Left-handed players - how do you play?

[billgwx]

I was a lefty who played a righty upside down for about 9 years. For whatever reason I tried but failed early on to switch to true lefty. The thing that made me switch for good was wanting to bring the funk (slapping) and finding my fingers were all out of position...went out and bought a lefty bass right away and didn't look back. Making the switch turned out to be less of a hassle than I'd feared...guess my dexterity/technique after 9 years of playing made it easier than my earlier fail.

 

[R Upsomegrub]

I'm a lefty-who-plays-righty; back when I started (1971) I didn't know there was such a thing as a left-handed guitar or bass.

It's nice to read that other lefty-playing-righty players struggle with right hand articulation issues as well. While I'm fairly confident that I can hold my own as a fingerstyle player, I will never be much of a slapper. I can do the basics, but alot of the advanced techniques - double-thumping, etc. - I've never been able to get a handle on. And believe me, I've tried. Same goes for tapping; I can do some simple stuff but that's about it.

Along those same lines: I've never been very handy with a pick and I have a hard time strumming a guitar.

 

[Buxtehude]

Lefty playing righty here as well!
But very weared - I learned accoustic guitar lefty-style and bass a couple of years later righty-style - So I can do the one that way, the other the other way It is a nice gimmik on stage but it is real!

I have trouble grabbing chords with my left hand on bass while it is no problem for my right hand, but I cannot play finger-style bass with my left hand. While playing with a plek is nice with my left but not with my right. A lot of trouble in the end, and a lot of practicing... Luckily I do not like playing with a plek anyhow

@Buxtehude: You are in Sydney, but are you aware that there is a small town near Hamburg (Germany) which is called like your nick?

My name is borrowed from the famous baroque organist and composer: Deitrich Buxtehude. He was one of Bach's inspirations. Glad to hear that thee is a town with my.....his....... Our monicker.

 

[amimbari]

The few people I've played for or asked for help from, it's been fun to watch their faces as they try to figure out what I'm doing and where the notes are.

I've also noticed it's been helpful for learning because I pay far less attention to the "use your left-hand to..." or "play the bottom string" directions, and more to whether I'm supposed to be working the E-string or G-string.

Left-handers - what ways have you tried to play? What works for you? Why? What kind of reactions do you get for the way you play?

First - your weird because you're a lefty from the get-go.
Second - there are plenty of inverted string players in the world and the strings and frets are still in the same places.
Third and most important.....people always think leftys are weird << didn't I say this somewhere before >>>

so in my current band it is double trouble

with all the lefty bass choices in the last 20 years though, those hendrix days are long gone and if necessary, play E-on-top but usually don't unless checking out units.
people don't remember my name after all these years, but they do remember to say "hey weren't you the guy who used to play like hendrix"--

 

[Bart277]

I am a lefty playing left handed, it is hard to find good bass's but after 20yrs I have found a couple. Never worried to much about right handed as it doesn't feel right. My first good bass was a fender jazz which I had a left handed body made and just swapped everything over to it (its the red one with the upside down neck). I still use it today as well as a LH standed Jazz and a LH Stingray. All strung with flats of course.
Over the years its amazing how many people remember the guy playing left handed bass.

 

[bassmeknik]

Back in my day if you were a lefty you didn't have many choices (if any). If playing left handed feels better than absolutely get a left handed bass. I am right handed and play right handed but my dad was a lefty that did almost everything but write right handed, calling himself ambidextrous (not accurate as this means you can do things both ways which he couldn't). Today you have lots of choices (though not every manufacturer makes lefty basses) so it is up to you to decide what way is easier for you. Go get a bass and play.

By the way I built a Partcision a few years back and intentionally ordered a lefty neck for my righty body because I kinda liked the look of a reverse head stock.

 

[Arthritic_Tom]

I played bass left handed for over 20 years. The biggest problem was not being able to play instruments that I thought were great: the Fender VI, eight-string bases, and 12-string basses. I had to have a custom MusicMan Sting Ray built, because at the time Ernie Ball wasn't making lefty models.

I finally had a lefty eight-string made by a custom shop in Berkeley, California, for an affordable price. But 12-strings were out of the question.

If you play left-handed, you'll probably never be able to do this, because a 12-string will be virtually unavailable for you:

VIC DANGER : BASSIST - YouTube

With me, right-handed never felt "right," but if I had to do it all over again I would've gutted my way through and forced myself to play right handed. I never got to play a 12-string, and I regret it.

 

[Means2nEnd]

Well I won’t be giving advice about what to play based on instrument choices and cost. That’s sounds more like be like me if you’re different then you’re wrong. So many opinions about what other people should do even though it doesn’t or didn’t feel right? Nuts!!

I am a lefty who does and has always played lefty with the E and now B on the top and the G towards the floor in the normal manner from 30 years ago. I have always been able to find cheap basses lefty way back when and I don’t have any troubles now. Look on eBay there are plenty of options I mean how many basses do you need?

It is a misconception you need more control with your right hand anyway. Mostly we are looking right at it. The fingering and plucking require much more precision and control just slap a little or do scale runs up and down and tell me where you miss.

You’re a lefty so play lefty and if you are just starting out I would suggest have normal stringing of the bass unless you have spent some time playing other stringed instruments upside down and it’s more comfortable or you plan to study DB. We make music and fill a roll in music with our instrument of choice. Doing that the best way you can is the most important thing not how it looks to someone else or because it’s cool or not. I think the guys who say play bass right handed even though you are not went to the same school as the same guys who say play with fingers only and don’t use a pick because it’s not the right way. Do want you want and what feels right everyone else should do the same.

 

[Slowby]

Lefty playing right upside down, 20ish years now
I play lefty bodies, righty necks and set up right handed, I can't stand playing flip with a right handed body.
I learned to play flip so it feels natural, I play guitar this way too.
A few years ago I decided I was going to learn to play natural left handed, picked up a cheapy left handed bass off ebay.
I picked the bass up and to my surprise, I could play as if I was playing flip.
I gave natural lefty a few months but decided I like flip better.
I also with a few months practice learned to play right handed, but I was not a fan.

I do however play guitar flip and natural lefty. I it all depends on what style of music I am playing.
If the music is heavy, I like natural lefty so I can get the open E on the down stroke, for other styles I prefer flip so I can get the high strings on the down stroke.
I have also become rather fond of playing drop on a flip guitar as I can use my pinky to bar the root, third, fifth, and make the rest of the chord structure like usual.
Hard to describe, you flip players probably know what I am talking about.

 

[tdelamont]

Lefty playing righty. Best hand does the clever stuff on the neck while the weak hand has been trained to do the grunt work. Everybody else is doing it wrong IMO.

Amen, Amen, Amen.

Never understood training your weak hand to do the hard stuff. Especially when starting out, when both hands are equally awkward. I actually thought I had an advantage when I started playing (30 years ago) because my left hand on the neck was stronger and more coordinated. I know now that good technique involves both hands equally, so the older I get, the more ridiculous the concept of anyone playing lefty seems to be.

 

[SteC]

Left playing left. If you're only starting out spend some time and see if you can get into right handed the right way up, upside down may be limiting in some way down the road (if you wanted to slap or anything).

If it really doesn't suit get a left handed guitar, but it would be so much handier to be able to play your mate's instruments, have a wider selection at stores etc, espesh if you ever want to play upright. Too late for me though

 

[Clef_de_fa]

Left playing left. If you're only starting out spend some time and see if you can get into right handed the right way up, upside down may be limiting in some way down the road (if you wanted to slap or anything).

If it really doesn't suit get a left handed guitar, but it would be so much handier to be able to play your mate's instruments, have a wider selection at stores etc, espesh if you ever want to play upright. Too late for me though

I have a lefty DB ... it is possible ... but yeah ... in an orchestra it isn't a great idea

 

[protoz]

Lefty playing right handed basses. It was what was around and I'm pretty ambedextrious so it wasn't had to pick it up.

 

[citizenchris099]

If you go to learn double-bass, you will probably learn to finger notes with your left and pluck/bow them with your right.

I went this route because in 1982-3 when I started playing I figured left-handed guitars would be rare and expensive. I get a bonus in articulation from the fretboard side of things, and I have to work harder from the right-hand technique side of things.

And guitar-shopping is a lot easier for me. For me it was a win all around.

As for the reactions I get from my playing: I'm frequently nicknamed "Geddy Jr." That's a nice reaction.

I'm a lefty, and the best advice I ever got was to play right-handed.

Lefty playing righty. Best hand does the clever stuff on the neck while the weak hand has been trained to do the grunt work. Everybody else is doing it wrong IMO.

Completely agree with the above posts.
I'm a lefty who plays right. Funny thing is ...I never even considered otherwise. When I first picked up my brothers old bass back in the day I picked it up like a righty would. He asked why I was playing it that way since I'm left handed. It just never occurred to me to do otherwise.
It just seems to me that the tricky stuff is in the left hand fretting. Not to diminish the role of the right hand but starting out the left handed stuff is the trickiest and having the advantage of using my dominant hand to do so helped.

 

[imustscream]

I'm a lefty mainly (can play righty so-so) and playing righthanded instruments is no big deal but it does pose some problems. You have to re-nut and change the bridge sometimes. I flip the pickups over too. (Don't know if that matters). Then you gotta put a new hole in the little horn for the strap lock. The biggest problem is the knobs which I usually just duct tape or remove the ones I don't use.

 

[maxrathburn]

I'm a lefty, and when I first started I got a lefty bass, which is what I play now, normally. many, many times I've wished I had learned to play with a righty instead. If any of you remember the first time picking up a guitar or bass, it felt awkward anyways. now as I pick up a righty, it brings back the feeling of unknowing. I feel like I could've learned to play righty, but it's too late for that now isnt it? yeah, it's not easy getting the exact bass you want, but one will come up eventually. I found a lefty Stingray for a decent price on EBay and was the happiest person in the world when I got it. In a sense, it gives you a sense of accomplishment.