Again, I am right handed at everything , including drums, but for some weird reason I picked up a righty bass upside down and learned that way. So now I buy/play lefty instruments 15 years after the fact. So how was that a "choice" for me? I didnt know anything about left/ right, wrong/right. It's just how I picked it up and played.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Lefties why didn't you start playing a righty?
- Thread starter KenToby
- Start date
In Dan's defense, he asked why lefties who whine about the lefty upcharge didn't just use a righty bass instead. It would be more accurate to compare this with "Michael Jackson, why didn't you paint yourself white all over instead of having all that painful surgery that eventually drove you mad?".
I do everything left-handed EXCEPT playing guitar/bass & drums or anything with a 2-handed swinging motion (baseball bat, golf club, axe-murdering, etc.). I feel like I have an advantage with my dominant hand on the fretboard. Learning to finger-pick guitar was a challenge but it helped my right-hand dexterity.
Our rhythm guitarist is the same way, but his right hand is really out of control though. No 'touch'... he just flails away at it & usually breaks at least 1 string at every gig.
I can sympathize with those who play lefty though, as I know, from experience, how difficult lefty products are to find.
... and one day, when us leftys take over, you rightys will never find a decent baseball glove for under $150!
Our rhythm guitarist is the same way, but his right hand is really out of control though. No 'touch'... he just flails away at it & usually breaks at least 1 string at every gig.
I can sympathize with those who play lefty though, as I know, from experience, how difficult lefty products are to find.
... and one day, when us leftys take over, you rightys will never find a decent baseball glove for under $150!
J.T., you really should consider learning to ax-murder in a left-handed fashion. That way, it'll be that much harder to trace the murder back to you 
- Aug 3, 2007
- 1,678
- 2,146
- Disclosures
- Current: Blackstar, DR strings, Nady. Previous endorsements with: GK, Rotosound, Ernie Ball, Cleartone, EMG, Dean, Dava Picks, Rebel Straps, Dickies
I know this post is a little old, but it's pretty simple, unless you're left handed you don't understand what it's like. It's the same impulse that leads you to grab whatever instrument you started playing in the first place. Why did you start playing bass first? If you never played bass before, why would you grab that instrument before a piano, drums, or guitar? You didn't know you'd like it better because you never tried any of the other instruments before. It's that same logic that lead us to play left handed. Why be forced to play someone else's instruments or use someone else's scissors or can openers (both have left and right handed versions) if we aren't that person? It's individuality.
- Aug 3, 2007
- 1,678
- 2,146
- Disclosures
- Current: Blackstar, DR strings, Nady. Previous endorsements with: GK, Rotosound, Ernie Ball, Cleartone, EMG, Dean, Dava Picks, Rebel Straps, Dickies
Rickett Customs
Commercial User
It would take a right-handed person to intellectualize some of the questions I've seen here.........I've been playing bass for about 18 years now and you've guessed it, I'm left-handed, I could not imagine playing any other way than how I've always played. It's no different than playing styles or genres of music. It should always be about what is the most comfortable for you only, get it?
everytime i get asked this question, i feel like saying: "listen here you right handed dickass, why dont you go try and play left handed then report back to me when youve failed?".
sorry about that. but its true. its the same reason everyone else plays right handed. it just feels much better and more natural.
sorry about that. but its true. its the same reason everyone else plays right handed. it just feels much better and more natural.
I'm left handed but just stuck with playing a righty ever since I started 5 years ago. Never touched a left handed one or flipped a right handed one, I just play like a right handed player would. Maybe that's just me but I'm left handed and learned to play like a right handed player would and now don't see how I would've been able to play good with a left handed one. Guess when I first started off I just trained my brain to play good as a right handed player lol
I've been 100% lefty my entire life: eat, golf, throw, bat, guitar, everything....I just can not see anything right-handed. Unfortunately, the entire world is built around righties, so if I could, I'd be righty in a second. BTW, I have way too much GAS for bass guitars there are just no options for in Left-hand versions 
-- thanks a lot!
________________________
Lefty Union Member #(processing application)
Ibanez SR500L
Washburn EA-40L (guitar)
-- thanks a lot! ________________________
Lefty Union Member #(processing application)
Ibanez SR500L
Washburn EA-40L (guitar)
I started playing bass in 1965. My inspiration was Paul McCartney. It seemed perfectly normal at the time for a lefty to play lefty. Best I can find around 7 to 10% of the population is left handed, but major builders make less than 2% of their basses left handed so 75 - 80% of the lefty's are playing righty. If I had to start over I would chose righty as 98% of all the basses build are righty's.
why did you pick up a pencil with your right hand and learn how to write that way? you had no preference did you? what about sports? same thing? same is true for an instrument
I just picked up a righty when I was younger and it became to comfortable I can't seem to play left handed, plus the lefty bass selection is junk im my opinion
I still hold my point that bass or guitar is equally confusing from either direction when you're learning it. Either way, it can be learned 9 times out of 10.
I'm left handed, but I have always played bass and guitar right-handed. While my left hand is dominant when it comes to many things, I don't detect much difference when it comes to playing bass or guitar.
My 13 year old son, who has expressed some interest in playing guitar is also left handed. He assumed he should naturally play left-handed, but I told him he will be much farther ahead by learning to play right-handed as he will have the benefit of being able to walk into any guitar store and find something to play or, if he would ever need to borrow an instrument in an emergency, he will stand a better chance of being able to go on with the show. It's much more difficult to find left-handed instruments and I believe the advantages of adapting far outweigh the disadvantages. We left-handers adapt to nearly everything else in this right-hander's world. We can surely do it with guitars and basses!
My 13 year old son, who has expressed some interest in playing guitar is also left handed. He assumed he should naturally play left-handed, but I told him he will be much farther ahead by learning to play right-handed as he will have the benefit of being able to walk into any guitar store and find something to play or, if he would ever need to borrow an instrument in an emergency, he will stand a better chance of being able to go on with the show. It's much more difficult to find left-handed instruments and I believe the advantages of adapting far outweigh the disadvantages. We left-handers adapt to nearly everything else in this right-hander's world. We can surely do it with guitars and basses!
I'm a lefty in everything but playing bass.
When I first picked up a shotgun (Right-handed) it naturally went to my left shoulder,this was years before I found out I had a dominant left eye.
When I first picked up a right-handed bass it also just felt natural. Sometimes I wonder if I would be faster or smoother playing as a lefty but I'm to lazy to try changing now.
When I first picked up a shotgun (Right-handed) it naturally went to my left shoulder,this was years before I found out I had a dominant left eye.
When I first picked up a right-handed bass it also just felt natural. Sometimes I wonder if I would be faster or smoother playing as a lefty but I'm to lazy to try changing now.
"We left-handers adapt to nearly everything else in this right-hander's world. We can surely do it with guitars and basses!"
Here's the problem I have with this comment: We shouldn't have to.
I'm a lefty through and through, so I know first hand what it's like to have to adapt to a righty world. When I was 8, I went to the local music store to take guitar lessons. When I sat down for my first lesson, I instinctively held the guitar like a lefty. "What are you doing that for, turn the guitar around," the teacher said. I replied that it felt uncomfortable to me and that I preferred to hold it lefty. The teacher rudely replied, "What the hell do you know about what feels right. You don't even know how to play yet!". Was he right? Well technically yes, but the fact is he didn't respect the fact that I was different. That was the one and only time I took a lesson at that place. Many more life lessons took place: All my life I wanted to be a catcher on a baseball team. I even custom ordered a lefty catcher's mitt from Rawlings (this was long before they were common. You can at least get them easier now). But I never got the chance to play catcher. Every organized league I played in said "you can't have a lefty catcher". Apparently, I'm told, it could cost another fraction of a second to have to throw across your body down to first base when trying to pick off a runner. Right. Like kids in little league have Ricky Henderson speed. I heard that excuse more than once. My response today: if you're a righty and you've got a chicken arm like Mike Piazza, then what does it matter?
Long story longer: I fully understand why lefties learn to adapt, and I guess in the grand scheme of things learning to play bass righty just so you can have a few dozen more crappy instruments to try out in Guitar Center might be worth it to some. But at risk of ranting here goes: Lefties are one of the most widely discriminated minorities in the world, and half of us don't even realize it (or care) because we either a) accept it or b) give in when people laugh in our faces for complaining that the world discriminates against us. Of course I'm not talking about the same level of discrimination as racism, chauvinism, etc, but the fact is it exists and in some ways is equally subversive because no one takes you seriously. I'm also a bit of an anarchist when it comes to defending myself, as I'd rather see a revolt and an uprising (let's torch Gibson to the ground, LOL) than have to change the way I am. Can't help it, it's the old punk in me.
Ok, I'll get off my pedestal now. :scowl:
Here's the problem I have with this comment: We shouldn't have to.
I'm a lefty through and through, so I know first hand what it's like to have to adapt to a righty world. When I was 8, I went to the local music store to take guitar lessons. When I sat down for my first lesson, I instinctively held the guitar like a lefty. "What are you doing that for, turn the guitar around," the teacher said. I replied that it felt uncomfortable to me and that I preferred to hold it lefty. The teacher rudely replied, "What the hell do you know about what feels right. You don't even know how to play yet!". Was he right? Well technically yes, but the fact is he didn't respect the fact that I was different. That was the one and only time I took a lesson at that place. Many more life lessons took place: All my life I wanted to be a catcher on a baseball team. I even custom ordered a lefty catcher's mitt from Rawlings (this was long before they were common. You can at least get them easier now). But I never got the chance to play catcher. Every organized league I played in said "you can't have a lefty catcher". Apparently, I'm told, it could cost another fraction of a second to have to throw across your body down to first base when trying to pick off a runner. Right. Like kids in little league have Ricky Henderson speed. I heard that excuse more than once. My response today: if you're a righty and you've got a chicken arm like Mike Piazza, then what does it matter?
Long story longer: I fully understand why lefties learn to adapt, and I guess in the grand scheme of things learning to play bass righty just so you can have a few dozen more crappy instruments to try out in Guitar Center might be worth it to some. But at risk of ranting here goes: Lefties are one of the most widely discriminated minorities in the world, and half of us don't even realize it (or care) because we either a) accept it or b) give in when people laugh in our faces for complaining that the world discriminates against us. Of course I'm not talking about the same level of discrimination as racism, chauvinism, etc, but the fact is it exists and in some ways is equally subversive because no one takes you seriously. I'm also a bit of an anarchist when it comes to defending myself, as I'd rather see a revolt and an uprising (let's torch Gibson to the ground, LOL) than have to change the way I am. Can't help it, it's the old punk in me.
Ok, I'll get off my pedestal now. :scowl:
I agree with the OP.
I'm left handed. I play right handed instruments. I figured that since I'd never played a bass (or guitar) before it didn't really matter what side I started on - it would all be new and strange to me at the time! And it was. But no more than a right hander learning to play a right handed instrument. I didn't get all huffy because "I'm left handed and I shouldn't have to learn on a right handed instrument". I just picked it up and started learning. I'm glad I did it that way, too. It has made things MUCH easier for me as far as trying/buying basses.
I'm left handed. I play right handed instruments. I figured that since I'd never played a bass (or guitar) before it didn't really matter what side I started on - it would all be new and strange to me at the time! And it was. But no more than a right hander learning to play a right handed instrument. I didn't get all huffy because "I'm left handed and I shouldn't have to learn on a right handed instrument". I just picked it up and started learning. I'm glad I did it that way, too. It has made things MUCH easier for me as far as trying/buying basses.
