Teaching a left handed player?

20one · #1 06-30-2007, 02:11 PM

Hi everyone! I've taught a few people how to play bass before but they were all right handed hehe. My room mate wants to learn to play and is left handed. I'm afraid that teaching him will be difficult due to our differences... anyone have any experience with this type of situation? Any hints would be helpful

manicbassman · #2 06-30-2007, 02:17 PM

why would it be difficult. My teacher is left handed, it just looks like I'm watching a mirror image when he's showing me what to do. He's pretty successful and his appointment book is solid, so people can't be finding his being left handed a problem.

iceshaft07 · #3 06-30-2007, 07:00 PM

My bass books recommends telling him to play right handed. As, I am assuming, he has no prior experience, how would he know the difference muscle-memory wise? It should feel the same either way.

The advantage to teaching him to play right handed style, is that if he gets serious, he will only look for right handed basses. If he learns the other way, his bass choice is more limited.

That, and it may save you some trouble too.

Charling · #4 06-30-2007, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceshaft07

My bass books recommends telling him to play right handed. As, I am assuming, he has no prior experience, how would he know the difference muscle-memory wise? It should feel the same either way.

The advantage to teaching him to play right handed style, is that if he gets serious, he will only look for right handed basses. If he learns the other way, his bass choice is more limited.

That, and it may save you some trouble too.

interesting... but surely, in the same way as people who write left handed, its not about what there muscles can do, its about the way your brain is wired up? events as far back as infancy (possibly even further, ie right back too the womb) can decide whether someone is left handed or not. and its not just a case of you learn to use one, not the other, your brain and limb systems (whatever they are called) wire themselves up to focus on the left hand or right hand during the earliest years of your life.

there are left handed people who have been forced to write with there right hand since childhood (im thinking in the days of old, when left handed was seen as wrong) and there writing has never developed into being neat and accurate because there brain was not wired to be able to do those movements with the right hand...

hmm, im no expert, but i believe theres more too it than muscle memory. just my 2c tho!

as for teaching a lefty, I do it and its no worries, the mirror image situation can be quite useful, but chord diagrams, scale diagrams etc required a little extra explaining as they are the other way round for him! but once he got used to it he started to read them as fluently as a right handed person would.

steve66 · #5 06-30-2007, 08:03 PM

I am lefty and play a right handed bass. Its more natural for me. Playing lefty is to wierd. Since my left hand is dominant it works very well on the neck. Once I got the fingers alternating correctly on my right hand, I was good to go.

Since your friend is just beginning to play. He/She wont know the difference. When I started taking lessons from my bass teacher, he mentioned that I had very good left hand technique. I told him I was a lefty. My bass instructor said basses should be played right handed.

Human Bass · #6 06-30-2007, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve66

I am lefty and play a right handed bass. Its more natural for me. Playing lefty is to wierd. Since my left hand is dominant it works very well on the neck. Once I got the fingers alternating correctly on my right hand, I was good to go.

Since your friend is just beginning to play. He/She wont know the difference. When I started taking lessons from my bass teacher, he mentioned that I had very good left hand technique. I told him I was a lefty. My bass instructor said basses should be played right handed.

She/he will know the difference. Im lefty, and by the first time i hold a lefty instrument without knowing how to fret a single note, it already felt like home.

Why basses should be played right handed? A bass should be played well, as any other instrument. Your bass instructor is quite narrow minded.

Em Toons · #7 06-30-2007, 10:10 PM

My first teacher was lefty and played right handed. He said that it was partly out of practicality—it's easier for him to pick up a bass and play this way, since most are right handed.

But I also agree that it shouldn't be a problem. Like manic said, it's just like looking in a mirror.

steve66 · #8 06-30-2007, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Human Bass

She/he will know the difference. Im lefty, and by the first time i hold a lefty instrument without knowing how to fret a single note, it already felt like home.

Why basses should be played right handed? A bass should be played well, as any other instrument. Your bass instructor is quite narrow minded.

I have to admit, I laughed when my teacher told me that. He brought up a good point though. Pianos, and certain horns are made for right handed people. This does not mean that leftys cannot play them, it just means that is the way it is and we must adjust, so why not basses.

Its a righty's world. Doesnt mean its right.

manicbassman · #9 07-01-2007, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve66

I am lefty and play a right handed bass. Its more natural for me. Playing lefty is to wierd. Since my left hand is dominant it works very well on the neck. Once I got the fingers alternating correctly on my right hand, I was good to go.

Since your friend is just beginning to play. He/She wont know the difference. When I started taking lessons from my bass teacher, he mentioned that I had very good left hand technique. I told him I was a lefty. My bass instructor said basses should be played right handed.

so why aren't basses set up so the dominant hand deals with the fretting then... is it just an accident of history that we right handers use our left hands to fret with?

manicbassman · #10 07-01-2007, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Em Toons

But I also agree that it shouldn't be a problem. Like manic said, it's just like looking in a mirror.

annoys me like heck that I can't play his Bass though... it's an old '60 Fender Jazz in sunburst

Perhaps I'll get a second hand lefty Bass to play on as well. Just to see if it works for me that way round as well.

Human Bass · #11 07-01-2007, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve66

I have to admit, I laughed when my teacher told me that. He brought up a good point though. Pianos, and certain horns are made for right handed people. This does not mean that leftys cannot play them, it just means that is the way it is and we must adjust, so why not basses.

Its a righty's world. Doesnt mean its right.

Oh, Fender already adjusted the bass for me, so i didnt need to adjust myself for the bass