standing up

slapcracklepop · #1 08-11-2005, 10:24 PM

I've been playing bass about 5 weeks now, and i'm pretty confident in my fast progress, however, ive been playing sitting down this whole time. well i decided id take out the strap and decide to play standing. this didnt work too well.. maybe it could be my guitar is too low? or not at the right position

any tips for this sorta thing? or is it just practice makes perfect

Alvaro Martín Gómez A. · #2 08-11-2005, 10:44 PM

The best way to practice when sitting is making sure that your bass keeps the same relative position to your body when standing. That's one of the so many advantages of wearing the bass high. Besides, you say: "I decided I'd take out the strap". So do you put your instrument on your lap when practicing with no strap? That's a bad idea IMO. There are so many variables when playing and you should keep them to a minimum. It doesn't work if your bass feels different when standing.

Hope this helps.

slapcracklepop · #3 08-11-2005, 10:47 PM

Thanks.. I always see alot of bassists wearing theyre bass high on their chest.. it seemed weird to me but now i see it makes more sense...

WillBuckingham · #4 08-11-2005, 11:21 PM

I've never seen this be adressed specifically before. My real problem is that when I stand, the bass is farther to the left of my body than when I'm sitting. Thus I have to reach my left arm our farther to play the frets near the nut. I realize that the body-style of the bass has a lot to do with this, and that my MVP 5 doesn't have a very substantial horn (is that the right term)? I started to deal with this by adjusting my left hand position, when I was playing in a funk band last spring, but now i've given up on playing standing up. I played a jazz gig tonite sitting on a stool, and I think I'll do this at least for the time being. Any of you guys perform sitting? I've seen George Porter Jr. play sitting on a stool like mine, but he was of course standing for the Meters reunion last jazz-fest

HotTubesGrooves · #5 08-12-2005, 06:10 AM

I tend to angle the neck of the bass up slightly when standing, as it reduces the distance you have to stretch with your left hand.