Left-handed guitar player Florian Palier
- Erika Uggowitzer
- Jul 15
- 2 min read
Interview by Erika Uggowitzer
Do you see yourself as left-handed or right-handed?
I am distinctly left-handed.
Have you always played your instrument left-handed?
Yes!
How did this come about?
I have always preferred to do everything left-handed. To a large extent, it was also the decision of my father, who was my first teacher.
Do you play right-handed in some situations?
Yes, to try out instruments, often the guitars of my students. I can also play simple things on right-handed guitars. Improvisations on these guitars often lead to interesting results.
How do the two playing styles feel different?
Playing left-handed is clearly my “normal”, playing right-handed is very complicated and limited.
Is playing left-handed part of your identity as a musician?
Yes, sure, I am regularly reminded of this, voluntarily or involuntarily.
How did you come by your lefty instruments?
From various guitar makers. Michael Cadiz in Graz made three very good classical guitars specially for me.
Electric guitars are much easier to get left-handed. My fondest memory is of a music store in Tokyo that only sells left-handed instruments, especially electric ones - I spent a lovely afternoon there during a tour. Because of very famous left-handed electric guitarists - Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and others - playing left-handed has become quite de-taboo in the electric guitar world. Unfortunately, the search for a left-handed lute and vihuela is more complicated.
What is your experience with playing left-handed in orchestras or ensembles?
That was never a problem for me. In the orchestra, I was either a soloist or the only guitarist in the orchestra. In mixed ensembles too. In guitar duos, I usually saw my left-handedness as an advantage, the symmetrical seating arrangement is ideal for communication.
Have you faced any reservations or concerns from other people about playing left-handed?
Yes, unfortunately. Various over-conservative jurors in the past. But that happens much less often today.
What are your experiences in teaching? Do you have left-playing students?
I feel that my students get used to my left-handedness very quickly, I don't perceive it as a disadvantage. There is a student in my class who is left-handed, but he plays on the right.
Before I started working with him, he had been playing this way for many years. Now that he plays very well, I don't see any need to make him retrain. However, I would recommend left-handed students, who start their lessons with me, to play left-handed.
Does playing left-handed present any advantages?
Yes, it's probably a special feature that people remember. I also assume that I play better this way than if I had relearned.
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Florian Palier is a guitarist and composer. He teaches guitar at the Gustav Mahler Private University in Klagenfurt and at the Johann-Joseph-Fux Conservatory in Graz. He is also a regular guest tutor at master classes.
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