I have to say a huge welcome to you first..maybe Ill catch up with you when Im back in California, but what compels me more to this quote..is firstly your mindset to be so determined ...and single minded in the idea that you would sacrifice ease for the outcome, so few people go the hard way...yet all the rewards are their...Goldleaf asked:
Why, if you are left handed are you trying to learn to play right handed? I can't imagine the degree of difficulty it would add for me to play with my non dominant hand. Just curious.
I definitely am a left-handed person. I write and throw and play tennis etc (even bought golf clubs that are) left-handed. When I researched the idea of playing guitar left-handed (and talked to folks at Gryphon when I bought my guitar), while there is some controversy on the topic most folks seem to recommend lefties to try to play the guitar right-handed. You can google left-handed guitar playing and read all of the pros and cons. One of the best arguments seems to be if you go to someone else's house and want to pick up a guitar, it will probably be a right handed guitar (It's all about adapting to a right-handed world.)
Anyway when I started playing, it seems most of the emphasis (chord formation) is on the left hand. The more I play, the more important I realize the right hand is. About 6 months after I started (and at a point where I felt I was struggling), I was wondering if I should start over left-handed. I went to the guitar shop and tried the left handed guitars. Except for knowledge of how to form a certain chord, I realized I would have to start over from the very beginning (and buy a new guitar.)
I decided to just tough it out (and play right handed) and I think now I am doing OK and getting better at rhythm and making it sound like music with my right hand.
Secondly and although I cannot comment on whether you will ultimately be better either way...their is something that is going to have a parallel and interesting effect for you that Chris may add to if he is around, but by effectively switching over, you are forcing your right and left hemispheres of the brain to become more integrated..although I am simplifying it a touch here..their is a ton of research on this ..in fact I have done a lot of exercise to actually practice this stuff in different ways for other uses..and in fact you will gain some advantages in many other ways...it literally helps reqire your brain to be more flexible, to access "all of it" ...potentially this will help your ability long term to be more musical, be more creative, be a better all round player, but profoundly you may find it influencing your life in other directions as well...do not be suprized if people comment to you over time that you have become somehow different to them...you are growing before them on a mental level..
Makes me think I should start again left handed..
I hope some of that made some sense..as usual I am terrible at putting it in words..but its all up their in much more detail inside my brain..perhaps you could look at some of the research out their to see what I am rabbiting on about...
Anyways welcome and cheers