Hey, no problem...I didn't see any DB's in your profile, and didn't know if you were taking into account the difficulties of constructing /finding a leftie Realbass. I wouldn't dream of breaking up a good imbroglio....you may now resume firing.
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Double Bass lefties
- Thread starter slumberland
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Hey, no problem...I didn't see any DB's in your profile, and didn't know if you were taking into account the difficulties of constructing /finding a leftie Realbass. I wouldn't dream of breaking up a good imbroglio....you may now resume firing.
yes, I know this is supposed to be about double bass, but since such a vigorous discussion of handedness in musical instrument playing has arisen, followers of this thread may find this interesting
http://www.lefthandedpiano.co.uk
http://www.lefthandedpiano.co.uk
Aside from you and your father's personal experience, anecdotal and empirical evidence, many others' have proven just the opposite. Your anecdotes are duly noted, but I wouldn't use those as expert opinions on this subject, but rather simply just what they are, personal experiences.
Left handed people are often able to adapt to opposite handed activities easier than the converse because their handedness is generally less predominant than right handed people. This is why it appears that the transition is so easy.
Django Reinhardt is a good example to refute your own argument. He was an accomplished banjo, guitar and violin player by the age of 18, when he suffered his injuries. His handedness was so predominant that he chose not to overcome this obstacle by changing hands. He could have easily held his pick in the gypsy style with his intact left thumb, index and middle fingers, but he didn't. Why? Probably because his musical mind/body language was so established at his young age that overriding that might have proven too large an obstacle to overcome.
I could relate many anecdotes from lefthanders who were taught and have played their instruments righthanded, but switched over to lefthanded play as adults, not because of injury, but because it felt better even after many years of playing righthanded. Nearly all of these anecdotes end with the players advancing their technique and creativity to a plateau far beyond their previous play, and in a short period of time.
Ray, I always read your posts carefully and have a lot of respect for your opinions because I think they carry a lot of weight. You have your opinions, but they are just that. When you put them up as the last word on the issue, they tend to lose their gravity. When you berate someone who is presenting cogent arguments to the contrary as delusional, your argument and opinion floats away.
IOW, chill dude.
I stand poised, always ready to start belting out my favorite hippie campfire sing-a-long at a moment's notice: I've got my sandals and tie-dyed t-shirt on, and my vast collection of love beads sits nearby. But dammit, where's my ******* paisley guitar strap and capo?
*******paisley... that's a funny name for your strap. Mine is Moonglow.
Kumbya... kumbya.
Peace brah!
My opinion on this is not without a lot of research and careful thought. The research may be anecdotal, as you suggest, but anedotal evidence and common sense work for me. I have in the past and will in the future refuse to start any students 'lefty' if there is no previous experience on an instrument, rather redirecting them with a list of the most qualified teachers that I know of. This is a moral issue for me; I will not be party to launching a student on what I consider to be the wrong path. Music is tough enough.
I was back home at my father's this weekend to play and brought up this thread with my father and the guitarist who joined me for the trip. Both are lefties and the guitarist plays lefty. Without getting into detail, all three of us are in exceptionless agreement. If someone already plays lefty, then all bets are off. Someone starting new? Learn to do it right. (Pun unintended)
If I seem overly eager in defending my position, it is because I do feel that this is an extremely important point for beginning students. If I seem impatient at someone fighting me on this position, it is partly my poor manners, and partly the 50+ years of teaching experience in the Parker house that has led me to my conlcusion on the matter. The manners, if anyone was offended, I will apologize for. My position I will not and will continue to hold until I am presented compelling evidence that I am off base.
I got to say, Lefties should go with lefties. I personally havn't met a lefty guitarist who can play a righty guitar well even if thats all they play.
Heck even my dad who don't play any instruments recomended one of those peeps who been playing for 3 years to start from stract over on a left handed guitar. That sounds kind of mean but hey they don't seem to be able to play smoothly.
Heck even my dad who don't play any instruments recomended one of those peeps who been playing for 3 years to start from stract over on a left handed guitar. That sounds kind of mean but hey they don't seem to be able to play smoothly.
I'm pretty sure that Jimmy Blanton also had that "cats paw" thing goin for him. What a beast that guy was.
I believe that there is a shop in Texas called: Southpaw Guitars. A lefty specialty shop. I am not sure if they are still around though. They might be able to give you good advice.
Check out Jimmy Haslip of the Yellowjackets. He plays a Tobias 6 lefty/ strung upside down!
~D
Check out Jimmy Haslip of the Yellowjackets. He plays a Tobias 6 lefty/ strung upside down!
~D
one more thing, John Pattituci and Mark Egan are both natural lefties who learned to play righty....
~D
~D
He was also a progenitor of more common contemporary pizz techniques in his soloing style. He was often miced live.
So many bassists through the '40s and into the '50s used this technique to play 4/4. It's based on having the plucking hand unanchored and free at most times, and produces a characteristic tone, attack, and timing
I've seen a parallel with this and the gypsy guitarists' picking technique, where their picking hand is completly free and their shoulder still. The energy is imparted to the string through the wrist and lower arm. They are able to accomplish lightning fast intricate runs without having a pinky or any other finger touch the guitar. Some claim that the reason for this is so that nothing deadens the soundboard, but others claim the real reason is so that energy is not drained out of the hand. It may sound hokey, but I tend to believe the latter, with my limited understanding of chis in Eastern healing arts.
Since I post my first concern regardidng this issue I have seen so many points of view. The most affirmative is Ray who based his position on his personal expereience as a profesor. There has been so many other members who has brought serious and interesting ponits to this issue.
We have to keep in mind that this is a double bass forum, but don't exclude the use of others instruments as examples to enrich or support any pointsof view.
My latest concern is that if we can produce or look for scientific information; specially in the brain development area that at least if not explain in depth the lefthanded issue bring some reliable information that will help us understand and overcome this constat issue.
For me is more the concern about the discrimination that the scholars and institutions put on lefthanded players that any other thing, We have to search the way to overcome the orthodox vision of orchestra and instrument builders.
There's already lefthanded pianos and many ohter instruments, and I don't see any use of participants to keep using the issue that they haven't seen this or that instrument lerfthanded. I personally see this issue useless, do to the fact that they don't exist but they can be built.
I still supporting that real lefthanded do exist, and for them as for the right handed a lefthanded instrument is and should be the natural way to learn play and instrument. I do know that there is lefthanded players who learned to play righthanded and they are wonderfull, but still that's not the main issue to prove that. The main issue is that what about the other that don't.
I will recomend that a left handed player should diced wich way he wants to play, but not limited or persuaded to play certain way. The desicion It should made in a natuaral way, the natural way, wich is the way he feel more comfortable.
Sorry for any written mistakes but english is not my first language. And thanks to all the participants to keep this issue alive. I hope to see more interesting pionts on this issue in the near future.
thanks
slumberland
We have to keep in mind that this is a double bass forum, but don't exclude the use of others instruments as examples to enrich or support any pointsof view.
My latest concern is that if we can produce or look for scientific information; specially in the brain development area that at least if not explain in depth the lefthanded issue bring some reliable information that will help us understand and overcome this constat issue.
For me is more the concern about the discrimination that the scholars and institutions put on lefthanded players that any other thing, We have to search the way to overcome the orthodox vision of orchestra and instrument builders.
There's already lefthanded pianos and many ohter instruments, and I don't see any use of participants to keep using the issue that they haven't seen this or that instrument lerfthanded. I personally see this issue useless, do to the fact that they don't exist but they can be built.
I still supporting that real lefthanded do exist, and for them as for the right handed a lefthanded instrument is and should be the natural way to learn play and instrument. I do know that there is lefthanded players who learned to play righthanded and they are wonderfull, but still that's not the main issue to prove that. The main issue is that what about the other that don't.
I will recomend that a left handed player should diced wich way he wants to play, but not limited or persuaded to play certain way. The desicion It should made in a natuaral way, the natural way, wich is the way he feel more comfortable.
Sorry for any written mistakes but english is not my first language. And thanks to all the participants to keep this issue alive. I hope to see more interesting pionts on this issue in the near future.
thanks
slumberland
I am left-handed, and play "lefty."
I started on plank, and was a big fan of McCartney before I knew the names of any double bass players in my father's expansive collection of jazz lp's, so there you go.
Pluses: greatly reduces the possibility of buying instruments on "impulse." Discourages most people from noodling with or asking to borrow my instruments.
Minuses: makes it difficult to find string instruments to play. Forget about renting, using a "house bass" or sitting in at gigs or jam sessions unless I bring my own axe.
As for how it has affected my playing ability, who knows?
On balance I would probably be better off had I started on the right-handed path.
I started on plank, and was a big fan of McCartney before I knew the names of any double bass players in my father's expansive collection of jazz lp's, so there you go.
Pluses: greatly reduces the possibility of buying instruments on "impulse." Discourages most people from noodling with or asking to borrow my instruments.
Minuses: makes it difficult to find string instruments to play. Forget about renting, using a "house bass" or sitting in at gigs or jam sessions unless I bring my own axe.
As for how it has affected my playing ability, who knows?
On balance I would probably be better off had I started on the right-handed path.
I'm a lefty and have been playing electric bass for 10 years now.
I want to learn string bass and therefore want to buy a left handed string bass.
I'm glad I found this discussion and found that there are others like me.
So far, Bob Golluhir seems to be the best place for lefty string basses. He charges $125 over the right handed price.
There's also one on Ebay right now.
I hope lefty string basses become more common.
I want to learn string bass and therefore want to buy a left handed string bass.
I'm glad I found this discussion and found that there are others like me.
So far, Bob Golluhir seems to be the best place for lefty string basses. He charges $125 over the right handed price.
There's also one on Ebay right now.
I hope lefty string basses become more common.
Jennifer Leightem(sp?) is Doc Severnsen's bassist; she is the left-hand goddess! Check for her web site, she's a really nice person and full of useful information. Good luck. jfg
i want to know of one double bassist who stands left handed in any major symphony orchestra in the world. present or past.
i think learning to play doube bass lefty is just a matter of being stubborn.
all this talk about guitars, pianos, mandolins, recorders, etc, is nice and all, but we're talking about double bass at the moment.
i think learning to play doube bass lefty is just a matter of being stubborn.
all this talk about guitars, pianos, mandolins, recorders, etc, is nice and all, but we're talking about double bass at the moment.
Not all lefties want to play in an orchestra
It's easy to critisize when you don't have to do it or have to deal with the problem.
It's easy to critisize when you don't have to do it or have to deal with the problem.
I'm left handed, but I use a normal right-handed double bass. When we were just learning, me and a friend (right handed) had different problems. I found the left hand notes easier, and had better intonation at first, but had trouble with holding the bow and keeping a good hand posistion while playing. It feels so much more natural in the left hand instead of the right. But my friend had the opposite problems than me, because she was right handed, but its evened out now.
I think that because of the cost, and trouble of playing a lefty bass beside right ones, its better to just get a normal bass. You will have problems with the intricities of bow playing, but on the other hand, you'll be better at sight reading notes, and intonation. If you practice a lot it doesn't make much of a difference.
I am truly left-handed...throw, write, computer mouse, etc. I play bass right-handed. When I started on slab, my teacher had both and I played both. Humans are by nature adaptable. Playing one way or the other, IMHO, is a conscious decision.
-J
-J
I too am left-handed. I started on upright bass in a closet next to the orchestra room in seventh grade. The teacher handed me a book and a bass and told me that when I was good enough, he would let me play with the orchestra. I don't think this is good advice for any other starting player, but I really didn't have a choice about which hand to use for fingering or bowing, I did what the book told me to do.
After a couple of weeks I was rather proficient in first position. Now, after many years, I do not regret my choice in the least bit. I find that my right hand's bowing deficiencies were quickly overcome with proper instruction and a great deal of practice. I no longer feel inhibited by either hand and now feel comfortable even writing right handed.
I do believe, that with determination and hard work, most people can succeed in overcoming handedness (if that is what the person wants to do of course).
I would suggest a left-handed person try initially to play normally (righty), if they cannot make progress after several months, only then would I suggest they look to play lefty. This is simply because I believe that a player that has easier access to instruments and playing opportunities (orchestras) will be more motivated to practice and get better.
