Lefties why didn't you start playing a righty?

[Captain Chaos]

What a stupid question.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I'm still convinced that you can teach a righty to play lefty and vice versa most of the time. I meet a lot of musicians who only do what others tell them they can do. I was determined to learn on a righty...and I did. If I were a betting man and had an abundance of free time*, I'd bet that I could relearn bass on a lefty.

I'm not denying that some players will never be able to play a righty. Though I suspect that there might have been resistance to learn it without being totally biased.

Yes, I know, someone is gonna get very ticked off at what I said, but I know a lot of musicians who say "can't" waaaay too much. In my book, if you're gonna use "can't", it needs to be followed immediately by "yet".

*free time is now gone because I closed on a house Friday, work as a hospital pharmacist, avid cyclist, in 2 bands, and have a girlfriend.

I'm righthanded and the first actual bass I played on was a friend's left handed Beatle bass copy. Since I saw other RH bassists hold the bass one way, I did the same. As such I initially learned to play with the strings upside down. Here's the kicker... it was no big deal. That's how the bass was so that's how I played it. I played the LH bass in the first "band" I was in.

Eventually I got my own bass and because it was RH strung RH, I changed the way I played. It didn't take long because

A) It was all I had
B) Wherever the strings were, I still had to pluck them
C) The nicer instruments in the stores were setup the same way

and probably a few other reasons, so I just did it. Didn't take very long to get acclimated. I'd bet if I got bored or injured I could switch back. I'd only have to have a need to and want to IMO.

 

[codyAllen191]

Im left handed but learned right, i guess it was more natural for me to play right, even when i was little playing with my toy bugs bunny guitar i "played" right. Somedays i wish i learned left, just to be diffrent from everyone else around here but, i think playing left wouldve "left" me at a disadvantage for just walking into stores and playing whatever they had on the walls, since lefty basses and guitars are typically hard to find.


idk, thats my 2 cents

 

[Atoz]

I used to work at a ski shop. When a newbie wanted to rent a snowboard, we'd test them for left or right foot dominance by asking them to stand facing you, and then pulling them abruptly forward. Invariably the person puts their dominant foot forward to stop themselves falling.

If I were to insist a right footed person try a goofy (lefty) setup, it would take them longer to learn the basics, and they probably would never be entirely comfortable with the configuration.

I know of some who started out on the wrong foot, and even after a year or so were able and grateful to make the switch, so quick was their progress and so natural the feeling eas in the new, 'correct' position.

I'm one of those lefties who throws and plays right handed, but I have some serious hand eye coordination issues that are maybe a result of me not using my left hand for these things to begin with, I don't know.

I do understand your point, but you should realize that for some it's not an issue, being disposed through practice or naturally to be ambidextrous, but for others it would engender extreme ackwardness and perhaps hold them back from fulfilling their potential.

Sometimes you need to feel something to understand it, and I believe your insistence that we are a clean slate in this matter lacks some empathy.

This was a good post, because it remined me of a valuable experience:

The first time I went snowboarding, the shop personnel did all the tests (push from behind, slide across the floor in my socks, etc.) to find out if I would ride normal or goofy, and all tests came up "goofy." I walked out with a goofy setup.

At the resort, I was a mess. Completely hopeless. On my third or fourth run, I accidentally caught an edge, and it spun me around so I was riding "normal" (though fakie). I proceeded to ride easily and without incident to the bottom of the run. I went to the shop at the resort and switched to a normal setup. By the end of the day, I was boarding quite well. There is absolutely NO WAY I would have made that sort of progress riding "goofy."

Up until I snowboarded for the first time that day, I had never skateboarded, surfed, or anything similar. The fact that I was completely unable to ride facing one way, but made great advances riding the other completely destroys any notion (in my mind) that a rank beginner could be expected to pick up a bass and progress equally well from either side.

 

[alfredpunkjazz]

Wow, the guy that begun this post really needs to know the damage he can do to their students...

Lefty people are LEFTY on everything they do, some are even ambí-dexterous...

I even find eassier to teach a lefty guy something because you use the mirror technique...

really, it's ignorance what leads to discrimination.

Edit: if you knew the big problems that lefty childs can grow in their minds when they are taught to do things in the "right" way... Then, this post wouldn't even had begun. Seriously, and with all respect, it is very important to know that lefty people are like everybody but lefty, and they do things as good as everyone (or as bad, LOL), when they are using the right tools and having the right info.

 

[RunngDog]

I agree with the OP on this one.

I do think that most people are "hard-wired" with a stronger / more "dextrous" hand and a weaker / less "dextrous" hand, and will thus have a preference for using the stronger hand for single-handed activities like writing or throwing. But playing bass (or violin or trumpet or guitar) is a 2-handed activity, and it's not as apparent to me as it seems to be to many posters in this thread that the stronger and more dextrous hand must be used for plucking/picking and the weaker hand for fretting. (Arguably the opposite is true for the violin and other fretless instruments, since intonation depends exclusively on the dexterity of the fretting hand.) I get that at the most elementary level of beating on guitar strings to make noise, a left-handed child will naturally want to beat the strings with his left hand. But that's just beating strings, not playing the instrument. Plucking and fretting both require finger strength and dexterity, and I see no reason that a righty or a lefty can't learn to perform either action with either hand if taught that way from the get-go.

 

[synaesthesia]

RE: all earlier posts, incl. mine

Handedness exists. Sure you can learn to do anything against your innate handedness, or you can opt to work with your innate handedness, prevailing circumstances nothwithsthanding

 

[gottawalk]

I'll try to be a bit more clear. In America as beginners we all learn to drive on the left side of the car; with a manual transmission we all shift with the right hand.
When playing a piano we ALL play bass lines with the left hand. This goes for countless everyday tasks that we don't give a second thought to. Why would a left handed person walk into Guitar Center for the first in their life and ask for a "Left handed bass" when our brain, fingers, etc. don't know the difference??? Keep in mind, there is absolutly nothing "natural" about picking up a bass the first time you touch one. Remember, you and I both had to aquire the feeling for our very unnatural instruments before we could actually get a quality note out of it.

Again, I'm talking about a stone cold, day one rookie with no bad habits to break; our minds have no idea that we are to pluck the strings or fret the strings with either the left or right hands. At this point in our playing experience our minds are a blank slate; why choose a limited choice left handed instrument??? I personally recommend all my novice students choose a "Right" handed instrument.

Again, based on the zero experience, what's the diff????

Thanks,

KT

My theory is that it's a coordination aspect of the instrument. With much more movement in the left hand of a right-handed bass, you should try to switch and see just how intricate the process is. Even for a "novice", the coordination factor will slow them down in the learning process just because the way their mind and body process the information and transfer it to the hands. The fact that there are left handed guitars and basses says something to the "demand" factor of supply and demand.

Interestingly enough, though, I don't know of any left-handed violins, cellos, etc. Someone should look into the Suzuki method of teaching and see if it addresses left/right handed differences at all. If not, then maybe there's something to be said for the idea that a novice can start either way.

IMHO, though, it would seem to me that a "southpaw" should have an instrument that fits their needs, and it's out there; why not use it?

 

[JanusZarate]

Heh... time for me to chime in.

As a proud lefty, I have a few things to say, much of which does chime with what others have already said:

There does seem to be a genetic predisposition for left-handedness. In my case, I grew up always feeling more comfortable using my left hand for most activities - including writing. It just seemed natural to me. Heck, I even kick with my left foot, and have slightly better control and flexibility with the left side of my face.

One of my best friends from elementary school was supposed to be left-handed. I've known him since the first day of kindergarten, and we've been close ever since. His parents (traditional, conservative Vietnamese parents) forced him to write with his right hand, feeling that using the left hand as the dominant hand for any task was the wrong thing to do. To this very day, he still has more dexterity with the left side of his body as a whole, and his handwriting with his left hand is almost as good as with his right hand - and neither are very smooth.

Some people are genetically inclined to go one way or the other. Can they work against it? Yes. But it's not easy for everyone, especially as you get older.

Yes, it sucks that there's less selection for lefty musicians out there. But what do you expect? We're 10% of the population, not 50%. It'd be a bad business move to flood the market with basses most people won't buy.

But you have to realize that they make lefty instruments for a reason - there are people who do use them, and in fact, there are people who probably should use them.

You can train a child to be right-handed, but you may never know what they may have been capable of if they had just followed their own natural inclinations. You may never know what you had taken away from their life.

If someone surrounded by right handed people chooses to be left handed, there is a good reason for it. And no, it's not rebellion; a small child doesn't quite understand that concept yet, and wouldn't most kids want to follow the norm at that age anyway? There is clearly something more.

As one of those left-handed people who grew up in a sea of right-handed friends and family, I know what that's like. And you know what? I don't regret it. Not even for a moment.

For a bassist, I think I'm not too bad. Am I great? Not yet, but what do you expect when you're self-taught and a college student? As far as I'm concerned, though, I don't have any problems with the selection of basses out there, nor do I worry about how my left-handedness affects my playing. It doesn't just feel natural to me - it feels good. I can feel the groove. I can follow guitar riffs and back up the solos. I've even become pretty decent at following drums.

My advice to any musician: go with what feels right to you. If you're a lefty who's concerned about selection or who wants to re-train your hands for the better, then by all means go for a right-handed bass. If a right-handed bass feels uncomfortable or unnatural, feel free to pick up a lefty. If you're up for it, try out both for a while.

Whatever your reason - comfort, genetics, logic, etc. - you can't make the wrong decision if you go with what feels right to you. And if you feel you've made a mistake, it's never too late to try your alternatives.

 

[JanusZarate]

Oh, and while I'm at it... PM me if you want to join the Lefty Union. It's been a while since I made a shameless plug for it

The only requirement is that you're naturally ambidextrous or left-handed.

 

[Jamal Hurse]

I am left handed, I play right handed. I love having the dexterity on the neck. My personal opinion is thats where it should be. But hey, thats what I know. I tried playing left handed when I first started playing violin 33 years ago in 3rd grade. It just felt wrong. When I started playing guitars I tried a few times to go lefty, it felt even more wrong.

I say let the students decide what feels right for them. I also think right handers should be informed of thier option to play left if they so desire. ;0

 

[alfredpunkjazz]

One of my best friends from elementary school was supposed to be left-handed. I've known him since the first day of kindergarten, and we've been close ever since. His parents (traditional, conservative Vietnamese parents) forced him to write with his right hand, feeling that using the left hand as the dominant hand for any task was the wrong thing to do. To this very day, he still has more dexterity with the left side of his body as a whole, and his handwriting with his left hand is almost as good as with his right hand - and neither are very smooth.

I know this may sound a little... how to say it... well, you'll see.

That friend of yours was lucky, because it's very often recognized that left handed guys that are forced to write with their right hand develop dislexia and stuff like that... There's a lot of that on the net, and believe me, I have seen it, and it really creates a frustrating thing to combat.

I don't see any reazon why a left handed guy should play a right handed instrument... Independence of hands and abilities to do poly-rythims with 2 or 3 different lines (for example), can be achieved in other ways... and the results are even better.

 

[Musicfreak1988]

Well, there actually IS a lefthanded piano :

http://www.lefthandedpiano.co.uk/

Be sure to check out the vids...



And as for me, I play the piano the 'normal' way, but I'm a left handed bass player. When I picked up my first bass, it was a lefty and it just felt comfortable. When I was younger and picked up my mom's guitar I flipped it over automatically. I guess it's something like the reflex of a baby to feel / know when their pacifier is upside down and automatically flip it over... confused: )

 

[TylerlovesAva]

I'm a lefty who plays right handed. Though I like it that i'm not encumbered by limited instrument selection, relatively higher costs of said instruments, etc., I loved that I at least have that extra option, just in case.

They're scarce enough off the rack as it is, left-handed instruments, so why force them into extinction?

PM-ing you, Mysticboo!

 

[ehque]

That friend of yours was lucky, because it's very often recognized that left handed guys that are forced to write with their right hand develop dislexia and stuff like that... There's a lot of that on the net, and believe me, I have seen it, and it really creates a frustrating thing to combat.

hrmmm. I am lefty, was not forced to write righty, and i have dyslexia. Interesting.

Guys, the debate here is not whether there is handedness or not. Its SO OBVIOUS that handedness exists, researchers have also discovered it in species other than our own.

The issue at hand is - does handedness matter in a complex activity involving both hands? (like playing a musical instrument)

PS. I know i always said that the guitars were designed by lefties, so that the strength and dexterity went to the fretting hand...

 

[RunngDog]

hrmmm. I am lefty, was not forced to write righty, and i have dyslexia. Interesting.

Guys, the debate here is not whether there is handedness or not. Its SO OBVIOUS that handedness exists, researchers have also discovered it in species other than our own.

The issue at hand is - does handedness matter in a complex activity involving both hands (like playing a musical instrument)?

Yes, this is exactly the point. What we call a "right-handed" guitar is simply a guitar designed to be plucked/picked with the right hand and fretted by the left hand. But there isn't any inherent right-hand bias in that choice. That said, it's possible that teaching methods and exercise books may subtly (or not so subtly) recognize that the plucking/picking right hand is the more dextrous for a majority of new players, and this may make things slightly more difficult for novice lefties.

I'm a righty, and my first musical instrument was a French horn. My strong and dextrous right hand spent all its time buried uselessly in the bell of the horn, while all the fingering was done by my undextrous left. The entire experience of learning to play was "unnatural" at the start, but it never struck me as inherently left-handed (which it arguably is -- much more so than a bass), and I never thought to look around for a lefty French horn.

 

[danomite64]

I don't see the point of this discussion at all. If a student wants to learn on a lefty instrument, it's that students choice to make. A good instructor would try to help that student find the best instrument to fit his needs, not try to talk him out of his decision.

 

[rickon]

There is no predisposition for a left hand to fret or a right hand to pick or vice versa. Why is it that my dominant hand(right) only picks when my "weak" hand(left) does the "more difficult" fret work? Maybe because I first picked up the more readily available righty guitars and basses.

It seems so natural now but could be I'd a shredding fool if I fretted with my strong hand. Excellent point KenToby.

And oh yeah, those Yellowjackets guys. They play upside down because that's how Dick Dale does it.

 

[Phalex]

I saw a band a few weeks ago with a left handed bass player. Not only did he play a left handed P-bass, but it was strung upside down. I got a little dizzy watching him play! On the plus side, the guy was pretty darn good!

 

[iamthebassman]

I'll try to be a bit more clear. In America as beginners we all learn to drive on the left side of the car; with a manual transmission we all shift with the right hand.
When playing a piano we ALL play bass lines with the left hand. This goes for countless everyday tasks that we don't give a second thought to. Why would a left handed person walk into Guitar Center for the first in their life and ask for a "Left handed bass" when our brain, fingers, etc. don't know the difference??? Keep in mind, there is absolutly nothing "natural" about picking up a bass the first time you touch one. Remember, you and I both had to aquire the feeling for our very unnatural instruments before we could actually get a quality note out of it.

Again, I'm talking about a stone cold, day one rookie with no bad habits to break; our minds have no idea that we are to pluck the strings or fret the strings with either the left or right hands. At this point in our playing experience our minds are a blank slate; why choose a limited choice left handed instrument??? I personally recommend all my novice students choose a "Right" handed instrument.

Again, based on the zero experience, what's the diff????

Thanks,

KT

Sure, and we all throw a baseball with our right hand too. That's why they don't make baseball gloves for lefties, correct?
Dumbest thread of the month(so far).
KILL RIGHTY!!