Coco Montoya

[Mike_S]

This guy plays left handed but with a right handed neck so the thin strings are on top!! Great player too.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPnEw7hkC_U

[Farrell Jackson]

A cool post Mike! Coco Montoya is a great blues guitarist from Southern California. I saw him play at a local Blues Fest several years ago. His left handed style of playing with upside down strings looks odd to us right handers, especially when he bends the strings down instead of up, but he plays and sounds great....with the best of them.  Thanks for posting the video up.

Farrell

[cuthbert]

That's cool, Mike - reminded me of a video of Elizabeth Cotten fingerpicking lefty ("Cotten pickin' style", as she called it) in the same way:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgQEOkuCRZ0

[alfstone]

It gives me...a sense of...confusion...

 

Alfredo

[Mike_S]

That's cool, Mike - reminded me of a video of Elizabeth Cotten fingerpicking lefty ("Cotten pickin' style", as she called it) in the same way:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgQEOkuCRZ0

Wow... that's a great piece of musical history Cuthbert. The lady has a beautiful natural style and that's before even mentioning the fact she's a leftie playing a rightie. More power to her... damn she can play!

Thanks for sharing Cuthbert.

Mike

[dobrodaddy]

Great clip, Cuthburt!!!! One of my very faves.

Mike S, I think of her more as a lefty playing lefty. I'm a lefty but play traditional righty. My ears are very muddy so I had/have to watch other players' hands. Or have a simple chord chart.

I saw Coco in mid 1980s playing in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers w Walter Trout. John only let Walter cut loose on one lead, otherwise he was strictly rhythm n Coco took all the leads. Very tasty and talented player. Great phrasing n tone. Walter just burned... amazing. But didn't last very long in Mayall's band....

Real nice interview w Coco. Very articulate and down-to-earth. Played w some of the legends. Thanks for sharing this.

[Mike_S]

Dobrodaddy, I happened to be lucky enough to catch Walter Trout in 2018 here in Ireland ??. Well I am fifty years of age, so I guess it might sound a bit silly, but it was a life changing experience. The gig was sensational, his band terrific and Walters own personal story is a very profound one.

Mike

[dobrodaddy]

So cool that you got to see Walter live recently! I've only seen recent YT vids. Yes, an amazing player and quite a profound personal story. Working his demons out thru music. Now sharing what he knows w younger players.

[Jean Pierre]

This guy plays left handed but with a right handed neck so the thin strings are on top!!

Yes, a lot of left-handed people have started (and sometimes continue) to play right-handed guitars.
Paul Mac Cartney for example...see at 0'56"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2UfXlnBAcE

We should make a list of all the left-handed guitarists who play right-handed guitars

[cuthbert]

\Yes, a lot of left-handed people have started (and sometimes continue) to play right-handed guitars.
Paul Mac Cartney for example...see at 0'56"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2UfXlnBAcE

I can see how Macca passed his audition. Hadn't seen him perform this song before - he did it up nicely!