Do you play bass standing vs sitting?

[2saddleslab]

Either or, depending on the gig. Solo practice sitting but will stand during band rehearsal.

 

[JRA]

i'm old, i like to sit when i can, and FWIW: the whole rhythm section sits when we play our (mostly jazz) gigs. sometimes i'll stand up for solos or when i'm featured in some way.

at home: sitting, with or without a strap.

 

[Zooberwerx]

A buddy bought me an elevated stool with fold-down guitar stand. I'm 6'4" and can easily "lean back" when my back starts to act up.

I will end up purchasing a headless 5'er, maybe one of those new Corts once the reviews hit the stands.

Riis

 

[mattie13]

My arm gets fatigued way sooner when I play sitting. I play a lot of fast stuff with a pick, and standing enables me to lower the bass enough that my right elbow is nearly straight, which enables faster picking for me. To do the same thing with a bent elbow induces muscle strain pretty quickly.

 

[Dana R Gregory]

When leaning a new song or a difficult bass line I will sit, otherwise it is much more comfortable for me to stand when playing or practicing as I wear my bass a little low on my right thigh with the head stock up near my shoulder.

 

[gregmon79]

I sit at home when playing. I spend half the time sitting and standing at band practice. Live I'm standing at all times.

I'd stand at all times besides at home when playing if it weren't for my back. Even with steroid spinal shots yearly (which seem to not work as well as they used to) it still bothers me to stand when playing for extended amounts of time. My left leg will start going numb. But our sets aren't usually longer than 45 min so I can deal with that. But we don't gig that often as of yet so it's not much of an issue. It's possible I'll need surgery on my back at some point. So I may stand at all times when I'm playing with others sometimes in the future. Or not. I guess time will tell.

 

[ThePez]

I sit when learning songs or warming up at home. when rehearsing for a gig, I stand. both at home and at band rehearsal. i try to rehearse playing the material without looking down at my hands and trying to keep my head up vibing with the music.

 

[mambo4]

I voted Only sitting during home practice
but it's not exactly that. Like others have said I make a distinction between kinds of practice
I noodle, explore, figure out and experiment sitting down
Anything not concerned about polished execution

If I am preparing material for a gig, I practice like I gig, standing up.

Because standing changes the POV of our '6th sense ' of proprioception
how your brain 'sees' your body and limbs and fingers positioned in space
It can be subtle, but the proprioception delta of standing vs sitting might hide unexpected foils and speed bumps
best to include that difference in your practice

 

[James Flowers]

Sit when I am reading and learning.
Stand when I start practicing.
But I have found lately that my feet just can't take a full gig standing. So I have a stool that is tall enough I can perch a hip on it and take some of the stress off my feet.

 

[pepj]

At home, sit..gigs, stand.

Every bass I have, I can play 1 hr standing.
You need to be gig fit. I've known guys get fired if not able to stand up.

 

[_Some Dude]

I haven't sat down to play since the 90s.

I play fairly low slung, so my technique isn't adapted to playing in a seated position.

 

[LowWay]

I play mostly at home these days. So recording or practicing I play seated. I use a Performaxe, which is awesome.

The First-Ever Electric Guitar Leg Rest: Performaxe

Performaxe, the First-Ever Electric Guitar Leg Rest. Increase comfort and practice effectiveness, raise and angle the guitar without strap or footstool.

guitarscientist.com

In the rare live setting I play standing with a 4” neoprene strap. I have nerve damage in my neck and shoulder.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hey TB, I recently bought a bass that weighs about 10lbs. I'm not strict on weight but this one feels a bit heavy on my shoulder (also not a FSO, so it doesn't balance great). I considered selling it but then reality hit me: I play most of the time sitting down. Before COVID I was a weekend warrior, always playing out. In 2024 I've played 1 gig so far. Most of my playing is through headphones in my music room. Most of that is done sitting down. While I was gigging regularly I NEVER played sitting down. Hated it. Felt wrong. Now that I'm more of a "hobbyist" it's become the norm. There's definitely a difference, ergonomically, that requires adjustments. Anyways, I'm curious to see how TB plays their basses. VOTE!

Both. She sitting I wear a strap as well, shorter to hold the bass so it doesn’t slide down my legs. When standing, I have the strap adjusted so the curve in the body at the bottom is where my belt buckle is to prevent buckle rash.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Started playing seated when no knee cartilage remained. Received bilateral knee replacements, and decided to continue playing seated. None have raised this as a concern.

 

[StyleOverShow]

Had knee replacement last November, was sitting half the time in all bands.
Now I stand 90% of the time and find it OK to sit on a song every now and again.
Poll’s not dumb!

 

[jimmydean]

I have been sitting more this past year when playing live , by the middle of the 3rd set ........I'm sitting these days .

 

[brianrost]

Where’s the “this poll is not dumb” choice?

With BG I’m sitting down 100% for practice and some rehearsals as well, for DB I’m standing up 100% for both.

I'm standing at 99% of my gigs. Every once in a while I have a wallpaper DB gig where I might use a stool because everybody else is sitting, too.

I remember sitting on my amp once at a wedding. I've probably done that a couple of times, but I don't remember for sure.

I may not always use a strap when playing but I do always use pants

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Yes! Yes I do.

 

[bwildt]

I'm 72. I have a bad back and a bad knee. I can stand with my instrument for about 15 min and that's it. 6 years ago, by the time a 45 min set would end, my back and knee was so stiff I could barely step down from the stage. It was annoying to spend more time thinking about trying to stay upright than paying attention to my playing.

About that time, I had a knee replacement and needed to sit while recovering. At that point, I decided to stay seated. It was that or quit playing (yes, that bad).

I use a fairly tall stool where I can sit high. It is more like leaning into the stool with my legs on the floor propping me up. This kept me at mostly the same height as my other bandmates standing around me.

I'm not playing clubs at this time, but am playing in an 18-piece big band. Since all the saxes and trombones sit, I sit in the trombone row between the trombones and the drums. It works well and looks good.

 

[Clark W]

Hey TB, I recently bought a bass that weighs about 10lbs. I'm not strict on weight but this one feels a bit heavy on my shoulder (also not a FSO, so it doesn't balance great). I considered selling it but then reality hit me: I play most of the time sitting down. Before COVID I was a weekend warrior, always playing out. In 2024 I've played 1 gig so far. Most of my playing is through headphones in my music room. Most of that is done sitting down. While I was gigging regularly I NEVER played sitting down. Hated it. Felt wrong. Now that I'm more of a "hobbyist" it's become the norm. There's definitely a difference, ergonomically, that requires adjustments. Anyways, I'm curious to see how TB plays their basses. VOTE!

• Standing up when I practice solo at home
  
  
• Sitting on a bar stool with a chair like back at band rehearsal 90% of the time. I do use wireless so sometimes I'll stand over by the drums.
  
  
• Standing up at church for rehearsal
  
  
• Standing up for anything live