Left-handed but playing on right-handed instruments

[Mybikeisblack]

I am left handed. But play right handed instruments. Just the way I picked up a guitar.

[Groove Master]

Originally Posted by Deacon_Blues

Hi!

I'm curious to know how many other left-handed bassists there are here that are playing in a right-handed manner, and to hear your experiences on this.

I'm playing in this way as the first guitar I got was a right-handed. My parents said the cheapest left-handed was several times more expensive than the one I got, so I had to start with it. I don't wish I played with lefties and I could not imagine to switch, but I have had difficulties playing certain things that others don't have any real problems with. These have for me been:

- playing "tight". When I have to use the "worse hand" for striking the notes, I've had to practice this a lot to achieve a good timing on all notes. It's quite ok nowadays, however.

- speed. I've always been quite poor at playing fast, but for a Roxette project I played las year in I had to pratice speed a lot to be able to play "The look" - it requires both speed and endurance (16th:s, tempo about 96 bpm for 3-4 minutes... a few bpm more would have been mssion impossible to me.. However, I've seen a right-handed bass player playing that song easily with a smile on his face and no signs at all of getting tired...

- slapping. I cannot slap properly and I use it only occasionally as effects... I seem to loose the control too easily when I try to play something a bit more advanced. I cannot even play the "domm-ticki-domm-ticki" pattern slowly...

Most of these problems I have been able to sort out by developing the right-hand technique, but I still feel more limited than other bassists, especially concerning the slapping that I've been trying to get to work for a long time but I never seem to get it...

Of course there are advantages too with playing in this way, related mainly to the left hand movement. I can for instance stretch my left hand quite much, which can be very useful when playing e.g. funk licks....

Again, what are you're experiences on this issue?

Does it feel natural for you to play that way? I would understand why somebody would do this because of the lack of availability of lefty basses. But I believe that there is a natural side especially when we deal with ambidextery (?) of some kind.

[Mayers]

I'm the wierd guy here. I'm a lefty bass player and I played a lefty bass for 12 years, I even did a college degree in music. And noir 12 years latter, I wanted to retry to play upright bass ( right handed of course ) and ... seriously it isn't hard at all to play walking bass , a little more trouble with the bow but I'm doing alright I think.

So I think I may as well play right electric bass as well because I'm kind of ambidextrous. I play every sport right handed but I write and eat left handed.

[runmikeyrun]

I write and eat with my left hand but play bass with my right. I am fairly ambidextrous- I can give shots, start IVs, and intubate with both hands. I can even perform surgery with both hands with almost equal skill. I play righty because it was the first bass I picked up. I'm sure I could have learned lefty too, but why? There are so many more bass choices playing right handed. Just stick with a righty bass, everything will be fine