The simple answer to this question is no. It’s not harder to play the piano left-handed. However, playing the piano is a two-handed endeavor—both sides of playing the Piano present unique challenges that can only be conquered by practice.
There’s not much said about playing piano as a lefty. Music teachers can’t just request a left-handed piano though they do exist. Christopher Seed, a concert pianist, had a left-handed piano made especially for him. Also, if you are left-handed, you may find an electronic keyboard where the keys can be switched to left-handed rather than right-handed. A few pieces were written for left-handers, most collected by Paul Wittgenstein, a composer who lost his right arm during WWI. He commissioned eight hundred works for the left hand only from other composers like Britten, Korngold, Prokofiev, and Ravel. However, you needn’t limit yourself as a lefty to only left-handed music. You can learn to use both hands on the piano as it’s meant to be played unless you have lost one hand.
As a beginning piano student, you may find that the piano appears to need both hands to play. It does. Watching someone play may make it seem that the left hand appears to have a more complicated job than the right hand. Playing the piano is more a brain workout than a physical hand workout. The way you play makes the brain have to figure out where each hand goes and feet on pedals to make the right sounds come from the instrument. So, playing the piano isn’t more complicated for a left-hander. It requires hard work and practice, no matter your dominant hand.
Why Should You Learn to Play The Piano?
- You can make unique sounds starting on day one
Some instruments take skill to make a sound. The piano, however, is different as you don’t make the sound yourself. The piano does that for you. You have to press the key, and the hammer attached to that hits a string, making a perfect sound. Many people can figure out simple melodies by playing around with the keys on a piano. Of course, there is more to playing the piano than just pressing keys and making sound, but that’s the first step.
- You learn both melody and harmony, treble clef and bass clef
People who play the piano can play both the melody and the harmony of a song. Most other instruments don’t do this. Pianists gain a deeper understanding of the whole song, melody, and harmony. Understanding both treble and bass clef help understanding music as well.
- You are an independent music-making machine — but you can also have fun with other people
As stated before, pianos can play the whole song independently, but you can also play along with other people to make the song even more fun. So, you can make music on your own or share it with others.
- Pianos can play practically every musical genre possible
Pianos can play any music genre. The skill to play each may differ, but you won’t have a problem once you get the hang of playing whatever genre it is.
- Piano knowledge lets you pick up other musical instruments with ease
If you learn to play the piano it will allow you to learn other instruments quickly. The piano is a well-rounded instrument that teaches you to play the whole song, not just a particular part.
Ways To Make it Easier To Play The Piano Left-Handed
- Practice the same section of music with both hands
It would help if you practiced exercises for each hand with both hands. This way, your hands have played both sides of the music.
- Mirror the movements in your right hand in your left hand
Watch how you move. The right and left hands should ideally employ the same body movements. Keep your hands flexible and loose with fingers firm. Perfect coordination takes time and patience.
- Reverse practice
Try reverse practice by playing the right-hand line (treble clef) with the left hand and vice versa. If done slowly, this can be beneficial in making sure both hands can play both parts. Playing like this can be confusing, so starting with small sections would help.
- Practice the left hand two octaves higher for clarity of sound
Play two octaves higher than written for the left hand to allow you to hear what is played. The notes in the bass register can sometimes sound unclear. Playing in a higher octave allows you to hear better what is played.
Conclusion
Playing the piano isn’t precisely more challenging for a left-hander, but that it takes a lot of practice no matter your dominant hand. The piano is a two-handed instrument. It takes both hands to play a whole song on the piano, plus the use of pedals with your foot. That isn’t important for now. So, in conclusion, it isn’t more challenging for a left-hander to play the piano it just takes much practice to learn to play with either dominant hand. Do you have any comments or questions about this? Let us know below.