that time I never really learned what tabs are and just usually strum the chords from every song that I wanted to learn. So in those 2-3 weeks, I learned quite a lot of songs with simple basic chord progression. I had a lot of time to play my guitar since it was a school holiday. It's okay if you don't believe me. Have a good day
Edit: Also during that time my band was known to play slow and easy songs since the teachers wanted us to lol. So I learned a lot of the songs that my band wanted to perform but like I said, they didn't like how I played the guitar upside down.
Brother in Christ, you play the way you play. Please do not be discouraged by naive people. Do what comes natural and sounds good.
Firstly, there are definite limitations. Songs in the main are written using right handed guitars, therefore theres a barrier there. Thankfully its only a barrier if you want to copy the original. Bring your own version to the table, develop it, and it'll sound like YOU. Playing bass lines with a pinkie is difficult but there are ways. I've played this way for 50 years - problems yes - regrets none.
I'm left handed and play the traditional way with your low e on top, but I've become decently good at playing upside down like you just from picking up friends guitars. If your're left handed I think it's worth at least practicing a few chords and songs upside down, because then like you said it doesn't matter what guitar you have, you'll always be able to play. And if you think about it, it's not really like it's holding back your progress by spending time learning it upside down because you're still building your dexterity, timing, and rhythm in the same respective hands, your just playing different chord shapes. One of these days I'm gonna pickup another guitar (probably just a cheap one) and keep it strung right handed so I can practice more playing upside down.
I could not have said it better myself Ethan. I think I’ll screen grab your comment and include it in an upcoming video of mine because you are so on point 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍 Thanks for watching. Cheers.
I play bass guitar like this...I am right handed and knew 2 guys that play guitar like you, I thought it was interesting so about 13 years ago I flipped my strings and I find it really makes better sense, on the downside I play both ways and playing it flipped makes some techniques difficult and had to modify my playing style s bit...but I still love it.
You sound very versatile, and I agree, we have to modify a few things but it is definitely doable. Thanks for sharing, I love to hear from fellow LH upside-downers. cheers.
I learned on my brother's right hand guitar and about a year later, someone told me I had to reverse the strings, so I did. My brother became irate and my fingers wouldn't cooperate. I prefer the high E on top. Thanks for the references to others like me.
Nice to see another one of us out there getting on with it and enjoying the guitar. Playing LH upside down is definitely not a limitation. Thanks for watching. cheers.
I NEEDED THIS! I’m an ambidextrous and when I first got my guitar (two days ago) I naturally started to play my right handed guitar upside down and felt comfortable rather than playing it normally. I became paranoid because I thought I was the only one 😭but luckily I decided to Google if it was okay to play it upside down and found your channel!
Thank you, you’ve encouraged me to continue playing the guitar upside down!
Hi Eyman - so glad this has helped. Your comment has made my day! When you read through the comments to this particular video, you will see a growing group of us who have discovered this video and are all saying similar things...we can ROCK also!!
PS: Not sure what level player you are, but if you are starting out you may get value with this LH upside down guitar lesson I did on how to form the major, minor and 7th chords...ua-cam.com/video/eTaFV0V4mTI/v-deo.html.
cheers!
Even if you were the only one - it's okay to be you. Many times, it's only even possible to enjoy things because you're doing it your way. Unless there are safety issues or something feel free to go your own way. The world really needs leaders over followers
I play more than 50years this way,
all mine electric guitars are left handed but srtung righthanded so no problems with the knobs and cable
my classic and flamenco guitars are right handed. just flip over and play. so easy
greets
Dimitri
Hey Dimitri, nice to hear. there are more of us out there. I think my next guitar will be a LH cutaway but i'll string it RH like you have done so everything remains "the right way around"...for me. Thanks for watching. Cheers.
Hi Dimitri, I’ve been playing this way on Acoustic guitars for years. Looking to get into electric and thinking of buying a lefty guitar. For your left handed electrics what setup customization did you need to do? I imagine there are problems with bridge, saddle, and nut designed for strings strung the other way.
first replace the nut with one for left-handed guitars, you just have to adjust the bridge and the saddle, first take a picture before you loosen everything, then adjust everything in mirror image.
Hope this is clear.
Good luck
Dimitri
Albert King played this way and little Jimmy king another lefty could play with strings either way, I'm left handed and play right handed using my left hand on the fretboard I probably would have learned upside down except for the fact I always felt the guitar looked weird upside down also I found it easier to play right handed, I guess it's about what works for the individual
Wow, you trained yourself to play against your natural left handedness. That is impressive! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
You have amazing skills Dene. Its hard enough to play normally (well easier with your amazing videos) but playing the way you do WOW......Keep up the great work.
Thanks Johnno, be sure to check out my revised Australia Day medley I posted today...ua-cam.com/video/VY7wiuZnGhA/v-deo.html
Really nice, please do a video on fingerpicking for left handed upside down guitarist 🙏🙏. Will really appreciate it
Hi here are some videos of me playing this way.
ua-cam.com/play/PLqiWQP1OfeT4IMc52Ya9g6stxNZ-O1MXe.html
12:33 sadly Miche died 2 years ago. I discovered him about a year ago so never got the chance to talk to him. I also play upsidedown left handed. I’ve been playing that way for 25 years. When your friends are all righty’s and you grow up poor, you can only learn on their rig lol but honestly, I have very few limitations today. Although I use to blame a lot of my poor playing on it. But It wasn’t until only a few years ago when I heard Eric Gales play that I decided to start really taking it serious, and stop hiding behind my faux limitations I set on myself. When I stopped doing that I found out a determined player can figure anything out. Today, I can jam blues for hours. Sometimes a whole day will go by and I don’t even realize it until the sun goes down.
A great story👍 inspiration. I’ve recently been coming to the same conclusion as you, the only limits are our own. I’m grappling with fingerpicking and picking techniques right now to see what I’ll stick with. Not textbook, but whatever I can do to make it work and keep improving.
Thanks for watching and commenting. It’s great to hear from fellow upside downers 😎
I do most everything right handed except I written, and play guitar left handed. So, as a kid my mom had an acoustic guitar that was never really played that I can recall, and I picked it up, left hand3d and figured out how to play simple songs. I then tuned the 2 high ‘skinny’ strings to be open tuned like the others and that was all she wrote. Played in a couple bands (rythum primarily) and like he said,, always got a kick out of watching other guitarists faces when watching me play the first time or two.
Great video, enjoyed reliving the good, the bad and the ugly of it all. LOL
A great story Dino, thanks for sharing 👍also great to know there are more of us out there😎
Great video! I am glad I started learning guitar this way, since it makes it easy for me to play my guitars both ways - right handed and left handed - by just turning them around. I'm a left handed player who already knows how to play with my right hand and still uses right handed playing for professional purposes, since that's how I was trained since childhood. I also spent some years practicing playing left handed with the low strings up, but stopped doing so, because of needing 2 models that way.
Wow, that is impressive! I have enought challenges laying it one way,! I tip my hat to you sir
Thanks for introducing me to this video Dene. Really interesting. I've played "proper" lefty guitar for nearly 40 years so too late for me to change, anyway, since arthritis got the better of my thumbs I gave up guitar and focussed on lefty ukulele. This is where it gets interesting because you mentioned about the comments of your strumming sound being different; well, you strummed some chords at around 6 minutes but never really strummed all 6 strings, missing the bass strings, and, do you know, your strumming sounds a lot like my baritone ukulele tuned DGBE, 4 strings with no bass strings.
Cool video! I've been playing like this for years as well :) To combat the electric problem with controls like you mentioned I just pull off the knobs, even on the slider, which makes them very tiny and more shallow, even if you do bump them (specifically the dial ones) they won't move, and it's still simple enough to adjust volume/tone if you need to, just might not look so pretty seeing those metal nubs instead of a pretty plastic dial.
Also the walking bass line trick, especially with D, I usually use my thumb for the high E string in the 2nd, ring on the B string in the 3rd, and index on the G string in the 2nd, which leaves my middle finger free to easily reach for the low E in the 2nd if I wanna play like D/F#, such a common walk-down in lotsa music say G, D/F#, Em.
I also find lots of chords even less of a stretch than "proper" players, and even "fuller" where they usually do some weirdness to mute like the A string. Say, Am11 for instance. (labelled from the low E: EADGBe) [5-3-5-5-3-3], you can barre the entire 3rd, and pinki/ring/middle on the 5's, and play everything! As Notes: [G-C-G-C-D-G] stacked those notes are 1st, min3, 7th, min3, 11th, 7th. which add up to an Am11! Most rightys mute the A string with whatever finger holds the D string, and do an odd stretch back with their index to reach the 3rd on the B string, and ignore the high E.
I can play every open position chord, and also use all my open position shapes as barre chords, even modify them to get Suspended, Diminished, Major 7ths, Dominant 7ths, add9 chords, etc... Might not be the same "go-to" shape as a righty but I can still make them somewhere on the neck :)
I would have to say the biggest drawback is open string droning, especially if you use lots of barre chords, as it's almost impossible most the time either the meat of your palm mutes the low E or how you make that barre there's no way to let the low strings be open, where as a "proper" player can easily not barre as high with their index finger leaving the E or A etc.. string open to drone on. Us upside-down lefty's those low strings start at the base of our index finger when we barre haha!
The second biggest drawback, especially with guitars that have a cut-out, is the balance point, even if you put a strap button in an ideal location, the weight distribution is just off, and it causes neck-dive, which is a real pain to deal with, I mostly stay seated, or if I need to play one unbalanced like that standing, I safety pin my strap to my shirt in a couple places to "lock" the strap so it can't slide over my shoulder preventing the neck from diving. If it's really off (heavy like les pauls) and still pulls funny, I'll just use one safety pin and a small piece of cordage, and pin the cordage to the strap, and tie the other end to a belt loop haha :)
some excellent tips and observations there Sean! Yes, the bass string drones etc are tricky (impossible) for those that play like us. I've come to accept there are some things I can do better, some I can't, and some not at all. Appreciate your feedback and comments, hopefully others read this also and get value from what you have shared. cheers.
There's a video with MonoNeon and another super talented musician who both play upside-down. Find that video and you will experience musical ascension
Thanks for the referral. I checked out the channel and that guy is awesome, like REALLY awesome. I appreciate the tip. Cheers.
I have been playing this way since I was 7 years old but I also play it traditionally strung. I have never found it to be any more difficult playing inverted vs. playing it “normal.” I just wish that I knew more players that played the same way, as it gets a bit tiresome at every gig/jam having people come up to me wanting to talk about. It isn’t as hard as people might think. Btw, I am a natural lefty that has left handed guitars but prefer to play right handed guitars.
Recommended by myself as a back up . I have been successful enough to afford a few decent lefties but I still play other peoples guitars upside down for a party trick. Try using a finger style with bass runs, I use my pinky but I have been playing for 30 years.
Wow, I’d love to see that, you can play both way 👏🏼👏🏼 using the pinky for bass lines is something I have considered but I just haven’t put the time in yet to train the brain and hand to do this.
I’m working on box2 of the pentatonic right now. Box1 is ok, working my way one at a time. Cheers.
Cobain started with a right handed strung backwards also, like Jimmy did
Yep. I kinda like the idea of those names being used in a similar guitar context to what I do 😂😂
It’s what I’m doing
5 string banjo makes more sense with lowest note in the middle or closest to the ground.
Ive played this way since i was 9 it has never been a problem all chords are accessible even complex b flat 9th cords i play very complex arrangements its not allien its how we learn
Agreed Matthew. It's definitely reachable as long as the mindset is not the barrier. I'm getting some good comments from people on this video who did not think it was OK to play this way but now they are giving it a go. Sounds like you are a living case study that it is infinitely doable. Cheers.
I play a righty upside down and a regular lefty. And I play both well.
Love that. You can do it either way, now that is a skill! You should post something on UA-cam, same tune, played different ways, people would love that. thanks for watching and commenting. cheers
Dick Dale was another upside down lefty, check out his Misirlou.
I play this way my dad taught me some years ago simple g c and d cords and I use a lot of tab to learn some songs. I’ve been told for years I need to learn the “right” way and stop but honestly I don’t care and will continue to play this way as I’m not a performing musician nor do I ever plan to be. Just a causal player
Could not agree with you more. You do you. If it works, and you enjoy playing the guitar that way then you are WAY AHEAD of 99% of the population who wish they could play but can't. Thanks for your feedback, it's great to know there are other upside-downers out there.
I really want to learn to play that way
Absolutely Jayson. It has never been a barrier for me, so I encourage you to pick up the guitar and have some fun (and subscribe to this channel of course 👍)
The irish singer Bob Geldof plays this way as well.
I did not know that! Very cool. When I think of him I think of Live Aid and how much I don’t like Mondays😁
@CampfireGuitarHero ua-cam.com/video/NoweGN8cm5g/v-deo.htmlsi=Z3EqqKxHJgbccTfS
He rarely plays guitar, really. But here's one of his songs where he does.
Only way I’ve ever known. Oh, and I’m right handed, lol! Just the way I picked it up around 7 or 8 years old
Wow, seems between the two of us we have all the unusual combinations covered 😝 Nice to meet a fellow non-conventional player. Thanks for watching. Cheers. Dene.
PS: Have you downloaded my free songbook, 50 Epic Campfire Guitar Songs. It doesn't have all of the "standard" songs like the other books do... campfireguitarhero.gumroad.com/l/campfireguitarsongbook
I learned the play the exact same way as you I can play left handed right or right handed upside down left handed either either way I know the man knows but it is so hard I wanna learn so much more
Did you ever get a left handed guitar restrung right? My dad had a 60s reissue gold top done that way.
I’ve made enquires about it but never committed to it just yet due to $$. Most bridges need to be re-laid, plus the nut grooves won’t match the string widths.
I still have a LH cutaway custom made guitar on my bucket list, probably my retirement gift to myself …one day😎
This is very common where I am from because the majority of right handed players and guitars
The same to me my friend
Awesome. I love to hear from other upsidedowners. cheers.
I am at the most confusing stage in my life right now, because I’ve always played right handed guitars, while actually being left handed, and now I’ve tried my new lefty guitar, but started to play it upside down, so what the f is going on. Am I playing double flipped now? What year is it? Where am I? WHO AM I 🤯
😆 I love this comment!
Can you learn me how to play arthur mcbride am a a left handed and i play like u do upside down
uffe Steen is a fantastic guitarist who plays this way :)
Thanks James - I was not aware of Uffe Steen until you commented. I went and checked him out on UA-cam, and you are correct, he is awesome. I'll follow his channel now, inspiration for me. Cheers.
So if you play the right handed guitar upside, can you also play a left handed one too? I am sure you now know that i am a novice. :)
Hi Punit - No I can't becuase I have programmed my brain and fingers to form the chords for RH strings (upside-down). I would have to re-learn my finger patterns to form chords on a true LH guitar.
If a LH guitar was strung upside down I could play that though.
cheers
Dene
check out Seal's Acoustic version of Crazy played upside down absolute class
Thanks for the referral. That was awesome, but then again, it's Seal. I loved the intro he did in that version. Cheers.
great vid
Thank you Widas. Glad you enjoyed it. Are you a similar player (LH on RH guitar?
@@CampfireGuitarHero I'm a left handed but play in the traditional orientation, just thought it would be cool if I could nail some chords down this way though ;)
hi there, is your strumming upwards (downwards for righties) , or downwards (upwards for righties)?
Im also an upside down player, I usually strum upwards ,
and i've only met 1 upside down guitar player in my life one time here in the Philippines
Hey Justin, I mostly do downstrums on the beat, I find them much easier than up strums. I don’t think there is a “right way” here, it’s what works best for you.
By the way, nice to meet a fellow upside down LHdr out there 👏🏼👏🏼👍🎸
@@CampfireGuitarHero alright! thanks! when I was first playing UD guitar, I thought I had to invert everything.. I did upstrums ever since..
back then (15 something years ago) youtube was not very prominent here in the Philippines, techniques were self taught
I could remember that my trigger to play my guitar UD was that... I could not easily visualize chord shapes using the regular way, but when I flipped it,,, it somehow found it easier
This is so cool! will subscribe to your channel
Thanks again man
That is the way I play
Nice to meet another fellow LH on RH player 👍👏🏼👏🏼. Welcome.
I play this way.same story
Play banjo mandolin same way
Im right handed but more comfortable playing with my left hand😅
Now that's another interesting angle. I know of golfers who are like that also. Rare but interesting.
@@CampfireGuitarHero does that mean im an ambidextrous?
@@bangjago4260 absolutely. It is a gift, enjoy it!
Me too, fretting came very easily to me but it took me a while to really learn how to pick
But what if they didn't want you to pick up there guitar dude
😂LOL. I'd do what any self-respecting guitarist would do and ignore them, pick up the guitar, shred the hell out of the room and leave them all breathless (I wish...)
If one of the greatest guitarists of all time plays it upside down. You don't have an argument to not do it that way!
so true! it really is a message that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. cheers!
👍
thankyou @joke6016. Glad you enjoyed it.
You obviously have one you prefer. So saying you're just able to do whatever is not quite true.
Elizabeth was the cotton picker.
Lol, no disputing that fact 😂