Left Handed Violins in Vancouver Canada

A left handed violin looks like a normal violin, but it is held in the right hand and rests on the right shoulder. The bow is held and coordinated by the left hand.

Contrary to the general perception, a right handed violin cannot be converted to a left handed violin by just placing it on the right shoulder. There are a few construction elements that define the violin that is played left handed.

A left handed violin is a mirror copy of a right handed violin. A left handed instrument is designed and built so from the beginning. There are no changes in the back and the sides of the violin. The top and the neck of the instrument are those whom are subject to changes.

The first element that defines the left handed violin is the bass bar, which is placed under the right leg of the bridge. The sound post is placed under the left leg of the bridge. The strings, from the right to left, will be G-D-A-E. Consequently, the position of the peg holes needs to be modified to meet the new order of the strings. As another consequence of the new order of the strings, the shape of the bridge needs to be adjusted, too. The last element and probably the most difficult to be made is the left handed violin chin rest. The chin rest for a left handed violin is an image in the mirror of the chin rest for a right handed violin and it is carved to hold the right side of the chin. Left handed violin chin rests are extremely hard to find and rarely sold individually or separately.