David Hutton
Cheerfully Optimistic
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My main instrument is: The Colin Symonds All English Guitar
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Post by David Hutton on Oct 27, 2015 9:32:51 GMT
Rather amusingly I have been asked to teach a 6 year old to play the uke. (So I am currently having to teach myself)
He is left handed (completely) and they have purchased him a right handed uke. He seems very comfortable with it, picks up the right way and strums in rhythm. Still I can't help thinking he should at least try a left handed. I assume we have left handed / right handed for a reason and that it will make things more difficult for him in the long run. Any advise as I do not want to upset the parents with out good reason?
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David Hutton
Cheerfully Optimistic
Posts: 1,179
My main instrument is: The Colin Symonds All English Guitar
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Post by David Hutton on Oct 27, 2015 10:42:23 GMT
I have just read that most cheaper uke do not have a compensating saddle. If this is the case with his I guess it would be possible to simply turn the string around!
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Post by earwighoney on Oct 27, 2015 10:46:26 GMT
He is left handed (completely) and they have purchased him a right handed uke. He seems very comfortable with it, picks up the right way and strums in rhythm. I'd leave him be, if he's already started playing right handed and having no problems allow him to continue. There are a fair number of left handed guitarists who play right handed...
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Oct 27, 2015 10:48:38 GMT
He is left handed (completely) and they have purchased him a right handed uke. He seems very comfortable with it, picks up the right way and strums in rhythm. I'd leave him be, if he's already started playing right handed and having no problems allow him to continue. There are a fair number of left handed guitarists who play right handed... Agreed. If he's comfortable learning as a righty, stick with it. Better selection of instruments for starters, and of course if he progresses to guitar, it's even handier to play that way round.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Oct 27, 2015 10:49:14 GMT
Just to be absolutely clear, are you saying that he hold the uke righty?
If so, and he seems comfortable with that then stick with it. It won't cause problems.
Orchestral and keyboard players all play righty irrespective of "handedness"
Keith
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David Hutton
Cheerfully Optimistic
Posts: 1,179
My main instrument is: The Colin Symonds All English Guitar
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"45423e"}
Mini-Profile Name Color: f9f0f0
Mini-Profile Text Color: d0bebe
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Post by David Hutton on Oct 27, 2015 11:02:14 GMT
Thanks Chaps your advice is much appreciated as I really had no idea of what to suggest! ocarolan, yes he holds the uke as a right handed person would. As long as is does not cause any problems we will stick with it.
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Post by solidtop on Oct 28, 2015 22:29:28 GMT
i'm a leftie and i do everything with my left hand that righties do with their right. But yet the one thing i do right handed is play guitar. I tried doing it left handed and struggled making a C chord! i had no rhythm in my left hand for strumming and it felt so alien. When i first started to play, it was natural to play right handed. On the flip side, i know a righty that plays left handed
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Post by slasher on Nov 2, 2015 15:16:06 GMT
I have a friend who is a fine player right-handed. He is a naturally left handed but chose to learn to play right-handed his theory being that you do difficult and different things with each hand when fingerpicking so it doesn't really make much difference which way you play. So why not have a better choice of guitars.
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Post by thejamsinger on Nov 12, 2015 21:24:53 GMT
Agree with those who say leave him be. I'm right handed and when I played football I was left footed. Phil Mickleson a famous golfer writes right handed and plays golf left handed. It's not that unusual.
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Post by martinrowe on Nov 12, 2015 22:26:44 GMT
I'm left handed. I recently bought a right handed mandolin and got David Oddy, who lives fairly near, to insert a new left handed nut and compensated bridge. At one point he said, I think I've got the figures correct, that 7% of the population is left handed and 1% of those play a musical instrument, so it would have been better to play right handed from the beginning as it would have given me more choice. Interesting, I don't know if I agree or not. I play guitar and mandolin and write left handed and when I used to play football was right footed. Perhaps it depends on the progress he is making and whether he feels comfortable. Who knows?
Martin Rowe
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