stormoveroklahoma - Posted - 09/16/2009:  17:16:00

I did search to ind if this was a topic before and came up empty so here's my question:
when you write are you a lefty or righty? I am mostly interested in the Scruggs type players but I'd take any style players answer for the survey.

I draw lefty and righty but I write with my right hand.

Storm from Vermont

are musicians generally left brained or right brained or both?

mtnpckr - Posted - 09/16/2009:  17:32:40

i wonder myself, LOL.
I pitch/catch lefty, bat righty, golf righty, pick righty. Everything else lefty mostly

And you make the assumptions that 1) Banjo pickers are musicians and 2) musicians having brains, period.
"Never take yourself seriously, others are always ready to do it for you"

Edited by - mtnpckr on 09/16/2009 17:34:21

Will R - Posted - 09/16/2009:  17:40:07

Interesting. I write with my left hand BUT I throw a ball, pull a trigger and do everything else with my right.

granada40 - Posted - 09/16/2009:  17:44:40

I'm a lefty. The neck I've got on my Gold Star GF-100 is a left-handed Gold Tone BG-250F neck.

Gold Star GF-100 Conversion

smtwn94 - Posted - 09/16/2009:  17:48:31

I do everything lefty. Except..................pick the banjo

1four5 - Posted - 09/16/2009:  18:01:07

I also do everything lefty through and through. But I play banjo and guitar righty. The main reason is that I didn't know any better, and buy the time I realized that there was a choice, I was already well into the journey, and didn't feel a need to change. I do think it's been very advantagous for my left hand. Fretting has always come very easy.

Dean

Stutts - Posted - 09/16/2009:  18:28:25

I'm a lefty and took up playing right-hand guitar over 40yrs. ago and also banjo recently.
For picking it wasn't such a bad decision but just forget about pick playing on anything! A pick need a heck of a lot of natural rhythm and it's mostly in the natural hand. The finger-board only requires technical precision [not rhythm], and either hand can learn that.

I play clawhammer which requires a lot of rhythm and if I don't practice almost every day my right-hand quickly develops a mind of it's own! I've seen righties pick up where they left off even if they haven't played for a year. I would have no problems learning Scruggs style playing, so I'm probably crazy concentrating on clawhammer.

If I could go back, I'd have started on lefty instruments, that is for sure. Too late now as I'm a long time prisoner of left-handed fingering ...and that's not where the sound or rhythm comes from!

PS: It's those misguided righties who are mostly responsible for talking lefty beginners into starting off right-handed. It's as crazy as talking a righty beginner into starting off learning left-handed. Stop doing it! As for learning from a right-handed teacher or video, a lefty has the advantage of mirror image learning.

All things being equal, any beginner down the track will be a better player if they start off with what is natural. After all, it's common bloody sense.

Edited by - Stutts on 09/16/2009 19:00:33

stelling man - Posted - 09/16/2009:  19:15:23

I'm another lefty who plays everything right handed..

STELLING MAN

Rob Bourassa - Posted - 09/16/2009:  19:37:58

I'm a lefty. I played guitar lefty, but wanted a 5 string. My parents got me a 5 string when I was 11, but it was a righty. I turned around my guitar several months later, and even though I couldn't control a flatpick, I could now play fingerstyle.

It was the best thing for me.

bob chappell - Posted - 09/17/2009:  04:09:32

Well, I do some things left handed and some things right handed. For example, I write right-handed. I throw a baseball right-handed. But I pass a football left-handed. Go figure. As to my musical ability, from the beginning I picked left-handed. That included guitar, banjo, and pedal-steel. All left-handed instruments.

Edited by - bob chappell on 09/17/2009 04:10:23

Texasbanjo - Posted - 09/17/2009:  05:56:35

I'm a lefty but pretty well can use either right or left hand for most anything except writing and picking. Play all my instruments right handed -- banjo, guitar, mandolin, dobro, bass.

I've found it's pretty much a right-handed world and to exist comfortably, you need to be able to use both hands to do various tasks. Ever seen a lefthanded adding machine (or do they have those things anymore?)

Let's Pick!
Texas Banjo

Lonestar Newb - Posted - 09/17/2009:  06:11:59

I write left handed, but I'm right-handed when I throw a ball, swing a bat or golf club, or pick the banjo. However, with a lot of tools I'm ambidextrous. For example, with a hammer I can hit either thumb equally well.

Russ

gypsygirl - Posted - 09/17/2009:  06:53:00

good gosh!!! The only official righty in the room...how different is that?!

Gypsy

gypsygirl - Posted - 09/17/2009:  06:54:28

pretty funny:)


uote]Originally posted by Lonestar Newb

I write left handed, but I'm right-handed when I throw a ball, swing a bat or golf club, or pick the banjo. However, with a lot of tools I'm ambidextrous. For example, with a hammer I can hit either thumb equally well.

Russ
[/quote]

Gypsy

mburk5 - Posted - 09/17/2009:  07:41:28

I'm righty all the way

dawgdoc - Posted - 09/17/2009:  07:52:03

You also have to pay attention to eye dominance. I do everything left handed except write and play the banjo. I'm left-eyed dominant. Try to shoot a bow with the wrong eye...

I've known a number of lefty banjo players who play right handed. It makes good sense.

bbeoj - Posted - 09/17/2009:  08:23:30

I write, bat, & throw lefty. I golf, and play guitar, banjo, & racquet sports righty.

I wonder if this thread indicates that more banjo players consider themselves left-handed/ambidextrous or that those who consider themselves lefties/ambidextrous find the question interesting and are more likely to respond :)

FatManMary - Posted - 09/17/2009:  08:24:26

I'm a righty on everything except when I'm putting in golf then I'm lefty.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Grand Ole Opry Ain't So Grand Anymore

http://www.reinstatehank.org/

harold saxton - Posted - 09/17/2009:  08:32:43

I write and play banjo with my right hand. I use my left for most everything else.

By the way, right handed people use the left side of the brain and left handed people use the right side of the brain. Therefore, left handed people are the only ones in their right mind.

ambpicker - Posted - 09/17/2009:  08:52:34

I am right handed. I play banjo and dobro right and left handed.
I have trained myself to do a number of things left handed such as writing, drawing, casting a rod and reel, throwing a cast net, shooting a rifle, pistol and shotgun, shooting a slingshot, and sometimes I practice martial arts left hand.

Leslie

steve davis - Posted - 09/17/2009:  08:53:13

An old friend of mine is left-handed,but he shoots right handed.
The funny thing is whenever he threads a nut or bolt he goes the wrong way
until he realizes he's getting nowhere then reverses direction...like he just turned left-handed yesterday.
Pretty funny.

Edited by - steve davis on 09/17/2009 08:53:46

mburk5 - Posted - 09/17/2009:  09:20:53

Maybe I'm the only normal one in here,or maybe you all are normal and I'm not,guess i'm just not as talented cause try as i might the only thing I can seem to do good with the left hand is fret the banjo:)

leftydave - Posted - 09/17/2009:  09:25:58

I'm a true southpaw but I tried to play banjo & guitar right handed. Couldn't do it. Too much right hand finger/hand fatigue and couldn't keep in time so went left handed and it's working out just fine. Play a Goldtone OB250L w/Hatfield bridge & Ode tailpiece.
Dave

Tommy5 - Posted - 09/17/2009:  18:25:23

I'm a lefty, but play banjo Scruggs and clawhammer righty, i also golf and bat righty. I was forced to bat and play banjo righty, the teacher refused to teach me clawhammer on an upside down restrung banjo.

stormoveroklahoma - Posted - 09/18/2009:  06:49:37

Seems like a lot of musicians...(like 80% or more) are left handed to some ability and therefore right brained as well. The right hemisphere seems to be the abstract or creative side and the left side of the brain seems to be the pragmatic mathematical side.
Interesting.

Please keep the list growing if you can this is real interesting.

Storm

Heesman - Posted - 09/18/2009:  07:48:44

I too am a mutt...I write, shoot, eat, etc lefty but when it comes to throwing/kicking a ball I do it righty.

My first banjo was a Christmas present and it was a righty...so I am learning righty. More humorous than anything else is that when I pretend like I am playing a stringed instrument without thinking I do it lefty.

South paws are strange ducks.

Eric