I can't move onstage!! Please HELP!

[chuckNC]

I've always found it harder to relax in front of a small audience than a large one. Small rooms are called intimate for a reason. It's more like being in your living room, especially since more of that audience is likely to be people you know to one degree or another. Most of us wouldn't be comfortable acting "larger-than-life" in our living rooms. If that's your situation, it's better to go with the living room vibe and just think of what you're doing as sharing a mutual enjoyment of the music. Do enough gigs like that and you'll be comfortable about just flowing with the feeling. If you like to move to music when just listening to it, it will eventually find it's way into your onstage moves.

And, if you haven't gotten to the point where you can look away from your fretboard, start there. First things first.

Being intense and having fun aren't mutually exclusive either. Smile if you want to, when you want to. Don't put too much pressure on yourself--it won't help anyway. Keep on rockin!

 

[IPYF]

Don't take this the wrong way OP but what's the 'go' with the overattentive parentals and what is their involvement with your band situation?

Surely I'm not the only cat here who thinks that this is odd.

 

[longfinger]

Hey bassists,

I have been playing bass for 6 years now, and have been in a rock/soul/ whatever-the-heck-we-want-to-play band for about 3 years. My singer is totally into performing, and the guitarist is a natural too, but I still find myself just standing there and playing. I still don't feel comfortable moving at all! I naturally hate being the center of attention, and it really doesn't help that I am the only girl with the awesome eye catching painted bass. I also love the songs we play.

I think the biggest part of my self consciousness is that my parents are always there watching my every move. I feel like I am constantly being patronized by how "cute" I am. I HATE IT! Yes i am happy to have caring parents but I am letting them hold me back from really feeling the music and performing. And they refuse to not show up.

This frozen style of playing has become who I am onstage, and frankly I am very embarrassed. I have a real complex going on here that has been tearing at myself and my creativity. How can I get past this?

Practice playing and moving at the same time. And practice playing and conversational talking at the same time. For me, playing bass and moving is much harder than playing guitar and moving. If I move too much the precise timing of my bass playing will suffer. Less so, or perhaps less noticeable on guitar, where you can strum a chord, let it ring, do some hero poses, then continue playing a full 2 measures later and all is well. Bass is quite precise timing wise, and it is constant, so it is normal not to have the extra brain power to play well and move around well, unless we practice it. The stereotypical joke of "the bassist looking bored on stage", could be there because of the reality of all the bassists out there using their full attention on creative a groove in the pocket rather than jumping around and letting the timing slosh around too.

The parents could just be misdirection of your worries. It is likely not them at all holding you back at all.

 

[Ferret]

Bass player my friend, your not supposed to move. Job is to stand in the background, anonymous and make everyone else sound good

 

[Dug2]

just picture everyone in the crowd in their undies!
be yourself and have fun, no matter what people think

 

[Pacman]

You practice playing your bass, right? Have you practiced moving?