Lefty playing a righty

prekabreki · #1 08-10-2009, 03:37 PM

Hi there

I've been playing bass for a bout a year now, a thunderbird mostly.
A regular right-handed one while being myself a lefty.
Now I'm confused on some things here. I use a pick so my right hand is picking away at the strings doing the grunt work and very little "finnesse" going on there at the moment. Suitable for my non-dominant hand. While my natural left hand is doing all the woop-da-loops on the fretboard, very suitable for my dominant left hand.
So why do lefties get left handed bass guitars. Is it just a matter of fingerstyle or plectrum? I get a feeling it's not and I'm missing a huge point here and it's gonna be something about muscles and such, but right now in my playing I seem to be doing just fine with a right handed bass.

trevort · #2 08-10-2009, 03:44 PM

I think its a matter of what hand "leads".

From this perspective the picking hand is controlling the rhythm, while the other hand "follows" by selecting the notes that are being controlled by the leading hand.

Of course the two come together with competence, but that's my take on which handedness you choose when playing.

One of my bandmates is a left hand guy and he plays rh instrument.

prekabreki · #3 08-10-2009, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trevort

I think its a matter of what hand "leads".

From this perspective the picking hand is controlling the rhythm, while the other hand "follows" by selecting the notes that are being controlled by the leading hand.

Of course the two come together with competence, but that's my take on which handedness you choose when playing.

One of my bandmates is a left hand guy and he plays rh instrument.

Maybe it's just me but I always looked at it the opposite way

I always looked at it like my note selecting hand chooses the path while the picking hand is the driving force down that path of musicalness!

whocaresnotme · #4 08-10-2009, 04:18 PM

One of my son's is a great guitar player (sad I know-joke) and he is left handed and plays right handed instruments in right handed position. He has always done that and has never considered anything else. It just seems natural to him.

Something to consider: lefty boxers always have the advantage. They always fight right handers but rarely left.

viperbass254 · #5 08-10-2009, 04:21 PM

we are of the same breed, although i use my fingers.
it hasn't hindered my playing at all.

prekabreki · #6 08-10-2009, 04:49 PM

so some left handers play left handed bass guitars because?...
It's comfortable I guess? Just seems like a fuss, it's more expensive but I guess it's kind of unique and different to not play like everyone else. But I would really like to hear from some lefties who play left handed bass and their reason for doing so.

Slax · #7 08-10-2009, 04:58 PM

I'm left handed playing right handed. I started playing like this because I didn't even know there was a such thing as a left handed bass when I started... (I was young and new to the music world.

)

Hasn't given me a problem though.

The way I think of it, it's like how DB and Cello are played righty regardless. (Though I did see a video of McCartney playing DB left handed...)

Quote:

Originally Posted by prekabreki

so some left handers play left handed bass guitars because?...
It's comfortable I guess? Just seems like a fuss, it's more expensive but I guess it's kind of unique and different to not play like everyone else. But I would really like to hear from some lefties who play left handed bass and their reason for doing so.

John Herzog · #8 08-11-2009, 06:19 AM

I am also a lefty playing righty, but what I wonder is how many of the lefties who play right handed also play all sports right handed. I guess I'm defining the lefty here as someone who writes with their left hand.

FatCity · #9 08-11-2009, 08:09 AM

I am a lefty who plays right handed. It is pretty much the only thing that I do right handed. It always seemed to me the most natural in that my dominant hand is doing the fretting.

prekabreki · #10 08-11-2009, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatCity

I am a lefty who plays right handed. It is pretty much the only thing that I do right handed. It always seemed to me the most natural in that my dominant hand is doing the fretting.

That's exactly my situation, so I'm still very curious about why people want to use their non dominant hand for for fretting.
I just want to know what that's about.

rarisgod · #11 08-11-2009, 06:18 PM

Yeah in my opinion, the less dominant hand can learn to fret, but the less dominant hand is the one that is driving the playing, keeping rhythm. That's why. But I'm sure you could learn to do it either way.

Arpeggiator · #12 08-11-2009, 06:27 PM

it is rather confusing and i cant answer the question but rightys fret with there left hands if you think about it. all people are different, for instance jeff schmidt picked up a right handed bass upsidown and he played like that ever since

Petethebassman · #13 08-12-2009, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prekabreki

That's exactly my situation, so I'm still very curious about why people want to use their non dominant hand for for fretting.

Which is what all right-handed bassists and guitarists playing righty do, anyway. I'm lefthanded and I started playing lefty simply because it felt much more natural to me. So to me it really wasn't a matter of making a choice.

amimbari · #14 08-19-2009, 09:22 AM

I'm a lefty, and play inverted as my main thing like Jeff Schmidt, or Jim Haslip, ( just never had the cash to go have one custom made, so I cheat and flip my righty basses ) - no the knobs do NOT get in the way

I also play lefty basses normal, since the string orientation means nothing to me anymore but like Schmidt I have played for years that way and never cared to switch.
my youtube covers are inverted, but there are a bunch in there with me using my lefty bass played normally with no "pain and strain" as they say.

for sports and everything else I usually favor lefty, but have no difficulty doing it righty such as throwing, catching, batting. I do use my left eye when shooting though..lol..

most importantly for me is I can sell any righthander any of my basses, and they can just play it as-is

( or the occasional priceless look on a GC's employee's face when I ask to see the 4000.00 righty bass after jamming on a 200.00 junk lefty in the store )

Michael Campbel · #15 08-19-2009, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prekabreki

That's exactly my situation, so I'm still very curious about why people want to use their non dominant hand for for fretting.
I just want to know what that's about.

Actually, most people's "dominant" hand is the *stronger* one, not the most dextrous. Fretting requires some finesse and dexterity, not outright strength.

bstringkyle · #16 08-19-2009, 11:48 AM

I am left handed but I leaned to play bass right handed. It just felt right.