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Left handers playing right


risingson
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Just purely out of interest really. When I started playing bass my Dad asked the left handed guitar player in his band what bass he should buy me. He was advised to go with the right handed option, and I couldn't be more grateful in hindsight. Do any left paws mind having to play a left handed bass/or vice versa?

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I'm left handed in general but naturally play bass right handed. The way I see it, the fretting hand has to be the most precise so that should be my left! But I'm semi-ambidextrous since I use my right hand for certain tasks and left for others.

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its a funny one. when i first picked up a bass, i automatically flipped it over so went wit a lefty. impossible to say what difference it makes i guess. i do however get very annoyed by the limited availability of certain instruments, oh well makes it all the sweeter when you do find one i guess :)

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What you harping on about, Jimi Hendrix always played a right handed guitar and he was a lefty :)
Even right handed people do thing different to each other skating and surfing for example can be done goofy or regular (I can never remember which way is which) after that to be good you learn both ways which just isn't needed or practical with instruments. Same with lots of racket sports to be good you need to do both ways.

The upside down and back to front folk get me the most (Doves bass player I think?) I presume they are self taught lefties that have grabbed a parents guitar that is strung for a right hooker. The only combination I have never seen which is just as possible I presume as the upside downers would be a right handed person playing a left hand drive bass or guitar, Does anyone know of any or are you one?

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A righty here, but you only have to look at guys like Nadal, who is a righty playing lefty tennis to realise this kinda thing is relatively commonplace (can you imagine if Wooten was a natural lefty!).

I once saw a lefty mate pick up a bass and do the upside down wrong way round back to front thing, he put most bass players I've ever seen to shame. Very musically talented, and I was very jealous!

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Like dannybuoy I do some things right handed and others left. I'm very left-eyed so anything that requires hand/eye co-ordination I tend to do left-handed.

I can remember picking up a guitar for the first time and holding it left-handed - with the neck to my right. However I realised straight away that it was the wrong way round and when I did start learning properly I "played" right-handed.

These days I'm grateful that I took the time to learn right handed when I see the (lack of) choice available to players of left-handed instruments. At the moment I pretty much only play 5-string basses and sometimes it depresses me that the choice isn't anywhere near as wide as it is for 4-string versions. However it's still better than the choice available in left-handed!

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I started playing a righty upside down,
Only because lefties where scarce when i started playing
plus it was only a fiver at the time.
It was only 10 years ago that i actually got a lefty bass
and that took some getting used to-but it's all in the mindset-
I still play a righty upside down now and again tho'

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I was playing at an all weekend festival last weekend (not Sonisphere) and one of the bands had a lefty bassist who used a right handed bass and, as Stingray Pete mentioned, was playing it strung as a right handed bass so the bottom E was at the bottom. That's the first time I have seen that in the flesh, had a quick double take when I noticed it. And he was singing. And they were pretty good, too.

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Left handed playing right handed bass.

I also set my drum kit up standard right handed but I don't play crossed like most drummers, it opens up the whole kit all the time and not just when I'm playing the ride cymbal. Only drummers could be daft enough to play an instrument with their arms crossed most of the time and think it's normal :)

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[quote name='Paul S' post='1305581' date='Jul 16 2011, 10:55 AM']I was playing at an all weekend festival last weekend (not Sonisphere) and one of the bands had a lefty bassist who used a right handed bass and, as Stingray Pete mentioned, was playing it strung as a right handed bass so the bottom E was at the bottom. That's the first time I have seen that in the flesh, had a quick double take when I noticed it. And he was singing. And they were pretty good, too.[/quote]
There appears to be a link between singers and the upside down player then as the only ones I have seen plus this one you have seen were all singers, One is our local busker. Handy for jam nights I guess too as he is a lefty upside downy :)

Still no evidence of an upside down right handed player then? There must be one out there surely.

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[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='1305617' date='Jul 16 2011, 11:32 AM']It's a shame so many left handed players play right handed due to lack of choice; if more left handed people played left then there might be more choice lol.[/quote]
There will never be enough choice to make it worthwhile. Unless every single manufacturer makes every single bass and guitar in every single variation in both left and right handed versions at the same price there will be someone somewhere who will want a left-handed version that doesn't exist.

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Another Lefty playing Righty here.
I had Piano lessons when i was very young, so got used to using both hands equally, plus my Dad's Right hand Jazz Bass
Was always hanging around, i just picked that up and played righty.

Interesting though, my Seven year old son is left handed and picks up my Bass and plays it upside down left way round. :)
I find it impossible to do that.

Garry

Edited by lowdown
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You guys are putting ned flanders out of business!

Righty playing a righty here.
I play pool, roll and solder left handed though wierdly.

Tempted to have a go at playing a lefty, just out of curiousity.

Edited by Ross
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