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mystic fred View Drop Down
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Points: 4252 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 04 2008 at 06:29
regarding history everything was designed for right handed people as left handedness was regarded as "wrong", an affliction from the devil (up to about 50 years ago), the views of the poster i quoted reflects this, modern views are quite different.
 
surely your "weaker" hand or foot depends on if you are left -handed or right - handed...?  which hand do you punch best with? which foot do you kick best with?  when i did karate our sensei made us do two kicks to every one on the "leading" foot to try and balance them up.
 
kids used to get whacked at school for being left handed, the same as they were for being dyslexic - in modern times these "anomalies" were found to be the normal differences between people which occur.
if you are right handed (like me) your right hand is the leading hand which you naturally write with, and if you are left handed your left hand is the leading hand you would naturally write with - translated into other complicated tasks the leading hand - boxing, driving, operating machinery, drumming.... playing guitar, though in some circumstances this can be trained out, i once operated a very large and complicated machine in an engineering workshop, all the complicated switches were on the left and the chuck controls were on the right, it would have been easier for me if they had been the other way around but i over time i managed to learned it very successfully.  
 
it's all to do with how the brain is "wired up" - the left hemisphere controls the right side, the right hemisphere controls the right side - if anyone has a stroke on the left side of the brain the right side is affected and vice versa.    my niece has the rare gift of being ambidextrous - she can use both hands exactly the same, both "leading" hands.  most people are right handed but can be trained to do things differently if necessary, but life is a lot easier if things are designed or adapted ergonomically , aren't they...?  now try writing with the "wrong" hand or playing a left handed guitar and see how you get on...Wink
 
 
 


Edited by mystic fred - September 04 2008 at 06:32
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MikeEnRegalia View Drop Down
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Points: 21149 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 04 2008 at 08:39
It's odd ... I don't consider myself to be ambidextrous, as I can only write properly with my left hand. But I use the computer mouse with the right hand and would have problems using the left hand. In the end I think that *everyone* can use both hands for everything ... if they are willing to learn it. Basketball players are also trained to compensate for their "handedness" ... some even practice with their strong arm tied to their back in order to develop both sides equally.

I guess I'm using the mouse with the right hand because it never occurred to me to use the left hand. It was similar with the guitar ... I never even thought about trying a left hand model, so I never needed one. It's really all just in your head ... IMHO.
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mystic fred View Drop Down
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Points: 4252 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 04 2008 at 10:06
Originally posted by MikeEnRegalia MikeEnRegalia wrote:

 It's really all just in your head ... IMHO.
 
it certainly seems to be Mike - there's human nature for you! Wink
 
 
 
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Points: 21149 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 04 2008 at 10:43
It's in my head too ... I guess I could write with the right hand, I simply don't try.Embarrassed
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Points: 21149 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 04 2008 at 13:24
Originally posted by cobb2 cobb2 wrote:

You are all forgetting the history of the guitar, when discussing why the hands are where. Plectrums are a (relatively) new invention in the wider picture. Since the lute, and probably some older medieval instruments, the right hand needed to be the most dextruos for finger plucking the strings- that's why the right hand is over the sound hole and the weaker left hand is holding the strings on the fretboard. Any discussion about modern techniques is moot- the structure of the guitar was set a long time ago.


Then why didn't right handed people switch hands once the plectrum was introduced?Wink

I took guitar lessons for several years ... I can tap, I can finger pick, I can do legato runs ... I just can't sweep pick because I'm too lazy to practice. All I can say is that from my personal experience, the left hand is much more busy. Your muscles improve anyway ... even if you're left handed and at the beginning the right hand is too weak, it will soon catch up. Just play some Iced Earth every day ... Big%20smile
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Peter View Drop Down
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Points: 9669 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 05 2008 at 09:17
Originally posted by MikeEnRegalia MikeEnRegalia wrote:

It's odd ... I don't consider myself to be ambidextrous, as I can only write properly with my left hand. But I use the computer mouse with the right hand and would have problems using the left hand. In the end I think that *everyone* can use both hands for everything ... if they are willing to learn it. Basketball players are also trained to compensate for their "handedness" ... some even practice with their strong arm tied to their back in order to develop both sides equally.

I guess I'm using the mouse with the right hand because it never occurred to me to use the left hand. It was similar with the guitar ... I never even thought about trying a left hand model, so I never needed one. It's really all just in your head ... IMHO.
Shocked Hey Mike, you want an awesome display of ambidextrous guitar playing? Check this out!
 
 
Ever seen this before, folks? Beside the technique, I think it's amazing that his brain can do that! Clap
 
Nice music, too.Smile


Edited by Peter - September 05 2008 at 09:18
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
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Points: 9669 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 05 2008 at 09:26
Big%20smile This one is really cool too -- not your usual arrangement, let alone guitar technique:
 
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
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MikeEnRegalia View Drop Down
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Points: 21149 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 05 2008 at 11:18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa-nKS89ATI

She's playing different melody lines with left foot and both hands. Ok, left hand is mostly accompanyment, but she does some nice voicings. I played that instrument myself when I was a child (from 8-12, I think) ... I didn't get quite as fast as her, but I played a mean "In the Mood".Big%20smile

And I guess this is child's play compared to what jazz drummers are doing ...
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Points: 4900 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 03 2009 at 16:54
Originally posted by St.Cleve Chronicle St.Cleve Chronicle wrote:

I have tried playing my dad's right-handed guitar a couple of times and I couldn't even get Smoke on the water right! I consider myself to be quite skilled player. If you are right-handed, and think that the lefties should learn the "proper" technique, why don't you try to play a left-hand guitar. Difficult, isn't it?
 
Um . . . of course it's difficult to reverse your hands after you've already learned to play one way, but guess what? It's just as tough to coordinate your hands when you try and play guitar for the first time the 'natural' way, too.
 
Your point is rubbish, in that you are using a poor example: you've already learned to play the guitar with your right hand on the fingerboard and your left hand doing the pick work, so reversing it all now is going to be very difficult-- three times as difficult as it would have been had you began learning that way, but since your mind and body are already coordinated to use certain hands in a certain way, you're not just reversing the hands, but you are trying to un-learn what you've already spent years perfecting.
 
See what I'm saying?
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JLocke View Drop Down
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Points: 4900 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 03 2009 at 17:11
Originally posted by mystic fred mystic fred wrote:

Originally posted by p0mt3 p0mt3 wrote:

Just learn like Adam Jones from Tool did and play as if you are right-handed. It is slightly irritating to me when I see left-handed people playing the wrong way (and yes, right hand on the neck is the wrong way, folkes).
 
absolute nonsense...Confused
 
 
 There is no reason for it. You use both hands regardless.
 
being ambidextrous is even rarer than left-handed !
 
It's like a video game controller, or driving a car;
 
is driving on the left hand side of the road WRONG..? Wink
 
if both sides of your body are functioning, why switch which hands do what task? It's no more difficult.
 
you need to study biology/physics 
  
Plus, right-handed guitarists have MUCH more selection in style and money-saving department. Trust me, this is a good thing. If you ask me, custom left-handed guitars are rip-offs; just a bad reason to manufacture crappy versions of the same guitar, then charge more for it!
 
this is such a blinkered, bigoted, out-dated  point of view it leaves me breathless Shocked -
 
many people are born left handed and have encountered difficulties, thankfully in these enlightened times these difficulties have been alleviated by forward thinking developers, not rip-offs.
as for guitar, what about Hendrix, MacCartney et al - they managed to do all right with left handed guitars, and Ian Paice plays his drums in the left-hand fashion.  many right handed people prefer playing guitar left handed, and personally i play a left handed guitar due to a hand injury i received some years ago, have you ever tried to play a guitar upside down? it was hard to learn lefty at first but there is a lot of support nowadays. right handed guitars are more common obviously, there are not "crappy" versions of the same guitar, they are exactly the same as their right-handed counterparts, and they don't charge more! most makes have good availability, basses, acoustics, you name it!
there are absolutely no technical effects lost to left handed players, though don't ask for a left handed amp !
 
Stern%20Smile
 
 
 
to original poster - these days there are dozens of great quality lefty guitars and guide books on the market -i have bought many of them from ebay - good luck!
Smile
 
There are many posters in this thread that seem to be sharing my opinions on this, so you acting superior and throwing insults at me and calling my opinion "such a blinkered, bigoted, out-dated  point of view it leaves me breathless" is quite uncalled for. When I said you use both hands regardless, I was referring to on the actual instrument; I wasn't saying that people use both hands just as much in everyday life.
 
I'm not sure why you thought it was good day to pick on someone and you chose me, but I'll tell you something: It is very low of you to meticulousely pick apart a post like you did and twist meanings around just so you can have an excuse to insult me. You and I can have our seperate opinions on things without throwing out personal bashes, can't we? 
 
Don't insult my intelligence again, thanks. I may not be very knowledgable about alot of things (Dropped out of High-School, you see. Primarily because of bullies like you.), but I am NOT and idiot. Please don't talk down to me and tell me what I need to learn and say that my opinion is nonesense. It's an opinion, nothing more, nothing less.
 
You don't know what some people have gone through in their lives; you don't know when certain people were talked down to their whole young life and who was made fun of in school and was told they wouldn't amount to anything. You don't know, man. So why don't you think next time before you go off and say cruel sh*t like that?
 
Having said this, I will admit that what I said probably offended you since you play left-handed guitars. I retract what I said about them being poor quality rip-offs. I am sorry. However you are wrong about them not being over-priced. Every. Single. Left-handed Guitar I have seen is more expensive than it's right-handed counterpart.


Edited by p0mt3 - February 03 2009 at 17:29
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JLocke View Drop Down
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Points: 4900 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 03 2009 at 18:04
I'm sorry for lashing out and taking offense. It was unprofessional behaviour, and I apologize; you didn't desevre that. You probably are right, and I probably am stupid about this stuff. I guess I shouldn't have spoken about things I obviousely don't have any business commenting on. Thank you for pointing out my flaws. I will try to correct them so that I can at least try to sound intelligent the next time I debate about this topic.

Edited by p0mt3 - February 03 2009 at 18:20
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Points: 415 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 03 2009 at 18:46
I recently purchased my first electric since 1978, when I bought a Gibson Les Paul Custom left and an Ibanez Artist EQ left. And I must say that it was extremely difficult to purchase a left hand model of the type I was willing to pay. What did I want- an Ibanez JEM77 Vai signature series. Not made in left. Had to settle for an RG1570L Prestige because I thought this might at least sound like the JEM. Whether it does or not I couldn't tell because I have never played a JEM. That said I am still happy with the RG. Most companies nowadays make very limited left hand models. Another choice I would have been quite happy with and willing to pay for was a Paul Reed Smith custom 24, but that was quickly nipped in the bud because PRS stopped making all left handed models years ago.

By the way, I am right handed, but when I was a kid the only guitar in the house was my sisters and she was left handed- she got the tuition and I did the work.

So by my example, I suppose there isn't much difference to which hand a guitar is played. So, lefties starting out- learn right handed. Your choice of guitar purchase later on will be greatly enhanced.
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JLocke View Drop Down
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Points: 4900 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 03 2009 at 19:01
Originally posted by cobb2 cobb2 wrote:

I recently purchased my first electric since 1978, when I bought a Gibson Les Paul Custom left and an Ibanez Artist EQ left. And I must say that it was extremely difficult to purchase a left hand model of the type I was willing to pay. What did I want- an Ibanez JEM77 Vai signature series. Not made in left. Had to settle for an RG1570L Prestige because I thought this might at least sound like the JEM. Whether it does or not I couldn't tell because I have never played a JEM. That said I am still happy with the RG. Most companies nowadays make very limited left hand models. Another choice I would have been quite happy with and willing to pay for was a Paul Reed Smith custom 24, but that was quickly nipped in the bud because PRS stopped making all left handed models years ago.

By the way, I am right handed, but when I was a kid the only guitar in the house was my sisters and she was left handed- she got the tuition and I did the work.

So by my example, I suppose there isn't much difference to which hand a guitar is played. So, lefties starting out- learn right handed. Your choice of guitar purchase later on will be greatly enhanced.
 
I guess that's all I'm saying. But it's just an opinion, so . . .
 
It's funny, this thread has kept going, though the topic starter made his decision ages ago, Tongue.
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