# Left or right handed?



## Aurelian (Sep 9, 2011)

Does anybody know of research that shows whether virtuoso pianists or violinists are generally left or right handed?


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## annaw (May 4, 2019)

Aurelian said:


> Does anybody know of research that shows whether virtuoso pianists or violinists are generally left or right handed?


The percentage of right-handed people in the population is so much greater than the percentage of left-handed people and as the handedness does not probably play a major role in musicality and playing skill then it's most likely that the amount of right-handed performers is greater, even if left-handedness could give some advantages. I might be mistaken of course - maybe there's some striking correlation with handedness but I doubt it a bit.

I did find an actual research paper which investigates the effect of handedness in general but does not necessarily focus on virtuosos: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5931456/. This might be a bit of an overkill though considering your question but maybe it interests someone .


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

They make left handed guitars. Guitars, bass guitars, ukuleles

They do not make left handed pianos or flutes.

Why is that?

Oh wait, they _have_ built a left handed piano






.

and you CAN special order a lefty flute.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Actually, I think that all woodwind instruments are left-handed....the earliest instrument makers and most prominent woodwind musicians must have been left-handed...why do I say this?? Every woodwind instrument places the left hand as the dominant hand, on the upper part of the pipe...the left hand is engaged, is used on virtually every note on the instrument....the right hand has the lesser role, lower on the pipe...it if course, is very important but it is not necessarily employed in all notes of the instrument....complex fork fingerings are used of course, but the bulk of the technique is placed on the upper, the left hand....
I have known, worked with, lived with many instrument repairmen in my life, and this theory is not unique to me....


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## DaddyGeorge (Mar 16, 2020)

Heck148 said:


> Actually, I think that all woodwind instruments are left-handed....the earliest instrument makers and most prominent woodwind musicians must have been left-handed...why do I say this?? Every woodwind instrument places the left hand as the dominant hand, on the upper part of the pipe...the left hand is engaged, is used on virtually every note on the instrument....the right hand has the lesser role, lower on the pipe...it if course, is very important but it is not necessarily employed in all notes of the instrument....complex fork fingerings are used of course, but the bulk of the technique is placed on the upper, the left hand....
> I have known, worked with, lived with many instrument repairmen in my life, and this theory is not unique to me....


This also applies to string instruments, working with the string is difficult, but the left hand plays a crucial role. Although it is unpopular and psychologists will protest, I personally don't believe in any innate left-handedness or right-handedness. I think it all depends on what we learn/train (not only) in childhood...


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

I believe many percussion instruments come in both right- and left-handed models.

An example is the triangle.


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