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Lefty beginner - learn left or right?
- Thread starter Runnerman
- Start date
I'm cross dominant, with clearly more dexterity in my left hand. I write left handed, eat left handed..but i played sports as a righty.
I play right handed stringed instruments, but i have to admit - I really have to think about rhythms and how I play them, and sometimes I feel like my progress is stifled by plucking with my right hand as opposed to my left.
Think about drummers - righties play cross handed, lefties play open handed and its all about that dominant hand keeping the meter on the hi-hat/ride. The non dominant hand tends to fill in the blanks on the snare or toms. While it takes practice either way the goal is to make that leading hand pretty much automated, to where you dont have to think about it.
You have a lot of people claiming the fretting hand "does all the work" but imo, I feel like people are underestimating the dexterity and motor skills required to play complex rhythms in time without having to think too much about it. Learning to fret notes on the fretboard took me like a week 24 years ago to develop on a guitar. Where to this day I'm still trying to improve my speed and consistency with fingerstyle or a pick.
Sure, you get more selection playing right handed instruments.. but your plucking hand should become second nature, leaving you free to think about what notes you want to play as opposed to how to play them in a particular rhythm imo. Have the guy tap out some rhythms with his index and middle finger on both hands...whichever one he feels he can do so more consistently, in time, with more speed abd the least amount of thought is the hand he should use for rhythm imo.
It will become more evident at higher tempos/smaller subdivisions of beats.
Even with a limited selection and the woes of being a lefty he'll still be able to find a bass or two that will make him happy. Better to have one bass and be able to play it well than a wall covered in basses and be limited in how you play imo.
I play right handed stringed instruments, but i have to admit - I really have to think about rhythms and how I play them, and sometimes I feel like my progress is stifled by plucking with my right hand as opposed to my left.
Think about drummers - righties play cross handed, lefties play open handed and its all about that dominant hand keeping the meter on the hi-hat/ride. The non dominant hand tends to fill in the blanks on the snare or toms. While it takes practice either way the goal is to make that leading hand pretty much automated, to where you dont have to think about it.
You have a lot of people claiming the fretting hand "does all the work" but imo, I feel like people are underestimating the dexterity and motor skills required to play complex rhythms in time without having to think too much about it. Learning to fret notes on the fretboard took me like a week 24 years ago to develop on a guitar. Where to this day I'm still trying to improve my speed and consistency with fingerstyle or a pick.
Sure, you get more selection playing right handed instruments.. but your plucking hand should become second nature, leaving you free to think about what notes you want to play as opposed to how to play them in a particular rhythm imo. Have the guy tap out some rhythms with his index and middle finger on both hands...whichever one he feels he can do so more consistently, in time, with more speed abd the least amount of thought is the hand he should use for rhythm imo.
It will become more evident at higher tempos/smaller subdivisions of beats.
Even with a limited selection and the woes of being a lefty he'll still be able to find a bass or two that will make him happy. Better to have one bass and be able to play it well than a wall covered in basses and be limited in how you play imo.
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I would say learn to play left handed if your a lefty. I'm a lefty too and I learned how to play right handed because my teacher forced me too when I was young. Now it feels really awkward to play left handed.
You have to be ambidextrous, or at least learn to be, to play any string instrument well. Both hands require high levels of dexterity individually and in coordination with each other.
I’m left handed, throw a baseball lefty, play tennis lefty, write lefty. I play bass “righty” but the fingerboard is played by my left hand, where a lot of the action is anyway. Oh, I conduct right handed and cue with my left hand so there’s that.
I’m left handed, throw a baseball lefty, play tennis lefty, write lefty. I play bass “righty” but the fingerboard is played by my left hand, where a lot of the action is anyway. Oh, I conduct right handed and cue with my left hand so there’s that.
I’m left handed and play right handed. It’s no big deal. That being said, everyone I know that plays a right handed strung bass upside down (left handed) has the most unique sound.
That's kind of your privilege as a right-handed person. Lefty's are different because most of us are on a spectrum of ambidextrous or cross-dominant, and we end up having to learn how to do a lot of things right handed anyway. Point being, when you refer to somebody as "left-handed" it rarely means that they have the same degree of polar dominance as most right-handed people.
I knew a right handed bowler with a 220 average that tore his bicep. He was back to 200 after a year lefty...
Paul McCartney seems to do ok.
Lots of good reasons to prefer to learn/play righty, mostly equipment related. Cannot deny that.
I’ve known a few lefties who wish they knew how to play right handed just to open up their gear options.
I'm a lefty and I've played a right handed bass upside down for a few years, then in 1978, I took lessons playing right handed. Patittucci is left handed and plays right handed...
Isn't it easier to play single note lines right handed starting off? After some time, he'll find it easier...
I would recommend playing right handed... I mean, if he plays the usual bass parts, he won't have any problem... IMO...
Isn't it easier to play single note lines right handed starting off? After some time, he'll find it easier...
I would recommend playing right handed... I mean, if he plays the usual bass parts, he won't have any problem... IMO...
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I'm lefty, but learned righty. It's easier finding/buying/trading instruments. Try both, unless lefty feels more natural, go right.
It’s a good idea to have your dominant hand be the rhythm hand, but the whole trying to find instruments is a real struggle.
Last year I've sold my 5-string righty bass to a lefty guy. He plays guitar left-handed, but bass right-handed. I wouldn't believe this if I did not see it with my own eyes.
Have him stand there and play air guitar. If he does so left-handed, have him get a left-handed bass.
I’m a lefty who plays righty out of wanting to have a wider selection of instruments. I think it hinders my slapping but I’ve always hated slap bass so not a problem for me. I can’t conceive of playing left handed now.
Another lefty who play right handed basses here. Write Left handed but fairly illegibly , play drums right handed. When I dance I lead with my left hand.
This is the only bit of equipment that I'm glad I have that is for Lefties.
This is the only bit of equipment that I'm glad I have that is for Lefties.
One more lefty who plays righty here! It can be done successfully.
As a lefty, I would pick whatever feels natural.
In my own experience - I wish I would have just gone the right handed route. Better selection and then you can play any guitar.
In my own experience - I wish I would have just gone the right handed route. Better selection and then you can play any guitar.
I'm left-handed and very glad a dude at the music store persuaded me to play right-handed. Now I can play 98% of basses in the world instead of 2%.
