Playing Left-handed Keys?

**CyberRaiza** · Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 1194

So ive played most of the songs in the game on keys now and i was starting to get a little bored and a great idea hit me. Why dont i try playing keys parts left-handed. then i was like wait why dont i play bass parts left handed because i still need 25 songs bass goal. then i was like wait the doors' bass is keyboard anyway, its ray's left hand so i tried some doors bass on keyboard and it was mad fun.

it hurt my hand after two or three songs though, but its nice to see a 6x multiplier with keyboard and play the doors other keyboard charts basically. has anyone else done this?

i also see this as a good way of building up my non-dominant hand and getting better with it.
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**blingdomepiece** · Joined: 03 Aug 2007 Posts: 4358 Location: Ottawa ON Canada

**CyberRaiza** · Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 1194

**HyadesD4** · Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 1:13 am Post subject:

But how exactly will you activate? I've tried lefty keys before, and reaching over to press the button is very awkward. Until we have proper pedal activation, we'll have to stick to righty.
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**machetemonkey** · Joined: 02 Feb 2008 Posts: 3043 Location: Minneapolis, MN

On a slightly related note, The Doors' bass parts are (for the most part) actual bass parts. They did play bass parts with the keyboard, but had actual bass guitar in addition to that. While it's true that The Doors didn't have a permanent bassist as part of the band, they recruited various bassists to record the parts.

**CyberRaiza** · Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 1194

**Shinji16** · Joined: 09 Nov 2010 Posts: 10 Location: Warwick, RI USA

(Obligatory mention that I've been playing piano for 2 decades.)

For regular Keys, do whatever suits you best. For Pro Keys, however, I highly recommend against this, and using only your right hand. So far, every Pro Key chart I've played, on every difficulty, has been written for the right hand.

The idea of playing with the left hand as building tolerance/strength with your non-dominant hand is correct, but not with the Pro charts. I highly recommend playing regular Keys with both hands (not simultaneously) if you're considering trying out piano outside of Rock Band. But beyond that, playing the Pro charts left handed would be very awkward and unnatural.

There has been mention of a few Pro charts where your left hand will "reach in" and help out, and I can say I've found one such example so far, during the guitar solo of Llama. Beyond that though, I have intentions of FC'ing everything essentially one handed, and I hope you aspire to do the same if you're on Pro charts.

I hope my advice is helpful, and wish you luck on the keys!
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**CyberRaiza** · Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 1194

**thecaptainof** · Joined: 04 May 2007 Posts: 7571 Location: ¯\(°_o)/¯

This thread turned out not to be what I expected, but I'll ask anyway as it's sort of appropriate for the title.

I'm thinking of getting the keyboard to dabble in the pro field but I see a potential problem in that I'm totally left-handed. Like, I play guitar in the manner that's called 'right-handed' but I don't see why it's called that when you do the complicated bit with your left hand.

...I digress. Point is, my right hand is massively uncoordinated and, thanks to an accident that resulted in three severed tendons, pretty weak compared to my left hand. Is it worth my time to get the keyboard? Is there any chance I'd be able to do reasonably well with only (or, y'know, mostly) my left hand?
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**NavyCherub** · Joined: 28 May 2008 Posts: 3396

**Voltgloss** · Joined: 26 Apr 2008 Posts: 314 Location: New Jersey

**GanonMetroid** · Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1460

**Skyp1e** · Joined: 01 Mar 2011 Posts: 132

There ARE actually left handed pianos. Impractical beasts if you asked me.

As for the Doors, very little of their music, in the studio or especially live uses a bass guitar player. Most of the low end was done on a Fender Piano Bass played by Ray Manzarek's left hand.

I should know I was in a Doors tribute band for many years and had to emulate Ray from Glasses to boots.

This is me from those days:

And this was my gear:

As for playing the right hand parts with your left hand, it wouldn't damage your hand to do it. You won't really pick up any bad habits either, but keep in mind that the shapes of the patterns were played with a right hand and won't be very comfortable to play with your left a lot of the time and in the case of some chords will be close to impossible. Otherwise I don't see any harm in it give it a try.

**megallica** · Joined: 22 Jun 2007 Posts: 2429 Location: Woodbridge, VA