30 Awesome Left-Handed Guitarists in Rock + Metal

Happy International Left-Handers Day!

About 10 percent of people are left-handed, but against all odds, some of the greatest guitarists of all time were lefties! Beyond Jimi Hendrix and Tony Iommi, plenty of left-handed legends have shaped the worlds of rock and metal, so we're paying tribute to 30 of them with this list.

Jimi Hendrix was born a natural leftie, but his father demanded he play a right-handed guitar as being left-hand dominant was a sign of the Devil. With a rebellious rock 'n' roll spirit, he flipped the guitar upside down and restrung the instrument and played it the only way it felt... right. He only went on to become arguably the greatest guitarist ever, demonstrating a classic case of "Parents just don't understand."

The Hand of Doom, Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, is another famous leftie who just happened to invent heavy metal. The riff master of all riff masters would have had an easier life as a righty, since his fretting hand got chopped due to an industrial accident, but then again, maybe metal wouldn't sound the way it does if Iommi had a full fretting hand.

Looking for a more modern lefty? Avenged Sevenfold's Zacky Vengeance is currently raising the flag for modern left-handed guitarists of the current generation! And the odd angle makes it an even cooler visual live when he and righty Synyster Gates play off of each other in the concert setting.

Check out these 30 Awesome Left-Handed Guitarists in Rock + Metal in the gallery below.