I’ve always been pretty hopeless as potential musicians go (my fingers are dyslexic and even typing is pretty hard for me, with lots of mistakes), but I always play my “air guitar” lefty style (right hand on the fret, left hand strumming or plucking). Would that indeed be easier for me if I were to try playing an actual guitar, or not?
Ask Paul McCartney who has always strung his bass ackwards, I mean backwards, and played lefty.
I always thought it was curious how the more dextrous hand just gets to strum a pick, while the less dextrous hand gets to do all the fancy fretwork. Seems counterintuitive, but it does work that way.
Are you sure you are right handed? And not just trained to be a righty at a very young age. It does happen. I had several teachers try to change the way I wrote once I started school. Luckily my Mom went down there and put a stop to it. The teachers tried to tell her that it was for my own good and she was holding me back.
I think that if you just strum with your right hand then it is almost surely better to do it backwards. But if you try to play real guitar pieces, then the plucking of the individual strings is much harder than what the fingers pressing on the strings do and you would find the standard way better. I used to play a folk guitar, strumming with my right hand, but when I attempted to actually pluck strings, I turned out to have five thumbs.
I have a very old memory of having read that when he first started to play the guitar he thought it felt very awkward until he got the idea to restring it.
On the other hand (pun not intended) I know a left-handed cellist who is perfectly comfortable with playing it right-handed.
I’m left-handed but have been playing guitar right-handed for over 35 years.
My Dad believed that since there would be no difference to a beginner why not learn right-handed from the start and be able to play when someone else produced a guitar.
Hari hit the nail on the head. While there are some advantages to having your more dextrous hand working the fretboard your other hand is the one that really needs to work at timing, strumming, alternate or finger picking, etc…
Can it be done, yes…I’m living proof, but it wasn’t easy, and it took years of determination, dedication and practice and even still I encounter techniques which test those limitations.
It’s important to pluck exactly on the beat. I’d expect your dominant hand would be much more accurate. Fingering the frets doesn’t need nearly the time accuracy.
I wouldn’t go that far, depending on the particular piece you are playing. There are plenty of pieces (classical guitar comes to mind immediately) where the fingers on the left hand are flying around as fast as those on the right.
I also agree with Hari.
I’m left-handed and play a lefty guitar. This presents problems in terms of availability (typical guitar store has 100 righty models, 3 or 4 lefty – some have no lefty) and swapping/sharing with others, which is why many lefties play righty instruments. My main impetus was that holding a guitar in the right-handed position felt extremely awkward to me, so I decided to endure the disadvantages of needing a lefty model. If you find it terribly uncomfortable to play a righty guitar you may want to consider going lefty, but be warned it imposes significant limitations on acquiring instruments as well as the limitations on skill development that Hari mentioned, assuming you are truly right-handed.
ETA: Chew on this: When I first shopped for guitars, some stores (who carried no lefties) said I should play a righty instrument because the fretting would be less of a challenge and thus is a big advantage. If it’s such a big advantage, why don’t stores carry mostly lefty guitars, and why don’t right-handed players play them?
This. My experience is with the violin, but the principle’s the same. The right hand is what’s actually producing the sound, and you need both dexterity and power. All the left hand is doing is effectively shortening the strings. If I were playing the instrument backward, my right hand could acclimate fairly quickly, but my left hand would be very ineffectual.
Depends. If you are right-handed and want to play finger-picking style, one would think that you would want your dominant hand doing that. If all you want to do is strum, it’s 50-50.
This is true of many things. Ever try to find a left handed baseball glove at a pick-up game? While I can catch with a right-handed glove I need to throw it off to throw to home from the outfield if I hope to come close to the plate. And don’t get me started on scissors.
Oh my God, yes, that goes in spades for “Recuerdos de la Alhambra”!
When did you turn 65? 
I offer this in return:
I think this is an important distinction. Anything blues-based is going to require more righht hand work. Classical or Spanish guitar, not so much. Example (Steve Harris playing bass, but same idea).
Beginners often wonder why the guitar isn’t played the other way, since a beginner spends almost all their time focusing on the left hand. As it turns out, though, history got this one right: for advanced play, the strumming/picking hand usually has the more demanding job.
Note that this is even true when using a pick, and even when strumming. There is a lot more right-hand technique to playing a guitar (of any kind) than most people realize. With classical guitar, anyone should be able to tell a classical player playing a single note, from a nonclassical player – even if someone else frets the note. With fingerpicking or picked lead playing (where you often pick one note at a time) it should be obvious that extreme precision and timing is required on the right hand.
But even with advanced strumming parts, the right hand does a lot more than just drag a pick across the strings. I play mostly keyboard and second on guitar. I remember a song the band wanted to play where the guitarist wanted to play a different instrument (percussion, I think), if I could play the rhythm guitar part. I said “Sure, looks easy”. As it turns out, the left hand part was easy, but I couldn’t even begin to get the tone required when strumming the part, even when I got the rhythm right. We ditched it. And I’m not a bad guitarist.
To the OP: If you’re right-handed in general, I suggest you learn the normal way. That way it’s easier for others to teach you, easier to borrow a guitar, and easier/cheaper to find one to buy.
If you’re left-handed, I still suggest playing right-handed, unless you think there’s a good chance you’ll be serious. The reasons are the same as above, plus the fact that for beginners and up to early intermediate playing, the left hand does have the harder job.
If you’re left-handed and serious and hope to play at pro level, learn left-handed. That said, there are lefties that play righty at the pro level. The more ambidexterous you are, the less you’ll need to go lefty.
I wouldn’t worry too much about what feels natural when playing air guitar, but it was worth asking about.
Do you play Classical guitar? I agree that blues and ragtime and other types of guitar can be very left-hand active, but unless you actually play classical guitar (I do), then I don’t think you can really appreciate it. You can always find some examples of any given style that is going disprove a general rule, but that doesn’t mean those examples are representative of all types of music in that style.
I don’t play guitar at all. I meant blues-based music was going to involve *more *strumming/plucking as opposed to fretwork.
I eat and write with my left hand, have a naturally stronger left arm and leg, and I play sports right handed.
I’ve been playing right handed guitar for 40 years and have never once thought about the significance of that. I’m pretty sure that my next few practice sessions are going to go badly because I will unnecessarily dwell on this issue.
I no longer have the confidence to say that I’ve been giving it my best hands.