TubaForum.net

Saw this on Instagram:



Miraphone custom built a couple of horns left handed for a customer. Very cool!

Might be for an interesting discussion: Are there lefties out there who managed just fine on a right handed tuba?

Are all french horn players lefties???

it’s difficult to find French horns that aren’t left-hand operated, and a significant majority of humans are right-handed.

Typically, when instruments - such as those normally right-hand operated tubas - are built, it’s because someone’s right hand has been disabled.

I admire manufacturers and repair shops that configure special instruments for such people.

sidebar:
I have always raised my eyebrows just a bit at left-handed guitars, as both hands carry out very demanding jobs, when playing… It reminds me a bit of the prospect of a left-handed piano.

I'm left handed, and a left handed bass absolutely wrecks me.

A friend of mine inherited another friend’s entire estate, and included was a genuine 1960s McCartney Hofner bass that is left-handed. Researching them, I found out that the demand is far-far below the ridiculous asking prices (not surprisingly), and (also not surprisingly) the left-handed ones are very hard to sell, even though McCartney‘s is left-handed.

LeMark wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 6:50 am I'm left handed, and a left handed bass absolutely wrecks me.

The Beatle Bass is nearly symmetrical. Why make a lefty??

Three Valves wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 7:30 am The Beatle Bass is nearly symmetrical. Why make a lefty??

headstock, tailpiece, tone/volume controls, strap mount

NOW:
BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED TOPIC...
(those two tubas)

Some people only have one arm. Or only have mobility in one arm, hand, fingers, etc... I'm constantly amazed at how much people can do and work around with serious limitations. Human motivation greatly exceeds physical limitations. And beyond that, having the correct tool for the job (a left-handed tuba) could be an absolute game-changer.

bort2.0 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 9:43 am Some people only have one arm. Or only have mobility in one arm, hand, fingers, etc... I'm constantly amazed at how much people can do and work around with serious limitations. Human motivation greatly exceeds physical limitations. And beyond that, having the correct tool for the job (a left-handed tuba) could be an absolute game-changer.

Dave Bushouse (former horn teacher at KU) was formerly a trombonist - who suffered some catastrophic right-hand injury, so he had the surgeon shape his right hand in the classic "L"-shape (into which horn players shape their right hands when placing them in their bells) and he took up horn (which - again - is left-hand keyed)...and yes, for stopping (of course) he had to use a stopping mute.

https://music.ku.edu/david-bushouse

...I just noticed that those Miraphone tubas are not a full reversal...but done "the easy way"...still: very cool

Yes a left handed instrument for someone who has use of only their left hand now makes loads of sense.

I know a tubist, who was based out of Texas, who was missing his right hand. He had Miraphone make him a 186CC that later got stolen, and he got a 1291CC made. I think any of their models can be specially made for situations like these.

Miraphone builds instruments to order. They're happy to build them the way you like if you pay for them.

I think the left handed tuba pictured in this thread is really cool and that we're lucky to have a company like Miraphone willing to build such things for folks.

It's the Rick Allen model. Wait... maybe that was the other arm...?

One of the coolest things about this tuba is that it's guaranteed to be done RIGHT and to be SOLID.

A lot of times when major modifications are done, it requires a bit of explaining about how who did the work and why... so for this tuba's owner, saying "Miraphone built it this way" is about the best possible answer.

That's not to say, though, that tubas can't be converted by skilled techs and do a nice job of that as well. Interesting to note, sometimes tubas are converted from RH to LH... and later from LH back to RH. I know of one such rotary tuba, and if the owner hadn't told me about the switching, I probably wouldn't have noticed it from the photos.

There is a fine local horn player whose right hand was deformed at birth but it works fine in the bell. I figure unless he wanted to play a left-handed-set-up instrument, horn was really the only one he could.

I would never encourage a talented kid who had a future in music to get a left-handed instrument because no way would it fit ergonomically in a professional group. String players' left hands have to do extremely intricate work. I decided at one point that the reason stringed instruments are set up the way they are is because the bow really is the "leader" in playing and the left hand is the "follower." One of the things you figure out along the way.

But....ever hear of this guy? One of the finer horn players I've ever heard, but I doubt he could play in an orchestra. Talk about overcoming obstacles. Even when I was a kid I could not get my leg in that position.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1AJpV_qBFQ