The joys of being a lefty...

I've been playing my beginner Ukulele for almost a year now and I would like to buy a higher quality, more expensive one. My beginner one was a simple soprano ukulele from Kala, set up for right handed people. When I began using it in the traditional way right handed people use it, I found it quite difficult and flipped it upside down, which felt much more natural. Now I play with my left hand strumming and my right hand on the frets. I have no real problem with playing this way as I have found clever ways to create certain chords, but i was wondering, is it worth it to buy a left handed ukulele and relearn the placement of my fingers?

I would like to buy a nice concert ukulele that is set up for left handed people, but I have no idea about the materials used in it, or even the brand to choose. Do you wonderful people have any tips for me, or the things you look for in your next ukulele purchase?

All suggestions or comments are welcomed and appreciated as I love learning new things about the Ukulele.

You are in good company. Lefties Elizabeth Cotton and Dick Dale, among others, played guitars flipped upside down.

I think nearly any uke can be re-strung for left-handed playing if you feel the need to relearn chord shapes. With re-entrant tuning you probably wouldn't even have to alter the nut.

I find this interesting. Fretting chords and melodies is a more complicated task than strumming and fingerpicking. Drum sticks are not left-handed and right-handed nor are keyboard instruments such as a piano or organ. On the piano, the left hand either is leading or following the melodic line. But with guitar-banjo- ukulele-etc. left-handers cannot easily form chords with their dominant hand,but right-handers can? With a"Special Strung " instrument, if you do not have it with you, you are going to spend more time listening than playing. Were you to come to visit me, of my 50 different ukes in my collection, you would not be able to play any of them?

Many left handed people play string instruments the standard way, but there are some who decide they must adapt the instrument to play mirror image, or upside down, or whatever seems to suit their own idiosyncrasy. That's fine, but it is your choice. Be aware that you do not have to do this simply because you are left handed.

There are a number of disadvantages in deviating from the norm. Give it some thought before you go down that route.

John Colter.