Forced Ambidexterity

Ken Pippus · Post by **Ken Pippus** » 24 Oct 2022 9:35 am

After multiple years, and a few surgeries, there's no way I can play fretted instruments fretting with my left hand. Still fine on anything with a tone bar, just can't fret. But I really miss playing Axillary Axe (that's armpit guitar!)

So yesterday I bit the bullet and got a left handed American Telecaster, and spent the night trying to play it. This is not going to be easy, but some progress was made, and given that I had been playing the other way for 54 years, I suspect it may take a while to develop some fluency.

Anybody else ever gone this route? Any suggestions?

Anybody got a left handed L5 they're dying to get rid of?

John McClung · Post by **John McClung** » 24 Oct 2022 3:20 pm

You're gutsy, Ken! Good luck with the transition.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 28 Oct 2022 9:56 am

Many decades ago, my Dad had a friend that was "both-handed" as he used to say.

He could use either hand with pretty much any tool, even a hammer. He could write with either hand.

I wonder how someone like that would do in this case, playing guitar.

~Lee

Jon Voth · Post by **Jon Voth** » 9 Nov 2022 9:39 pm

I'm a lefty and I write, eat, bat, & shoot left handed but play right hand instruments. I sometimes wonder how I would do on the other hand.

Ken I am most interested in how you are doing. I think you'll be great but please keep us informed on how it is going!

Ken Pippus · Post by **Ken Pippus** » 10 Nov 2022 12:51 pm

Turns out playing with a flatpick in my left hand hammers the crap out of my ulnar nerve, which was already a major part of the problem. One more surgery in store: left ulnar nerve transposition, for late January. Six weeks after that I can figure out whether I can go left.

Getting old sucks. Gravity and oxidation win.

Lee Rider · Post by **Lee Rider** » 12 Dec 2022 10:23 am

I have a friend who says he is "ambidextrous in both hands"....

K Maul · Post by **K Maul** » 12 Dec 2022 10:41 am

I have a buddy who says “I’d give my right arm to be ambidextrous”!

Jim Fogle · Post by **Jim Fogle** » 14 Dec 2022 6:52 pm

There is a Beatles tribute band named 1964. The musician that plays Paul's parts is right handed and had to learn to play bass and guitar left handed.

Although they haven't updated their website in years, it's still worth a visit to check out their instrument vault. http://1964web.com/

Note you will get a warning because the website is http instead of the now common https.