Sep 28
Left Handed Ukulele: How Do I Play and String It?
There are two schools of thought when it comes to left handed ukulele playing. One school says that left handed people should just play the ukulele right handed – the thinking being that both hands are equally important. However, I’ve only seen that argument advanced by right handed people.
The alternative is to swap the order of the strings around. Because of the way the ukulele is strung, it shouldn’t require you to adjust the ukulele itself in any way. For the effort it takes to change the strings round, I think it’s worth doing it this way.
If you want know what order the strings should be in, I wrote about it here: how to string a ukulele.
February 2nd, 2009 at 5:23 pm
I would like to learn how to play the ukulele but Iam left handed,could you give me any tips on where to start,what to buy or good books I can read.
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Brilliant. I meant spelling. How about dismissing the previous two bad attempts?
Let’s try again with proper spelling. Dismiss the previous cock up.
Another lefty here. Let’s have more tips on playing left handed. I’ve flipped my uke over, swapped the strings around, and am now stuck. How do I translate chord diagrams?
Look’s o.k. this time.
March 12th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I’m a beginner and a righty who’s missing half of my left pinky finger, so playing right handed is a challenge. I’ve restrung my uke for the left hand but am struggling to find learning resources. I’m looking for a left handed chord chart for a “D” tuning (ADF#B) soprano uke. Any ideas?
March 16th, 2009 at 2:07 am
I have same probelm. Im lookiing for a left handed one..thers ONE on ebay for £100!
i reckon buyin a right and re-stringing is the best bet. Just means editing a chord sheet and flipping it in ‘paint; or something. Lol
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:19 am
There are left handed ukuleles made by Kala and also Fluke and Flea come left handed on one web site. You need to change the nut and maybe the bridge or the strings will not be the right distance above the fret board, the groves are cut for the string size and if you don’t change you can have buzzing or dead frets…..Hope that helps
August 15th, 2009 at 5:31 am
Don’t you have the same problem as you do with a guitar… if you reverse the strings, the thicker string create greater tension. The bracing has to be designed for that configuration- yes?
September 20th, 2009 at 12:36 am
I’m a leftie who just got a cheap uke. Doesn’t seem to be the same problem as with a guitar to change the tuning to fit lefties, at least with the AECG tuning. The two thinnest strings on the outside (A and G) can just be tuned to the opposite notes Same with the two thicker middle strings (C and E). The strings are similar enough in thickness that you don’t have to restring.
So change the tuning, not the strings or anything else. Works on the Beaver Creek $ 30.00 ukulele at least.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:47 am
Hey fellow lefties! I have been playing ukulele for about 8 months and have been playing the right-hand way. So far ive had no problems whatsoever
October 12th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Oof. That’s a tough one. I suppose you could pull a Jimi Hendrix and just flip it upside-down and learn to play it that way. Whenever I see a band where the guitar player is doing that, it literally blows my minds. All the chord shapes look completely foreign.
October 16th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Man why does everyone think Jimi Hendrix played right lefty? He played right handed guitars because left handed guitars were not readily available at the time but he strung them left handed. In the future if you want to make such a reference call it pulling a “Dick Dale” who does in fact play right lefty. I myself am left handed and i play on a truly left handed guitar, but I can play a right handed guitar upside down with limited success… My advice would be to tune or restring so you are playing the uke like a righty would… They are designed the way they are for a reason and there’s no need to give yourself any extra hindrances when learning a new instrument, despite what ignorant rightys may think. The chord diagrams aren’t that hard to decipher.
October 20th, 2009 at 1:12 am
I have two Kala’s, a Risa, and an Ohana all of which are left handed I do not convert the cords, I just see them the way they should be for me. I have done it for so long there is no converting. The two Kala’s came left handed Kala makes left handed ukulele’s in tenor models. Also the Risa has fret marks on both side’s of the neck so can be strung both way’s. The Ohana had the nut removed and a left handed one made. If you don’t do that the strings will not be at the right clerance on the fret board and can buzz.
October 28th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
I now have left handed Fluke and I found out that the way a Fluke is made the nut is not what keeps the strings off the fret board there is a little thing like a fret right at the nut which means any Fluke can be restrung left handed and will have no problem with buzzing strings, the Rosewood fret board also is the same way. I have found now other ukulele like that.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:39 am
Okay, guys, just bought a Kama left handed tenor Ukelele – and hope to heck I made the right decision. I’m just SO left handed and used to play guitar, about thirty years ago, badly, but left handed. Found some left handed charts on-line. Now, dumb question, if it’s a left handed Uke. are the strings strung the same way as a right handed Uke- and also, can’t a person just switch regular charts backwards to make them work? Yes, I’m Deslexic too, and a bad speller. Any advice for me, greatly appreciated.
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:25 am
gday ,, im left handed,play geetar and bass right handed too,
thinking of playing uke left handed,
you dont need left handed chord diagrams, most uke chords are 2 or 3 finger stuff anyway, use your eyes and convert them over!!! oh, and your BRAIN!
I taught myself left handed geetar from looking at people playing right handed its a piece of piss!
What i mean by this is, look at a D chord right handed,,,,,,,,,, it looks EXACTLY the same when we hold our guitars left handed, youjust need to train your eyes to your brain,,,,,, should take 5 mins……
June 3rd, 2010 at 8:07 pm
So does it really matter? I’m not so much left handed as left bodied…
June 14th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KZjnFZvCNc&NR=1
Would like to learn uke after seein this live!!
June 14th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Of course we all know that left handed in Latin is “Sinistre”..sinister watch out …………….
here is the good the bad the ugly from England ……………
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLgJ7pk0X-s
enjoy this band are even better live saw them on Friday cheers lesley
June 21st, 2010 at 2:22 am
if anyone’s still looking for chord diagrams check out http://www.ukulele.nl/chordfinder.php .
if you’re a lefty, you can look at the chord shape and then mirror it yourself. to me it’s easier. it may be the way it’s positioned horizontally.
hope this helps anyone who’s still looking, or new to ukulele.
December 29th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
I play a left handed guitar and my mom bought me a right handed uke i found it easy just to play it upside down like holding it in my normal lefty position. Some chord shapes i found work in favor to people playing it upside down its real easy.
January 1st, 2011 at 4:29 pm
Where are the cords?
January 19th, 2011 at 2:36 am
I actually learned to play a right handed ukulele upside down because back when I started there were no left handed ukuleles. Later I got a true left handed ukulele and learned to play it. I can still play both ways…………….
March 15th, 2011 at 11:24 pm
HI Guys I habe several ukelele all i have fliped to left handed . It is easy and i enjoy playing my ukes Lefthanded have fun Bill
April 21st, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Can someone tell us lefties where to get a left hand cord book?
June 18th, 2011 at 6:31 am
Can i order an oscar schmidt left tenor or re string left handed. Can? it be done? Help!! anyone!!
June 23rd, 2011 at 1:40 am
i just got a ukulele and im a lefty, i played guitar for about 5 years but i never re-stringed it or anything. it looks really complicated to switch my strings around and i dont want to wreck it and make it completly un-playable whatsoever, help !!
November 9th, 2011 at 12:08 am
Here is a left handed chord sheet for Ukulele. My partner is left handed and this has been great. Michelle Kiba made the chart, scroll down to the the lefty’s chart.
December 4th, 2011 at 6:10 pm
Really confused at why it would hard to read a regular chart as a left-hander. You still put your fingers in the same fret and the same position…
If this is a problem for you though, there is this:
http://www.amazon.com/Left-Handed-Uke-Chord-Chart-William/dp/0786683228/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1323022065&sr=8-5
December 9th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
I am a lefty who turned the strings around on both my Ashton Soprano electric Uke and my Tenor Uke, appears to be no problems regard sound, no buzzing etc. I have no problems reading a right-handed Uke Chord book. I still play both right and left handed Ukuleles, yes still a learner but i love playing reggae on my ukes, its as if they were made for that music. Try YouTubing people doing ukulele tutorials like ‘stuck on you’ uku chords come up on the left and you can play and sing along. It’s that easy, i have taught about six kids rangig from 10 to 16 to play ukulele and i’m a beginner myself, everyone on earth should own a uke, but i don’t think there’s enough KOA wood to go round. Also learnt Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ what a sound . Aaron down under