Does Kurt Cobain play guitar left-handed? (2024)

Does Kurt Cobain play guitar left-handed?

Kurt Cobain

Kurt had a really good ear, knew how to make weird chords progression sound great etc.. but he was just an average guitar player with a really unique style. Most top guitarist at his time could play what he did, but not the opposite.

While it's true both hands are used to play the guitar, it's also true that naturally left-handed guitarists appear to have an advantage when it comes to vibrato, hammer-ons, pull off's and bends (Mark Knopfler, a natural left-hander who plays guitar right-handed is perhaps the best example of this, in terms of vibrato ...

When it comes to playing guitar, only 10 percent of guitarists play left-handed. Much like everything else in the world, guitar is typically overwhelmingly dominated by right-handed people. But that's not a reason why you can't learn to play guitar left-handed.

Probably the most famous left-handed guitarist there ever was, Jimi Hendrix rewrote the book on lead guitar playing.

The iconic Nirvana singer did mostly play with his left-hand on an inverted right-handed guitar.

His lyrics showed he had a mind so far advanced. He wrote poetry worth the salt of the earth; he naturally joined words together to create dynamism; his art was unparalleled. Many critics hold Nirvana and Cobain in high esteem, and you can see why.

Yes. He down tunes by a 1/2 step so his tuning is Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb.

Kurt was a huge fan of Fender Mustang guitars, and he often referred to them as his favourite guitars of all time. Known for their playability, the Mustang is the ultimate choice for high-octane rock music and live performance thanks to the short scale and slim neck design.

For left-handed guitar, your playing pattern will be the opposite of right-handed guitar. You will use your right hand to press the chords on the fretboard and your left hand to strike strumming patterns on your guitar. With sheer consistency and practice, you can become a pro guitarist within a year or so.

Can a lefty play a right-handed guitar?

That's why so many left handed musicians have learned to play guitar right handed. Some players, like Nick Johnston or Mark Knopfler for example, even say that being a lefty has given them an advantage when it comes to dexterity and vibrato.

If you really can't tell the difference, you should probably just get the guitar suited for your dominant hand. Or, if you don't have strong hand-dominance, you should probably get a right-handed guitar, as it will be more convenient to find guitars and guitar-learning resources if you play right-handed.

They found no difference in IQ levels among left- and right-handed people, but left-handers appeared to be more likely to have an intellectual disability. However, this study indicated that people who were intellectually gifted or following typical development were also just as likely to be left-handed.

Albert Einstein. Lefties are often considered creative, so it's no surprise that many famous inventors and great minds were left-handed, including Einstein, Marie Curie, Ben Franklin, and Henry Ford. Bill Gates is also a southpaw.

Hendrix was able to play right-handed guitars flipped over and half as a left-handed guitar (i.e. upside down). But this wasn't his preferred way of playing. The short answer is he was used to the controls on top. He actually had left-handed guitars, but they weren't his preference so they aren't what he is famous for.

Playing guitar is a popular hobby and profession for many people around the world. However, not all guitar players play right-handed. In fact, some individuals prefer to play guitar with their left hand, either because they are naturally left-handed or because they feel more comfortable playing this way.

Paul McCartney playing a true left-handed guitar (a Gibson Les Paul).

Plus, an eclectic slew of outliers who've rocked the world in one way or another had dominant left hands: Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, James Baldwin, Nikola Tesla, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, according to a 2019 report and The New York Times.

Kurt Cobain was naturally left handed, but was taught to write with his right hand. Thus, many people think he was right handed. Most left handers are forced to do a lot of things with their right hand just because of society.

Kurt Cobain

The Nirvana frontman was a natural left-hander but was taught to write with his right hand. After years of having problems finding left-handed guitars, Fender made him special Mustangs once the band had become famous.

What hand does Kurt Cobain use?

Rebel to the core. Nirvana idol Kurt Cobain mostly played with his left hand — here on an inverted right-handed guitar. Once in a while he would pound Dave Grohl's right-handed drum kit. Cobain was a right-hander — and why he played guitar with the left is a mystery.

He referenced made (albeit, indirect) references to God and to Christianity in general in his 1994 suicide note. He wrote (to his wife, Courtney Love) “I'll be at your altar”, which means that when they die, he'll be witness to their good deeds at the gates of heaven, in front of God.

Kurt Cobain

The Nirvana front man and cultural icon was diagnosed with ADD at a young age and later with bipolar disorder. Kurt Cobain also struggled with substance abuse and developed a heroin addiction in the years leading up to his death.

While more so a voice through the medium of music than anything else, Kurt still espoused ideas and philosophies that, for lack of a better word, were simply good. What does this mean? Cobain was the kind of person who believed in kindness and treating people justly and with respect.

Cobain had a playing style all his own, relying on power chords played on guitars tuned a half or whole step down.