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This is a list of notable musicians who play their instruments left-handed. (This does not include left-handed people who play right-handed, such as Noel Gallagher,Duane Allman, Billy Corgan, Dave Hill, Mark Knopfler, Barry Gibb, and Paul Simon.)
Contents
Guitarists and bassists
Left-handed people play guitar or electric bass in either one of the following four ways depending on the person: (1) play a right-handed guitar or bass right-handed, (2) play a true left-handed guitar or bass, (3) play a right-handed guitar or bass that has been altered to play left-handed, or (4) turn a right-handed guitar or bass upside down, pick with the left hand, but leave the strings as they were – which makes them reversed from the normal order for a left-handed player. (The fingering is the same for methods 2 and 3.) Any style of picking with the left hand (flatpicking or fingerstyle guitar) is considered playing left-handed.
Left-handed with normal stringing
Guitarists in this category pick with their left hand and have the strings in the conventional order for a left-handed player (i.e. the low string on the top side of the neck). They either have true left-handed guitars or have right-handed guitars altered so the strings are correct for a left-handed player. Some guitarists in this category (e.g. Paul McCartney) play both genuine left-handed instruments and right-handed instruments altered for left-handed playing.
Changing the strings on a right-handed guitar involves several things. The nut of the guitar has to be changed to accommodate the string widths. The bridge needs to be changed to make the lower strings longer than the top strings for correct intonation. On almost all acoustic guitars the bracing is non-symmetrical. On electric guitars altered this way, the controls will be backwards.
Notable players
Notes
Left-handed with strings backwards
These are players who play left-handed, but with the strings as on an unaltered right-handed guitar, thus the strings are backwards for a left-handed player (e.g. Bob Geldof). Some players in this category (e.g. Dick Dale and Albert King) had custom instruments that were basically a left-handed guitar with the strings as on a right-handed guitar, since they had learned to play that way.
Drummers
A drum kit for a left handed person is set up so that percussion instruments drummers would normally play with their right hand (ride cymbal, floor tom, etc.) are played with the left hand. The bass drum and hi-hat configurations are also set up so that the drummer plays the bass drum with their left foot, and operate the hi-hat with their right foot. Some drummers however have been known to play right-handed kit, but play leading with their left hand (e.g. playing open-handed on the hi-hat). This list does not include drummers who are naturally left-handed but play drums purely right-handed such as Ringo Starr, Stewart Copeland, Dave Lombardo, Travis Barker and Chris Adler.
Notes
Violinists
The violin can be learned in either hand, and most left-handed players hold the violin under their left chin, the same as right handed players. This allows all violinists to sit together in an orchestra.
Ukulele
Trumpet
Trombone
Banjo
Mandolin
Bansuri
Muppets
Many Muppets whose arms are controlled by rods play instruments left-handed. This is because most right-handed puppeteers control the puppets' heads with their right hands leaving their left hands for playing.