Why use the left hand for fretting and the right for plucking?

[St Drogo]

Not sure if this has been asked before, but does anybody know what the reason is we hold basses like we do? Left hand fretting and right hand plucking (if you're a righty).

Sure, it seems natural now, because we've all been doing it for X years, but it would seem more logical to me to use your dominant hand for making the intricate fretting patterns and your non-dominant (subserviant?) hand for plucking or strumming or picking or whatever. It's great to have your dominant hand be in control of plucking, but I would argue you could learn either way. I hear there's a lot of lefties who've simply learned to play righty for a plethora of reasons, showing the preference can be taught.

Does it maybe have something to do with how the right side of the brain (the side controlling the left hand) is supposed to house your creative side? And does that mean that lefties are at a creative disadvantage, because they use the hand controlled by the logical part of their brain to fret and make the melodies?

Of course there are many more factors to creativity than this, I just thought it was an interesting question.

Does anybody maybe have some neurological background on this? Or historical? As in: where did this orientation start? Lute players held their instrument the same way, right? So it goes back further than that. Any idea?

[uglyrumor]

One of the most innovative and creative bassists of all time was left handed, but played right handed. Phil Lesh .

It maybe has something to do with the way doghouse basses were designed, and the theme was carried over to electric. I don't know. Thought you might like to know about Phil.

[JTE]

I don't know... but it's the same on electric bass, string bass, guitars, instruments in the violin family, etc. Seems almost all string instruments I can think of that I have any familiarity with all have the right hand responsible for the plucking/attack function and the left hand for the string length function. That's CENTURIES of people playing that way, and I suspect it might have something to do with using the dominant hand to control the rhythm.

John

[St Drogo]

Originally Posted by uglyrumor

One of the most innovative and creative bassists of all time was left handed, but played right handed. Phil Lesh .

It maybe has something to do with the way doghouse basses were designed, and the theme was carried over to electric. I don't know. Thought you might like to know about Phil.

Oh I'm not saying lefthanded people can't be creative. Hell, they are rumored to be more creative precisely due to that brainhemisphere thing. I'm just trying to figure out why we hold our bass like we do. There has to be a reason for this. As JTE points out, this is a common thing among all slightly similar instruments like lutes, violin, DB's, and so on.

It would actually not surprise me either way if there's a very intricate answer having to do with how we process sound and movement, or if it's something really simple and practical. Like, the first instrument was built that way because the luthier was righthanded and everyone else just followed suit, or something like that.

[countrybassist]

Dude you must have way too much spare time.

[CapnSev]

When you first picked up a bass, didn't it feel more natural that way?

[St Drogo]

No argument there.

The question stands, though.

EDIT: referring to Countrybassist

[St Drogo]

Originally Posted by CapnSev

When you first picked up a bass, didn't it feel more natural that way?

Well when I first picked up a bass, I had several years of gigging experience with a guitar, so yeah.

But when I first picked up a guitar, I don't know. I don't think it did feel any more natural one way or the other actually... It's not a sexual orientation you know

[Kipaste]

I ride a snowboard in regular stance, but when I switch to a skateboard I ride with goofie stance. And I operate an icehockey stick like I'm left handed.

The very first instrument I tried playing was a left handed guitar. I figured it wouldn't matter much since I didn't know how to play anyway. But after few horrible weeks I got a right handed one and immediately started making progress. So I guess there's some real reason.

[Mayers]

It is very simple.

It is easier to get rythm with your dominant hand

[Fergie Fulton]

Simple answer is you use your hand correctly for the task.
The dominant hand does the important bit, the other follows.

Look close at what's going on, it looks like the fretting hand is the main one, but actually it's the plucking hand.
Fret a note nothing happens and nothing will happen till the plucking hand makes it happen. Attack, rhythm, movement, dampening, tone etc everything is instigated by the plucking hand.
The fretting hand just holds the string down, i know there is more to it than that before people complain, but that's it only job if you think about it. Any one can hold a singe note down and give it colour, texture, tone, attack etc with out it being released. That note can be defined as a breve, semibrieve, minum, crotchet, quaver, semiquaver, semidemiquaver, hemidemisemiquaver LOL, it can all be controlled by the plucking hand if need be.
Moving around the neck is a different task that incorporates the act of fretting a note on the move by bouncing the fingertips on the strings with enough pressure to fret a note and move on. This task needs a good plucking hand to match that and do all of its other tasks.
Don't be fooled by the fact some choose not to use all of the fingers to pluck, the fact it can be done with a plectrum, one finger, two fingers, three or four fingers, or with all four and the thumb, it is still the dominant hand with all the hard work.

[longfinger]

I wonder this too, especially when talking to lefties. It will be interesting to find out which part of the brain is in charge of time-based movement. Perhaps that a left-side brain duty, which means a right-side body action?

Interesting to note, that it's the right hand that actually sounds the note, stops it, and controls the time of the playing. So even the the left hand gets all the glory, it's the right hand that's the bass of it all. (hmm just like a bassist? :-) )

Though, after playing guitar and bass for so long, on a piano, it's easier for me to play fancy notes with me left hand than with my right.

There must already exist some good scientific studies on this...

[Rickett Customs]

Perhaps this is why my grandfather, my father, my son and I, gave each other a hard time..... we're all lefty's (all using the same side of the brain), while all other parts of the family are right handed and we get along with them harmoniously

Sorry, I cannot give a better answer to the op, I'm using the wrong side of my brain

[Fergie Fulton]

Brain sides and dominate side are thought to have developed as opposites to protect the body. If a right sided dominant person is in danger of injury or attack they will offer the dominant side first to take the force of the trauma or defend against the attack.
If the dominant brain function is on the same side as the dominant body function then the chance of damage to both is greatly increased and therefore potentially life threatening as a result.
In such an event where a dominant body side is badly damaged or function lost, the dominant side of the brain can make a new dominant body side.

Again this left/right thing is a genetic safety mechanism that ensures that human life continues.
People who are ambidextrous show us one of the realities of how this can work, as do people who lose a hand and learn to use the other with as much ease and little or no problems.

[O1av]

Originally Posted by CapnSev

When you first picked up a bass, didn't it feel more natural that way?

I think I should mention that when I first picked up a guitar, (Yeah, I still remember) I held it left handed, even though it was a right handed guitar and I'm very right handed. It just felt natural to me, and I didn't want to flip it when I was told to. The 'correct' way seemed weird and uncomfortable at the time.

I did switch anyway though and I play like any other right hander now, and I can't play any other way if I try.

[Simon Kamp]

I'm a lefty but I've always played righthanded. I just learned it that way and after ten years flipping it over just feels wrong.

Hmm... I wonder if I would have been a much better player if only I had held the bass right all that time

[duderasta]

I am dealing with this with my son. I feel we should get him a lefty guitar and a teacher that can teach left - handed players, my ex insists he learn right-handed because her new bf said so

[rodneyat]

Originally Posted by Simon Kamp

I'm a lefty but I've always played righthanded. I just learned it that way and after ten years flipping it over just feels wrong.

Hmm... I wonder if I would have been a much better player if only I had held the bass right all that time

I think there is a very large number of left handed bassists who play right handed. Just because those are the easiest instruments to get. Phil Lesh has been mentioned, I know that Adam Nitti is another. Then you get someone like Keith Horn who plays left handed on a left handed bass strung upside down. Now, that will play with your brain.

Now, back to the original question...I have no idea...maybe you do have too much time on your hands.

[dannster]

I'm a lefty playing "right". I couldn't even fathom playing a "lefty" bass. Why would I rely on my right hand for fretting? and leave my left had to pluck? Makes no sense to me.

I consider my left hand the more nimble articulate hand and it just make more sense to be dancing around the fingerboard then just plucking strings ad infinitum.

[Jonathan1990]

What does right-handedness mean? That your right hand is better than your left one? No. It means that you are naturally more capable of performing repetitive tasks with your right hand (or arm) than with your left hand. Look at writing or throwing a ball: they're not skills, they're just certain series of certain muscle movements that become automated as you do it more often.
Plucking strings is not very different. Fretting, on the other hand, is a seemingly random movement of your fingers (especially when you're a beginner), so your brain needs to focus on that more than on your plucking.
YMMV IMO