banjoman56 - Posted - 10/23/2009:  10:51:58

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I know this is kinda backwards, but my right hand has been broken at least twice and probably three times, and it swells and get stiff, also I can't seem to keep my ring finger anchored to the head. I have tried rolls with my left hand and have no problems anchoring with it. My question is, how hard would it be to change over to playing lefty? Not that I intend to stop playing right handed altogether. Just something to fool around with. I have an old Gibson that needs a neck anyway so I could just have a lefty made for it.

banjotef - Posted - 10/23/2009:  11:06:01

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I've never had to change, but I've thought a lot about what would happen if my right hand could no longer pick. I think you can accomplish it with repetition (practice). Many people have been able to re-train their nerves and muscles.

Go down pickin'

BigDaddio88 - Posted - 10/23/2009:  11:12:42

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I changed from lefty to righty. Was EXTREMELY uncoordinated at first but with everyday practice...it now feels very natural. It also exercises your brain to keep the grey matter fresh. Give it some time. Ray

If we live in fear of banjos, than the banjos have won.

banjer5 - Posted - 10/23/2009:  11:49:29

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I've always been a lefty playing right handed but it sounds like your right hand might offer some problems regardless. The left hand has to make the chord forms and slides, pulloffs and hammerons. If you changed you might still have problems with the right hand. You have my sympathy but I continue to believe desire will overcome all obstacles. Good Luck

Fast Freddy the engineer says: Throttle in RUN 8 and highball, then don't look back, something might be gainin' on ya. 73,s de K5BGZ

slowdeath - Posted - 10/23/2009:  12:05:07

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Jack Baker is a well known player and teacher here in NYC who switched from righty to lefty. He's on BHO and I know that Tony Trischka helped him out a lot when he was making the switch.

It can be done. Good luck


Regards,

Matt

www.myspace.com/slowdeathandloneliness

mtnpckr - Posted - 10/23/2009:  12:41:22

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http://hawthorne.fastie.com/banjo/lhrh.htm

Paul Hawthorne was a righty who taught himself to play lefty as well. you might get some insight from the above link.
I'm a lefty trying to play righty , btw


"Never take yourself seriously, others are always ready to do it for you"

banjoman56 - Posted - 10/23/2009:  13:30:02

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quote:

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Originally posted by banjer5

I've always been a lefty playing right handed but it sounds like your right hand might offer some problems regardless. The left hand has to make the chord forms and slides, pulloffs and hammerons. If you changed you might still have problems with the right hand. You have my sympathy but I continue to believe desire will overcome all obstacles. Good Luck

Fast Freddy the engineer says: Throttle in RUN 8 and highball, then don't look back, something might be gainin' on ya. 73,s de K5BGZ

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I'm not to the point that I can't play righthanded, but I've been thinking about trying to go lefty for some time now just to see if it would be easier. You're probably right about the right hand giving problems chording etc. I t's something that might be fun to try. Shouldn't have used my hands for a club so much and I wouldn't be having this problem.

Jaminbanjo - Posted - 10/23/2009:  14:06:37

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You only need to plant your pinky finger on the head. But, it will take some time to switch...but it might be worth it.

Austin

Helix - Posted - 10/23/2009:  22:37:56

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Definitely do it, same brain, same classrooms, just open up a lefty lab. And sleep on it, you'll find the next day, integration takes place because you dreamed about it. Same notes. Same song, same music. Play on.

Tortoise wins

http://www.helixbanjos.com
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banjoman56 - Posted - 10/24/2009:  09:48:46

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Thanks for all the info guys. I may try to find a lefty neck and give it a try.

BobCu - Posted - 10/24/2009:  11:02:32

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quote:

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Originally posted by mtnpckr

http://hawthorne.fastie.com/banjo/lhrh.htm

Paul Hawthorne was a righty who taught himself to play lefty as well. you might get some insight from the above link.
I'm a lefty trying to play righty , btw


"Never take yourself seriously, others are always ready to do it for you"

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Good Luck with your choice, and it is a choice. I am a lefty and thought long and hard about trying righty before I bought my banjo. I went with the left hand, and in my case absolutely no regrets. I think you can train yourself for the opposite hand, but at my age I figured buy what is "right" for me and don't worry about it.

Good Pickin'
Bob Cunningham

johann - Posted - 10/24/2009:  13:16:04

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why not just float the right hand? Guitar players do this all the time.

Jaminbanjo - Posted - 10/25/2009:  17:19:28

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quote:

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Originally posted by johann

why not just float the right hand? Guitar players do this all the time.

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That's a loaded question. Why do you have to plant? Well, you just have to.

Austin

banjoman56 - Posted - 10/25/2009:  21:14:09

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I don't have a problem planting my pinky, but my ring finger just kinda goes along with my middle finger. It don't really cause any bad problems except that my hand is just not as stable as it would be if I could plant both. My biggest problem is that some times my fingers get pretty stiff and swollen.

Rob Bourassa - Posted - 10/25/2009:  23:36:29

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I switched from lefty to righty, when I was 10. I asked for a left handed 5 string for Christmas, since my guitar teacher had restrung my guitar right handed, after several years of goofing around left handed.

They couldn't find a left handed 5 string, so, that was that. Banjo thankfully helped out my guitar playing too. I still eat and write left handed.

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Edited by - Rob Bourassa on 10/25/2009 23:37:21

johann - Posted - 10/26/2009:  06:50:10

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jaminbanjo

quote:

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Originally posted by johann

why not just float the right hand? Guitar players do this all the time.

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That's a loaded question. Why do you have to plant? Well, you just have to.
Austin

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It is true that I was trying to play devil's advocate at the time... but I don't think this is so far out of the realm of possibility. I honestly think one does not actually have to plant any finger on the head, though I have no substantial evidence one way or the other. All I have to go on is that I don't know a banjo player who doesn't plant, but at the same time I don't know a guitar player who does...

ambpicker - Posted - 10/26/2009:  17:10:52

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It can be done, I am right handed, and trained myself to play lefty.
If you want to try it before you buy a new banjo or a new neck, try this:
Take your right hand banjo, loosen up the B and the low D strings.
You do not even have to remove the strings.
Slide the B string over 2 notches, into the low D slot, and the low D string down 2 notches into the B slot. You have to do this both at the nut and the bridge.
It'll look kind of funny, and the pegs now correspond with different strings.
Now it is basiccaly strung upside down.
Tune it back up to open G as normal.
Then capo at the 5th fret, and stick the head of an ink pen or something like that, at what would be the high D, 10th fret.
Now you have a lefty, although it's capoed to C.
You will find it difficult at first, I had to resort to reading tab for a few months, just to retrain my right and left hand.
It may be different for you.
Keep us posted and Good Luck

Leslie

JollyRogers - Posted - 10/27/2009:  15:32:29

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Yes. I am a lefty naturally, write left handed, throw ball lefty and so on. I learned guitar starting when I was 10 playing right handed. I didn't know any better. I never got real good. Well I started messing with 5 string when I was in my early 20's and again where would I find a lefty banjo... So I learned righty. Never got real good and stopped. Later on I again learned righty and since then I have banged up my right hand a plenty... I have my left also. Again, I got to a point and couldn't get past a plateau... So I decided to try left handed. Had a lefty neck made and restrung my banjo and moved the arm rest. My left hand has more pick drive and it feels mutch more natural to pick with that hand. My right hand can chord and what not, but I have a no ability to use my thumb ouround the nect to fret some up the neck 7ths. Oh well. Pretty funny when I am playing a guitar with some people at a jam and then break out a left handed banjo... they just stare in disbelief and always ask if I am playing it backwards :)

I still have a righty banjo here I need to sell and another lefty I need to also sell... My current banjo I have a both a right & left handed neck and can just switch them out if I get the notion.

banjoman56 - Posted - 10/27/2009:  20:48:04

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Thanks fellows. I'll try re-stringing one of my bangers Leslie. Hadn't thought of that.