Playing a guitar upside down

SexyGreyFox

SexyGreyFox

SexyGreyFox

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Joined
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Stoke on Trent
I went to watch a band last night with an amazing guitarist however his guitar was the wrong way round. Basically a right handed Les Paul stringed for a right handed player just played left handed (so the thickest string is at the bottom). This was really weird to watch and understand what he was playing because even the most simplest of chords looked odd. Apparently he learnt that way because his older sisters boyfriend had a guitar and he used to play it while baby sitting - being left handed he just turned it over.
Amazingly the last song of the night he turned it right handed and played it just as good :eek:

Just wondering if theres anybody on here who does this or they know of anybody famous who does this?
 
(iirc) Hendrix swapped the strings the right way for a left-hander on his guitar though, from the sound of it this guy just plays it out-right backwards. That's the first i've heard of such a playing technique, apart from people who pick up a right-handed guitar and just mess about with it lefthanded (who can't play at all).
 
dmpoole said:
One major flaw - he plays a right handed strat but it is tuned for a left hander - the thickest string is at the top.
I'm talking about when the thickest string is at the bottom.
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:eek: thats just crazy
 
The lead guitarist in that pile of crap demo I posted yesterday was lef t handed...He could play a LH guitar correctly, a RH guitar correctly, a LH guitar 'backwards' or a RH guitar 'backwards'... :/

Basically, as long as the strings went from thick to thin, he could pick it up and play it LH or RH.

*n
 
I don't really play much Guitar, but when I do it's like that. Mostly because any Guitar i'd use would be right handed. But when I was younger I broke my left wrist so I can't press down on the strings nowhere near as well as my right hand. Plus it'll end up really hurting my wrists after a few chords.
 
There was a guy that picked up my mates guitar at a gig a few months back here in southport that could play left left handed with the guitar upside down.

Not sure if he can play it right handed though.
 
penski said:
The lead guitarist in that pile of crap demo I posted yesterday was lef t handed...He could play a LH guitar correctly, a RH guitar correctly, a LH guitar 'backwards' or a RH guitar 'backwards'... :/

Basically, as long as the strings went from thick to thin, he could pick it up and play it LH or RH.

*n
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I'm sure he had a preference. And if I'm honest... that demo isn't the best endorsement of his talents ;)
 
dmpoole said:
One major flaw - he plays a right handed strat but it is tuned for a left hander - the thickest string is at the top.
I'm talking about when the thickest string is at the bottom.
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doh, should have read the post properly, but then again I only play Bass :p
 
Chronos-X said:
I'm sure he had a preference. And if I'm honest... that demo isn't the best endorsement of his talents ;)
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He's the first to admit that he's probably the most average guitarist in existance. He preferred a LHD guitar strung 'properly' but was genuinely fully ambidextrous when playing.

But the thread is about upside-down, ass-backwards guitar playing...not whether he was a good guitarist ;)

*n
 
Will_3rd said:
doh, should have read the post properly, but then again I only play Bass :p
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Ooooh, talking of bass the bass player of Hayseed Dixie does that.
He obviously learnt on a right handed bass and just turned it over but he now has proper left handed bass guitars but his strings are still upside down.
Very weird.
 
I learned to play guitar like this (I play leftie and the only guitar i could learn on was a rightie - which i couldn't restring as my bro used it!)...

And I mean proper upside down, with the thickest E string at the bottom - i was in an Iron Maiden cover band then as lead guitarist so I could play all the solos and stuff on this upside down guitar!!

So eventually i got a leftie guitar and learned everything the proper way round but I can still play with the strings both ways... infact I have proof!

With my current band, I broke a string at a gig (around 4 months ago) with no backup guitar - i had to use my mates flying V (he was playing in another band, same gig!)

Voila:

l9cb7e8a24aa78fbe719b4d6xe.jpg


its on my myspace: http://www.myspace.com/docaroo

I managed to play all the songs and even the solos - figuring out how to play them upside down on the fly! :) :)
/end brag
 
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Albert King played like this, Otis Rush and Doyle Bramhall II still do. Coco Montoya is another... Seems quite common amongst lefties.
 
There is the bassist from the doves who plays his bass upside down...Most people I think tend to play upside down, then turn the nut upside down, so the strings can just be turned around...

Although I have tried playing a left handed guitar upside down...and although its not pefect...its not TOO difficult to do...with a bit of practise could get ok...
 
Tax Evader said:
Albert King played like this, Otis Rush and Doyle Bramhall II still do. Coco Montoya is another... Seems quite common amongst lefties.
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I now remember a Leftie special in GUITARIST magazine least year and it identified some of the old blues players as doing this.

Docaroo said:
I learned to play guitar like this (I play leftie and the only guitar i could learn on was a rightie - which i couldn't restring as my bro used it!)...
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Excellent - brag all you want
 
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