Whose a converted South Paw or / Orthodox Player?

[jazzyitalian]

You know I would'nt be surprised if this poll or one like it wasn't posted at some point in the past. But I haven't located one and I am curious to see what everyone is all about.

I am a left handed person that does everything South Paw except when it comes to playing guitar. Playing right handed seemed more natural to me. When I was a 10-year old kid learning acoustic, my guitar instructor told my parents not to be concerned about my playing guitar right handed (also called "Orthodox") explaining that forcing students to play the opposite of what they want to do might inhibit their ability to pick up on things more quickly.

So I am a South Paw in my every day life. I swing a club, write, eat and open containers the way lefty's do. I even wear my watch on my right wrist. But when it comes to guitar and bass, I play right handed. I always did.

In the last 10 years I encountered two others that play guitar opposite of what they do in all other areas. One was like me (lefty in his life playing right handed) and the other was a right handed person playing guitar left handed.

So I thought this would be an interesting poll because there may be more people that play opposite like myself. So with that said, the question becomes simply: Do you play bass opposite of what you do in your everyday life? And the answer choices are as follows:

A. Yes, I do most everything right handed, but play bass left handed.
B. Yes, I do most everything left handed, but I play bass right handed.
C. No, I do most everything right handed including playing bass that way.
D. No, I do everything left handed including playing bass that way.

We need lots of respondents in order to see how these numbers break out.

Thank You...

Jazz

[uethanian]

i thought south paw was just a halo thing...

[Stanley Design]

I'm a lefty, play righty. IMO anyone who's right handed should be playing lefty, your fretting hand does all the work anyway.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by Stanley Design

I'm a lefty, play righty. IMO anyone who's right handed should be playing lefty, your fretting hand does all the work anyway.

To bad it`s dang near impossible to find a left-handed bass. So yeah, thanks but no thanks. I`ll just stick to playing it right handed

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by jazzyitalian

I would be surprised if this poll wasn't taken at sometime in the past. But I haven't located one and I am curious about this.

I am a left handed person that does everything South Paw except when it comes to playing guitar. Playing right handed seemed more natural to me. When I was a 10-year old kid learning acoustic, my guitar instructor told my parents not to be concerned about my playing guitar right handed (also called "Orthodox") explaining that forcing studest to play the opposite of what they want to do might inhibit their ability to pick up on things more quickly.

So I am a South Paw in my every day life. I swing a club, write, eat and open containers the way lefty's do. I even wear my watch on my right wrist. But when it comes to guitar and bass, I play right handed. I always did.

In the last 10 years I encountered two others that play guitar opposite of what they do in all other areas. One was like me (lefty in his life playing right handed) and the other was a right handed person playing guitar left handed.

So I thought this would be an interesting poll because there may be more people that play opposite like myself. The question is: Do you play bass opposite of what you do in your everyday life? The answer options are:

A. Yes, I do most everything right handed, but play bass left handed.
B. Yes, I do most everything left handed, but I play bass right handed.
C. No, I do most everything right handed including playing bass that way.
D. No, I do everything left handed including playing bass that way.

Thanks...

Jazz

write/throw left handed but play conventionally,bat right,but had to re-learn to shoot rifles correctly....i guess that's why my fretting hand seems better than the other,but i do a lot of day to day stuff with the right

[djembe]

Originally Posted by Stanley Design

I'm a lefty, play righty. IMO anyone who's right handed should be playing lefty, your fretting hand does all the work anyway.

Same here

[jazzyitalian]

Need more people responding to the poll....

[JanusZarate]

Originally Posted by Stanley Design

I'm a lefty, play righty. IMO anyone who's right handed should be playing lefty, your fretting hand does all the work anyway.

I disagree...

But then again, what would you expect from the founder of TB's own Lefty Union?

I've actually addressed the argument before on TalkBass, but I articulated it more recently on another forum as well. Here's the gist of it:

There are two schools of thought supporting left-handed individuals playing right-handed instruments. One believes that using the left hand as the "fretting" hand is a better use of its strengths, while the other bases its support on the poor availability of left-handed instruments.

I personally stand against both schools, but I do agree that playing right-handed as a lefty does present some advantages. However, the flip side of the coin is not without its perks. Personal experience has taught me that playing left-handed guitars as a lefty has several benefits not enjoyed by those who do otherwise:

• My "fretting hand" is my right hand, encouraging the development of its strength and dexterity.
• My "plucking hand" is my left hand, allowing me to take advantage of its strengths for faster playing, steadier rhythm, and greater control of dynamics.
• My purchase of a left-handed instrument encourages manufacturers to continue to provide quality left-handed instruments and even expand their offerings by contributing to the existence of the left-handed instrument musician's market.

Understand this, my fellow southpaw musicians: the reason why it's so hard to find a good midrange instrument is not simply because we represent 10-15% of the market - after all, plenty of these manufacturers make instruments which only a meager handful of musicians worldwide would even think of buying, some of which are outright gimmicky and will sell poorly. Our reluctance to actually pursue a left-handed instrument causes the lefty instrument market to suffer, and compounds the difficulties of those of us who DO intend to play left-handed.

Long story short, it's a collective action problem. The more of us that buy lefty instruments, the better off we'll be in the long run. Trouble is, the short run sucks - the early adopters will have to live with the limited selection.

[snyderz]

I'm a lefty that plays righty. I also typed in lefty righty in the search function, with both hands, and found a butt load of threads on this topic.

[bobm2112]

When I was a little little kid my parents bought me a little guitar because they saw how much I enjoyed music. I got it at at xmas time. As soon as I picked it up I held it lefty. My friend told me I wasnt holding it the right way and told me hold it the other way. I have been playing righty ever since.

I just didnt know any better. If my friend wasnt there, I might have been a lefty player, On a side note, I play drums righty too. All the bands I ever played in had a right hand drummer so I just learned that way. I got behind a left handed kit not to long ago and I was so uncomfortable

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by Stanley Design

I'm a lefty, play righty. IMO anyone who's right handed should be playing lefty, your fretting hand does all the work anyway.

It's really not an issue. I'm an 'orthodox' northpaw. My left hand coordination is limited in most tasks; I can't swing a hammer very well with it, or operate a screwdriver effectively with it, or most other delicate tasks, but, when playing a piano, for example, my left is clearly dominant and much more effective. It's this way when typing, as well. Odd but true, and I suspect many righty's would say the same.

[edmidlifecrisis]

I have tried playing left handed guitars and basses but my right hand is retarded on the fretboard. So I play right handed, although I do most other things left handed, but not everything. I still can't use scissors with my left hand....

I have been told and have read that you should use your dominant hand to pluck/pick, that it is more rhythmic. However it doesn't work for me. A few years ago I went to Fur Peace Ranch and was astounded to find out that the owner, who is one of my favorite guitar players for the past 40 years, Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna), is left handed but plays righty. So much for excuses.......

[B.C.]

I am a lefty but when I learned to play, my parents were told buy a guy in a music shop I would be a stronger player if I learned right handed. I am very fortunate since I moved to string bass; no such thing as a left handed string bass.

[dmusic148]

Interestingly, it's possible to switch. Gary Grimes is the bassist for the Beatles tribute '1964.' He's a right handed guitarist who learned to play bass lefty to get the gig. Amazing. I can't imagine doing that.

[jazzyitalian]

Originally Posted by snyderz

I'm a lefty that plays righty. I also typed in lefty righty in the search function, with both hands, and found a butt load of threads on this topic.

I did perform a similar word search and saw lots of strings but no poll on the subject.

The results thus far on this poll seem interesting. Most Right handed people stay right handed on the guitar, while most southpaws convert over to right handed style. The responses also are coming from more left handed people, and I do know for a fact that there are more right handed people in the world than left handed people.

To be honest, I really didn't think that I would see any responses from a right handed people stating that they playing guitar left handed. Well at least this early in the poll I wasn't expecting to see it. But as of today there are three righthanded dominant players that play bass south paw style.

I wonder whether being left brained or right brained has anything to do with it? A left handed person is considered have a brain that is more dominant on the right side. Right handed people have a dominant left side. If the right side of your brain is considered to be more analytical and the left side considered to be more creative, then would these have any bearing?

Maybe it that since manufactures make a majority of their products for right handed people that southpaws simply adapt, or figured out (with their right brain) that playing right handed has more advantages.

I would really like to see more people responding to this one. It's been a curiosity that I've had for some time.

[Lapicide]

I am one of those that typically am right handed but play bass/guitar left handed. The first time I picked up a borrowed right handed bass, (that is and soo many years ago, about 27) I tried to play right handed. It just didn't feel comfortable, primarily with the right hand but also left. I tried playing lefty and it was so much easier. I picked up the technique much quicker and easier. I did then switch the strings, got a lefty bass.. yadda, yadda, yadda. Interestingly, last year I went for an eye exam. The Doc, out of the blue asked if I was right or left handed. He noticed I was a bit ambidextrous. I said right handed, but play bass left handed. He gave me a quick and simple test and discovered that I am left eye dominant. Not very helpful for a so called right handed person, especially when playing sports. The eye dominance is not directly related to handedness, but there is a tendency. He suspects that I should have been left handed......

[Jeramaya]

I'm a lefty and play righty on the bass. However, I always thought it would be really cool if I had learned to play the guitar lefty. You never know, it might affect how you approach the instrument. Alas, I started with a righty guitar. To this day, I have only seen one lefty guitar in person and I'm pretty sure that was played by a right-handed person. Haha.

[Basshappi]

Converted Southpaw

I am right handed but play left handed due to a birth defect of my left hand which prevents me from using it as my fretting hand.

[JanusZarate]

Originally Posted by jazzyitalian

But as of today there are two righthanded dominant players that play bass south paw style.

If the right side of your brain is considered to be more analytical and the left side considered to be more creative, then would these have any bearing?

You have it backwards, actually. The right side is considered to be more creative, and the left side more analytical. But I wouldn't stress it... the left-brain/right-brain distinction, as it's commonly (and erroneously) understood, is largely a myth.

The distinctions between the two hemispheres are subtle. Most activities require the employment of multiple parts of the brain across both hemispheres, and such employment is complementary rather than competitive or conflicting.

Of course, there are some activities which are predominately handled in a region of one side or another, largely irrespective of handedness. Broca's Area and Wernicke's Area, for example, are central to speech and language comprehension, and are known to be located on the left side of the brain. But among left-handed people, there is a substantially lower incidence of left-hemisphere dominance for speech and language comprehension. So much for the "rigid" division.

Originally Posted by jazzyitalian

Maybe it that since manfactures make a majority of their products for right handed people that southpaws simply adapt...

That's usually what we find ourselves doing. The selection available to lefties is disappointingly limited. Although it is largely reflective of population statistics, it is actually worse than it should be because most southpaws will indeed opt to play right-handed as a direct response to the poor selection... thus undermining any incentive to cater more accurately to the population.

It's virtually a catch 22 - if we don't buy lefty instruments, manufacturers won't increase the availability and variety. If we do, we're stuck with the limited selection in the short run.

Originally Posted by jazzyitalian

...or figured out (with their right brain) that playing right handed has more advantages.

On the matter of selection, yes, but as I elaborated on before, I disagree otherwise.

[drteeth]

I do everything right-handed except writing.