Kramer Ferrington III. Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 Originally posted by A String: Some of the best guitar players I know are "lefties" who play right handed. Your "fret" hand is your dominant hand and is therefor far advanced for doing chords and scales and stuff. I'd never thought about it. Yes, I had noticed that lefty guitarists tend to be pretty good, but I'd always thought that it was because, if you are willing to swim against the current, to buy a specialized instrument and sometimes to even rethink all the chord diagrams, you will probably be determined and motivated enough to do a hell of a lot more practising than the average guy. Band MySpace My snazzy t-shirt empire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Originally posted by FormerOceanwaySlave: Fantastic Sound wrote: "Do you really want to encourage someone to play an instrument in a way that will limit them the rest of their lives in a significant way?" We are clearly not communicating well. I have no idea as to why. I disagree pretty fundamentally with your point of view...Let me put it this way. (And this is a perspective I've heard echoed by leftys on most of those calls I fielded.) Imagine going to a candy store as a diabetic. Sure, there are a few sugar-free items made for you, but really, you're severely limited by your disease as to what you can eat. That goes for ice cream parlors and bakeries, as well as many restaurants too. Every time a lefty walks into a music store that's their experience. Look but don't touch 90 - 99% of store stock. Every time a lefty runs into an impromptu situation where a guitar is available, it's either play righty, play upside down, or don't play at all. I don't see why you misunderstand that. And as to comparing the inability of a lefty to play in many situations where a righty instrument is all that's available to a physical handicap is a moot point. We might feel more empathy for a physical handicap that limits a person's ability to do "normal" things, but the fact is plain and simple. Not being able to play is not being able to play, regardless of whether the reason is how you were taught or because of a physical handicap. I wasn't suggesting this would send them into a spiralling depression leading to suicide. It certainly doesn't compare with an amputation in the scope of limitation. But as a guitar player, it is very limiting. I think this conversation has given me a better understanding of those who fervently oppose those who say learning music theory is unnecessary. (Except you can begin learning theory at any stage of your musical development. From comments here and my own personal experience in attempting to learn lefty after the fact, I'd say it's a lot more difficult to learn begin lefty and then, if the frustration of being left out every time you're without your instrument, learn to play righty or upside down.) It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Ric Emmett with Triumph is a lefty who plays righty, and does it pretty well. I think there are a couple of other high profile guys who are left-handed but play righty as well. SO it would seem it can be done and done well. For me, when I tried to play left handed, even my hand position on the neck felt incredibly unnatural. I guess it's because I am so used to playing right handed, but I think I would have given up a long time ago if I had had to figure it out that way. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miroslav Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Originally posted by Pappadopalus: ...I never even thought of left handed drumming before.My studio drummer plays left handed...so... ...my studio kit is always set up lefty. Hats on the right, floor Tom on the left. Though I did stick an 18" floor Tom on the right side, 'cuz there was no room on the left...and I have 8" and 10" also on the right, above the Hat. It's been set up lefty for the last year and a half now...and whenever I get behind it to check things, etc...I'm now starting to get use to it that way, and have played it like that a few times (just for fun)... ...though I would be able to play more steadily if it was set up righty. It also messes with me sometimes when I'm tracking/mixing...because the whole kit is reversed left-to-right...and I like to hear the Hat on the right side (audience perspective). So...since I use an M/S pair for overheads...I just flipped them around...that way, even though the kit is set up lefty...I'm tracking it as though it was a righty kit! miroslav - miroslavmusic.com "Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Iverson Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 And then there are the lefties who flip a right-handed guitar over - doesn't Otis Rush do this, or am I just remembering wrong? Or was it Albert King? Anyway, it may be a factor in their string-bending. No, I'm not saying all blues guitarists look or sound the same! And I DID see Otis Rush once in the Village so I have no excuse for not knowing except creeping senility.. oh, and the argument I had with people in the bar who explained to me I couldn't sit at a table by myself... good concert, though it started about an hour and a half late.. they were recording that night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Thorne Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Originally posted by Eric Iverson: And then there are the lefties who flip a right-handed guitar over - doesn't Otis Rush do this, or am I just remembering wrong? Or was it Albert King? Anyway, it may be a factor in their string-bending. No, I'm not saying all blues guitarists look or sound the same! And I DID see Otis Rush once in the Village so I have no excuse for not knowing except creeping senility.. oh, and the argument I had with people in the bar who explained to me I couldn't sit at a table by myself... good concert, though it started about an hour and a half late.. they were recording that night. Both Otis Rush and Albert King. Also Elizabeth Cotten and Eddie Clearwater. To booger things up even further, Albert King tuned his guitar to an Em chord or something. I myself seldom feel that not being able to "throw down" at a moment's notice is a handicap, minor or otherwise. I went five years believing that because I, as a right-hander, couldn't play righty anymore, I couldn't play at all anymore. THAT felt like a handicap. As for trying guitars in stores, I've developed enough upside-down chops that I can get a good idea of what a guitar is going to feel like that way. Besides, a large percentage of instruments in the shops these days are Chinese-made and I won't buy them for that reason. I'm sure that fantasticsound's description of mfr. attitudes is accurate. It is the way it is. So I deal with it. I've actually built, or heavily modified, my own Strats and Teles as a solution to the problem. FWIW, I encouraged my lefty son to play righty for all the reasons cited. He does, and plays wonderfully well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Iverson Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Well, my memory's not TOTALLY shot then. Once in a while I forget where I parked my car. Any of you want to come watch it for me? Doesn't pay very well, but I'll let you play my guitars. They're all righty, though - fair warning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbqbob Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 I am left handed but play guitar right handed. I also operate a skill saw, chainsaw and hammer, right handed. My Dad was a right handed carpenter and probably placed the hammer in my right hand but you cannot escape the fact that the power tools I mentioned are all right handed and almost impossible to operate left handed. Face it, it's a right handed world! I write and draw left handed, throw left handed, bat left handed, but I play disc (frisbee) with both hands, drive with my right and putt with my left. Maybe I would be a better guitarist if I played left handed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramer Ferrington III. Posted February 8, 2006 Author Share Posted February 8, 2006 Originally posted by Eric Iverson: And then there are the lefties who flip a right-handed guitar over - doesn't Otis Rush do this, or am I just remembering wrong? Or was it Albert King? Anyway, it may be a factor in their string-bending.Dick Dale does that too. http://www.dickdale.com/history.html Band MySpace My snazzy t-shirt empire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Fox Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Dig! http://youtube.com/w/Dick-Dale?v=qxZDzA0c6-c&search=dick%20dale For any Canadian forum posters out there, Bravo will be showing a Dick Dale documentary on Feb. 14th.. And I'm in it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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