Please help!!!?

Question

I have a problem with my left hand (like a mild cerebral palsy). It just makes it weaker. Anyway, I love music and anything to do with it (varying from rock, metal, pop and even the electric club stuff) and I wanted to know people's opinions on what sort of instrument I should try out - I'm thinking along the lines of drums, but I know too many drummers lol... Please be helpful :(

Answer 1

I can't think of any instrument that doesn't require some amount of hand/wrist dexterity, however, a friend of mine - now a competent bass player - began playing an instrument after his hand was badly damaged by fire. Why not try out a few things in a shop and see how you get on. Like my friend, it might help recover some of the loss of use, who knows? Lastly as well as playing guitar and bass and a little bit of keyboards for many year, I now get as much satisfaction from my PC studio - where ideas are important, composition and aural creativity. With a few bits of software you too could be manipulating samples, drum loops or composing via a midi keyboard all kind of music and sound

Answer 2

Interesting question. Well, if you're right-handed, playing the guitar or bass could be tough because doing so would put a fair amount of strain on your left hand, which would be the one forming the chords on the fretboard. Then again, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath has been playing the guitar for DECADES and he's missing almost all of the fingertips from his left hand -- his fret hand.

If you're left-handed, however, playing the guitar or bass may be a little easier because all you would need to do is hold on to the pick. I'm not sure how difficult that would be for you.

As someone else pointed out, the drums could be tough, too, because you really do need a lot of stamina in your hands and wrists to hold onto the drumsticks throughout a song (or several songs) while slamming them (the drumsticks, that is) onto the drums. Then again, look at Rick Allen of Def Leppard -- the guy's got only ONE ARM and he's been playing the drums for years now.

Piano or keyboards might be a good option because you really don't need that much hand strength to press the keys. You do need a fair amount of stamina, however, if you plan on performing live.

Last, if electronica is your thing, you really don't need any hand strength at all. You can just program songs into your computer and/or throw records onto a turntable. Speaking of which, I've got two turntables and a microphone (take me home to the elemental zone)...

To sum up, I'd recommend just going to a music store and trying out a bunch of instruments and seeing which one really inspires you. As I've tried to point out, there have been many famous musicians who have overcome physical disabilities to become successful. Don't give up on ANY instrument that you really want to play.

Good luck and rock on!

PS You could also be a singer!

Answer 3

My first suggestion would be to find a good vocal instructor, because the human voice is a very powerful instrument, and you don't rely on hand strength at all. Other than that, I agree with the previous answers of looking into computer-based recording and using a keyboard (piano-type, not computer-type) controller, because you can play most of your melody lines right handed if you wish, since you would be recording one part at a time anyway.

Answer 4

You could try working on digital drum machines. Go into music arrangement sequencing that focuses purely on beats. The techo music market pays well for talent in that area.





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Answer 5

well your hands and wrists are a huge part of playing drums so if your left is weak then it might be a little hard