Re: A thing or two to identify me

Date: 2005-07-08 06:27 pm (UTC)
I strongly support Dick Dale and Jimi Hendrix playing left-handed and upside down. (That would be "played" in Jimi's case -- yes, I wish he were still with us, but I need to face the facts.) What you didn't realize is that I don't support "left-handed should play left-handed guitars" as a necessary alternative to playing upside down, but as a necessary alternative to pretending to be right-handed and strumming or picking with the right hand. I have investigated "lefties playing right" a *lot*. There are just enough people who have managed to learn to play well despite this handicap (Glen Campbell, Robert Fripp from King Crimson, jazz guitarist George Van Eps) that most people, and indeed most guitar teachers, can't grasp that overwhelmingly, this "pretending to be right-handed" results in acutely musically frustrated individuals who have rhythm problems (absolutely consistently, difficulty synchronizing rhythms with other players, either lagging behind the beat or falling into and out of synch) and can't improvise. Under these circumstances, then, I feel that Dick Dale and Jimi Hendrix (and folk guitarist/writer Bill Staines, and several Twin Cities musicians) are doing *exactly* the right thing. Might they play better if they'd played custom made lefty guitars from the first? Yeah, just maybe, but that wasn't the point I was trying to make. I am thrilled that Jimi and Dick played lefty rather than trying to play righty, getting more and more frustrated and finally giving up (though apparently Jimi could play a little bit "righty" too).

And as far as Louie playing a bass that was strung right-handed -- that is exactly what I said she did. "Regular bass flipped over." It's easier this way, and it means she and I can share the same instrument in music circles.
Does this clarify anything?

Regards,


Nate
This account has disabled anonymous posting.
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
No Subject Icon Selected
More info about formatting

Profile

ericcoleman: (Default)
ericcoleman

June 2025

S M T W T F S
12 345 67
891011121314
151617 18192021
22232425262728
2930     

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 16th, 2025 09:12 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios