Lefty Turned Righty?

[Bassic83]

I am a southpaw, but play right. Feels retarded playing lefty to me. But I do play piano lefty. Go figure. Ever try to find a lefty piano? Sheesh!

I played trumpet lefty. I shoot right, throw right, eat left, fight right, until I start losing, then I switch! I fly righty, unless I'm in a Cub, then it's lefty due to the throttle being on the left and the stick in your right. Driving in England would probably jack me up...

[Vlasco]

I also play righty because I was started off on an upright. I can play both ways, but righty just feels much more natural. It just makes more sense for my left hand to perform the fret work, being more complex than the plucking/picking/slapping whatnot. I have a friend that is also a lefthanded bass player that used to play lefty. But he decided to give righty a shot and agrees that it's easier to play righty. The options in basses that become available doesn't hurt either.

[dls59]

I'm a lefty who plays righty. I think the only disadvantage to me is in learning to slap. I don't have the strength and dexterity in my right wrist that I do in my left. I don't have much need to slap, though, so it's never been much of an issue.

[tim192]

I'm left handed but play right handed bass. I regret nothing.

[BrandonBass]

it seems that left handed players hav problem slapping on a right hand bass from what i read

[sumpitan]

I am righty but play bass lefty, how's that for masochism when forced to search high and low for decent lefty gear?

Being right-handed, my right hand is stronger and more accurate than my left. I never understood how I was supposed to do all the stuff needing strong, accurate fingering with my weak and clumsy left hand. I really feel having the right hand on the fingerboard is the right-handed way to play a bass.

[bassbrad]

I am a natural lefty but play righty. When I started playing gtr my mom, who is also a lefty, trucked me around to all the stores and teachers and asked lefty or righty and the consensus was righty. There were lots of reasons from gear, to educational materials and teachers. Another reasoning was the hand that did the most work was the left hand and it's better to use the strong hand for that task.
Glad that it all worked out that way, woulda been a real mess when I started on cello and later string bass.

[Jazzdogg]

Originally Posted by volt9stormrider

Are any of you a natural lefty but play bass righty? Or a natural righty but play bass lefty? Explain how and why if you are. I'm interested to hear. I'll post my story later. happy posting peace.

My Pop was a killer jazz bassist and he happened to be left-handed. Back in the sixties I learned to play on his basses (an upright and an electric), holding them right-handed. When I finally got a bass of my own (right handed, like me), I had to learn to play all over again.

Years later, I came into town on vacation and went to hear Pop where he was playing with a local jazz trio. The pianist asked me to sit in and I said "no, thank you" because I no longer had any facility on Pop's backwards bass. Pop and the pianist persisted, saying they'd take it easy one me; "we'll just play straight-ahead blues changes." Fool that I was, I accepted. After the first chorus, the pianist started toying with me, modulating at will. That was the last time I attempted to play a left-handed bass in public!

[FaithNoMan]

Left hand writer who plays righty...

I can do better things power-wise and rhythm-wise, with my right hand, but I'm better suited to writing and intricacy with my left hand, so I guess it works out for me...

[daffy]

I'm a lefty, playing righty - have done this for guitar and now bass. It felt a little weird at the start when I was young but playing any stringed instrument felt weird, full stop. I just persisted and it quickly felt natural.

My main reasons for playing right handed are the cost and availability of instruments, and the ability to pick up someone else's and just play.

I have noticed no other hidden advantages to playing - I don't feel that being a lefty gives me any better fingering speed or dexterity. In fact, I think I have less fine motor skills in my left hand and more gross motor. If anything, I think I am very balanced in motor skill across both hands because of my playing.

I strongly urge my left handed students to try playing right handed, mainly for the same economic and availability reasons as I based my decision on. Most look at me and see that it can obviously be done, and play right handed.

[jrmgcoolville]

I am proud to be a lefty who learned bass "right".

[bassist 4 life]

I only write with my left hand, everything else I do with my right.

[Biggsy]

This lefty / righty thing always baffled me..

I'm naturally lefty, yet considered myself to be more or less ambidextrous with everything except playing bass.

I naturally write with my left hand, but after a little practice at school (being of the age where I wanted to 'fit in') found it equally easy to write with my right hand..
Shooting pool is the same - I'm naturally lefty, but can give myself a good game right handed.. (Always fun to throw in the mix when playing someone for money )
Tennis is fun, seeing as no matter what side I play the ball, I can always attack it forehand
Playing soccer was an odd one - my left foot is only good for standing, to this day I still kick like a girl with it..
Slightly different with golf - learnt by going to the driving range with my (right handed) dad, and using his 'bats'.. Got down to playing off 9 before I even considered hitting left handed.. When I did, it came easily, and I now carry a lefty 7 iron in my bag incase of awquard lies.

I started guitar in a similar way to golf - Tinkering with a relative's right hander.. I naturally picked it up in left handed manner, and no matter how hard I tried, just could not for the life of me hold it 'properly' without it feeling like I was trying to pat my head & rub my stomach - with my elbows..
Before stringing the guitar righty, I'd learn songs I wanted to play by inverting tab. (basically just mentally flipping the strings over) Kind of a cool party trick now actually, being able to switch between different orientation guitars and improvise chords and shapes 'on the fly'..

Fast forward to now, and I play lefty bass, lefty. Considering how everything else was seemingly so easy to master in reverse, I wonder why it is that regardless of how much I practice holding a bass right handed, I simply don't have any touch or power in my right hand, and can barely hold a string on a fret with my left, let alone stretch or build any sort of speed.. (I'm not wasting time by practicing righty anymore, it's simply not worth the effort for what I had in mind.)

I know hemispheres of the brain have something to do with it, but I think it's a lot to do with long-term muscle memory, and the fact that now I'm a little older, my brain and my body aren't quite as open to learning to do new things..

.. although smileys seemingly are!

[slybass3000]

Originally Posted by sumpitan

I am righty but play bass lefty, how's that for masochism when forced to search high and low for decent lefty gear?

Being right-handed, my right hand is stronger and more accurate than my left. I never understood how I was supposed to do all the stuff needing strong, accurate fingering with my weak and clumsy left hand. I really feel having the right hand on the fingerboard is the right-handed way to play a bass.

Same here,it seems more natural for me to play like that. I'm happy with it. I can find some nice instruments or have them build for me :-)

SB

[Gegatso]

I'm a lefty and when I began playing 27 years ago, it all felt wrong (of course). I forced myself to learn to play right-handed. It didn't really take too long for it to feel second nature. Learning piano by the way really helps what you do with both of your hands!

Mark

[Basshole]

I'm a righty, and I do everything righty, except play the piano, which I do lefty.

[Basshole]

On a more serious note, Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Kansas) is a lefty that plays righty...