What are the advantages and disadvantages of a left handed beginner violin player playing on a normal violin?

-on a normal right hand violinAny disadvantages will be if you try to learn on a left handed violin. First of all, good lick trying to find a left handed violin. If you *did* manage to find one and find a teacher who didn't advise against it, you'd never play in an orchestra. Have you ever watched a string section in an orchestra? All the bows are going in unison...and in the same direction. Aesthetics aside, a left handed player would lock elbows or poke their stand partner's eye out.



Like most instruments, violin requires extremely good co-ordination in BOTH hands. Either way you learn, your weaker hand is going to need a lot of training. In one sense, a lefty has an advantage with fingering the strings. Look at it this way...if your chosen instrument was piano, it would never even occur to you to ask this question, right? Best of luck......
Just to chip in: I've only seen someone play a "left-handed"--i.e. reversed--violin in my 24 years of violin experience. It was because she had had polio as an infant and been slightly paralyzed on the left side; she could still move the bow with her left hand but not individual fingers. Aside from that case, I've never seen anyone put the violin on the opposite shoulder.
There are little if any disadvantages of being a left-handed violinist. As a beginner though, you might have to work on your bow hold so that it can be more comfortable for you and you can still get the right sound. I know plenty of left-handed violinist and they all play amazingly :)
My first teacher used to claim that musical instruments were all designed by lefties. The left hand in her opinion had the most work to do.

A disadvantage other than those mentioned. An instructor would have problems helping you since it would all be backwards to them.