What are your go-to stage moves?

[Dr. PhunkyPants]

I've always wondered about this--and if there's already a thread, mea culpa--but what do you DO on stage when your really rockin'? Do you jump around, shift back and forth between your feet, swing the headstock, white man's overbite, etc?

FWIW, I find myself shrugging on the upbeat, looking off to one side, and nodding my head. Not sure why. Guess that's what's in the genes.

[invader3k]

I do a lot of stupid on-stage moves:

- The short hop, where the back of your calves almost touch the back of your legs (if that makes sense...punk bands do it a lot).
- The Johnny Thunders style head bob where you bring your headstock towards your head and back down, and swing the head to your side in between.
- The "limbo" where you lean way far back (usually during a short chord change).
- Of course, head banging.
- I also do one especially during quiet parts where I kind of get down low and sway back and forth, basically using my knees to go from left to right.
- Hopping on one leg. I only do this during practices where we are playing a crappy song that isn't working. It's a good way to mock a song you don't like.
- Moving the headstock up and down in matching rhythm with the beat.

That's about all I can think of right now.

[Benjamin Strange]

I lean up against my amp, hit a low note and drop the whammy bar down, then crap my pants. The ladies love that one.

[Dr. PhunkyPants]

I think one of my faves was Guy Pratt marching along with the straight-eights at the beginning of "Learning to Fly" in the Delicate Sound of Thunder Live footage. The Earth Wind and Fire bassist does that a lot, too.

[MichaelScott]

Originally Posted by Dr. PhunkyPants

shift back and forth between your feet,

I saw a video of myself doing this during my first show. It looks terrible.

Now I try to walk around more on stage, groove with the music, look & smile at the audiance, and interact with the other band members.

The most important thing to do is to look like you are having a great time.

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by MichaelScott

I saw a video of myself doing this during my first show. It looks terrible.

Now I try to walk around more on stage, groove with the music, look & smile at the audiance, and interact with the other band members.

The most important thing to do is to look like you are having a great time.

Those videos can be real eye-openers, huh?

Last video I saw, I was shifting from foot-to-foot too -- NOT in time to the music!!! Dork-O-Rama.

I don't do that anymore. ...I.. don't think... Egads.

Joe

[f'nar f'nar]

The wildest thing I ever did I've only been able to do once, because it was the only gig we had where we didnt use lead, we used the remotes... and that was, backflip off my amp. I'd been practicing for ages, and all those gym lessons helped heaps!

[spidersbass]

i like getting on one knee for the slow parts, usually because i'm tapping and i need my basses upper register to play it right.

[Ray Salamon]

I do the Steve Harris (among others..) put a foot on the monitor, stare into the crowd, put the bass on my knee and point to the crowd! all while still (attempting to) holding the goove.
Bob my head to the beat, whilest tapping my foot (though no one sees...)
Swing the bass around randomly...looks like ass though.
Whatever else feels natural, or maybe not-so-natural .

Ray

[seanm]

One thing I will do is just before a big downbeat, I will get on my toes and drop to my feet on the 1. Or for less effect, I will raise the headstock and drop it back on the 1.

Another trademark move is for a open string whole note (or longer), I will let my left arm drop away, and then bring it back in an arc just in time to play the next note. I didn't know I did this until someone pointed it out. Now I am a bit self-conscious about it and don't do it as much.

[Perfect-Tommy]

I just full body nod. Nothing fancy. Too busy overplaying to do much else :P

[driver800]

Hit one of the drummer's crash cymbals with the head of my bass...or with my bare hand if I'm not playing on the beat. I usually do it just once a night and always at the end of one his fills - on the 1.

I don't know if he minds it. He hasn't said anything, he usually laughs. Maybe he hates my guts.

[Vox Populi]

I'm not in a band, but if I was, I think I'd find myself interacting with and making eye contact with the other band members.

I always like it when bands do that. It makes it look like they're having alot more fun.

[Dan Molina]

Originally Posted by Bad_Habit_Bassist

I do the Steve Harris (among others..) put a foot on the monitor, stare into the crowd, put the bass on my knee and point to the crowd! all while still (attempting to) holding the goove.
Bob my head to the beat, whilest tapping my foot (though no one sees...)
Swing the bass around randomly...looks like ass though.
Whatever else feels natural, or maybe not-so-natural .

Ray

I'm guilty of pulling a Steve Harris.

[B-NoteCowboy]

A variety of moves really. I think they are cool, and that's all that really matters, right? Right?

Lessee.... there is the "lean back to back against the guitarist" move. The "menacing the guitarist over his shoulder" during a smoking solo move. The hammering the headstock to the half-beat move. The "kick in time to a cymbol crash move" of course is a standard issue thing.

But my favorite move has to be the "lean back with knees slightly bent, body of the bass riding on the pubic bone with the neck in the air like a giant phalus, leaning my head back and playing a bass solo" move. Yeah... the womens love that one.

[Sundogue]

Any move endorsed by Spinal Tap.

[fastplant]

I've got some great "can't dance" moves on tape, I should post some. But I don't really plan on what to do. I just do whatever the music makes me feel like doing.

[cowsgomoo]

when there's a 'show-off' bass bit i'll sometimes go and stand right in front of the singer just so everyone looks at me at which point he usually gets me in a headlock and drags me to the floor while i'm playing... which is sometimes good entertainment

if there's a drum riser then that's a source of endless amusement... I never get bored with jumping off there at 'dramatic' moments

when certain passages demand it, i'll do the old 'Dee Dee Ramone' thing with a legs-wide-apart stance, but being old it's hard to get myself back up to a standing position

erm... holding your bass like it's your penis and making the corresponding facial gestures is sometimes appropriate
the 'lean back to back with the guitarist thing' means 'potential butt-to-butt contact', so that's out of the question I prefer to go up to the guitarist and get close up facing his guitar

i've found you don't have to run around doing aerobics in order to provide visual interest, as long as everyone in the band is at least moving slightly at pretty much all times, you give the audience something to look at

[Tim Cole]

Every few songs, I will shift the weight from one foot, to the other.

Don't cop my moves.

Thanks

[narud]

i stand there and look bored.