It's been a while since I posted (in fact I had to re-register!). Basically I'm a right handed guitarist and I developed FD in my left hand about 2 years ago. It affects both my ring and little fingers and prevents me from playing linear passages (chords are OK). At first I thought it had developed after an intense bout of legato practicing but now I realise it had been creeping up on me for a number of years. I suspect this because I have now switched to playing left handed and the results have absolutely astounded me. In the space of three months I am playing at a level I never dreamed possible. I just wanted to post this as encouragement for anyone else contemplating this approach. I struggled for two years trying to "fix" the left hand using various approaches (including a session with Dominic Frasca) to no avail. I used to swap the guitar over to compare the feeling between hands when they fret a string but quickly realised I could play fairly complex legato passages with my right hand. I borrowed a cheap LH strat copy from a friend and picked it up occasionally when my therapy was having an off day. The main problem I found was fingering chords and picking with the left hand. Around this time I had been getting some good progress with Dominic Frascas approach and seemed to be making headway and then suddenly it all went wrong again and my FD seemed worse than ever. Something seemed to snap in me and there and then I made up my mind to buy a decent LH guitar and re-learn from scratch. Maybe it was the mental commitment I'd made but since that day things have gone from strength to strength. I am actually enjoying being a "beginner" again and I now have all the experience to make sure I practice the right things in the right way. I know this is no guarantee I won't develop FD in the other hand but somehow I doubt it. I'll keep you posted on my progress and would love to hear from anyone else who's taken the plunge. In a way it feels like I "gave in" to the FD and I'm in no way advocating this approach to all stringed instrument players but there's nothing like the feeling of playing with unrestricted fingers again!
