Right handed pickers who write w/left hand & visa versa

[woodwizard]

This is probabaly not a rarity but has always seemed strange to me. Just was wondering how many of ya'll out there pick righty and do other things lefty ? Chris Thile plays righty and write's with the left hand for one. I noticed this when I went to a Marshall/Thile show once.

[Steve-o]

I pick right handed but write and eat left handed, but that and being Irish-american are about the only things I have in common with CT. I wish it were the formula for mandolin virtuosity, but alas... There was a thread on this topic several years ago. Incidentally, I play all my sports right handed, despite my southpaw status. If I recall, CT throws right handed too. Hmm...

[albeham]

I am a lefty for all other stuff.. I shoot move and communicate with the left.

AL

go ask my wife...

[hedgehog]

I am left handed and do some things right handed for instance I shoot (firearms) left handed, but play golf right handed, I throw left handed, , but can get it done right handed, I bat right handed, with a bow (archery) I’m right handed. Being left handed in a right handed world makes it a necessity for all left hander’s to be versatile with both hands. So, when learning a new thing that requires building dexterity with both hands and creating a bit of muscle memory I lean toward using right handed equipment. I honestly don’t understand how right handed people can play what is conventionally called a right handed instrument where true dexterity is required from the LEFT hand.

[Paul Kotapish]

I honestly don’t understand how right handed people can play what is conventionally called a right handed instrument where true dexterity is required from the LEFT hand.

Hedgehog,

While the fretting/noting hand does require dexterity, many string players agree that the real magic takes place with the picking/bowing arm and hand. I know quite a few great musicians who are lefties who play right-handed instruments, and they all battle a bit with their picking/bowing arms. Many have actually developed some interesting idiosyncratic stylistic flourishes as result of using their less-dominant hand to drive the music.

Even the amazing Mr. Thile, who has incredible dexterity, speed, and control in a both hands, plays very softly in comparison with his right-handed mandolin peers.

To look at it another way, it's the picking/bowing arm that controls the rhythm and groove. You can have great music with a simple melody or a handful of chords, but without rhythm and groove, you haven't got much at all. The fretting hand may dazzle, but it's the picking hand that makes the music.

[guitarpath]

I am a natural lefty who plays mandolin and guitar right-handed.

I agree with hedgehog above when he said that left-handed people have to be ambidexrious to some degree in order to survive in our right-handed world.

I do almost everything left-handed (throw, play tennis, etc.) except play music. For me, it just felt natural to play right-handed (I am very grateful for this, since it is so much harder for left-handed mandolin and guitar players to try out and buy instruments).

One crude way of seeing which way of playing is most natural for a person is the clapping test. If you clap by moving your right hand to your stationary left hand, you are more llikely to want to play mandolin right-handed. If you move your left hand to your stationary right hand, you are more likely to be a left-handed player. If you clap by moving both hands simultaneously, you should take up the banjo.

[Paul Busman]

We lefties living in a righty world learn to do a great many things right handed. I play string instruments righty because I never learned any different. Too bad 'cause the fingers on my right hand work faster-- go figure. I think it may have had to do with early piano lessons, where the right hand has the majority of the action. Maybe not.

[Markus]

I guess I should thank my kindergarten teacher who only taught children to write with the right hand for being fairly ambidextrous ... I eat left handed, prefer to mouse left handed, and play hockey left handed - though I'd call myself right footed in soccer and play sports/music right handed.

Paul K. has a great point about music being driven by rhythm [right hand here] ... I'm guessing my piano lessons as a kid and adult drumming classes helped put rhythm in both my hands. I'd imagine a degree of variance here, as there's probably fair number of `technically lefty but raised righty' people out there.

An interesting idea to think about, for sure.

[farmerjones]

i write left handed, but play all strings conventionally. (right handed)
I stated before, i'm not extremely handed one way or the other. Note that some folks are severely dominate one hand. I think that may be more of a factor than lh/rh.

[Hammond]

I am a lefty but play right-handed. My first acoustic guitar was purchased by my Dad (yep a right-handed guitar). Dad was right-handed and proceeded to teach me a couple of chords right-handed. It just stuck...for all musical instruments. I found living in a right-handed world (and family) was a little tough. Dad also bought me a baseball glove...you guessed it....right-handed. He use to get frustrated with me when I used his power tools. I'd cross-arm myself to hold the circular saw. He'd go wild. When using his drill with my left hand the palm of my hand would push in the "continually run button" and I could'nt turn the drill off quick enough. I've learn to be quite ambidextrous in my sixty years and get through alot....except for missing my Dad.

[Jared Heddinger]

I’m fully left handed but decided to play instruments right. More choices and it’s easier to get a teacher.

[Geordie]

I'm left handed and play right-handed mandolin flipped over so I can fret with my right hand. It's worked for me so far.
Anyone else have any experience with playing right-handed instruments left-handed?

[Perry]

One crude way of seeing which way of playing is most natural for a person is the clapping test. If you clap by moving your right hand to your stationary left hand, you are more llikely to want to play mandolin right-handed. If you move your left hand to your stationary right hand, you are more likely to be a left-handed player. If you clap by moving both hands simultaneously, you should take up the banjo.

Clap test confirmed I'm mostly lefty.

I write lefty. Also eat with fork or spoon in left hand (European style). Shoot pool or a rifle lefty. Golf, bat, throw and play mandolin and guitar righty.

Other left handed righty musicians...Jorma, Mark Knopfler...

Any others?

[SternART]

Other left handed righty musicians...Jorma, Mark Knopfler...Any others?

Me! Just saw Jorma at Bill Graham's Bday bash. Hot Tuna totally rocked the Fillmore!

[G7MOF]

I'm left handed and play right-handed mandolin flipped over so I can fret with my right hand. It's worked for me so far.
Anyone else have any experience with playing right-handed instruments left-handed?

I'm left handed and play a Gibson A2 upside down. I recently found a 1922 left handed Gibson A4, Just perfect!!!

[Charley wild]

I'm right handed but do a lot of things left handed. I would have played the mandolin left handed if somebody didn't make me turn the guitar around when I was thirteen. My natural inclination was to play it left handed. I write, bat and throw right handed, but shoot a rifle and shoot pool, left handed.

[Dave Cowles]

I write lefty and throw a ball lefty, but do almost everything else righty. Lefties being ambidextrous is part nurture and part nature. The nature part has to do with brain architecture. The main communication link between the brain hemispheres is called the corpus callosum, and it is substantially bigger in diameter in right hemisphere-dominant (left-handed) individuals. This makes lefties true "twin-brainers," having greater simultaneous access to both cerebral hemispheres. Aren't you glad you asked?

[guitarpath]

Lefties being ambidextrous is part nurture and part nature. The nature part has to do with brain architecture. The main communication link between the brain hemispheres is called the corpus callosum, and it is substantially bigger in diameter in right hemisphere-dominant (left-handed) individuals. This makes lefties true "twin-brainers," having greater simultaneous access to both cerebral hemispheres. Aren't you glad you asked?

This confirms my own personal (albeit anecdotal) observation: that left-handed people are just plain smarter.

I also have a theory that left-handed people are generally better-looking, too.

[Ken Scarbrough]

I am a lefty for everything else that I do, just play righty and it is no problem for me.

[Ben Milne]

I'm left handed and play right-handed mandolin flipped over so I can fret with my right hand. It's worked for me so far.
Anyone else have any experience with playing right-handed instruments left-handed?

I saw a left handed F-style the other day and other that the fact it was a michael kelly, I was tempted by the concept of restringing a lefty F style righthanded... not sure its worth the extra money to buy a lefty to string it righty though.

[G7MOF]

Shooting, Archery and pool are based round being that eye dominant, For instance, you can't look down a pool cue with a bad eye so, If you have a better right eye than left, you would play pool etc right handed even though you may be a naturally left handed person.

[Jai]

I write lefthanded, but do everything else (mandolin and guitar playing included) right handedly. Actually, I write and draw and paint (in the art sense) lefthanded - if it's painting walls then righthanded.
I have to say, it's great to discover that Chris Thile is a lefthanded writer and righthanded player... there's hope for me yet!

[CelticDude]

I am solidly left-handed, but do several things, like play instruments, "right-handed". These are in quotes because I'm not convinced instruments have handedness. I started with wind instruments, where both hands are pretty much doing the same thing. And I see string instruments similarly. If anything, it seems that the left hand has the harder job playing RH, so I should have a slight advantage being a lefty. I also hold a bat and a golf club and a hockey stick RH, and again never thought about handedness; I just held them the way I was shown. (I also haven't done most of these since I was a kid, so they seem kind of moot...)

OTOH I use scissors, eat, and do everything else LH where one hand is doing most of the work. It turns out that I'm also left-eyed.

[Tom Sanderson]

I have been playing mando over 35 years, also played fiddle for a lot of years. I'm left handed , but play right handed. Seems quite natural to me.

[Kbone]

I'm like Thile well w/ a pencil that is...