Bass position while sitting.

[ThudThudThud]

I play with a strap. When standing, my bass is about belly-level anyway. When sitting it's the same.

 

[J Wilson]

The traditional guidance is to adjust the strap to where it's in the same place standing or sitting: Adjust the strap to where sitting up straight, it's in your lap with just the least bit of weight taken off. This works for some, or is a good starting place for others.

On the other hand, I prefer the 'classical guitar' setting, where it's against the inside of the left thigh with the neck angled up a bit.

 

[drumminor2nd]

When sitting, I place the body of the bass between my legs, just like a classical guitar player. The neck extends out at a roughly 45-degree angle off the body. It may help to raise the left leg (if right-handed).

Noob (4-ish months) here. My (left, fretting) wrist hurts like hell playing bass or guitar with the cutout over my right thigh like I see many people playing. Switching to the classical style, and getting a cheap adjustable footrest to raise my left foot up, was what kept me from quitting within a day or two.

 

[_B_E_A_D_G_]

I have been asking myself the same question and experimenting a bit with bass positions with the goal of having similar positions sitting and standing, and here are my notes:

1. bass on the lap (between the legs), the plane defined by the bass is more or less parallel to my torso and the body of the bass is more or less centered (sitting and standing), gives better access to the high notes, wrist position is a bit more awkward down the neck.

2. bass on the right thigh, the neck is angled away from my body, the corresponding standing position has the body of the bass resting against the right hip, gives better access to the low notes, but high notes are harder to access.

I do prefer #2, but I don’t think that it’s a right or wrong question, just a matter of personal preference…

 

[totalnoob]

Noob (4-ish months) here. My (left, fretting) wrist hurts like hell playing bass or guitar with the cutout over my right thigh like I see many people playing. Switching to the classical style, and getting a cheap adjustable footrest to raise my left foot up, was what kept me from quitting within a day or two.

Fellow noob here. Yes, I super-warmly recomment the adjustable footrest.
Enjoy your adventures in bass-landia. And remember to always do it for your own happiness first and foremost!

 

[tb-player]

Noob (4-ish months) here. My (left, fretting) wrist hurts like hell playing bass or guitar with the cutout over my right thigh like I see many people playing. Switching to the classical style, and getting a cheap adjustable footrest to raise my left foot up, was what kept me from quitting within a day or two.

I'm not a noob and I play that way. It just makes sense. Easy access to the entire neck while keeping wrists straight for better circulation and blood-flow.

 

[CTW68]

Definitely a classical position. It suits where my hands naturally want to be.

 

[rtslinger]

here

 

[bassbrad]

I play with a strap so sitting or standing it is the same height,

besides I'm too girthy to have much of a lap.

 

[SkylineFiver]

Like this:

 

[totalnoob]

Just an update on the votes: as of the 25th of May 2023, a third of the respondents to the poll use the classical guitar position while sitting. This is very surprising to me, but comforting - looks like I'm not the only one using this style, and we're not even a small minority.

 

[zontar]

Hey all,

when I play the bas sitting, I put it in my lap, instead of having it on my (right, for righthanded folks) knee/thigh. But every video on YT I watched shows people placing it on the thigh/knee. The reason I have it in my lap is because I played the classical guitar as a kid, and now having a bass in my lap the same way, feels very natural. I tried placing it on my right thigh, and it works fine, but my muscle memory is happier when the bass is in my lap.

Is that such an obviously bad place to play it? Am I an outlier?

I started guitar on classical, which helped with bass.
But when I sit I mostly have the instrument on my right leg--bass or guitar
But I do sometimes hold it classical style, such as when I play classical and when I had injured my right shoulder & had issues using that arm--holding the bass or guitar on my lap helped my right arm
But for a bass it places the strings too far away
some guitars will do that too.
But sometimes I'll hold an electric classical style--depend on how much the neck sticks out form the body.
And it's a great way to hold a flying V