pohatu771 Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Has there ever been a survey of how many bass players are left-handed, compared to left-handed guitar players? Reading catalogs, it seems like lefty basses are advertised much more than lefty guitars, and seeing different bands seems to show a lot more lefty bass players than guitar players. If no one's ever done a survey, I'd like to coin the phrase "McCartney Effect." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freuds_cat Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 I have to agree with you pohatu771. 3 points on this subject that I think are interesting: 1. Why is there no left handed pianos? 2. If a person is right handed why does he then learn to do the more intricate work with his left hand by playing a right handed guitar? Surely it would make more sense to use the most articulate appendage for the neck and the had you have less control over for picking and strumming? 3. If you take into consideration the above 2 points why dont left handed people just learn to play right handed guitars and basses? If you have ever heard of an amazing young female guitarist called Orianthi (she has played live with Santana and Steve Vai) She is a lefty who learned to play right handed from day one. Kinda supports my suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 I had a friend once who was left handed, yet played guitar right handed for the same reasons you just pointed out... He felt that his left hand did more of the "finesse" work, as he put it, and felt better suited for playing guitar right handed.. For others, it's a matter of rhythm... Paul McCartney originally tried playing right handed, but he said he couldn't get the rhythm out of his right hand.. I have the same problem playing left handed... I'm ambidextrous in many things, and I tried to learn to play lefty, just for fun.. But I could never get solid rhythm or picking control with my left hand.. Originally, I don't think there was an issue with whether a guitar was played right handed or left handed... What we now consider right handed playing was just the way a guitar was played... Keep in mind, the guitar was not always a popular instrument, so there were fewer people quibbling over what was "right handed" and what was "left handed". It was more a matter of; "this is how you hold a guitar to play it." Which was a hold-over from other stringed instruments that were traditionally fingered with the left hand. It wasn't a matter of choice or natural tendency, it was just the way it was done.. (as with the violin... the bow is held in the right hand and the left hand intonates..) There was also a stronger prejudice against doing things "left handed" or "sinister", so whatever felt more comfortable for a lefty was considered "wrong". It wasn't until the guitar became more popular and more people started playing it, that lefties (or at least those lefties who couldn't adapt to the "standard" orientation) started thinking about flipping it over and eventually changing the strings around. McCartney can play a guitar that's strung righty just fine.. He just plays the chords upside-down. He frequently played one of John's or George's guitars in the studio.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 I'm a peculiar lefty... I write with my left hand, and lead with the left when I'm tying my shoes, and use my fork in the left, but that's it. Everything else I do, I do right-handed. Including guitar. I've tried to do what Paul did, play a right-handed guitar upside down. I could pick out melodies, though it took me a while to figure out where the notes were. It seems like a skill I could develop, but if I play right-handed naturally, what's the point in learning "backwards guitar?" Really, I should learn left-handed with my right hand. Rhythms aren't a problem for me- I'm a trained percussionist, so I have to play rhythms with either hand - and sometimes two different ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 I'm right handed, but I do most things left handed.. Probably because I'm legally blind in my right eye.. I'm also a keyboard player and I have a pretty good left hand for bass lines.. But I still "feel" right-hand dominant, even though about the only things I do right-handed are write, draw and play guitar.. I can't do the "upside-down" thing either.. Not even on bass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freuds_cat Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Hey fantastic level headed, well explained conclusions guys. My Dad, myself and my son are all ambi as a general rule as well. ie we do some things more comfortably with our left than our right and visa versa. My Dad and I have found as we have aged that you become more fixed with whatever left/right choices you've made throughout your life. One of the best bass players I know is a lefty who plays an upside down right handed (and strung) bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 One of the best bass players I know is a lefty who plays an upside down right handed (and strung) bass. You know Jimmy Halsip?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freuds_cat Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Nope, cant say I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheX Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Playing right handed guitar the most intricate, and important part of playing is done with the right hand. The left hand selcts the note, the right hand plays it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Savell Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Hey Guys, lefty bassist here. Lerxst hit it on the nail for me: I can fret with either hand, but my left hand is much more natural at keeping rhythm. Hence, I need to pick/finger/slap with my left hand. Also, I can play guitar and bass strung right-handed when I have to (played upside down, in left-handed position), but I prefer left handed stringing. Especially with bass, it really is an advantage to have the fattest strings closest to you. Try playing a double-bass strung backwards and you'll see what I mean. BTW, Epiphone just finished developing their first lefty bass model- it's a Jack Casady lefty. I just got the first one, arrived yesterday, and it is simply awesome. Jim R. is the man. Not sure when it will be available to the public, but keep an eye out for it, beautiful instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Wow... I never really noticed, not being left handed, but I would have assumed they made a left handed version of at least a couple their basses before now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Savell Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Guitars, yes ( I have a lefty epiphone les Paul standard), but not basses. Jim Rosenberg thought that was odd, too, which is why he had them go through the trouble of manufacturing a new line. I'd like to say it was all for me, but he's really doing it for all left handed bassists, I was just the catalyst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Hmmmm.. So you have some influence with Jim Rosenberg, eh? Can you ask him if Epiphone could make a true version of the EB-3? It just doesn't work as a long-scale bass.. Way too neck heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldejerph Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Well everytime there's a post from a left-handed guitarist looking for a left-handed model, there's always, always the same tag, usually from a righ-handed guitarist whose answer is basically "just use a right handed model and that's the point". Well, to such people, I'd like them to understand us by doing a little game. Please assume that there's only left-handed pen, and try just for an hour to write using your left -hand. Then you will understand how we can be unsatisfied with such solution. To me, the point is that left handed guitars is just not the main market, and producers most probably don't believe that they will make enough profit by provinding LH models. Of course, some people can usually use both models, but this doesn't apply to all left handed people, sadly. I have to agree with you pohatu771. 3 points on this subject that I think are interesting: 1. Why is there no left handed pianos? 2. If a person is right handed why does he then learn to do the more intricate work with his left hand by playing a right handed guitar? Surely it would make more sense to use the most articulate appendage for the neck and the had you have less control over for picking and strumming? 3. If you take into consideration the above 2 points why dont left handed people just learn to play right handed guitars and basses? If you have ever heard of an amazing young female guitarist called Orianthi (she has played live with Santana and Steve Vai) She is a lefty who learned to play right handed from day one. Kinda supports my suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 When playing classical guitar - which all other forms have evolved from, the right hand does much more intricate work than the left hand. This serves right-handed players well, which are a majority of people. The fretting hand isn't terribly complicated, it's just more complicated when playing rhythm or "modern" leads. It's kind of like the (French) horn - many people think that it's a left-handed instrument because the valves are used with the left hand, but before there were valves, the entire instrument was controlled with the right hand in the bell of the horn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeper Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 It is much easier to teach the dominate hand rhythm than it is to teach the dumb hand rhythm. Thats why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxHart85231281734137 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 all i can say about this subject is tha i am right handed, and most of the people I have been in bands with have been too ,except for a few drummers, and that was just weird to watch them set up a kit, buttttttttttt my best friend that i have been trying to get into playing guitar/bass/just instruments in general ,is left handed, and its been the hardest thing for both of us to show each other where to play somthing or what not, when i look at him holding it my mind just starts to fart..........but he getting better and throught the years because of teaching him bass and guitar, I have learned to play both upside down pretty well, its kinda fun to play a lefty guitar right handed now anywho that was my 2 cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungrycat Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I write and Play guitar/bass right handed. Everything else I do is left handed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelake07 Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 I have a lefty Epiphone viola bass. My first guitar was a nylon-stringed righty-strung acoustic that I took to a classical guitar college class and was able to play that style fine with it and got a good grade. When I tried to play rock/blues style at home, string-bending and such, it just didn't feel right. After the class was finished, I filed the nut and restrung it lefty and all my guitars and basses since then have been left-handed. The selection of instruments is much more limited, but I've been able to find enough to have fun with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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