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Playing bass with bare feet

I often wear "water shoes" in places where the stage may be questionable...same kind if feeling w/o the danger!!
THE Rhythm SeXshun.jpg
 
Bare foot or wearing thin sole shoes make me feel the kick of bass drum and snare better through the floor or stage and improves a bit my timing.

Might be the reason why many bass players were wearing some Converse sneakers back in the days.
 
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I used to do this sometimes when I was younger.

Now that I'm a bit older and (hopefully...) wiser I don't want to risk hurting my feet on nails, broken glass, etc.

There's also the risk of being electrocuted. Admittedly a pretty much non-existent risk in professional venues where all the technical equipment and electrical wiring is in good condition. But I've played more than a few smaller clubs with dodgy electrical wiring/ground. For example the classic scenario where the singer/guitarist gets tiny electrical shocks whenever his lips touch the mic, and you have to resort to questionable grounding solutions, like running a cable from the guitar amp's effects loop to the FOH stage box/snake to be able to play the gig at all. I don't think I would risk playing with bare feet in places like that. In fact, I wouldn't really want to play in places like that AT ALL anymore, but if you're young, on a low-budget tour and need the money from the gig for petrol to get to the next gig.... Yeah, you do it anyway. Or don't young, upcoming bands play in dumps like that anymore?
 
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