Do you see yourself as left-handed or right-handed?

 

I'm left-handed and my parents realized that right away.

But it's not that I can't do anything with my right hand... ;)

 

 

Did you learn your instrument left-handed from the beginning?

 

Yes, I started playing the cello left-handed when I was six. At that time, I was at a luthier's with my parents. He put a cello in my hands and I directly held the bow and instrument the left-handed way, because that's how it felt good. My parents and the luthier were fascinated to see that I intuitively took the instrument like that and experimented on it. Therefore, they had me start appropriately left-handed, and as far as I know, there was not much discussion about this decision. The strings were strung accordingly the other way around and so I began to play the cello.

 

 

Have you faced any reservations or concerns later on?

 

I don't know exactly - at least I can't remember any. Playing left-handed was normal for me from the very beginning, and at that young age I hadn't thought about the subject of handedness in instrument playing. It went well on the left and we didn't get any headwind.

I became aware of my current teacher Joseph Hasten when I met four of his students at the national competition of Jugend Musiziert. We got along well and I became curious about the teacher of these cellists, so at some point I went to see him, sat in on his lessons and eventually became his student myself. I regularly play chamber music with other cellists in his class. The left-playing cellist Konrad Haug also has lessons with him.

 

 

So there were never any negative reactions?

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Only sometimes I noticed that my lefty playing seemed to be a bit suspicious to some people. But so far I never experienced anything hostile. As a rule, I am always asked about my way of playing, because for most people it’s something completely new. Therefore, I find it understandable that I am asked and I answer the questions gladly and openly.

 

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How did you come by your instruments?

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At the beginning, we went to Christoph van Dijk, a violin maker in Karlsruhe, who strung my first rented children's cello the other way around. So it was a right-handed cello with only the strings put on the lefty way. 

When I got a 3/4 size cello, he also changed the bass bar and soundpost to make it a left-handed cello. After I played on this rebuilt left-handed cello for quite a while and the time came for a 4/4 one, Martin Schleske built me my current instrument. - So I play on an original, modern left-handed cello. As far as I know, this was the first lefty instrument he built, and apparently an exciting project, since it was something new for him as well.

 

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When was this cello built?

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In 2018 and I am very happy with it!

 

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Do you play in an orchestra? If so, what are your experiences with it?

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At the moment I don't play in an orchestra, but as a student I played in the school orchestra. I never experienced any problems in terms of space, except sometimes when the room was a very small and there was not much space for everyone. But even that could always be solved.

 

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What funny or strange experiences have you had with your lefty playing style?

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Not many. Actually, most people I know - especially those my age - just think it's cool.

Of course, I'm always asked why I play left-handed etc., and every now and then there are hints that it seems a bit strange to some people. But there has never been anyone who said to me that it was complete nonsense or stupid. Only a somewhat critical 'why' meets me now and then, and that I am eyed more strongly.

 

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Do you see any advantages in playing 'the other way round'?

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It just feels right that way. I am very happy that I am so satisfied with my cello by Martin Schleske. Otherwise, the choice of instrument would probably have been a lot more difficult: Although I can test the sound on a right-handed cello while playing left-handed, I cannot easily play my usual repertoire on it - that would only be possible if the cello was modified. And even then it is not always certain - especially with very old instruments - how the conversion would ultimately affect the sound body. 

I think it's great to become one of the first aspiring professional left-hand cellists! At the same time, I never tried to make a big or special thing out of it, because it should be normal to play according to handedness and not be treated differently because of that.

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