Left or right handed

[CropleyWasGod]

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I think something like 1 in 10 people are left handed, but among my musician friends (literally hundreds over the years) this probably rises to maybe 1 in 4.

Left handed pipers. They're just ****ing weird. Especially the ones that have their hands the wrong way round.😆

[s.a.m]

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I too have noticed that a lot of those in the creative arts are left handed,,,, coincidence?
Equally bewildered that you rarely(never?) find left handed musicians in orchestras???

Is that because of instrument design, maybe? I once read, also, that a disproportionate percentage of musicians have joint hypermobility, because flexibilty / reach makes a difference to what you can easily achieve on a lot of instruments.

Edit: just read Peevemor's post, and so clearly I'm wrong about left-handedness and instruments. Can't think then why it would be rare in orchestras.

[Peevemor]

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I’m left handed for everything except sport where it involves swinging a club or bat. I play a left handed guitar now but used to just play with a right handed one simply turned upside down. Somebody here (Peevemor maybe?) once suggested all lefties should learn instruments right handed, something I wish I had at least attempted now.

For some instruments there may be a good argument for your stronger hand to be doing certain things, but in general you're learning something entirely new so learning right handed can save all sorts of hassle with instruments in the long term.

Pianists, for example, don't have a choice and they manage fine.

Of all the left handed musicians I know, I'd say maybe 75% play right handed.

[Peevemor]

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Left handed pipers. They're just ****ing weird. Especially the ones that have their hands the wrong way round.

I've known à few who have their drones on the "wrong shoulder" but TBH they generally haven't been very good.

I know a couple of decent players who only inverse their hands. It looks uncomfortable apart from anything else.

All the other left handed pipers I know play in a normal, non deviant way.

[CropleyWasGod]

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Is that because of instrument design, maybe? I once read, also, that a disproportionate percentage of musicians have joint hypermobility, because flexibilty / reach makes a difference to what you can easily achieve on a lot of instruments.

Edit: just read Peevemor's post, and so clearly I'm wrong about left-handedness and instruments. Can't think then why it would be rare in orchestras.

Practicalities? Imagine a violin section where all but one are right handed. That left hander is going to cause some damage 😆

[CropleyWasGod]

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I've known à few who have their drones on the "wrong shoulder" but TBH they generally haven't been very good.

I know a couple of decent players who only inverse their hands. It looks uncomfortable apart from anything else.

All the other left handed pipers I know play in a normal, non deviant way.

One of my favourite players from my childhood was left handed. Maybe I liked him because he was a rebel.😁

Thinking this through... if you learn on the chanter, everyone should learn the same way, left hand on top, no?
So the only issue for lefties becomes where they put the drones when they go on to the full pipes. That must be down to personal preference. 🤔

[Just Alf]

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Classic!
Amazing how you wear a watch or single earring determines your sexuality.

In the 'olden days' it was a sort of underground signal to show your preference

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[s.a.m]

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Practicalities? Imagine a violin section where all but one are right handed. That left hander is going to cause some damage 😆

This is very true. 😄

[Peevemor]

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One of my favourite players from my childhood was left handed. Maybe I liked him because he was a rebel.

Thinking this through... if you learn on the chanter, everyone should learn the same way, left hand on top, no?
So the only issue for lefties becomes where they put the drones when they go on to the full pipes. That must be down to personal preference.

It's far more comfortable to have the left hand on top if you have the bag under your left arm.

If you have the bag under your left arm you have to stretch to put the left hand to the bottom of the chanter. Either that or you bend the chanter slightly under the bag to reach it easier (but you end up bending your left wrist) . Either way will limit dexterity.

In addition, right handed people can't play pipes that are set up for a left handed person (ie. drones on the opposite shoulder). This can be a real disadvantage as it can take years for a learner to have enough experience to properly set up his/her instrument - so ordinarily it will be the teacher that does it for him/her. A right handed teacher won't be able to properly check left handed pipes.

[stu in nottingham]

Left-hander and footer here. Always worn my watch on the right wrist and find that dislocating my left arm can help when winding my watch.

There's a bit of evidence re the 'it's the way you learn' theory about two-handed operations. Canadian ice hockey players have a majority who shoot left (60%). It's not because they are generally speaking. left-handed and there are one or two theories as to why. Americans tend to shoot right.

It's interesting that some of the absolute elite footballers of all-time have been left-footed, including Maradona, Messi, Alfredo Di Stefano, Ference Puskas and Johan Cruyff. Many other among the 'greats' as well including Pauolo Maldini, Roberto Carlos, Raul, Gerson, Stoichkov, Rivellino, Hagi and Kempes. Not forgetting our own late, great Jim Baxter.

I did a small-scale scientific study once to determine if righties were better with their left than lefties were with their right. Results (albeit on a small sample) seemed to indicate that for everyday basic tasks there was little difference. For more intricate tasks though the left-handers were better with their right hand than right-handers were with their left.

[Hibernia&Alba]

I'm a bit all over the place:

Write with my left hand
Right arm is stronger
Cricket/tennis/darts - right hand
Snooker - left hand
Use a hammer with right hand; use a screwdriver with left hand

Totally right footed.

[Hibbyradge]

Kingussie GC has the most left handed golfers in the world because they learn to play shinty when they're young.

[O'Rourke3]

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I'm a bit all over the place:

Write with my left hand
Right arm is stronger
Cricket/tennis/darts - right hand
Snooker - left hand
Use a hammer with right hand; use a screwdriver with left hand

Totally right footed.

I'm almost exactly opposite. Can do most things with both hands. Left footed but trained myself to use both. Think I was probably left handed but tought to write with my right hand. Don't think I'd picked up a pencil before Primary school.

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[Since90+2]

Is it true you can be right or left eared?

[overdrive]

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Is it true you can be right or left eared?

Well I have a hearing impairment in my left ear so I’m definitely right eared

[CropleyWasGod]

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Well I have a hearing impairment in my left ear so I’m definitely right eared

Davey Crocket's front one was wild.

[Peevemor]

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Davey Crocket's front one was wild.

And Captain Kirk's was final.

[EskbankHibby]

Glasgow have the Coma Scale we have the Handedness Inventory.

https://www.physio-pedia.com/Edinbur...nventory_(EHI)

[WeeRussell]

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Is it true you can be right or left eared?

Dunno about ears but I am completely right handed and footed for everything... but left-eye dominant. I only know that due to being into darts!

If I’m getting the lid off of a tight jar, the left hand is doing the turning of the lid, and the right the hodding of the jar. Don’t know if that’s normal for right handers? Come to think of it I open juice bottles etc like that regardless of how tight they are. Seems strange..

[lapsedhibee]

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If I’m getting the lid off of a tight jar, the left hand is doing the turning of the lid, and the right the hodding of the jar. Don’t know if that’s normal for right handers? Come to think of it I open juice bottles etc like that regardless of how tight they are. Seems strange..

Same.

[CropleyWasGod]

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Dunno about ears but I am completely right handed and footed for everything... but left-eye dominant. I only know that due to being into darts!

If I’m getting the lid off of a tight jar, the left hand is doing the turning of the lid, and the right the hodding of the jar. Don’t know if that’s normal for right handers? Come to think of it I open juice bottles etc like that regardless of how tight they are. Seems strange..

I do it too.

Thinking about it, the right hand is actually doing more of the work. It's providing the resistance, which often needs more strength, and the left hand does the easy bit.

Hibs.net.. home of the answers to the huge philosophical questions in life.

[Jones28]

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Glasgow have the Coma Scale we have the Handedness Inventory.

https://www.physio-pedia.com/Edinbur...nventory_(EHI)

At least we're not Bristol.

[WeeRussell]

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I do it too.

Thinking about it, the right hand is actually doing more of the work. It's providing the resistance, which often needs more strength, and the left hand does the easy bit.

Hibs.net.. home of the answers to the huge philosophical questions in life.

I wondered about that... and then we just get that used to it that we open the easy stuff (not requiring resistance) the same way out of habit?