Weekend Vote: Have you tried playing your instrument with the opposite hands?
On one hand - the left, we have the violin. On the other - the right, the bow. Have you ever tried the experiment of switching it up, and playing your violin (or viola, cello or bass) with the opposite hands?
This might sound like a joke of a question, but I'm serious. As someone who is left-handed, I am frequently asked, "Have you ever thought of playing the violin left-handed?"
I'm always flabbergasted by the question - I'm tempted to say, "The violin is already left-handed, what are you talking about?" I feel like being left-handed has always been an advantage, with the finger dexterity and vibrato.
However, the truth is more complicated - both hands are assigned a seriously specialized task in playing the violin, and it takes years to get the hang of it on either side of the equation. While my left hand may have caught on a little faster, I still had to work pretty hard at both hands.
So back to my original question - have I tried putting my violin in the right hand and bow in the left? Yes, I have on a number of occasions, for teaching purposes. That is, to teach myself how wickedly difficult it is to learn this instrument!
I work with very young beginners on a regular basis, and I occasionally try things the opposite way, just to see that they are going through. Try it - and you'll gain a great deal of empathy for the beginner - the basic violin hold, placing the fingers, balancing the bow, drawing it across the string - and forget about vibrato! It's so flippin' hard!
So please participate in the vote (and it's not cheating, if you want to go and try it, and then you can vote "Yes!") Then in the comments, you can talk about anything related to this topic - the issues of "handed-ness" as well as your thoughts on what it's like to try this novel experiment!
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Replies
I voted no. When you take up violin at the age of 58, you don't have time to mess around.
I'm right-handed. Playing the piano doesn't prepare your left hand for playing the violin.
There is a left-handed pianist who has had a mirror piano built. If I had his money I could think of better things to do with it.
I have a left-handed friend who plays cello and ukulele right-handed and says playing left-handed is only acceptable if your name is Jimi Hendrix.
Left-hander, who has never tried reversing the hands. Wouldn't the construction and set up of the instrument have to be likewise reversed?
Richard: Ideally, yes, of course. Less ideally, a centre chinrest and switching the strings over should work. For five minutes of noodling around, as it is is perfectly fine=).
I'm left handed but never tried until this little article. For the novelty. Crazy hard. But... if its of any interest - here is a fictional novel about a left-handed violinist - a very eclectic read...
The Last Dekrepitzer by Howard Lander - here is the link.
Ditto:-- To occasionally remind myself of how awkward this is for beginning students I will switch sides and instantly become a grade zero .
Good point, Joel.
When I want to solo with my right hand and comp with my left, I just switch to the piano.
I'm left-handed and I've tried playing left-handed, but I've found it very difficult. Could it be by chance rather than design that left-handers are already playing the violin the "right" way and it's the right-handers who should consider playing left-handed, especially if the demands of fingering outweigh the demands posed by bowing?
From a biomechanic perspective, it would seem like there would be no great difference or advantage in playing right-handed or left-handed. But from a psychological perspective, is there relationship between left-handedness, left ear dominance, and left eyedness? If so, it may make sense for left-handers to hold the violin on the left side, closer to the left ear and eye. I always use my left hand to hold my phone.
It could be that most instruments are ambidextrous, requiring skills in both hands, and there's no such thing as playing left-handed or right-handed.
When my children were starting to learn I did it on occasion - as mentioned before it is a great reminder of the difficulties faced by a beginner.
I’ve tried briefly, also to remind myself how it must have felt at the beginning.
There's a clip of a two set violin challenge where Hilary Hahn plays left handed. Having breezed through all the other challenges she comes unstuck with this one.
I found the Hilary Hahn clip, it's very funny! Here it is:
I, as a poor old Righty, like to try playing the Wrong Way from time to time. Never mind the fingering..
It's fascinating to know mentally what to do but be unable to do it! I say "poor Righty", because I have noticed how left handed colleagues and students have neater articulation and better rythm with similar practice time.
My weaker hand makes the music, then stronger hand makes the tone.
Discuss.
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September 21, 2025 at 10:05 AM · I'm also left-handed, and I actually sometimes switch hands when working on something fiddly with the bow. It's weird, considering that 99.999% of the time I bow with my right hand, but when it comes to working out a new thing, it's often easier to first find the precise feeling of, I don't know, some off-the-string thing with my left hand, and then replicate it with my right than do it with my right in the first place.