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Lefties why didn't you start playing a righty?

#401
I still think it's wrong to assume one's experiences are universal.

It shows a lack of understanding of how complicated the brain and body interact, and it also shows a lack of empathy.

That's why the rancour- having one's own experience denied because someone else doesn't believe in it is irritating in the extreme, especially when one has spent a lifetime using tools and objects designed for a portion of the population to which you don't belong.

What the heck is the point of a thread like this if not to stir the pot, anyway? I wonder which hand the OP uses to beat the horse to death with.
 
#402
I play with a left hand guitard-ist. He strings his instruments upside down and has learned that way over the years of playing experience he has.

This is great because he can pick up Right handed instruments and play them upside down. He played my bass once, and it was highly entertaining!
 
#404
RWP said:
What I find interesting is for me, a right handed person, why do I use my left hand to do the complicated part of playing bass? If you think about it the fretboard part of playing requires much more ability. :confused:
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precisely! that is why, as a lefty, I play righty. I also play drums right hand lead (because I'm naturally right footed...I'm really messed up LOL)...

I also play golf right handed (I have to have something to explain my 15 handicap ;) )
 
#406
Visirale said:
I don't wanna sound like a jerk, but I don't know why they make left handed basses. They are not as accommodating with other things... no cars with the stick on the left hand side, etc. etc. I have a lot of respect for you lefties who just toughed it out righty.
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Cars in Britain do have the shifter of the left side. And the gas pedal too, I bet. I have a lot of respect for me, for just toughing it out lefty.
 
#409
Because my head naturally gravitates to about the 2 o'clock position, so playing lefty makes it easier for me to watch the fretboard. :smug:

But seriously, as I said in that other thread, I took up guitar as a teenager, and I spent a year taking guitar lessons right handed. And even for a beginner, I sucked. I don't claim to understand why, but it took me forever to change my left (fretting) hand from one chord position to the next. And my strumming (right) hand wasn't good at maintaining a steady rhythm. (Insert self-gratification joke here). After I quit lessons, I re-strung my guitar to a lefty, and within about a week I was a better lefty player than I had ever been as a righty player.

You people who say "I don't buy the whole left-dominant thing" are claiming to understand something that you really DON'T understand. I certainly don't understand why lefty is much easier for me, I just know that it is.
 
#410
Dan Molina said:
He's gonna be kicking himself in the ass when he wants to buy a better bass.
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Actually, I think the higher-end bass manufacturers are more willing to make lefties than the bigger companies, probably because it's easier to change your process when you hand-make your stuff. Still, with Fender, Musicman, G&L, Rickenbacker, Yamaha, Ibanez, Gibson, Hofner, Gretch, Washburn, Warwick, Spector, Carvin and whoever else I forgot making lefty istruments, I don't think we're all that hard up for options, as long as we're willing to pay a little extra. Fortunately, I'm completely willing to pay; I figure it's worth the extra 10-15% just to have an instrument that drummers won't pick up when I'm not looking.
 
#412
Probably mentioned this before but I'm a righty. My son, a lefty, picked up the bass as a righty cause that's what was around the house. When I got him his own he wanted nothing to do with a lefty instrument and, at this point, he won't even try them out.

Funny thing is that, he does just fine on a right-handed real bass but when it comes to air guitar, he can only play lefty.
 
#415
sandmangeck said:
the reason is that when i picked up the cello when i was eleven, i was taught right handed. didnt even think about it. played the upright bass right handed. didnt really have a selection with renting. now im grateful i play right handed.
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Funny thread-I honestly believe that if you start young enough it doesn't mean a hill of beans. Young muscles are more trainable. I would imagine if you start off playing in your teens/as an adult maybe it's a little harder.

I am left handed but play righty-started on upright at age 9-doesn't make me a killer bass player-just making the point. Plus, there were no left handed acoustic basses available.
 
#416
One Drop said:
I still think it's wrong to assume one's experiences are universal.

It shows a lack of understanding of how complicated the brain and body interact, and it also shows a lack of empathy.

That's why the rancour- having one's own experience denied because someone else doesn't believe in it is irritating in the extreme, especially when one has spent a lifetime using tools and objects designed for a portion of the population to which you don't belong.

What the heck is the point of a thread like this if not to stir the pot, anyway? I wonder which hand the OP uses to beat the horse to death with.
Click to expand...


Best post on this inane ****ing thread.
 
#417
Charm Bracelet said:
It needs to be locked.
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Bah, this one isn't even 1/2 as ugly as the last one. Besides, bassists apparently need to fight all the time. It's either this or boutique vs. stock, lined vs. unlined, 4 vs. 5, wood matters vs. wood doesn't matter, the ERB is still a bass vs. the ERB is no longer a bass, Warwicks are crap vs. Warwicks are the bass in the world EVAR, active vs. passive, vintage vs. modern.....................I could go on, but I think I have had too much caffeine for the morning............

I'm fairly convinced that anyone can learn lefty or righty IF there plenty of determination is present. I learned righty and I'm nothin' special.

When I purchased my 1st guitar, they told me they could order me a lefty, but certain things weren't made on lefty guitars, I'd need to pay more, everything would need to be ordered and paid up front, and NO returns. This was before e-bay, so selling it elsewhere wasn't much of an option.

If for some reason, I were forced to learn lefty, I'd be able to do it. It would suck starting over again, but I could do it if there were no other alternatives.
 
#418
As a southpaw, guitar is the only thing I can do right handed. Everything I could say about it has already been said in this thread (ie. only guitar in the house, easier to buy, felt right...)
I am just suprised on how many lefty bass players there are. And not just the ones who play lefty, but are left handed and play righty. I always thought a lefty had a perfect bass guitar attitude.
 

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