I strongly prefer right ... but I don't like to be pushy about it, and most people I play with seem to prefer bass on the left (or they prefer guitar on the right) so I just go with it. However, I would never choose stage left if I had my way.
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Hi-hat side of the drummer
- Thread starter scottfeldstein
- Start date
Well the one thing I never have a problem hearing on any stage with any band are the drums, so I'm not all that concerned about standing near him. Plus I do a fair amount of lead singing and fronting, so I learned a long time ago not to depend on looking at the drummer to be tight. And then there's the issue of not wanting to be deafened.Jimmy - no drummer love? Shame on you, bro!
More seriously, it depends on the monitoring a lot, I think, especially on a big stage on a loud gig.
Like I said, I actually HAVE had problems hearing drums on stage with a big band during loud gigs when the stage setup has been problematic. But I'd agree that under those circumstances the band is way too loud on stage - I have left those gigs with my ears ringing like crazy.
As for eye contact with the drummer, it's useful now and then. But not necessary the whole time. I really wouldn't want him getting the wrong idea.
As for eye contact with the drummer, it's useful now and then. But not necessary the whole time. I really wouldn't want him getting the wrong idea.
Passinwind
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- Dec 3, 2003
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I used to play in a band where the drummer and I would get bored sometimes and when we'd get ready to crash a note, he'd signal me (eye contact!) that he was gonna do it twice instead of once. We chuckled about that until the next time came around and I indicated to him THREE! so we did it three times.
It's not especially considerate to do that to the other musicians, but we were bored. And at least it was still tight as far as the rhythm section was concerned.
We played that song that way ever after. Never would have happened if we hadn't been huddled over the hi-hat.
Things can evolve quicker if you have close proximity and the possibility of eye contact with your drummer.
It's not especially considerate to do that to the other musicians, but we were bored. And at least it was still tight as far as the rhythm section was concerned.
We played that song that way ever after. Never would have happened if we hadn't been huddled over the hi-hat.
Things can evolve quicker if you have close proximity and the possibility of eye contact with your drummer.
Mind you, when I am on the hi-hat side, the drummer and I can make jokes about the singer behind their back ~ so that's another plus to playing left.
Right... I guess I like the option of making eye contact with everybody in the band, but I'm not sure how useful it really is as a problem solving measure.
If I look at him in the middle of a tune, he has no way of knowing if I'm trying to tell him of a problem (and if so, what ?), or if I'm trying to suss what he is going to do next, or if I'm just making bass face, or admiring his curly locks with their abundant shine and bounce.
In practice, sometimes if there is a tempo problem I will indicate the right tempo, or count in a transition, by nodding with the neck of the bass. But I wouldn't do that on stage in most cases.
I did a gig a couple of years ago with an unrehearsed sub drummer on original tunes with lots of transitions and different sections, and I was glad to be on the high hat side for that one because I was tasked with keeping him informed.
On our last gig I noticed something: We always practice with me stage-right of the drummer, every single gig (except for the very last one) I've been stage-left.
I don't really notice a difference either way, except for when the drummer is on a riser and behind his kit, then I can't see him no matter what.
I don't really notice a difference either way, except for when the drummer is on a riser and behind his kit, then I can't see him no matter what.
I think some of this may come down to the type of band in question, and the kind of music it plays...
If you're playing highly-structured material - either originals or covers - pretty much note for note; have been playing together consistently for awhile, and are very well-rehearsed, then eye contact with the drummer is rarely critical. Everybody knows the material by heart. There are virtually no deviations, gig to gig. You could stand practically anywhere on stage and it wouldn't matter - so long as you could hear one another.
But if you're playing very complex or challenging music, with lots of full stops, meter changes and the like; and/or if you improvise a lot, then frequent eye contact with the drummer is crucial - the rhythmic foundation of the entire band often depends upon it. It's all about good communication. It's impossible to get tight without it...
MM
If you're playing highly-structured material - either originals or covers - pretty much note for note; have been playing together consistently for awhile, and are very well-rehearsed, then eye contact with the drummer is rarely critical. Everybody knows the material by heart. There are virtually no deviations, gig to gig. You could stand practically anywhere on stage and it wouldn't matter - so long as you could hear one another.
But if you're playing very complex or challenging music, with lots of full stops, meter changes and the like; and/or if you improvise a lot, then frequent eye contact with the drummer is crucial - the rhythmic foundation of the entire band often depends upon it. It's all about good communication. It's impossible to get tight without it...
MM
AMEN! But I prefer the hi hat side because I prefer HEARING the HI HAT on 2&4..
I don't think this is objectively true. If you watch videos of great free improvisation groups, many of the drummers and/or bassists play with their eyes closed or else looking at musicians toward the front of the stage or the audience. I've played lots of free improv and I can't recall a need for this.
I'll phrase it as a question; in a free improvisation, what could you need to say to a drummer that could be accomplished via eye contact, that you couldn't communicate with your playing, if you're both listening and responsive ?
add rob deleo, tim commerford, geezer butler, roger glover, and many more!
i think more "guitar-centric" heavy rock bands put the bass on the audience's left just for the visual effect (the eye naturally scans left to right for us westerners, ending up on the guitar player), and maybe because there was more drummer/guitar player interaction with these bands.
Perhaps it's because they played enormous stages and were expected to utilize the acreage. That is to say, nobody was going to be "standing next to" anyone, no matter what side of the stage they played on.
Agreed, mostly, I think. The eye contact is more of a confidence thing than anything else. Like, if you're playing some long repeated section, maybe for someone else's solo. You think you're due to come back out of it into the next bit, but you also think you might be 8 bars short - a quick glance at each other and a shake of the head or a nod can confirm "Not yet!" or "Yep, now." If you're wrong about it, at least you're wrong together!
Eye contact is always important even if you're well rehearsed. You never know when someone's going to forget to come in or if the drummer suddenly decides to end the song because he thought it was over.
One thing I've noticed is that most bass players who put on a show when they play tend to not worry about standing where they can see the drummer, especially if they sing. I wonder if that goes for this crowd here, too.
One thing I've noticed is that most bass players who put on a show when they play tend to not worry about standing where they can see the drummer, especially if they sing. I wonder if that goes for this crowd here, too.
I sing (badly) with some of my bands and stand further forward than I normally would in those circumstances. But I still need the eye contact with the drummer (and often, the keyboards player) for the reasons you mentioned.
Geddy Lee and countless other bassists agree with you. Personally, I like to play closest to the highest concentration of women. That's why I go wireless.
For a lot of my gigs, that would mean going to the lesbian bar four doors down. I tried it once, but I need a better wireless.
