People who are left-handed often have difficulty in using appliances which are designed for right-handed users. Eg. tools where the blade is essential as with scissors, tin openers, sharpeners ... But there are many other objects used in daily life which can be optimized for left-handed users. (purses, pens, writing cases …) and there is now an entire market geared to left-handed users.
Left-handed players are always confronted with the problem of how they should play their instruments. This was originally not a problem for recorder players, as many recorders had a double lowest finger hole, so the player could decide which was to be the upper or lower hand. The redundant hole was then plugged with wax for example.
And today? Do left-handed players really need special recorders? We think not: Each hand is required to cover four finger holes when playing the recorder and complicated fingerings can be tricky for both hands. Left-handed players are almost at an advantage when considering the difficult fingering technique required to play octaves is controlled with the left thumb. So the recorder is really for ambidextrous players. This is probably the reason why left-handed recorders have not asserted themselves on the market and only occupy a small corner in the series of soprano recorders for beginners.
Anyone learning on a left-handed recorder will almost certainly encounter difficulties later on:
- You will always require your own specially made instrument.
- You do not have a choice of instruments.
- You cannot take advantage of the second-hand market.
- When playing in an ensemble, you cannot be as flexible in playing different parts which is normally expected unless you own enough of your own instruments or play in a left-handed ensemble.
Nevertheless, recorders for left-handed players are available at Moeck's in the school range.