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On Handedness...

Z

ZUR13L

Feb 29, 2008
25
1
#1
Hey all!

Ok, so, to keep this pure, let's say I have two hands.

With me so far? :D

Let's call the first hand, Hand A and the other hand, Hand 1, k?

Now, Hand A sucks at every bass-related task I give it. Can't pluck, slap, strike, mute, finger... Nuthin'. No rhythm, no speed; nada. :scowl:

Hand 1, on the other hand :ninja:, is great at every bass-related thing I ask it to do. Groovey fingering, tight, wicked speed, funkadelic slappage; da woiks. :cool:

Still with me?

K, now, between fretting and striking, WHICH HAND SHOULD I HAVE DO WHICH JOB? :confused:


I am really trying to open an intelligent conversation here. I appreciate your thoughts and the time it takes you to post them.

Thanks! :help:
 
#2
Hand 1 I would think should be your plucking/striking hand.

After learning the basics of bass, the plucking hand should become like second nature -in time, and with practice, when you're figuring out a bassline, you will focus on the fretting hand, and the plucking will happen more sub-consciously.
 
#4
I'm not sure it makes much difference, to be honest. You will ultimately need to develop coordination in both hands in order to play well. And the bass world is full of great left-handed people who play right-handed, for example. If you haven't already developed a strong orientation one way or the other, I would recommend going with a right-handed bass just for the sake of avoiding equipment problems in the future.
 
#5
If you look at the mechanics of your hands, your fretting hand doesn't do all that much work. Fingers are either up or down, maybe they push the string to the side for bending (I never do) or they might "roll" back and forth for vibrato (I do a lot). As far as any real work, your fretting fingers just need to be in a specific place on time so long as the notes you choose to put them down on are all within reach.

I find that shifting over a major 3rd is more of a upper arm thing so once again my fingers just need to be in their places on time.

But when all is said and done, MOST of the work in stopping notes by my left hand comes from my left shoulder, so really my hand is more like a farm implement.


Plucking hand (right one in my case) is responsible for starting the note, ending the note, the articulation of the note, volume, tone, and then the next note. Not much of that effort is coming from my right shoulder. I write with my right hand and any very fine, precision work I do with my right hand. I have more control of it.

Just flip you bass over Jimmy Haslip style and see for yourself the difference between your two hands.
 
#6
ZUR13L said:
Hey all!

Ok, so, to keep this pure, let's say I have two hands.

With me so far? :D

Let's call the first hand, Hand A and the other hand, Hand 1, k?

Now, Hand A sucks at every bass-related task I give it. Can't pluck, slap, strike, mute, finger... Nuthin'. No rhythm, no speed; nada. :scowl:

Hand 1, on the other hand :ninja:, is great at every bass-related thing I ask it to do. Groovey fingering, tight, wicked speed, funkadelic slappage; da woiks. :cool:

Still with me?

K, now, between fretting and striking, WHICH HAND SHOULD I HAVE DO WHICH JOB? :confused:


I am really trying to open an intelligent conversation here. I appreciate your thoughts and the time it takes you to post them.

Thanks! :help:
Click to expand...

I'd simply practice until my weaker hand was up to speed.
 
#7
PJSShearer said:
Isn't this the normal way? I always wondered how come we use our least dextrous hand on the finger board by default? - left hand fingers, right hand plucks/bows for a righty and vice versa for a lefty on all stringed instruments..
Click to expand...

I'm left handed and play righty. It's the only thing I do righty. After years of playing, I tried to flip the bass over and play lefty and I instantly felt like I was warped back in time to when I first started playing.

I don't think hand domination has much to do with it seeing that both hands need to learn equally difficult and different techniques. Maybe it makes learning some things easier and other things harder but with practice it all comes together.

...I'm not really sure the direction I was going with this post. lol :)
 
#8
Slax said:
I'm left handed and play righty. It's the only thing I do righty. After years of playing, I tried to flip the bass over and play lefty and I instantly felt like I was warped back in time to when I first started playing.

I don't think hand domination has much to do with it seeing that both hands need to learn equally difficult and different techniques. Maybe it makes learning some things easier and other things harder but with practice it all comes together.

...I'm not really sure the direction I was going with this post. lol :)
Click to expand...

If it mattered too much we'd never see a lefty in a symphony orchestra, a situation where everyone must play with exactly the same technique.Well we won't SEE a lefty, they'd be playing righty.
 
#9
Thanks for all the responses so far!

Part of the reason I asked is because, even though I am just starting out, I am much more comfortable playing one way, but much faster and funkier playing the other...

So, whicih is better, ability or feel?

Another way to look at it would be, which am I more likely to do, become accustomed to discomfort or somehow fix my nonfunctioning hand?

(btw, as melodramatic as that sounded, there is nothing physically wrong with either hand)
 
#10
ZUR13L said:
Thanks for all the responses so far!

Part of the reason I asked is because, even though I am just starting out, I am much more comfortable playing one way, but much faster and funkier playing the other...
Click to expand...
Comfort > Speed. You'd rather be slow and comfortable rather than fast and CTS-ridden.

I think Hand 1 (the good one) should be plucking/strumming hand. That's why they have left and right handed basses.
 
#12
Aww... C'mon, now...

Here's the deal (for anyone who hadn't already guessed):

I am a lefty. Playing the bass lefty feels correct to me. However, because of this crazy, mixed-up, right-handed world we live in my right hand has ended up better at both striking and fretting than my left. My right is much faster at striking, especially.

However, when I play righty it feels like my arms are on backwards.

So, I was trying to see, since my right is better at both jobs, which one I should give it.

It's a shame, I think I'm going to end up siding with comfort and just never be that fast. Maybe I'll use a pick on really fast bits...

meh...
 

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