Prestonian is correct. Jimi Hendrix did restring his own guitar. However, he was more than ambidextrous (imho). It is my understanding he was fully capable of picking up a standard strung guitar, turning it upside down, & playing. I don't know how often this happened, I just think it did not faze him.
Having said that, this is more about Katrina Pearce. Thanks, gam!
She's playing a normal--normally strung and tuned--fiddle backwards.. Look at when she raises her bow hand to hit the high notes, rather than the low ones.
Playing lefty on a normal fiddle is not as rare as you might think; it's even relatively common among Cape Breton fiddlers (Ashley MacIsaac and Kinnon Beaton are two good examples). Still, it's less convenient, since the fiddle is designed to be held in the left hand, with the higher notes closer to the palm.
I do wonder why people would want to make the fiddle a harder instrument still. Nearly everybody who plays it backwards has some story explaining why they do.
There's a music teacher in town who plays guitar upside down and backwards. Nice guy, but its gotta be tough on his students trying to learn the regular way.
That looks really awkward. But still not quite as bad as watching a left handed piano accordionist playing an ordinary box upside down.
As for Jimi Hendrix. As far as I can see, the stuff he played was so random it probably wouldn't make a lot of difference which way the guitar was strung.
I seem to recall an article about Hendrix once where the reason given for him playing a right handed guitar left handed, but with standard left hand guitar stringing, had something to do with it being more convenient in relation to the use of the tremolo arm.
That video did set me wondering where Nigel Kennedy got his trick of tossing his (very expensive) bow in the air at the end of a concert, and catching it at the frog! You'll notice that Baron B does just that.
Incidentally, there doesn't seem to be much info on the web about the good Baron. He has appeared on the Ed Sullivan show (perhaps that's where the video came from), and that seems to be about the lot. What is obvious, though, is that he must have worked long and hard to get that level of violin technique, and you can't do the tricks he does without that high degree of fluency and control.
Left-handed fiddler...
Left-handed fiddler...
Right-handed fiddle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gcOhO8PWfs
Don't watch this without suitable medication nearby
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by gam
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
Grand, like Jimi, but with a fiddle.
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by Ben Steen
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
Is she really left handed? Sometimes certain cameras reverse everything.
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by sara505sings
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
Check out the strings.
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by Ben Steen
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
There's a really nice Scott-Skinner tune called The Left-Handed Fiddler which I'm currently learning.
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by Steve Shaw
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
Doesn't Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIssac play lefty on a right-strung fiddle, too?
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by Will Harmon
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
Jimi switched his strings around though. Albert King played lefty without changing the strings. She sounds great!
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by prestonian
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
I've heard Jimi Hendrix could play any guitar.
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by Ben Steen
1,000 apologies
Prestonian is correct. Jimi Hendrix did restring his own guitar. However, he was more than ambidextrous (imho). It is my understanding he was fully capable of picking up a standard strung guitar, turning it upside down, & playing. I don't know how often this happened, I just think it did not faze him.
Having said that, this is more about Katrina Pearce. Thanks, gam!
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by Ben Steen
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
i wonder what side the sound post will be on
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by I ♥ Dow
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
More akin to Cotten than Hendrix if you want a guitar analog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5MTbScgKVE
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by Resodan
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
She's playing a normal--normally strung and tuned--fiddle backwards.. Look at when she raises her bow hand to hit the high notes, rather than the low ones.
Playing lefty on a normal fiddle is not as rare as you might think; it's even relatively common among Cape Breton fiddlers (Ashley MacIsaac and Kinnon Beaton are two good examples). Still, it's less convenient, since the fiddle is designed to be held in the left hand, with the higher notes closer to the palm.
I do wonder why people would want to make the fiddle a harder instrument still. Nearly everybody who plays it backwards has some story explaining why they do.
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by Georgi
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
There's a music teacher in town who plays guitar upside down and backwards. Nice guy, but its gotta be tough on his students trying to learn the regular way.
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by polkageist
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
Richie the fiddler, an old buddy of mine from my Renaissance Pleasure Faire days (second photo).
http://www.monarchgrove.com/SoCalRenFaire07.html
Yes, he's heard (and told) all the Black Irish jokes in the universe.
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by Tracie
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
That looks really awkward. But still not quite as bad as watching a left handed piano accordionist playing an ordinary box upside down.
As for Jimi Hendrix. As far as I can see, the stuff he played was so random it probably wouldn't make a lot of difference which way the guitar was strung.
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by skreech
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
I seem to recall an article about Hendrix once where the reason given for him playing a right handed guitar left handed, but with standard left hand guitar stringing, had something to do with it being more convenient in relation to the use of the tremolo arm.
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by Tony O'Rourke
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
This says it all:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qlGWVc90Ac&feature=player_embedded
And in case you're wondering, it's not faked.
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
Angus Grant the great west coast Scotland fiddler is left handed too
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by -=cluiche=-
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
Finbarr Dwyer is much better known for his box playing, but also plays a right handed fiddle left handed.
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by cathycook
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
Trevor -- I wonder if they are Strads
# Posted on January 31st 2011 by gam
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
That video did set me wondering where Nigel Kennedy got his trick of tossing his (very expensive) bow in the air at the end of a concert, and catching it at the frog! You'll notice that Baron B does just that.
Incidentally, there doesn't seem to be much info on the web about the good Baron. He has appeared on the Ed Sullivan show (perhaps that's where the video came from), and that seems to be about the lot. What is obvious, though, is that he must have worked long and hard to get that level of violin technique, and you can't do the tricks he does without that high degree of fluency and control.
# Posted on February 1st 2011 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
check out woody:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByvBZYvoDkQ
# Posted on February 1st 2011 by dogmageek
Re: Left-handed fiddler...
'Finbarr Dwyer.. also plays a right handed fiddle left handed..'
Ye - and he's feckin' deadly at it.
He plays upside down guitar too.
# Posted on February 1st 2011 by Hugo Chavez