I Am Thinking About Learning to Play Acousitc Guitar but Not Sure Which Hand to Use?

Contrary to what most beginners think, picking/strumming is the part that requires the most coordination. Most beginners think fretting the strings is. However, that is wrong. You want to use your dominant hand (most coordinated hand) to pick with. Fret the strings with your off hand.

For those of us who are ambidextrous, that is not easy to decide. I play the guitar right handed (over the years I have played both ways). I write with either hand (even both at the same time). I have found that I can pick the guitar as well or maybe better with my right hand. Also since it is easier to find right handed guitars than left handed ones, I play right handed. I don’t know about you, but for me each thing I do one hand feels more natural than the other. That is how I decide which hand to use for that activity. That is true with guitar also. The problem with guitar is that at first it does not feel natural no matter what hand you use. Next time you get the chance to play, focus on which hand feels most coordinated for picking strings. See if you can play one or two strings without striking the others. That sort of thing. That is about the best way I can think of to decide which way to play.

Later,