Has anyone tried switching hands as an experiment?

Tinybasschick · #1 08-01-2007, 07:54 PM

I know the lefty vs. righty thing has been beaten to death in other threads, but I'm wondering if anyone has deliberately switched in order to reinvigorate stale playing, or just to give your brain halves a new challenge? I plan to try it, if I can find a cheap lefty bass.

RWP · #2 08-01-2007, 08:01 PM

Yes, I have tried by flipping my bass around and there is no way I could ever have the patience to re-learn the bass.

As I stated in the other lefty thread, it's like I never touched a bass before. If there is anyone out there that has done this successfully, I would love to hear it.

JAUQO III-X · #3 08-01-2007, 08:02 PM

I have a friend name Jimmy Allen(bassist based in Vegas) who plays fretted right handed and fretless left hand and plays both instruments extremely and equally well.

Dogbertday · #4 08-01-2007, 08:03 PM

I haven't seriously tried to play left handed, but I have always wanted to get a lefty bass and flip it over. Just because.

But back on topic. The little left handed playing I have done really is like starting over, physically anyway. Though i feel like I'm not good enough right handed to even think about spending precious practice time learning something like that, I do intend on doing it at some point. You could get some interesting ideas that way.

JimmyM · #5 08-01-2007, 10:45 PM

I've tried turning a bass over but it's no use. I'm a righty. That's all there is to it.

cumquott · #6 08-03-2007, 08:14 PM

Ouch.I could not imagine the time and effort necessary to relearn how to play left handed. I wonder, though, if it would be easier to try to flip the bass over "the other way", so you'd be playing the back of the neck (head stock still to the left for right-handed players). Make for some pretty subtle bass lines!

Frank Martin · #7 08-04-2007, 12:20 PM

As a lefty I've often had to play basses righty or turned-around
when I went to shops... Sometimes I was even thinking of
switching to righty, as I'd get basses far easier and cheaper, and
my left-hand dexterity would also help with fretting; but it felt
totally unnatural and uncomfortable. So I'm still playing lefty.

iplaybassguitar · #8 08-04-2007, 12:35 PM

ive not actually done this on bass, but in everyday life.

i heard somewhere that you can learn to access and use different parts of your brain by using your non-dominant side more, so a lot of times ill use my left for simple tasks that i usually use my right for, eating, brushing teeth, those kinds of things.

i might be wasting my time completely, if anyone knows anything about this topic, id be interested to hear what you have to say.

Tinybasschick · #9 08-04-2007, 01:22 PM

No brain exercise is ever a waste of time! I'm ambidextrous enough, and nuts enough, to try this anyway. (I HAVE to be nuts to think there's a cheap lefty bass out there. They probably get snapped up right away by lefties.)

Frank Martin · #10 08-04-2007, 02:44 PM

Well then, good luck.
Also good luck finding cheap lefty basses, that will not be easy

(Maybe try rondomusic? Are they still around?)
I think it would be easier to try simpler things. E.g. I frequently
use scissors and keys with my right hand; and when I'm late in the
morning, I brush teeth with my left hand while I comb hair with the
right hand

Simpler and more useful