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Post by jackstrat on Feb 8, 2009 14:20:45 GMT
Hiya guys!
Just been looking at Blueshome's great YouTube clip and noticing that he's playing left-handed, it re-ignited a question in my head that I've been meaning to ask for ages and ages....anybody out there a leftie that plays right-handed? (or probably even more unlikely a rightie that plays left-handed?!)
I fall into the former category (a leftie playing right-handed)...and I've often wondered what are the real advantages or disadvantages of having the stronger/more co-ordinated hand on the fretboard as opposed to in the strumming/picking position. In fact in the world of finger-picking maybe it's a disadvantage?
Just one to think about!!
Regards, Niall
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Post by Michael Messer on Feb 8, 2009 16:02:46 GMT
Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler are two well known names that spring to mind. Lesser known players include Mike Cooper & our very own Stuart 'Marshcat' Cumberpatch.
Jimi Hendrix with his upside down Stratocaster certainly had something going for him. Watermelon Slim plays upside-down back-to-front lap steel guitar. In other words he is a lefty playing a right-handed guitar strung as a right-handed guitar. I guess the most famous player who did this was Elizabeth Cotten. The only way I can watch films of her playing without feeling seasick, is to watch them in a mirror whilst standing on my head!
I know Phil 'Blueshome' quite well as he is a regular at Blues Week. I always enjoy playing his guitars upside-down. In a strange rather warped way, it tests me and makes me really think about what I am doing.
Shine On Michael.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2009 16:37:25 GMT
Otis Rush plays RH guitar strung RH, same as Elizabeth Cotton, really weird to watch particularly when he plays a lick you recognize - your ears know what to expect but your eyes can't work it out - "seasick" is about right! If you can find it there is a great DVD of Otis Rush at Montreux '86.
Cheers, C.
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Post by wolvoboy on Feb 8, 2009 18:16:10 GMT
im left handed i do most things left handed IE: drink, play pool any sports im left handed i can write with both hands i supose that makes me ambidextrous but i play guitar right handed,got a bootleg dvd of Otis rush at montreux with Eric Clapton cant remember if its 85 or 86 wolvoboy
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Post by blueshome on Feb 8, 2009 23:20:27 GMT
Albert King played left upside down. Bob Brozman is another lefty playing right.
When I first tried to play guitar in the 60's I was fine making chords right handed, as well as doing many other things right-handed - shooting, batting, archery. When I passed about 25 I lost this ability and became much more strongly sinistral, so much so that when I really got down to try to play guitar 20 years later I couldn't pick with my right hand at all so I had to get the guitar converted.
Both my Fraulini and my Fine Resophonic triplate (obviously) were built left-handed.
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Post by Gerry C on Feb 9, 2009 12:44:38 GMT
Add Gary Moore to the list of lefties playing righty. I'm a righty and I play righty, OK? Get used to it!! ;D Seriously, I often wonder why the guitar (or fretted instruments in general - my pal Brian plays lefty mandolin etc) seems to be the only instrument which people "turn over" (though Phil's post goes a long way to explaining it.) I've never yet come across anyone who plays the violin or cello or double bass left-handed, still less the piano. Other instrumenst (eg flute, clarinet, sax) seem to have the 'handedness' built in... A while back I came across a rather remarkable young lady called Katriona Gilmore. She plays with the group Tiny Tin Lady and in a duo with Jamie Roberts. She plays violin in the 'conventional' fashion, ie fingering with her left hand, bowing with the right, but when she plays guitar she plays left-handed like Phil! Takes all sorts... Cheerily, Gerry C
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Post by jackstrat on Feb 9, 2009 18:44:04 GMT
I reckon I've seen a few left-handed flautists in my time, and definitely so in the case of fiddlers. In fact, a few years ago, I bought a fiddle myself with great notions of learning to play...buoyed by the knowledge that my left hand would be well co-ordinated in terms of fretting (from playing guitar)...however no matter how I tried to convince myself, or trick my brain, I just could not bring myself to hold the fiddle any way other than left-handed...i.e. bowing with my left and fretting with my right...the total opposite to when I play guitar...a most strange sensation...the fiddle was sold again after a short time!!!
MM...I never knew that Clapton was a leftie?!!
Thanks for all the replies thus far guys...very interesting!
Niall
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Post by jackstrat on Feb 9, 2009 18:49:19 GMT
Oh yeah, I forgot...check out this clip...I KNOW it's not the type of music that belongs on this forum, but the guitarist really does throw the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons in terms of this discussion!!! Er...enjoy!! Niall
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Post by Gerry C on Feb 9, 2009 19:46:51 GMT
You might have warned us about the VOLUME!!! Can we distinguish between 'playing' and 'widdling noisily'? ;D Oh and I didn't know EC was lefty either, despite being a fan since the Beano album.
Cheerily,
Gerry C
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Post by andys on Feb 9, 2009 20:57:18 GMT
Hendrix could play both with a re-strung guitar and an unre-strung one. Theres pics and footage of him playing an upside down right handed Les Paul, with the strings on the ordinary way round. Rumour has it that the solo on Purple haze was played on Noel Reddings right handed Tele, not on his usual restrung Strat. Not sure if this is true of not, but he apparently could pick up a righty guitar and play it pretty well.
I saw a band some years ago, where the left handed bassist not only played an upside down Precision, but he had the strings on the right handed way as well, so that the low E was at the bottom of the fretboard for him.
Finally for the ultimate in complication. I supported a band once called the Wolfhounds. They had a left handed guitarist. For a couple of songs the singer played second guitar, but he was right handed. He used the lefty guitarists spare guitar, but he had learnt to play the chords "upside down"
Heres another thought. Left handed resonator players have an easier time of it than other left handed playing guitarists. After all, to turn a resonator into a left handed instrument, all you have to do is change the top nut, swap the bridge around, restring, and the guitar even looks the same each way round as well.
Left handed players of most other guitars have to either "do a Hendrix" with a limited number of guitars that can be altered, or buy a dedicated left hand instrument. Which except for a few enlightened makers, costs more to buy, has less choice of options and has less re-sale opportunity as well.
Isnt it true that the other famous left-handed player, Paul MaCartney, is actually right handed for most other things?
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Post by blueshome on Feb 10, 2009 9:06:12 GMT
Heres another thought. Left handed resonator players have an easier time of it than other left handed playing guitarists. After all, to turn a resonator into a left handed instrument, all you have to do is change the top nut, swap the bridge around, restring, and the guitar even looks the same each way round as well
Not with a tricone you don't!
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Post by Michael Messer on Feb 10, 2009 9:08:30 GMT
Most people who play left-handed guitars are able to knock out a tune or two on right-handed instruments, so I don't think the Jimi Hendrix story (which is true incidentally) is particularly amazing. That is not to say that Jimi wasn't an amazing musician. He was a genius and paved the way for generations of electric guitarists - he wrote the book.
I like to play left-handed guitars whenever they are around. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I like testing myself and playing upside down guitars certainly tests me. I can play quite a few pieces and have sat in on the occasional jam session on an upside down guitar. If that is the only spare guitar around, I will have a go.
Shine On Michael.
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Post by maxxengland on Feb 10, 2009 13:33:43 GMT
One or two of you know Darowyn, he's lefty but learned r/h cello first, and then took the motor reflexes to r/h guitar. As above, I'm l/h but I can bang something out on r/h kit, standard, G or D. Oddly enough, I can't play standard l/h having been in open so long.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2009 14:04:24 GMT
I'm a 'southpaw' but I've always played right handed. Funnily enough I never really gave it any thought except for when I'm playing a resonator. As Michael has said in a few of his workshops; It's the right hand that does all the work (tempo & rhythm), the left hand just forms the pitch and vibrato. It's only since I got in to playing a resonator that I realised how true that is. One the other hand (pardon the pun) I have a right handed friend who's learning to play the bass and his major observation has been that I'm lucky cos my left hand is more articulate than his - fortunately for him bass playing is more about right hand technique than left (if you're playing right handed). I guess we all have pros & cons but the right hand technique is surely the most overlooked hand by many - including right handed players.
Woz
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Post by jackstrat on Feb 13, 2009 14:32:32 GMT
I don't know if he's left or right-handed, but I've been looking at some Tommy Emmanuel vids and clips just in the past 24 hours, and there's no doubt about it, but he's definitely got one of the best right hands in the business....although his left ain't lettin' him done none neither!!
Absolutely stunning player...plenty of pizazz but always, always, great attention to melody and musicality etc.
Niall
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