Quick double bass question

SuzyCreamcheese · #1 05-06-2009, 09:29 AM

Hi all,

Lately I really have the urge to start double bass, I'm currently studying jazz at a music school and play electric bass.
Now I had one question I'm left handed, and it suddenly struck me do I need to find a beginner left handed double bass
or could I just learn to play it right handed? (oh and I play electric bass left handed)
Now if I need to find a beginner left handed double bass is that going to be hard or can I have a right handed one
to be made left handed? And how much would that cost.
Otherwise any other tips? (Oh and my budget is € 700-1100 is that enough?)

kurt ratering · #2 05-06-2009, 11:06 AM

learning to play right handed will give you so many more options. its possible to find lefties, but in that price range it might be tough. converting rights to lefts is also possible, but expensive. stringing up a righty backwards would work, but will probably sound like poo. learn righty, youll be much happier in the long run.

SuzyCreamcheese · #3 05-06-2009, 11:26 AM

Thanks for the reply, but wouldnt learning to play right handed be difficult since I already play electric bass left handed.

zeytoun · #4 05-06-2009, 11:48 AM

You can get a lefty Upton bass for $500 extra. Add that to the cost of their entry level double bass, and you get $2300 - our about 1700 euro. Converting a righty bass after the fact is going to cost more and would only make sense on a more expensive bass. Cheaper basses aren't likely to offer a true lefty.

At your price range you are left with (1) playing a cheaper bass with the strings reversed and (2) playing right handed. As Kurt mentioned, option 1 is going to have some negative sound effects, which is why he suggested option 2.

Andrew McGregor · #5 05-06-2009, 04:35 PM

Yes, learning right handed will be more difficult, but you really want to do it, because then you can play any standard bass. That matters, because later on if you have to borrow or rent a bass for whatever reason, you are not going to be able to find a left-handed instrument. I know a number of players who are left handed but play right handed instruments, there really isn't any disadvantage in doing that.

Since you're still at school, you have time on your side. It might take a little bit longer, but it would be well worth your while learning right handed... it may even be worth switching on BG as well, but you can leave that decision for later.

Tony F · #6 05-09-2009, 07:53 AM

Just a further thought...

If you're just starting out in the world of double bass (real bass!) then you probably don't want to commit a huge amount of money right now, not until you're sure you'll want to commit to it.

As others have said, if you restring a right handed bass for left-handed playing you won't get the best sound out of it, but if you can put up with that then you'll know if the double bass world is for you. Then you'll have something to learn on, and it'll be much easier to switch back and sell if it doesn't work for you, or to trade in for a decent bass built specially for a lefty!

The Upton bass built for left handed players would give you a great instrument with a great sound, but it's not a small investment if you've not played double bass before, and wouldn't be easy to sell or trade if you decide it's not for you.

Cheers,

Tony

duckyincarnate · #7 05-11-2009, 11:13 AM

Strunal from the Czech Republic does hybrid lefties.

Here is a luthier in the Netherlands selling them for 2420 euro. It takes them a couple of months to build it for you.

http://www.rikkersgitaarbouw.nl/deta..._aanbod&Node=5

I can imagine you will find luthiers in Belgium as well who will be able to source them.

scotty77 · #8 05-13-2009, 11:51 PM

I'm a begining player who happens to also be a lefty. But, I'm learning to play right handed. It is a lot easier to find a teacher that's right handed. Most of the books are right handed oriented. Plus, a really big one I found when I was starting EB and guitar is that your left hand will have much more dexterity. That will really help your fingering notes. You can learn to play pizz with your right hand easier I think then learning to finger a scale with your right hand. (At my last lesson, my teacher commented on how well I was getting notes from my pizz playing.) Sure, bow work would be faster with my left hand, but there are lots of exercises for that. (Get a teacher for this.).
Good luck with whichever way you go.

Don Higdon · #9 05-14-2009, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuzyCreamcheese

Hi all,

Lately I really have the urge to start double bass, I'm currently studying jazz at a music school and play electric bass.
Now I had one question I'm left handed, and it suddenly struck me do I need to find a beginner left handed double bass
or could I just learn to play it right handed? (oh and I play electric bass left handed)
Now if I need to find a beginner left handed double bass is that going to be hard or can I have a right handed one
to be made left handed? And how much would that cost.
Otherwise any other tips? (Oh and my budget is € 700-1100 is that enough?)

Thank you and bless you for not once saying "standup", "upright", or "acoustic".

jallenbass · #10 05-14-2009, 04:13 PM

What's interesting is that I've never seen a "left-handed" piano.

I don't belive that the double bass is a specific handed instrument. It's just played with the left hand fingering the notes and the right hand producing the sound.

bpclark · #11 05-22-2009, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jallenbass

What's interesting is that I've never seen a "left-handed" piano.

Now you can!
http://lefthandedpiano.co.uk/about.html

Martin Sheridan · #12 05-22-2009, 08:11 AM

SuzyCreemCheese,

Didn't I meet you in the Haight-Asbury in 1968? Sorry, my memory is a little hazy.

bassrad · #13 05-22-2009, 09:23 AM

Just my 2 cents.

I do not believe that restringing is good idea with out moving bass bar and the sound post (could be pricey by the way). I might be wrong, but tension on the bass side could do some damage to the top.

R.

joenoone · #14 06-03-2009, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty77

I'm a begining player who happens to also be a lefty. But, I'm learning to play right handed. It is a lot easier to find a teacher that's right handed. Most of the books are right handed oriented. Plus, a really big one I found when I was starting EB and guitar is that your left hand will have much more dexterity. That will really help your fingering notes. You can learn to play pizz with your right hand easier I think then learning to finger a scale with your right hand. (At my last lesson, my teacher commented on how well I was getting notes from my pizz playing.) Sure, bow work would be faster with my left hand, but there are lots of exercises for that. (Get a teacher for this.).
Good luck with whichever way you go.

I played Violin for 10 years as a child and, much like having the table set with the fork on the left, thought it seemed more oriented FOR left handed people (such as myself) as I find, in general, I use my left had for more dexterous motions and my right had for more strength related motions.

There are other things us lefties just adapt to such as right-handed scissors, computer mice on the right side, having everything oriented for right-handed people as a driver in a car (in many countries) and so on, but stringed instruments being articulated by the left hand always struck me as more of a "lefty" thing.

As for the piano, just because you reverse something doesn't make it a "lefty", especially when both hands are doing the same thing. My problem when I took piano lessons (for 4 years) was the fact that it was at the same time I studied violin, and I was used to notes ascending in my left hand as it went from index finger to pinky, and the piano was the opposite.

Oh, as to the point of problems with finding/borrowing a lefty bass - when I learned to Golf I learned right-handed for that very reason. It's impossible to find left handed clubs and when you do there's no selection. Not like it matters much as I'm no good at golf, but still...