Originally Posted by
Peevemor
i know quite a few people who make their living from music (teaching, performing or both). A relatively high percentage are left handed and almost all of them play their instruments right handed.
When you start learning an instrument, you train your hands/fingers to do stuff they've never done before and there's no real reason for a beginner to start off with his or her hands inversed.
If a left handed learner (learning right handed) is really struggling, then you can try switching to see if there's an improvement - there rarely is.
However, a left handed person playing right handed who attains a certain level of competence will almost always find themself with an above average weak (ie. left) hand compared to people of the same level.
I've taught bagpipes for over 30 years and have had both left and right handed pupils who have gone on to be excellent players. I've never produced a piper who plays left handed.