h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm a left-handed cellist, and (maybe this is just me...please respond) that my left hand is doing much more complex operations. If anything, I feel that the cello, and related instruments have somewhat of a pro-left handed bias.

What, 'cos of all the fiddly bits done with the left hand?

Yup, and the right hand does practically nothing; it's job is hang onto the bow and do what my wrist tells it.

But valved brass instruments - French Horn excepted, I wonder why? - are indeed right-handed. I guess you might be able to play a trumpet or cornet left-handed but it just can't be done with anything bigger, and I know because I tried! I used to play the tuba, two valves with my right hand and the third with my left thumb. How my teachers would cluck! It was just about possible to balance the thing and use the left hand to play all the valves but frankly, it was courting disaster.

Percussion is very ambidextrous. It helps to have no dominant hand. Most of the time you can choose which hand to hit things with, or you're doing everything two-handed. I think drumkit is the only type of handist percussion, and it is possible for people to change the way they play to suit them without dire consequences. I play percussion.

The bassoon, and really most any woodwind, don't really have any hand bias. Yes, the left hand always goes on top, and the right on the bottom, but the right thumb in most instruments is used just to hold the instrument up while the left thumb has a key. And for the bassoon, the left thumb has the toughest job, having a grand total of 9 keys for it to play all by itself.

I (as you may have guessed) play the viola (and violin). My Dad is a yoga teacher and he says that although I am right-handed, my body acts as if I am a leftie (as he is). We think this is because I started playing the violin before I learnt to write, so my left hand was used more than my right at an early age...therefore supporting the suggestion that string instruments have a positive left-handed bias!