ThomBassmonkey Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I teach a lot of people that're just starting out on guitar and bass and a lefty with a righty guitar definitely struggles with strumming more than a righty with a righty/lefty with a lefty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 *sighs deeply and mournfully* Handedness is a very complex phenomenon. Regular lefty contributors will know my views on this subject. I really should be launching into a long (and no doubt very technical and therefore tedious) tirade about now. But you know what - if you can't or won't make the effort to find out a bit more about it for yourself, I can't be arsed. Read the following links: [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_handedness"]Background[/url] [url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6923577.stm"]The genetic argument[/url] [url="http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/left.html"]Some names you may know[/url] [url="http://lefthandedpiano.com/times.html"]Left handed pianos[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanark Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 [quote name='whynot' post='782822' date='Mar 22 2010, 10:05 PM']Just waiting for the usual anti lefties from previous threads to jump onboard now.[/quote] Is there such a thing as an "anti-leftie"? As I said in my OP, I'm left-handed myself - but found that I could play guitar right-handed pretty easily. I was just curious as to the reasons behind people being unable to play a right-handed guitar when both hands were being expected to do something they'd never done before. I would have thought that fretting was more complex than picking or strumming, requiring more strength and dexterity so you'd want your dominant hand there - perhaps if people started off fretting properly rather than playing open-strings they'd think differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whynot Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 [quote name='lanark' post='783173' date='Mar 23 2010, 10:53 AM']Is there such a thing as an "anti-leftie"?[/quote] Unfortunately there are right handed players with very strong opinions as evidenced by previous threads on the subject. Thank god we are not burnt at the stake anymore. I can see a couple of forum members lining up with their lit torches, plus the abnoxious guy from the Bass Cellar who I had an argument with on this very subject in his shop a while back. All i said was 'have you any high end left handed 5 strings in stock'. As Andy (leftybassman392) said, plenty of info out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasher80 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) It's weird isn't it- but i do honestly feel that if no lefty guitars or basses had ever been produced, the sheer frustration i felt trying to learn right-handed would have forced me into giving up altogether - although having said that i could just turn the righty upside down. Saw a chap doing that once during the 60s, it looked quite good too... now, what was his name... hmm Edited March 23, 2010 by rasher80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I'm a left who plays lefty, there has been occasions when looking for basses I wished I'd learnt right handed, but us lefty's have a big advantage when playing gigs on a small stage, it don't half make extra room if both guitars have the neck facing outwards, especially if there's a singer prancing about in the middle, and it looks better more symmetrical Hercule Poirot would know what I mean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavyJay Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 [quote name='Ou7shined' post='782519' date='Mar 22 2010, 02:37 PM']I like the symmetry you get on a stage with one right handed player and one left. [/quote] +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic_Groove Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 [quote name='johnnylager' post='782493' date='Mar 22 2010, 01:25 PM']IIRC, one is born either right-handed or with the potential for right [b]or[/b] left-handedness. So bind your nippers left hand early on, force them to use the right and avoid having to pay over the odds for lefty basses. Simples.[/quote] Educationalists tried this in the 60's (forcing kids to write right-handed) -- F*&ked up a generation and caused massive educational problems Treat individuals as individuals!! B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 [quote name='HeavyJay' post='783477' date='Mar 23 2010, 02:27 PM']+1 [/quote] Hercule is zat you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 [quote name='lanark' post='782446' date='Mar 22 2010, 11:36 AM']True - although if you're playing in an orchestra and bowing with the "wrong" hand, you're going to cause an enormous pile-up unless you're always going to be sat on an aisle seat.[/quote] I think that's really the reason that they're all right handed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 [quote name='Ou7shined' post='782519' date='Mar 22 2010, 02:37 PM']I like the symmetry you get on a stage with one right handed player and one left. [/quote] haha yeah i know what you mean, i saw skindred last week and this is what they do. It has a pretty good effect although i think it can get a bit weird if you have 2 guitar players and a bass and one of them is a lefty. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 [quote name='EdwardHimself' post='783587' date='Mar 23 2010, 03:49 PM']haha yeah i know what you mean, i saw skindred last week and this is what they do. It has a pretty good effect although i think it can get a bit weird if you have 2 guitar players and a bass and one of them is a lefty. Sorry.[/quote] never thought the Beatles looked weird, apart from them collarless jackets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanark Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 [quote name='EdwardHimself' post='783587' date='Mar 23 2010, 03:49 PM']haha yeah i know what you mean, i saw skindred last week and this is what they do. It has a pretty good effect although i think it can get a bit weird if you have 2 guitar players and a bass and one of them is a lefty. Sorry.[/quote] Yeah - who could EVER imagine a band like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Vincent Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I play left handed,although I'm not actually left handed.I simply can't physically hold,let alone play a right handed instrument,no idea why.Not that this is relevant to the issue in question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 [quote name='lanark' post='782405' date='Mar 22 2010, 11:07 AM']You don't get left-handed violins, or flutes or pianos or saxophones or accordians[/quote] Wrong You just need to look harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EntropicLqd Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I'm left handed, and when I got my fist bass (a right-handed one) I simply played it upside down as it felt much more natural to do so. My daughter is right-handed, but when she tinkers with my old right-handed bass she also plays it upside down. Her only reason is that "it feels wrong" to play the right handed bass the right way round. I'm hoping she'll get into playing in a big way at some point becase at least then I'll know my current bass will have a good home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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