Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Position in relation to drummer
- Thread starter Barukh Immanuel
- Start date
I'd be on the left, because that ear is already deaf above 12k and beeping all day from having the drummers cymbals on my right.
Honest truth. If you haven't got hearing protection, "a safe distance"!
This, as much as is practical. For most genres of music, the hi hat provides the steadiest beat reference.
Most of my career stage left, but never worried too much about it if the particulars of a gig move me around. Visual on kick is good but with good sound on stage it’s not a must.
Been playing in a Zeppelin tribute for a few months now, and it’s the longest run of stage right I’ve ever had! Kinda been digging it.
Been playing in a Zeppelin tribute for a few months now, and it’s the longest run of stage right I’ve ever had! Kinda been digging it.
I hesitate to post this, but IMO it gets into what I think is the meaning of something @JRA has posted in this thread (and before): "Lockup" is not my goal and given my preference not that of a drummer I'm working with.
It's a nice effect on occasion if you want that "Steam-Locomotive" vibe during a song or more likely: PART of a song... ...but "Mesh" is what I typically want to do with a drummer: It's a dance, and dancing like robots is uninspiring and tiring for all involved. Sorry for the swerve.
I hesitate to post this, but IMO it gets into what I think is the meaning of something @JRA has posted in this thread (and before): "Lockup" is not my goal and given my preference not that of a drummer I'm working with.
It's a nice effect on occasion if you want that "Steam-Locomotive" vibe during a song or more likely: PART of a song... ...but "Mesh" is what I typically want to do with a drummer: It's a dance, and dancing like robots is uninspiring and tiring for all involved. Sorry for the swerve.
"Mesh" or "lockup" are basically the same concept. The goal is to play WITH the drummer.
Perhaps I should have substituted "combine/coordinate/dovetail/integrate" for "mesh".
My interpretation of "lockup" implies metronomic or even mechanical. I apologize for introducing confusion.
That and you can often see the drummer's kick foot from that side better. Sometimes that's very useful.
I've never had that problem with not being able to hear kick and snare, but I imagine if your monitor mix is not good on a large stage, it could be an issue. I'm not interested in developing an ability like that to overcome poor stage mixes, though. Would rather fix the mix. This might have something to do with the fact that I'm on mic for much of the night, so having to depend on a line of sight with the drummer would be pretty difficult since he's often behind me.
Last edited:
The stage I play most often has a dedicated sound system and the line for the bass head is always coiled up to the left of where the drums normally are (there's also a house drum kit). I've seen a few bassists set up in other spots there but it's pretty clear most of us like that side. I've never tried to deviate from that area so I don't know what any of the sound engineers might have to say about it if I did.
I understand this point of view. I do not sing with my current party band; with 10 people on stage including a Chicago-style horn section, there is no need for any more vocals. So I stay in the pocket and keep everybody else together.
It's probably also the case that many bassists who don't sing also don't also have a monitor directly in front of them. In one band I'm in, we have an overabundance of singers, and on certain stages I have to hang back behind the two lead singers and rely on whatever manages to make it to me from their monitors. So far I haven't had any problems hearing the drummer in that band but, again, I can see how it could happen.
