Interview conducted by Sophia Klinke, April 26, 2024
Do you see yourself as right-handed or left-handed?
I am right-handed and was born with an adhesion on my left hand.
At the age of five, my left index finger was operated on where the thumb would normally have been. I went to a lot of physiotherapy and it took a long time for the new “index finger thumb” to master its activities to some extent. Two years later, at the age of seven, I needed a second operation to have a tendon removed from my ring finger and inserted into the “index finger thumb” - only then was I able to grip properly. Nevertheless, it's relatively coarse motor skills and nowhere near as fine as with my right hand.
Because I'm right-handed, the left hand is naturally weaker and, with only four fingers, also narrower, it has a harder time due to a certain instability.
Did you learn your instrument left-handed from the start?
Yes, I was supposed to learn a musical instrument and I really wanted to. My parents asked what instrument I would like to play. Straight off the bat, I said that I wanted to learn the violin. They pondered for a moment and wondered how best to go about it, as conventional violin playing would not have been possible due to the lack of a finger on my left hand.
At a birthday party shortly afterwards, my parents met my future violin teacher Heike Trimpert, who immediately offered to teach me to play the violin inverted.
Were there any reservations from any side?
There were considerations as to whether it was possible for me to play the violin at all, because “left-handed playing” was completely new at the time. I started in 1996 and at the time I was the only one far and wide who played this way. But there was nobody who had anything against it.
How did you come by your instruments?
My first violin was a 1/2 right-handed violin, on which only the strings were reversed (as on a left-handed violin). Shortly afterwards I got a 3/4 violin, which was made for me as a left-handed instrument by Antonio Menzel in Flensburg. He later made my 4/4 left-handed violin and I have been playing it ever since.
Do you play in an orchestra? If so, what is your experience with playing left-handed there?
I no longer play in orchestras, but as a teenager I played in the Schleswig-Holstein State Youth Orchestra and during my studies in various orchestral projects. I usually sat on the right-hand side of the desk so that the bows met up with the frogs at the bottom. There were never any problems with space. I was even concertmaster in an orchestral project at the music university, which was an interesting and wonderful experience: playing left-handed I could face the orchestra and therefore had very close contact with it, which is great.
What strange experiences have you had with your lefty playing style?
Basically none. However, I do find it somewhat curious that until I came across “Linksgespielt”, I was more or less under the impression that I was the only one with this playing style. I think it's amazing and gratifying to see that there are so many lefty players out there!
Have there ever been negative reactions to your left-handed playing?
Yes, I remember one situation. My father attended one of our concerts with the Schleswig-Holstein State Youth Orchestra. During the interval, he overheard some people talking about the fact that a left-hander was in the orchestra and that it was inappropriate to play left-handed.
At that time, left-handed playing - whether due to left-handedness or injury - was not yet very widespread. But I'm glad to see that this is increasingly changing.
Do you see any advantages in playing 'the other way around'?
Of course, in the sense that otherwise I wouldn't have been able to play the violin at all. And I was lucky enough to get in touch with the right people and I'm very grateful for that.
Anne Kahl, née Renner, received her first violin lessons at the age of seven and her first piano lessons at the age of nine. During her school years, she played in various orchestras such as the Holstein Chamber Orchestra and the Schleswig-Holstein State Youth Orchestra. In 2007, she began an interdisciplinary bachelor's degree course at the Hanover University of Music, majoring in violin [with Prof. Elfriede Stahmer, who we interviewed here on handedness appropriate violin playing] and minoring in German with the aim of becoming a teacher. She also conducted various choirs during her studies. After completing her bachelor's degree, she went on to study for a master's degree in artistic and pedagogical education with a focus on choral and ensemble conducting. Today, she is a dedicated elementary school teacher in Hanover.
Photo credits: Linksgespielt