Left hander playing a righty bass upside down??

shortbus76 · #1 10-24-2007, 03:38 PM

Hey all, I am new here and have introduced myself in a different section of the forum. I have a question and would like some input, please. I am a left handed guitar player(playing for about two years) I currently own two left handed acoustic guitars. My son is a right handed bass player and as I have gained interest in the bass I have been playing

His right handed fender. It feels comfortable and as I read tabs it falls right into place. Have you heard of leftys playing right handed bass (upside down) ? Besides the knobs and the cord being in the way, do you see any draw backs to this? Will it limit my playing? I am getting ready to buy my first bass (Epiphone thunderbird)
and I can get it in left or right. Help please I am buying real soon---I got the GAS. Thanks, Scott

smakbass · #2 10-24-2007, 03:43 PM

Well as long as you dont want to do slap style you can probably play this way.....I am blanking on the name right now but the bassist for the fusion band the Yellow jackets plays this way and he is an amazing player...

shortbus76 · #3 10-24-2007, 03:50 PM

How would it limit my playing slap? Sorry for the dumb questions, I am a total noob.

Thanks for the reply----Scott

905 · #4 10-24-2007, 03:55 PM

Well, most slap players thumb the E & A strings and pop the D & G strings.
This means you would have to flip-flop your hand around the bass just to get a decent sound out of it while slapping.

Or you could "thumb" with your pinky, ring, middle and index (quadruple thumping

) and pop with your thumb.

That'd be cool.

Next to impossible, I guess, but cool.

basscreep · #5 10-24-2007, 04:04 PM

I play upside down for the last 30 some years and you can slap the bass. A lot of guitar players and bassist play this way. Keith Horne (played for Peter Frampton, Trisha Yearwood)and now Hot Apple Pie is the best funks/slap soloist I ever heard live and he has no problem trust me.

Basshappi · #6 10-24-2007, 04:23 PM

Many of us start out that way and many still play that way (or play a lefty instrument strung righty).

But, why not get a lefthanded bass, you can string it righty if you want but at least the cord and controls won't be in your way.

shortbus76 · #7 10-24-2007, 05:22 PM

Thanks for the quick replies. I feel better now knowing that others play the same way. I may just go ahead and buy a righty and play it upside down. I know it will allow me a wider selection of basses. Wow, I think this is going to be great. Thanks for the help.

scott

Saetia · #8 10-24-2007, 05:30 PM

Will you play it strung the way it was before you flipped it? E on the bottom and G on the top? or will you get a new nut and have the E on the top and G on the bottom?

Just curiouse as to which way?

When I was in 6th grade I always ended up with the lefty guitar in my music class so I just flipped it around and learned the chrods upside down. Later I learned to play with it the proper way (read "conventionally proper for my dominant hand.")

Peace

-Benny

permagrin · #9 10-24-2007, 06:03 PM

You also may have some difficulty reaching the high register frets.

whodom · #10 10-24-2007, 07:02 PM

Since you say you already have a couple of left-handed acoustics, I assume those are strung conventionally (i.e.- big string on top)?

What I can't understand is if you've already been playing guitar for 2 years, why would you want to learn bass "backwards" (on a right-handed instrument turned upside down so the big string is on the bottom). If you just planned on fooling around on your son's bass, it's no big deal but you said you intend to buy your own bass. I think playing bass left-handed AND backwards is going to be a PITA long-term.

You say you plan on buying a new bass anyway. Yes, it's more difficult to find left-handed basses (near impossible to find them in stock) but there's a pretty decent selection out there. And if you're thinking about buying a really nice bass, are you gonna want to drill an extra hole in the body for a new strap button so you can play it upside down? Don't forget that the controls will be right under your left forearm which is annoying as hell. Keith Horne plays a left-handed bass strung right-handed to get around this problem. If you went this route you're really complicating things, as you'd have to get a left-handed instrument and then have it restrung.

I'm sure it would be nice to be able to borrow someone's instrument just to jam or to walk into a music store and have ~20 instruments to choose from instead of maybe 1, but it just seems crazy to me to learn to play guitar one way and try to learn bass the other.

JimK · #11 10-25-2007, 04:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basscreep

A lot of guitar players and bassist play this way. Keith Horne (played for Peter Frampton, Trisha Yearwood)and now Hot Apple Pie is the best funks/slap soloist I ever heard live and he has no problem trust me.

Yep; Horne used to play a lot around here...I would go to the little bars they(Secrets) pIayed & I was, literally. 3-4ft away & it was something to see him slap/pop 'upsidedown'.
Jimmy Haslip (the Yellowjackets) is another leftie playing a 'right-handed' bass. His slap/pop technique is also A++.

Now, once upon a time, I played with a guitarist that played 'upsidedown'...even the simpleset chord looked like some kinda Alan Holdsworth voicing. No looking/cheating off of that guy...it would only confuse you.

JimK · #12 10-25-2007, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whodom

Don't forget that the controls will be right under your left forearm which is annoying as hell. Keith Horne plays a left-handed bass strung right-handed to get around this problem.

Maybe now...because he's in a position where he can have his bass customized(same for Haslip). It wasn't like this 10 years ago...it was a RH Ken Smith 4-stringer turned upsidedown(not exactly positive about the Smith 6-er he eventually went to).
Even the strap was in the way...still, he had a method for working around that.

Marley's Ghost · #13 10-25-2007, 04:56 AM

If you are buying a new bass...why not just buy a lefty? I started playing rightys strung lefty and it was very awkward after awile. There are plently of lefty basses out there. Finding a righty with access to all frets turned upside down is going to severely limit your selection.

Drucocu · #14 10-25-2007, 05:18 AM

IMO, get yourself a lefty bass. if you allready like it the "right" way, you'll LOVE it the left way, promised!

don't we all love playing basses here?

smakbass · #15 10-25-2007, 08:14 AM

Jimmy Haslip doh thats who I was thinking of totally blocked on his name yesterday.

shortbus76 · #16 10-25-2007, 05:06 PM

I don't know, it just feels allright when I play a righty upside down. The E and the A strings are right there and the tabs read the way they are written--top is high --bottom is low and I figure when I do spend some time to learn reading music, it won't matter how the bass is strung. The knobs and cord being in the way is a pain, and no I won't get my righty strung lefty--too much hassle. Tomorrow I am going to GC (only place around here) and I will try the lefty Ibanez they have (again) and some rightys and see what I feel. I am thankful for everyones input. I know that I really want to play bass. I love the groove. I will let you know what I decide.-------Thanks-----Scott

manutabora · #17 10-25-2007, 05:13 PM

As somebody replied earlier, you can always string a lefty like a righty, and you will have a lot of advantages from a body that is designed for players like you (left handed, that is).
BTW, you should look up Jeff Schmidt on YouTube, he plays that way and he is pretty incredible. I don't think he is in any way limited. But he does use left-handed basses, just strung right-handed. Watch him and you will be inspired

avid · #18 10-25-2007, 05:24 PM

Click on the link in my signature and get a lefty bass. String the wrong way if you want. Once you get over the intial problem looking at stuff written for righties your brain makes the transposition without thinking. Just do it!

shortbus76 · #19 10-30-2007, 05:43 PM

Well, I went and picked up a right handed Epiphone Thunderbird. I have some books and am working on a couple of walking bass lines. Love it. One thing I have noticed(of course more so since I got it home) is that the Thunderbird is a large instrument to play, a lot bigger then the acoustics I'm used to. I'm going to steel wool the neck so I get more hand slide. Do bass players use anything like "finger ease" to smooth the strings, or should I stop being a wuss and just play? Thanks for your help----Scott

Marley's Ghost · #20 10-30-2007, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shortbus76

I'm going to steel wool the neck so I get more hand slide.

STOP! DO NOT DO THAT!

Use finger ease until the your fingers get used to the strings.

Still think you should have bought a lefty. Well, you can always sell and buy.