7 Famous Left-handed Violinists You Should Know
Left-handed violinists are little-known in the world of classical music.
Most people have rarely seen a left-handed individual play the violin. However,
this is probably because most left-handed violinists train in a right-handed manner.
Is it possible to play the violin with the left hand?
Most classical string players tend to bow with the right hand.
It would be fair to say that there are considerable biases towards the right-hand playing
of bowed instruments. However, most left-handed violinists outperform when trained accordingly.
Left-handed individuals are not just creative but also have brilliant control over the sense
of rhythm and pitch perception. This gives them a much-needed edge over right-handed violinists.
When mastering a musical instrument, it is always advisable to train with the dominant hand.
Undoubtedly, left-handed violinists find technically demanding pieces a little more
challenging. They must maintain the purity of intonation and use the appropriate vibrato by
relying on a wide-ranging articulation vocabulary applied with great finesse.
This is why it requires more work to become a successful left handed
violinist than to become a right handed one. In any case, playing the violin is not as easy
as it looks. However, what led to the scarcity of left-handed violinists is still not understood.
Let's review a list of famous left handed violinists to learn more about them.
Ashley MacIsaac Ashley MacIsaac is one
of the most successful and popular left handed violinists. This Canadian fiddler and songwriter
has several awards and successfully sold over 500,000 albums. Considered a prodigy
in his local Cape Breton town, Ashley has broken through into the mainstream,
which has helped upcoming left-handed violinists find their place in contemporary music circles.
Richard Barth Richard Barth is the only left handed
German violin virtuoso of his time. Regardless of his peculiar playing style, he managed to gain
popularity as a concertmaster of orchestras. He was a successful music teacher before he planned
to switch careers. Later he moved on and conducted the Singakademie and Philharmonie in 1908.
Paavo Berglund Paavo was a Finnish violinist and conductor.
He is known for making music for Jean Sibelius popular within European circles. Paavo was
increasingly popular in Denmark, where he worked with the Royal Danish National Orchestra. As a
conductor, he held the baton with his left hand while using the right to color the performance.
Charlie Chaplin Famous for his brilliant acting,
few people know that Charlie Chaplin played the violin with his left hand. As an amateur
violinist, he would use his left-handed violin to compose numerous scores for his films. Ambitious
as a child, Chaplin had great ambitions of becoming a professional violin player;
by the time he was 1, he played in English music halls but chose to concentrate on acting instead.
Rudolf Kolisch Rudolf Kolisch,
the founder of the New Vienna String Quartet, turned the Kolisch Quartet,
which popularized the works of Schoenberg, Bartok, and Berg. He is one of the few
proficient violinists who played left-handed due to a finger injury he suffered as a youth.
Niccolo Paganini Although there are no definitive sources,
it is believed that Niccolo Paganini's left hand was much more dominant than his right one.
Some sources claim that Niccolo Paganini suffered from Marfan Syndrome, which typically elongates an
individual's tendons and joints. This might have forced him to play with his left hand
if this was true. Like most left-handed violinists, Paganini was ambidextrous,
and he did not necessarily feel a particular need to use his left hand when bowing.
Nicola Benedetti Intelligent, graceful,
and talented beyond measure, Nicola Benedetti is one of the most renowned
left-handed violinists today. As one of the most sought-after artists of her generation,
this Scottish violinist was not confident in her ability. As a child, she struggled
coming out of her shell, being the only left handed student in her class. Fortunately,
she moved on to overcome her insecurities. She performed in top venues worldwide alongside
great orchestras like the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester.