Playing left-handed...

Hi there.

I bought an Ukulele some weeks ago and I am finding it extremely enjoyable as an grab-and-play-wherever-you-are-instrument. There is one thing, however; I am left-handed and play the Ukulele as a left-hander, but I haven't swapped the strings. So the strings are like the right-handers have it, but I turn the Ukulele like a left-hander.

So far, I haven't had any problems playing it like this, but I was wondering whether it was stupid of me keep the strings like they are?

Should I swap the strings even though, so far, it has been OK playing it like this?

Best regards,
Ritloof.

P.S.
Sorry for my bad English.

There have been some very famous left hander who have played the guitar upside down "Jimi Henrix".
But I think as you are just beginning, it may be best to change the strings around and play left handed.
If you are not having any problems the way it is, you will have no problems the right way round.

Welcome to UU, Ritloof!

While playing "upside down" is possible, the fact is that your strumming is not going to sound the same. I'm with UkuEroll and think you should just go ahead and reverse the strings.

If your uke was set up for re-entrant (high g) tuning, there shouldn't really be any problem with the slots in the nut or saddle.

P.S. Your English is just fine!

Playing left handed...

almost feels like someone else is playing it...

I'm a lefty that plays my instruments standard. When I started taking classical guitar, that's what my teachers recommended and I never saw any reason to change it up.

If you're going to play left-handed, I'd suggest one thing. You might want to turn the saddle around when you reverse the strings. On acoustic guitars, the saddle is specifically designed to support the strings a specific way. I'm not sure if this is the same for ukuleles (and will defer to others' knowledge), but I'd assume that it would work on the same kind of logic.

UkuEroll said:

There have been some very famous left hander who have played the guitar upside down "Jimi Henrix".

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Hendrix flipped his Strat but he actually did restring it and play it with the bass strings on top. Paul McCartney did the same thing with his late-60's D-28. On the other hand, there ARE some lefties who simply flip over an instrument and play it with the treble strings on top: Elizabeth Cotten, a Piedmont-style country blues fingerpicker was one back in the day, and Doyle Bramhall II (blues guy and sometime-sideman for Eric Clapton) is another.

Most of us who actually PLAY left-handed, however, restring an instrument when we flip it. I have a flipped National Reso-phonic Delphi metal-bodied resonator guitar and a flipped Ko'Aloha soprano uke. Both instruments are essentially symmetrical, unlike a lot of guitars, so they work great flipped and restrung.

jddennis said:

I'm a lefty that plays my instruments standard. When I started taking classical guitar, that's what my teachers recommended and I never saw any reason to change it up.

If you're going to play left-handed, I'd suggest one thing. You might want to turn the saddle around when you reverse the strings. On acoustic guitars, the saddle is specifically designed to support the strings a specific way. I'm not sure if this is the same for ukuleles (and will defer to others' knowledge), but I'd assume that it would work on the same kind of logic.

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If the saddle is angled, it's a compensated saddle. If you don't fill the slot and re-route it for the correct angle, intonation will be off. The further up the neck you play, the worse it'll be. Most ukes have a straight saddle so it doesn't matter.

This has slightly confused me, as I too play left handed.

i bought my Uke a month ago, it was only a cheap little soprano uke and having no previous musical training I looked at the strings and assumed they were all the same... which as far as I can tell...they are. All i did was swap the tuning around and flipped the uke... Is my uke the only uke where all the strings are technically exactly the same?

Interstella said:

This has slightly confused me, as I too play left handed.

i bought my Uke a month ago, it was only a cheap little soprano uke and having no previous musical training I looked at the strings and assumed they were all the same... which as far as I can tell...they are. All i did was swap the tuning around and flipped the uke... Is my uke the only uke where all the strings are technically exactly the same?

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It's not unheard of in cheap ukes for all the strings to be basically "fishing line". This, however, is not the norm. I would recommend you get yourself a set of Aquilas or Worths and change your strings...you'll be amazed at how much better it will sound. It will also make it "feel" better when you play as all the strings will be under the same amount of tension.

Oh...and welcome to UU!!!

Thanks for the advice, I had assumed the strings should have been more like guitar strings but when I looked to buy some off the net it was not clear!

Do you know any good UK sites that sell those strings? I am pretty poor at the moment but am happy to upgrade my strings to something better yet still fairly cheap if it will sound better?!

P.S
thanks for the welcome! I have a strange feeling that I am going to enjoy it here

Well, I used my noodle for once and had a look on ebay and found some soprano aquila nylgut strings for 6.99, cant complain about that.

Small problem.... Im a little bit too excited to get them! Going to be waiting for the postman everyday till they arrive now!

Thanks for your help and advice KC8AFW

Let us know if you need help changing the string out. If you do a search...there are a few threads on how to do it, and there are some instructional videos as well. In my opinion...the Aquilas sound the best on inexpensive laminate ukes. Just remember...it takes a couple of days to a week for your new strings to quit stretching and "settle in". This is normal.

:cheers:

Awesome i'll have a look for a good tutorial. Luckily I have friends who play guitar so they know how to replace strings but I def need to learn it myself! I'll let you know how it comes out

Yeah! Another lefty player! There are very few of us here. Welcome to UU. Your uke will sound better when you get your strings and put them on correctly with the G on the top.
And when learning chords, just remember it is a mirror image from how a righty plays. That confused me a little in my early days as to where to put my fingers.

Again Welcome:shaka:

Hankthetank said:

Yeah! Another lefty player! There are very few of us here.

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That's just a darn shame! Is WininBoy here? I "know" him from other forums. He is a lefty with some SERIOUSLY awesome ukes and skills to match.

Thanks for the advance, guys.

I am beginning to think it'd be best to swap the strings.
I'll probably do it.

Thanks again.

Got my Aquila Nylgut strings yesterday to replace the fishing lines!

WOW...great advice guys it sounds amazing even on my terrible little uke. Swapping them over was quite a breeze actually, used one of Aldrines vids on youtube. So thanks again to KC8AFW for your help!

GO LEFTYS!:rock:

Lefty

HI all, Im a lefty so I had to post something. I flip my uke and switch the strings. It can get a little confusing for me when looking at music/tab but I play guitar and am used to it.
The thing with being a lefty that has always been hard is going to a music store and not able to play any uke they have.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Dan

Interstella said:

Got my Aquila Nylgut strings yesterday to replace the fishing lines!

WOW...great advice guys it sounds amazing even on my terrible little uke. Swapping them over was quite a breeze actually, used one of Aldrines vids on youtube. So thanks again to KC8AFW for your help!

GO LEFTYS!:rock:

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Glad they worked out for you. :shaka:

it's possible

i play the uke left-handed but it is strung like a right-handed uke. i've been playing for just over three years like this. i have had absolutely no problems whatsoever. in fact, unlike a lot of other players i don't have a problem making an e-chord. another added bonus is the only ukes i would have a problem playing, is a uke that is strung like a left-handed uke, which means i can play the great majority of ukes out there no problem.
i'm not a guitar player so i don't have any background. i don't consider myself self-taught either. yes, i read tabs and stuff, what other players consider upside down, where what is on top of the tabs (the a-string) is really the top string for me (or closer to my head) and so forth. when looking at other player's finger positioning it is not mirrored, but rather upside down.
when playing for other people, nobody has called me out yet for the strumming being opposite as well either. saying that my down stroke sounds like an up stroke (which it is) or vice versa. if i really wanted to be technical i could just strum opposite as well but when aldrine teaches (for example) up, down, chunk, up, down, it's just easier to do that. to my ears, it sounds fine.
"but hey, i could be wrong and this could all be a terrible tragedy." my advice is do whatever makes you feel comfortable. that's exactly what i do. just be aware that the only major problem you'll have is, you can't borrow or play someone else's uke (to compare, try out or get a feel for) but as an added plus (if you're the selfish type) you'll have an excuse not to share or let someone try out or play your uke.
my whole reasoning for learning and playing this way was, i too, thought that jimmy hendrix (one of the greatest guitar players ever) played this way, so i thought it was possible (which it is). also, i didn't want to limit myself to just solely playing my uke and not being able to let others have a go at it. and being a lefty, we should already know there are advantages and disadvantages to being one, i didn't want this to be an issue. if i ever get around to learning a guitar i think i'll do it right-handed this time (just to be well rounded.)
p.s. please let me know if there is a disadvantage to playing this way as well as i would like to know just for future reference. thanks (i hope i didn't alienate other lefties.)