Left handed Musicians

[veeyens3]

In games we have seen people adapt different styles and in some cases have different equipment for normally Right handed and left handed people
Do similar facilities exist in carnatic music instrumentalists. In hindusthani music Sri Hariprasad Chaurasia alone uses the rt. hand to control the top holes wheras in Carnatic music flautists use left hand to control the top holes For stringed instruments I think there are is at present only one type. I think violin can easily be modified by rearranging the order of strings. With some greater modifications, Veena can also be converted. Not that knowing this will enhance my appreciation of Carnatic music but my curiosity will be assuaged May Sri Rama bless you.

[mohan]

As far as I know left-handed persons who learn violin or veena (or harmonium/keyboard for that matter) don't modify the instrument but rather learn to play the instrument as a right-handed person would.

An exception is the mrudangam where a left hander uses the left hand for the valanthalai and right hand for the thoppi (bass). Of course, this requires no adaptation of the instrument but a left-handed mrudangam player would sit to the vocalist's left on the stage. Famous 'southpaws' include the late Palani Subramania Pillai, the late Tanjavur Upendren, K. Arun Prakash and Bangalore Arjun Kumar.

[veeyens3]

As far as I know left-handed persons who learn violin or veena (or harmonium/keyboard for that matter) don't modify the instrument but rather learn to play the instrument as a right-handed person would.
As far as I know left-handed persons who learn violin or veena (or harmonium/keyboard for that matter) don't modify the instrument but rather learn to play the instrument as a right-handed person would."

I still feel it is rather easy to modify and left handers will be more comfortable. We should get out of this straight jacket that all along we
were adapting ourselves. The more I study, the more I am convinced that both violin and veena can be modified by any do-it-yourselfer,The subject deserves serious study May Sri Rama bless you

[thanjavooran]

Shri Veeyens3 Avl,
Kindly refer for more information regarding modifications required for instruments under ' Artistes with lefthand practice ' in this General section.[ 14th June 2010 ]
with regards,
Thanjavooran 14 09 2011

[mohan]

http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic. ... ft#p163623

[veeyens3]

I too was thinking on identical lines for modifying the instruments No harm in trying Thanks When Sri T. Chowdiah introduced seven strings for the violin, there was general oppossition. But he went ahead and succedded In south India, there is general aversion to use left hand. If the child is lefthanded, parents try to wean . On the other hand, there is no such aversion in western countries We see ma greater percentage of people writing with left hand For a starter, may just rearrange strings of a veena without disturbing the tala strings and train an youngster who has never played veena earlier That may give us some idea May Sri Rama bless you

[Radhika-Rajnarayan]

As far as I know left-handed persons who learn violin or veena (or harmonium/keyboard for that matter) don't modify the instrument but rather learn to play the instrument as a right-handed person would.

There is equal skill in plucking and using the left hand - each hand does something different, unlike writing where the entire work is done by the right hand. And these 'different' things are so different from writing or other activities, that it does not make a difference being 'right' or 'left' handed - actually, the left hand 'does' more, by using various fingering techniques, so perhaps, it would be easier for a left-handed person to play the veena without any modification!
Any (otherwise) southpaw vainika/ violinist who can comment?

[varsha]

Aged 25, he lobbied Annapurna Devi, the wife of Ravi Shankar and a sitar maestro in her own right, to teach him classical music. "I wanted to learn from the beginning," he says. It was three years before she relented, only after Chaurasia vowed that he would never again play the flute with his right hand. The promise, and its implicit commitment to starting all over again, reduced Devi to tears. "For the last 35 years I have been playing with my left hand," Chaurasia says. "I have forgotten how to play any other way.

A beautiful story .The full one here
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/dec/14/worldmusic.

Foks at IIT Chennai 1983-84 who had attended his concert there will remember how he narrated this story along with the other one - about his father feeling that he ( the wrestler father ) was put to shame by his son who opted for a Sissy career in Music .
And you folks ask me now what it feels to be a celebrity musician . What shall I say ? My feelings about me and my father ? or The wrestling I did while opting to play left handed so that i started afresh as my Guruji wanted - he cried.
One of the best stories in Contemporary Indian Classical Music

[Nick H]

Chaurasia's dad, on the other hand, was a famous professional wrestler. He considered music the trade of "prostitutes and bandleaders" and wanted his son to follow him into the ring.

What a fascinating article. Thank you for the link. It must indeed be one of the "best stories in classical music".

When it comes to many musical instruments, the idea of "handedness," in which one (the right, for the majority) does the intricate stuff and the left is just the labourer, seems to go out of the window. As Radhika-Rajnarayan points out, the fingering on the fretboard of a stringed instrument is as complex, or even more so, than the bowing or plucking of the strings. The keyboard player has to use each hand, even each finger, independently. To me, this is all infinitely difficult!

[veeyens3]

I entirely agree with Smt. Radhika Rajnarain that left hand plays an equally , if not more important part, while playing violin or veena. While violin requires absolutely no modification except for rearranging the order of strings, the problem in Veena also can be reduced considerably. make both the holes that take the Birudai equal in size but insert a nylon ferrule or bush with a smaller hole to match the narrow end of the birudai. This ferrule can be shifted to any hole This will eliminate another problem experienced on areas of low humidity such as Los Angeles where the timber loses its moisture and shrink causing the string to lose its tension and sruthi.The brass bridge that supports Tala strings ,being symmetrical will present no problem It can be mated to a slot in the Kudiraiand kept inposition by inherent tension of the tala strings. We need not restrict the choice of types a la Henry Ford, who,said to a lady who wanted to know if she can get the newly introduced T model ford in different colour,"Madam, You can have any colour you want and then added after a pause, provided it is black"People have a natural tendency as shown by the photo of my great grand son picking up a guitar and strumming with left hand without anybody's prompting. I am sure , if taken to a teacher for music lessons, he will be started with his right hand.As a matter of fact his spontaneous action, when he came to visit me day before yesterday prompted me to open this thread, I am also very sorry not to have noticed that this subject had been discussed earlier. If Mods desire to merge this with the other thread, it is OK with me. May Sri Rama bless you

[veeyens3]

This subject in its earlier janma was raised in 2010 evidently coming to no conclusion and now, raised once again This time it has not evoked much response from the rasikas.Evidently the rasikas lhave reconciled to the fact this is not worth further discussion nor the artists themselves for the status quo to be maintained except for one budding artist, my great grand son, who is strumming so vigourously with his left hand that even the digital camera could not freeze his hand. Discretion decrees that I beat a hasty but dignified retreat lest rasikas are tempted to invoke a popular hypothesis of Sigmund Freud. we go now
பவமான சுதடு பட்டு பாதார விந்தமுலகு நிணாம ரூபமுலகு நித்ய ஜெயா மங்களம்

ay Sri Rama bless you









பவமான சுடுடு பட்டு நிணாம ரூபமுலகு நித்ய ஜெயா மங்களம்

[Nick H]

I'm somewhat comforted to learn, recently, that I am not the only member that does not read Tamil, so I don't feel so bad in asking for translations

It is lovely to see your great grandson making music. Thank you for the photo.

[veeyens3]

It is the lines from the Mangalam usually rendered at the end of the concert and is in TeluguSince I am not conversant with Telugu , I transliiterated into tamil with more than fair share of the mistakes. Veeyens

[Nick H]

Thank you for the explanation

[sureshrtuticorin]

"As Radhika-Rajnarayan points out, the fingering on the fretboard of a stringed instrument is as complex, or even more so, than the bowing or plucking of the strings."

In Western Music, for violin there are different bowing techniques.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playing_th ... techniques.
Even for holding the bow there are various methods.