Left-handed picking

Jim Kunowsky · From: Chesterfield, Virginia, USA

Hi Guys,

I am new to the forum as well as a complete novice to the psg. I have always enjoyed listening to the psg and have wanted to learn to play one for many years. The bug has bitten again and so I am asking for some advice before I take the plunge. I am a south paw. I write left-handed and would find it VERY natural to pick left-handed and work the bar with my right hand. I contacted Carter regarding lefty models and they do not build them. However, Ann Fabian informed me that guy's like Lloyd Green and Curly Chalker are lefty's who play right-handed. I guess what I am asking is if there are lefty's out there who play either left or right-handed and why. Also, if you play left-handed, who builds the best entry-level lefty psg.

Greg Vincent · From: Folsom, CA USA

Hi Jim,

I'm a lefty who plays right handed. PSG is going to feel weird at the beginning no matter WHICH way you play. Why not start the 'correct' way? You will have so many more options in the future when you want to try out different steels. And don't underestimate the importance of the bar hand in playing steel. Your trusty left-hand will be well-employed in the task of sliding that bar around accurately and producing a pleasing vibrato.

If you wanted to learn the keyboard, would you require a piano strung backwards? Of course not! You would learn the instrument the way it is designed to be played.

Good luck to you whatever you decide!

-GV

P.S. There is no such thing as an "entry level lefty PSG" builder. It would be an expensive custom job for any manufacturer.

[This message was edited by Greg Vincent on 09 April 2004 at 10:42 AM.]

[This message was edited by Greg Vincent on 09 April 2004 at 10:47 AM.]

Roy Thomson · From: Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada

My oldest son is a southpaw and plays both his standard guitars and his steel righthanded.

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http://www.houstonsteelman.com/RoyT/

Graham · From: Marmora, Ontario, Canada

Jim:

I guess I'm an exception in this one. I play drums left-handed, have a custom made left-handed Martin D-35 and 2 left-handed Fulawka S-10's.

I tried learning steel right handed but very quickly became frustrated in my efforts and gave it up. I just couldn't get my right hand to do what I wanted it to do and couldn't overcome the un-natural feelings I had.

If you can do it, by all means learn to play right handed, if you can't, welcome to the small left handed steel players club.

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Rebel™
ICQ 614585

Hook Moore · From: South Charleston,West Virginia

lefty here..I play everything right handed..like someone else said, I never wanted to be limited to what was available to leftys..
Hook

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HookMoore.com

Graham · From: Marmora, Ontario, Canada

Hook:
I've never felt limited by being left handed and choosing to play instruments that way. Any of the custom builders can make a left handed instrument. I paid the same for my 2001 left handed Fulawka as you would have for a righty.

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Rebel™
ICQ 614585

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

I am ornery enough to say that I am biologically right handed and can't see any reason to fight against that fact. I imagine that I could learn to write lefty, brush my teeth lefty, and pick lefty. But why? Life is hard enough. Yes, availability of left-handed guitars is going to limit you in your choices but they do exist. (I am a very happy Carter player but I understand that their business model is not geared toward custom models). Beyond that, I can see no down side to working with, rather than against, your natural physical strengths. Why is it a virtue to overcome one's strength in order to do it like everyone else? I acknowledge the difficulty involved in doing it. I don't know that I admire it. (Not said in disrespect---just, well, why make it harder? There's no prize for hardest row to hoe.)

Jerry Clardy · From: El Paso, Texas, USA * R.I.P.

What Jon Light said.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

I am right handed and play everything that way, but I had a tree fall on me breaking my right hand about 15 years ago.

I was booked for a tour on electric bass 2 months later, I forced myself to learn the rock bass lines on synth left handed so the band could practice. While I waited to get the right hand out of traction.

Eventually I added some left hand work to my generally abysmal keyboard playing.
I really never used it, just played a few right hand melodies or sometime chords.

But I was suprised how I could relatively quickly get these bass lines down with the WRONG hand.

I couldn't even cut my own dinner, but I COULD play my parts for the band.
To everyones surprise.

I didn't have a choice, but the point being, it is a case of training your BRAIN to tell you muscles do something,
even if it isn't the most dexterity powerful side, you can do it.
You do do it now, but just concentrate more on the other side out of expediance.

And since 99 44/100th % of steels are righty it behooves you to learn righty. Then you will always be able to sit down at most any steel and buy a new one without a 2 year wait for a special unit etc.

Just don't let it scare you. Just think of all the thing you now DO do, with your right hand.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 10 April 2004 at 03:19 AM.]

albert johnson · From: tallahassee,florida usa

Jim,take my advice and learn to play right handed as the above post have stated.You have got to learn anyway.bar handling should come to you quicky being left handed and picking will come to you naturally in a fairly short time if you stay at it.I know a lot of really good steel players who are left handed but all of them play steel right handed.I am left handed and had no problem playing right handed.Please start out right.Albert Johnson

Carl West · From: La Habra, CA, USA (deceased)

Jim, I also am left handed but like several others mentioned, learn the right-handed way.You'll be far ahead by doing so. I suppose there are lef-hand PSG, but I've never seen one. Take advantage of all the things on a regular PSG that may not be available on any lef-handed one. You'll get with no problem. we got faith in ya !

Carl West
Emmons LeGrande

Jim Kunowsky · From: Chesterfield, Virginia, USA

First of all let me say thanks to everyone who took the time to write in with advice! I will give it a try right-handed and if it does not work out I can always switch hands. Now...I need some advice on guitar selection. Knowing that I have not even sat behind one, what would you suggest I buy for my initial PSG.

Robert Porri · From: Windsor, Connecticut, USA

Along with the Carter Starter you've probably already thought about, browse the GFI site a bit. GFI has a very good student model. http://www.gfimusicalproducts.com/

You might want to look at the Desert Rose thread in the pedal steel forum. Looks like a nice PSG also.

Also, do you play guitar?
If not maybe you can borrow one from a friend, buy some picks and a slide, put it on your lap or a table and see if the coordination will be there to play right handed. I think it will be. I spent some time practicing like that while I was waiting for my first PSG to be made and delivered a few months ago. Being new to PSG also, feel free to email if you have any questions you'd like to ask that you think another newbie could help with.

Bob P.

[This message was edited by Robert Porri on 10 April 2004 at 09:51 AM.]

Mac Bellingrath · From: Pine Bluff, Arkansas, USA

Jim --

I was late in seeing this thread, and I want to weigh in for the possible advantages to you of playing left-handed. I play left-handed and here's why.

I was 50 when I took up pedal steel. I started playing guitar when I was nine years old. They tried for a month to teach me to play guitar right-handed. I just couldn't do it. Finally, they let me re-string my guitar left-handed, and I could immediately do everything they had tried to teach me to do for a month -- not that what I could do was all that much.

I have heard the stories about Lloyd Green, Curly Chalker, et al. On the cover of Lloyd's new album is a pre-teen photograph of him playing lap steel right-handed. My point is that Lloyd learned to play right-handed at a very early age. I bat a baseball right-handed, but I catch and throw left-handed -- just can't do it the other way. I swing a golf club right-handed. I learned to bat and swing a golf club at an early age, and I can't tell you why I do those two things right-handed. But I couldn't throw a baseball or play guitar right handed -- same coach, same teacher.

Roy Thomas, who builds the Pedalmaster Steel Guitar in Maurice, Loisiana, makes somewhat of a specialty of building left-handed pedal steels. I imagine he has built more lefty PSGs than anybody. He builds them at no extra charge, and his line is very conservatively priced for the professional-quality instrument you get.

Roy is as fine a gentleman as you will ever meet. He was very helpful to me as I considered what I wanted in my pedal steel, and very patient with my novice questions and ideas. Two years later, when I wanted some minor alterations to my copedent, he insisted on doing the work for me at no charge. Pedalmaster has a link on The Pedal Steel Pages, and you can probably find some photos of lefties on the web-site. Roy may even have a lefty in stock. The number at Roy's shop is 337-893-6418. In addition to being a steel player, Roy managed several offshore oil rigs during his career, so he has an engineering background, as well as a music background.

My guitar is a D-10 8x5. Because of the limits mentioned in some of the earlier comments, I recommend that you go ahead and get the second neck if you are at all inclined toward the C6th sound. I am glad I did -- There are days I want to swing, and it is great to have that C6th neck when the mood hits me.

Roy doesn't like to build the inner pod of knee-levers associated with the C6th neck, which is why I stuck with 5 knee levers. I have the typical five floor pedals for C6th, and both of the knee levers over my volume pedal accuate certain pulls. If you want eight knee levers, Fulawka builds a fine steel, as Graham has already mentioned. Also, if you are flexible on delivery time, I believe Mullen and Derby will build a lefty, and they both build great instruments. However, I believe Pedalmaster will be the least costly, and so far it is a lot better guitar than I am a player.

I wish you the best with your steel. It's the greatest instrument in the world!

Mac Bellingrath

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Lefty Pedalmaster D-10 8x5, Nashville 400

[This message was edited by Mac Bellingrath on 10 April 2004 at 10:38 AM.]

Hook Moore · From: South Charleston,West Virginia

Graham I meant no disrepect. My meaning was it is so much easier to buy guitars off the floor new/used in the right handers world. I have played drums, guitar,bass guitar, and steel and sitting in on a jam or needing to borrow an instrument , life is so much easier playing right handed and I am not handicapped in any way playing right handed

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HookMoore.com

Winnie Winston · From: Tawa, Wellington, NZ * R.I.P.

I'm left handed. Always have been. Although I write lefty, swing a racket lefty, shoot lefty, I've never felt comft with a baseball bat in EITHER left or right mode.
When I was nine I wanted to play guitar, and someone handed it to me the standard way. And that's wow I learned. Banjo was the same, and so was the steel.
A left-handed instument is a liability when you go to sell it.
Hey Lynn Owsley? You there? Lynn is left handed. I kinow he plays fiddle left handed. He playerd straight steel; left handed, and when he asked Shoty Jackson to build him a left pedal steel, shot wanted so much that Lynn learned pedal steel right handed. If you ever heard him, I doubt you'd hear him having any problems with it.
Get a right handed steel and learn it.
Especially if it is your first try at an instrument.

JW

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

I'm a lefty too. I've always thought it was an advantage for playing right handed six string guitar cuz my freting hand is my most dextrous hand. This line of thinking doesnt really apply to steel, although I guess holding a bar does take some motor skills.

As somewhat of a pianist, it's hard for me to imagine the low notes being on the right side.

I vote to make it easy on yourself and go right.

Graham · From: Marmora, Ontario, Canada

Hook:
Never took your post that way. I know exactly what you were saying. Doesn't take much to change a set of drums around if you want to sit in with somebody but it is kinda hard with the steel. Bar and pedal rods get in the way while trying to use them with your heel and it's a real long stretch to hit the levers when sitting at what would normally be the front of the guitar!!

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Rebel™
ICQ 614585

Mac Bellingrath · From: Pine Bluff, Arkansas, USA

Winnie wrote words to the effect that a left-handed instrument is a liability when you go to sell it. I have not found that to be entirely true. In fact, I have seen it be an advantage.

Years ago, when I saw an 1890s left-handed five-string banjo for sale by mail order, I bought it as quickly as it could. I didn't dicker; I simply grabbed this rare piece as my own.

A few years later, I was selling a custom-built archtop. Likewise, it was quickly grabbed at my asking price.

So rarity can be an advantage.

Nowadays all the major used and vintage merchants have lefty sections on their web-sites -- Elderly, Gruhn, Mandolin Bros., and others. You can also specify lefty on ebay. There is even a Lefty Frets web-site, although it is largely rock-oriented.

If I ever elect to sell my pedal steel, I will probably go through one of the general music merchants, rather than through a traditional pedal steel channel. I simply believe that targeting a general market turns the numbers to my favor -- exposure to a larger audience that is likely to respond favorably to the rarity of what I am selling.

Mac Bellingrath

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Lefty Pedalmaster D-10 8x5, Nashville 400

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

If you'd already played guitar left-handed, then I'd say "Sure, just get a left-handed steel, because you've already got some fret hand and picking-hand skills learned". But when you've never played, how you learn makes no difference.

I'd also take into account where you live. If you were isolated somewhere in the world, then there wouldn't be many instances where you were exposed to someone else's steel, or they'd be exposed to yours. You could "learn in a vacuum", so to speak, and with very few other players around you wouldn't be missing much by playing lefty.

But you're right here in the good ol' U.S.A., where you're going to run into plenty other players, and plenty other steels! Believe me, it's going to take a lot of fun out of it when you can't play hardly anyone else's steel, and hardly anyone else can play yours.

That's my2cents.

Graham · From: Marmora, Ontario, Canada

Thanks for that, Donny. Being playing left handed drums and guitar since I was a teenager back in the 60's. Took up the steel when I was 53! Hard to teach an old dog new tricks.
On your other point about somebody playing your instrument, sometimes it's a boon when they can't. Not everybody is as careful with my Martin as I am. It's never been played while wearing a watch, a belt or anything with buttons on it. Bought it new in 1985 and it still looks that way except for the natural dis-coloring of the plastic trim on the neck and the slightly darker coloring of the top.

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Rebel™
ICQ 614585
http://users.interlinks.net/rebel/steel/steel.html

Don McClellan · From: California/Thailand

I believe Ned Flanders sells lefty steels at the Leftorium, doesn't he?

Willis Vanderberg · From: Petoskey Mi

I am also left handed and play steel right.
I also played the "Day set" up or split for thirty years.I got tired of trying to transpose all the tab and also sitting in with a band , you find there are not that many "Day" players.
And conversly most steel pickers who wanted to sit in, played the "Emmons " set up.
So at 68 years of age I swithed to the Emmons and never looked back. The good news is I can now play both set ups.
\
Bud

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