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why do some players play their basses upside down?
- Thread starter JimiLL
- Start date
- Jun 6, 2012
- 4,837
- 6,859
- Disclosures
- I don't wait 30 minutes after eating, to go swimming.
If I'd learn it that way? Sure. So could anyone else inclined in playing piano -- if they'd practice it and remember the order of the notes. That's not dependent on your dexterity, though, but on your memory. The guitar and bass? Not nearly so much. I've tried, and tried, and tried for years to try and play right-handed, play them flipped, and I just could not do it.
Again, the mechanisms into making notes, chords, runs and such are symmetrical on a piano or keyboard instrument. Some pieces have a rolling melody and a one or two note bass line. Some pieces are just clusters of fragmented chords reconstructed into new harmonic voicings -- two of the many different playing techniques where dexterity orientation are irrelevant. Besides, the number of actual left-handed pianos in the world is dwarfed considerably by the number of left-handed guitars and basses.
Maybe, but there's something about Carvin's aesthetics I'm not too crazy about. Even their take on their classic basses scream 80s to me.
Mind you, D.Lakin seems interesting...
Or, I'll just build my own. Or wait for a fellow Canuck on TB to launch his company.
Well - he might still pick up the bass left handed, but I swapped my 3yo's drum kit to left handed as an experiment. NOT a fan.
No!!! Don't move my hi hats!!! Why did you move my ride cymbal?!?
Of course, right now this normally super sweet kid is super contrarian, and even back talking to the GPS. (No - NOT turn left!!) Setting up his drums left handed at this time might actually convince him to become righty.
He did notice when I set up my kit left handed. He wasn't upset about it - but he did ask "Daddy, why did you put your snare drum over dere?"
No!!! Don't move my hi hats!!! Why did you move my ride cymbal?!?
Of course, right now this normally super sweet kid is super contrarian, and even back talking to the GPS. (No - NOT turn left!!) Setting up his drums left handed at this time might actually convince him to become righty.
He did notice when I set up my kit left handed. He wasn't upset about it - but he did ask "Daddy, why did you put your snare drum over dere?"
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I was trying to refer to the thought someone had that fretting is best done by a dominate hand. If that were the case, wouldn't all righty players play left handed basses to begin with?
Drums are a rather bigger hassle than basses. This is because there is not only left and right handed but left and right footed as well. Of course the goal in drumming is to be totally ambidextrous but it's rarely achieved. I do pretty well in hand drums being able to start any pattern with right or left hand. And on a kit there is an advantage to having a stronger left hand in that you can play the hat "open" style (left hand on hat, right on snare, righty kit) rather than the typical "crossover" (Right hand on hat, left on snare, righty kit). Personally I am ambidextrous enough to play either way and do. However Generally I'm right handed (write with right hand though run a computer mouse left handed) And I'm clearly right footed! A lefty drum kit doesn't mess my hands but does end up a disaster on my feet! I have known drummers who were left handed and right footed! They played righty kits but "open" style.
Bass wise, I play totally righty. I always had a theory that the standard way of righty playing was wrong because you'd really want your stronger hand fingering. But I never had the nerve to start out playing lefty to prove my idea. Lefty basses are just too scarce for that to be a good idea. Cripes. Learning computer mouse lefty is already a big hassle. They don't even seem to make true lefty mice anymore and the config switching only works right about half the time.
As for upside down strings I think that is just a matter of if you buy a right or left handed string set!
As for Larry Williams...wow...where there's a will there's a way!! I played slap the same way, and found it very uneconomical, having to constantly switch the position of my slapping hand to thump with my thumb and pluck with my other fingers. Decided to make the switch to a true left-handed bass to solve that problem, was very surprised at how quickly I was able to do it, and was even more surprised how it re-opened the possibility of playing guitar again.
Certain chord shapes are easier when playing a righty guitar upside down, but most gave me too much trouble. Switching to true lefty solved almost all of them.
As a lefty I almost always set up stage right a la Paul McCartney, unless in a situation where the drummer and I really need to communicate. At church I have no choice of where to set up, so am always in danger of thwacking my keyboard-playing musical director in the head, who is set up just to my right.
Certain chord shapes are easier when playing a righty guitar upside down, but most gave me too much trouble. Switching to true lefty solved almost all of them.
As a lefty I almost always set up stage right a la Paul McCartney, unless in a situation where the drummer and I really need to communicate. At church I have no choice of where to set up, so am always in danger of thwacking my keyboard-playing musical director in the head, who is set up just to my right.
I have a friend who has been playing left handed on right handed basses tuned right handed since the '60s. Left handed basses were hard to find then. He mostly plays upright now. The nice thing for me is that at jams we both switch between bass and other instruments, so we can both play the same upright - he just stands on the other side and plays lefty.
He also plays guitar and dobro/lap steel that way.
He also plays guitar and dobro/lap steel that way.
