Dominant sides

[Tony M]

I don't know if this has been touched on before or not.
If it is a rehash of an old thread everyone just ignore it.

I play in a praise & worship ensemble a lot.
We usually have 3 guitarists in there.
One of them doubles on keyboards.

When we are in 3 guitar mode, we have never had to
formally arrange the guitars. It seems to just happen
and we never get in each others way.

One guitarist is right handed and plays right handed.
One guitarist is left handed and plays left handed.
One guitarist is left handed but plays right handed.

When we are putting together a song we seem to approach
it from 3 completely different directions and the guitars seem
to automatically arrange themselves all on their own.

I am sure there have been volumes written about left brain/right brain.
I was just wondering if anyone else in here has had similar experiences.

 

[dbb]

I have not had any similar experiences, but it seems interesting enough to study.

 

[Biddlin]

I think you might be on to something. I had a left handed partner who played a right handed guitar, upside down. He was quite easy to arrange parts with .
Biddlin ;>)/

 

[dbb]

I wonder if there is a connection to one's specific musicianship or would those guys have been just as easy to work with if they all were right handed?

How to even set up a test for that?

 

[Biddlin]

I might add, the guy is also an astro-physicist who lectures at Cal-Tech and MIT for his day gig. Could be relevant factors.

 

[Tobacco Worm]

Odd that I started out left handed. I was reading and writing before I got to school thanks to my mother, grandmother, and great grandmother(a retired school principal). Was writing in script left handed. So far so good. When I got to the school on the reservation, they beat me across the left hand with a rather large stick and forced me to write with my right hand. All my weapons were right handed and my father was too, so I used right handed weapons (bow & rifle). I do most everything right handed now due more to convention rather than by natural choice. I think that the left side of my brain had a war with the right side and neither won, but created a nasty battlefield that hasn't been cleaned up! Do ya think that's why I'm the way I am? Confused.

Wade,
never in my right mind!

 

[dbb]

I've heard that they tried to switch lefties in the old days. Sad.

 

[oldrockfan]

wait Biddlin... astro physicist makes me wonder... is this guy you are referring to a guitarist for a very well known band??? Sure sounds like a guitarist from an old rock band that I have heard on a couple of radio interviews that he guest lectures at colleges.

now as for OP... all my buddies are right handed guitarists but is a really interesting thought. The whole right brain, left brain thing. Oddly, I am right handed but kick a football left footed so wonder what that says about me?

 

[Tobacco Worm]

Not only sad, but a might painful too. But I got even with that Gov't teacher later on. Many of us rode horses to school and mine had eaten well that morning. I managed to get her backed up to that lady's '49 Chevy and my mare left that teacher "a present" in the driver's seat! The teacher about went nuts when she saw what was in her car. We thought that she'd stroke out or something. It was funny! The school was run by Gov't people then and they made a big deal of it, but no Lakota said a word.

For months that lady would run to the window when she'd hear the horses making noise outside. Musta been worried that some pony was gonna leave her another "surprise". Yup, that was a good mare I rode in those days.:)

 

[Kevy Nova]

It's been mentioned before but I'll mention it again; Hendrix was right handed but played lefty. Also, Ringo is a lefty but drums right handed and he has said that that is why he often did such odd fills.

 

[sgtbeefheart]

Am I the only one who tried to play guitar left handed the first time?

I'm right handed, and it seem logical to me that the f/b work was the
busiest and hardest part, so I should use my"best" hand.

 

[dbb]

Am I the only one who tried to play guitar left handed the first time?

I'm right handed, and it seem logical to me that the f/b work was the
busiest and hardest part, so I should use my"best" hand.

That's how the lefties that play right-handed think! That and the fact that they could find a lot more right-handed guitars to choose from.

 

[thatbastarddon]

That's how the lefties that play right-handed think! That and the fact that they could find a lot more right-handed guitars to choose from.

Yep, i can confirm that. Although for a long time i would break in to air guitar sessions in true lefty. As a lefty that plays righty, my fretboard hand works well, but decent picking is something i have to work hard for.

 

[Alex_SG]

Odd that I started out left handed. I was reading and writing before I got to school thanks to my mother, grandmother, and great grandmother(a retired school principal). Was writing in script left handed. So far so good. When I got to the school on the reservation, they beat me across the left hand with a rather large stick and forced me to write with my right hand. All my weapons were right handed and my father was too, so I used right handed weapons (bow & rifle). I do most everything right handed now due more to convention rather than by natural choice. I think that the left side of my brain had a war with the right side and neither won, but created a nasty battlefield that hasn't been cleaned up! Do ya think that's why I'm the way I am? Confused.

Wade,
never in my right mind!

Me too! Up until my 2nd or 3rd year at school I was truly ambidextrous. Eventually, though, the teachers convinced me my writing would be neater if I chose to write with just one hand. As most people are right handed, that's what I chose. However, I can still write fairly legibly with my left hand, and funny enough, when I shoot my pistol during range time at work, I shoot with the right hand, but sight with my left eye! My brain is a bit muddled up too!

 

[Biddlin]

Nope, orf, but I did get to meet Sir Brian in the early 80s . Music seems a common sideline for scientists and vice versa . My longtime bass player, Newbone, has an encyclopedic knowledge of the northern celestial dome and can both calculate precession of stars and score multiple staves in varying keys, with ease. Probably hasn't remembered to pay his rent or light bill yet...
Biddlin ;>)/

 

[Tobacco Worm]

when I shoot my pistol during range time at work, I shoot with the right hand, but sight with my left eye! My brain is a bit muddled up too!

Same here Alex. Left eye dominate shooting right handed. I cock my head slightly to the right when I shoot pistols. But it must have worked ok for me as I held the slot of "Top Gun" in my department for many years until they went to auto loaders and then I lost interest.