Musical Mavericks

Subject: Musical Mavericks
From: GUEST,Johnmc
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 11:17 AM

I was at a session the other night and two blokes played a jazz tinged blues on guitars. I struggled to join in (partly because I couldn't see their playing) and so at the end I asked the nearest one what key they had been in. He replied, to my astonishment, and quite sincerely, that he didn't even know the names of the strings of the guitar, never mind the key.
Again, there is another fellow who accompanies himself well with a guitar played left-handed but strung normally; it takes you ages to identify even the most obvious chords.
   I find this kind of thing fascinating in that it would almost be easier to learn in an orthodox way.
   Anyone have similar examples?

Subject: RE: Musical Mavericks
From: Scrump
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 11:27 AM

I've seen a couple of guys playing right-handed guitars upside down, strung normally, but played left-handed, in the past few months.

I asked one of them, and he said he had just picked up the guitar as a kid, and started playing, not knowing he had it the wrong way round. By the time he discovered his 'mistake' (it's debatable it was a mistake, given how well he could play) it was too late to change, as far as he was concerned.

He was able to produce interesting patterns when finger-picking, because of the 'upside down' strings.