lefty playing right handed, please help!!

tonyvillagomez · #1 09-18-2007, 10:18 PM

ok I just decided to persue a desire to play bass. besides air guitar I have no experience. it feels more natural to play as a lefty (makes since as I am left handed) but I was given a right handed bass as a gift (Rogue LX405 Pro 5-String Bass) and would really like to play it. i know its not a good idea to reverse the strings. can i play it as if it was a left handed? just try to play right handed? I think trying to play right handed may make things harder, but i dont know what playing a right handed bass as a lefty would do? easier? harder? please help.

joe the cop · #2 09-18-2007, 10:23 PM

I had the same thing happen to me years ago when I started playing. I just ended up playing right handed even though I am more left handed than righty. But to me that FELT right. I liked starting out with more dexterity in my left hand for fretting. Currently I'm trying to relearn bass left handed just for fun. If you go with what feels right then you won't go wrong. Let you be the guiding factor not what bass you happen to have you could easily get a lefthanded bass and if that's what you FEEL is right then it's worth getting. You probably already know what feels right and what doesn't go with that feeling

jeff schmidt · #3 09-18-2007, 10:37 PM

As a lefty that plays upside down (righty stringing) I can offer these thoughts.

1.) Hold the bass both ways. Which ever way feels more comfortable that's the way you should learn.

If neither way feels better - learn to play righty.

2.) If you're going to play "lefty" - string it properly. That means the thick string should be on top and the thinner strings on the bottom.

this will make getting basses & proper instruction easier.

word

Jumpno · #4 09-18-2007, 10:39 PM

return the bass and get a lefty versian

tonyvillagomez · #5 09-18-2007, 11:47 PM

if I take the righty, how do I restring it for a lefty? does this screw up the bass in any way? will it play as well as if it was a lefty? the problem is that I cannot find a lefty bass with of the same quality and features anywhere near that price.

Vandelay · #6 09-19-2007, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyvillagomez

if I take the righty, how do I restring it for a lefty? does this screw up the bass in any way? will it play as well as if it was a lefty? the problem is that I cannot find a lefty bass with of the same quality and features anywhere near that price.

The nut is cut for righty stringing, so if you restring it lefty you'd probably want to have someone either reverse or replace the nut for you. You'd also want to consider whether it'll be awkward for you to have the volume/tone controls at the top of the bass (i.e. in some cases your forearm might accidentally adjust them while you're playing), or whether it's awkward to have the input jack on top. But some people manage doing this without problems.

If you're looking for a good lefty within your budget, I might suggest the "Lefty Bass FAQ" thread. It's got a a great list of links for lefty bass retailers:
Lefty Bass FAQ

Kalyptic · #7 09-19-2007, 04:40 AM

Im left handed, but i play "right handed". i dont get why thats called right handed when more dexterity is needed in the fretting hand. but i had a lefty player teacher which was good because he sat faceing me and it was like a mirror image teaching me.

tonyvillagomez · #8 09-19-2007, 09:29 AM

so would you say playing righty actually uses more left than right in terms of effort? where-ever more effort skill is needed is where I want to put my left hand. I tried my brothers electric 4 times last night, sometimes left felt more natural, sometimes right.

Deacon_Blues · #9 09-19-2007, 09:44 AM

I'm also lefty, play right handed. I've never had problems with left hand flexibility and endurance, the opposite actually, but I've been struggling with and am still struggling with right hand speed and endurance. I have not been able to keep steady 16ths at much higher tempos than 100 bpm, at least not for minutes. For short periods I can hit 16ths at about 140 bpm but there's a wall for me. Also three finger plucking is very difficult, as well as fast slapping and popping. It just doesn't come naturally to me.

There are disadvantages and advantages with both. If you feel you would need to play at high speeds, I think you should go with a left handed bass, but otherwise a right handed could be the better alternative.

Joebone · #10 09-19-2007, 10:49 AM

I've given this one a lot of thought...I am EXTREMELY left-handed/left-footed/left-eyed...by any civilian measure, I'm as lefty as it gets. In fact, my 50-year old body sometimes gets the feeling like my right side is contracting because I'm so left-dominant. (Even my politics/career, but that's another story...)

BUT when I started playing guitar as a kid, I got a righty model, and that's what I learned for the several years that I played....and as I now play bass with some degree of commitment over the last few years, I'm sticking with the righty thing.

Meanwhile, at 13 I started playing trombone...right-handed. A simple tenor trombone can easily be reversed to use the slide with the right or left, but no one pointed that out when I started, and it didn't dawn on me to do anything about it. I played a LOT of trombone, ultimately playing pro for 10 years before changing direction. As a hobbyist trombonist I remain right-handed...I briefly experimented with switching to left, but while I liked the extra degree of relaxed control that might come with working the slide with my left, I have decades of muscle memory oriented towards my right, and an embouchure setting that also relates to my right...so that's that. Net net; I might have had better slide technique with the left, but the die is cast, and I get other benefits...like having my strong hand deal with the physical task of holding the horn (rule of thumb - hold horn as firmly as possible - hold slide as lightly as possible). Meanwhile, at some point I meet Slide Hampton, who plays left-handed...I ask him about it, and he reports he's right-handed, but put the horn together left-handed as a kid...doesn't seem to hold him back in any way, shape or form. The trick is just getting air, tounge and slide coordinated in time...getting your elements to work together is what it's all about.

So on to the bass. With my strong hand on the frets, I'm clearly enjoying an advantage, particularly with use of my left pinky. The right hand is more of a struggle, but with concentration I'm starting to get some technique, and feel increasingly "expressive" with that hand. There is no substitute for slow metronome work, with genuine concentration on precision with time, attack and release...it seems to be paying off, and I need to do more still, but I'm now starting to develop a bit of four-finger dexterity (thumb for flesh or slap and floating mute; 2nd 3rd and 4th fingers, with an increasing tendancy to favor 4 over 3 in alternation with 2 or for raking.) Nothing flashy, but getting some consistency, and it feels GREAT to get some resources going.

Meanwhile, my wife the clinical psychologist and Alzheimers Disease specialist continuously regales me with studies indicating that folks who try to develop new intellectual skills develop a broader range of neural pathways in their brains, which may ****** the effects of age-related dementias.

So, I figure that playing bass righty is maintaining my brain! I've also taken to using right-handed computer mouse with either my right or left hand - besides liking the flexibility when I use the computers of right-handed folk, I figure it's another step toward developing the right side of my body.

But ultimately on bass, the real question is not left-dexterity vs. right-dexterity, but rather whether your hands are playing TOGETHER in whatever you're doing.

So if you can, I'd say try both a right-and left-strung bass as soon as possible, side-by-side...and whichever feels more natural to you in being able to get a clean sound and play in time, then that's what you should do!

Jeramaya · #11 09-19-2007, 02:47 PM

This may sound corny, but I think the reason that I, as a lefty, chose to play the bass "right-handed," is because of all the years I swung a baseball bat left-handed. In other words, I was comfortable with having the left hand facing palm up and the right hand facing palm down.

lowendgenerator · #12 09-20-2007, 06:53 AM

More lefties playing righty, I love it! For me it was simple, I was given a right handed guitar, and all of the players around me were right handed, so I followed suit. It worked out great for me, my left hand was doing all the busy noodling, my right hand only had to pluck strings and mute the rest.

Don't flame me, but when I see left handed instruments, they don't look right to me. They look backwards. Very few basses look 'right' (lol) to me when mirrored.

Lucas G · #13 09-20-2007, 07:10 AM

when i first got interested in playing bass, i was unaware that anyone made left-handed instruments. i had never seen one before. so, as a left handed guy, i just started playing right-handed without a second thought. i have tried left handed basses in stores, and when i picked one up it was like i had never touched a musical instrument in my life it was so foreign to me.

TwentyPast4 · #14 09-20-2007, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyvillagomez

so would you say playing righty actually uses more left than right in terms of effort? where-ever more effort skill is needed is where I want to put my left hand. I tried my brothers electric 4 times last night, sometimes left felt more natural, sometimes right.

It seems to me that " in terms of effort" is refering to strength. You'll need strength in both hands regardless which way you play. With said, someone with strength does not neccassarly have grace. I'm left handed and always wrote left handed. When you write, you hold the pencil with your fingers and write with your wrist. Ultimately I have been working on rhythm with my left wrist most of my life. I play with my fingers and not with a pick, which a different subject altogether, but the control that I have in my wrist directly effects the use of my fingers. When you're fretting, you press down on the fretboard to shorten the length of the string directly effecting the pitch. It's like binary numbers, one or zero. Regardless of how fast you can shred, the tone is in the plucking hand. If you naturally have more grace with your left hand then you'll naturally be more expressive playing the bass left handed. There is many advantages playing right handed, but go with whatever helps you be more expressive. Thats what music is all about right? Just my 2 cents.

Eric

tonyvillagomez · #15 09-20-2007, 08:11 PM

ok so after reading all this I decided to play right handed, found a bass that just felt right playing righty. lefty seems un-natural now. I still air bass as a lefty, go figure

any advice on where to start? instructional DVD? which one? any good websites with help would be great. also any recommendations to strings for beginners?

DocBop · #16 09-20-2007, 08:53 PM

Leave it right handed and play it righty. The majority of music instruments are righty only and lefties learn to play them without thinking about it. Many lefties play right handed (including me) and some say there is an advantage with your dominant hand on the fretboard where more dexiterity is required. Also play right handed you will not have to deal with hassle of finding leftie gear especially since some companies and models are righty only.

Just think of it like playing piano and there is no leftie piano you just do it.

stretch80 · #17 09-24-2007, 02:22 PM

Cool discussion. I'm another lefty playing righty --

Yes, my right hand isn't as fast or strong for playing 16th funk or slap - but I can do it.

on the flip side, I had a really easy time learning to play fretless!

Have fun with your new bass. If you can manage to afford a few lessons, that is worth a lot, and it's fun to make the connection with an experienced player teacher.

Nighthawk551 · #18 09-24-2007, 02:49 PM

I'm ambidextrous, but I found that since I write with my left hand, I would use that natural dexterity to fret with. It's worked out fine for me!

chaosMK · #19 09-24-2007, 02:52 PM

I am left handed and play right.

My first instrument was a violin, which I started around 11-12ish. They mainly come in right because if you were lined up in an orchestra you'd be poking the person next to you in the face with the bow. So that's how I started.

A while back I tried playing a lefty bass. Man that was extremely frustrating! After about 3 minutes of struggling on it I felt severely humbled. I was thinking it would be a good idea to learn though, switch up the way my brain/hands coordinate rhythm vs tone.

You have better options in terms of basses you can buy if you go right handed. There are way less lefty basses floating around to try out, get for cheap used, etc.

Infernal Affair · #20 09-24-2007, 02:57 PM

I'm a lefty that plays righty. It was a big debate for me at first, but I figured that right handed instruments are much more common and it didn't seem too hard to pick up. My plucking is MUCH slower than a normal righty, but that can still be worked on.

I do most things with my left hand and foot if possible, but I've adopted many right handed devices that just end up being natural. A computer mouse is a good example. We as lefties are assumed to be more ambidextrous than a right hander, but I'm not sure how much of that is because we're forced to use so many right handed devices or if it's actually how our brains work. Either way it doesn't really matter. I've tried doing some ambidextrous exercises like brushing my teeth with my right hand and other things and I think if I kept at it I could eventually do things with both hands pretty well, maybe even writing. It just takes lots of practice and dedication, just like playing instruments.