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Hey all very interesting question here for any guitarist...right handers esp1

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  • 15-09-2008 5:13pm
    #1
    lunapark
    Registered Users Posts: 44 ✭


    hey guys, just wanna know, has anyone out there ever experimented with playin a left hand guitar like a right handed guitar? As in take a left handed uitar/ right handed guitar with a leftie set up, and play it as you would, right hand style...i'm right handed by the way. I've gotten some pretty interesting and cool stuff out of doing this, anyone tried it properly before? just want to know cause i've taken the time to learn and practice, and now i'm gettin some cool **** back from it...let us know what you think:cool:
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    #2
    Malice
    Registered Users Posts: 15,065 ✭✭✭✭Malice


    lunapark wrote: »
    hey guys, just wanna know, has anyone out there ever experimented with playin a left hand guitar like a right handed guitar? As in take a left handed uitar/ right handed guitar with a leftie set up, and play it as you would, right hand style...i'm right handed by the way. I've gotten some pretty interesting and cool stuff out of doing this, anyone tried it properly before? just want to know cause i've taken the time to learn and practice, and now i'm gettin some cool **** back from it...let us know what you think:cool:
    My father has a left-handed acoustic guitar and I played it a couple of times years ago but I found it more annoying than anything else.

    I found that, for example, fretting a straightforward D chord was a mess because obviously where I was expecting a B string was an A instead. I'm sure with practice you could get used to it but personally I'd prefer to work on playing guitar the way that suits me best. Maybe you're more patient than me ;).


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    #3
    Rigsby
    Registered Users Posts: 4,450 ✭✭✭Rigsby


    The late great bluesman Albert King, while a leftie, played with the thinnest string on top (i.e. nearest his chest). Our own Ed Dean does exactly the same.


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    #4
    Malice
    Registered Users Posts: 15,065 ✭✭✭✭Malice


    Rigsby wrote: »
    The late great bluesman Albert King, while a leftie, played with the thinnest string on top (i.e. nearest his chest).
    Unless I'm reading your description wrong, did he just take a right-handed guitar and turn it upside down leaving the strings as they were?

    I'd say its far more common for left-handed players to do that rather than right-handed players. I remember reading an interview with a bass player years ago who did the same thing, damned if I can remember his name now though :).


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    #5
    feylya
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 23,359 Mod ✭✭✭✭feylya


    Doesn't Cormac Battle play an upside down righty with the thin strings on top?


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    #6
    Rigsby
    Registered Users Posts: 4,450 ✭✭✭Rigsby


    malice_ wrote: »
    Unless I'm reading your description wrong, did he just take a right-handed guitar and turn it upside down leaving the strings as they were?

    I'd say its far more common for left-handed players to do that rather than right-handed players. I remember reading an interview with a bass player years ago who did the same thing, damned if I can remember his name now though :).

    You could be right, as I notice in this clip that the tone knobs are on top which would suggest it's a right handed guitar.


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFg78JtiZPY


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    #7
    Malice
    Registered Users Posts: 15,065 ✭✭✭✭Malice


    A quick search turned up this weblog which might be worth a read. It's about a leftie playing a right-handed guitar upside down.


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    #8
    Dord
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,817 ✭✭✭✭Dord


    Why would I want to do that? :confused:
    I play bad enough right-handed,... I don't even want imagine what it'd be like playing left-handed. :p


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    #9
    lunapark
    Registered Users Posts: 44 ✭lunapark


    yeh i was just checkin some opinions, cause i find, take a hammer off, or even just straight off scales, when your playing your scales, I find that playing them backwards gets some cool sounds and tones cause you are still picking pretty much like a right hander. you might say" thats stupid, i can pick upwards rather than downwards then if i want to/ if i'm arsed" I can understand that, but believe me its a totally different sounding thing altogether...and its claaasssss. also, trying out stuff like jazz chords and even making up crazy different chords on this topsy turvy set up can really get your creartive juices flowing.
    I think its great and no-one plays like this cause, as someone posted there, people think-why bother?
    anyways cheers for the feedback, keep the discussion goin!


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    #10
    yevveh
    Registered Users Posts: 620 ✭✭✭yevveh


    Rather than do that I'd just experiment with different tunings, although it's a lot of hassle doing that the concept is basically identical.

    As far as upside-downers go, the bassist from Republic of Loose plays a rightie bass like a leftie one. Didn't Hendrix do that too? (I'm not a big fan, so I don't know if he strung it low E to high or what)

    edit: Just found out Hendrix was found dead 38 years ago today. How odd!


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