• 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.

Stage performance for a busy bass player

#21
First of all sorry for the more-than-late reply. I was a bit stressed the last couple of weeks but I read every single post you guys wrote and even tried some out yet.
Can't go down on every post individually but what I've been practicing the most was trying to play in the dark/eyes closed, playing&practicing with the same instrument (been doing that anyway), looking at a wall during band practice, keeping in time with my body, trying to smile a.s.o.

IPYF said:
Headbutt your singer.
Click to expand...
I laughed more than I should considering that my singer is also my best mate.

hrodbert696 said:
What kind of music are you playing? That makes a difference. Punk stage presence is a very different matter from jazz stage presence.
Click to expand...
I'm playin in a mid-tempo (street)punk band without a lead-guitarist (what I really love) so there's a lot of room for activity - also speaking of melodic basslines.

mellowinman said:
In rehearsal, try any and everything.
Click to expand...
Well, the problem is our rehearsal room is quite small so there's no chance of running or jumping around. And since my stage fright is luckily gone after the first show I keep practicing stuff like that on stage. Seems to work quite well.

If you got some more tips, keep 'em coming! Couldn't find a single post where I couldn't get at least one idea to practice out of it! :-)
 
#22
I always used to have a stare - it was concentrating that did it. My face sort of froze. Once you're comfier, you can start to enjoy the gig. I find the lighting changes how I react. I like seeing the crowd, and I can look at them and smile, but some gigs have front of house lighting at a lower angle and you can't see anyone at all, so now when that happens, I imagine I can see them, and pretend, and then the smile comes back.
 
#23
i am with smile, and a little body movement with "really difficult and busy" basslines.

just make it look like you are having a great time. it also helps if you record your performance, cause from experience, sometimes the way you look in the mirror does not reflect what you look like in the audience's POV

here's me with a bassline i normally wouldnt be smiling while playing:

 
#24
I used the play in the dark trick to learn fretless.
Also have to get practice time if not stage time on other basses, especially those w/ different scale lengths, strings, number of strings, tunings, etc.
Keep that muscle memory thing going.

The only thing better than one guy doing some cool moves,
is to have 2.

In my power trio, we do a lot of that. back to back, unison,
call and answer.............
 
#25
I sing a lot of harmony and run the PA so I'm aort of anchored over at my part of the stage more often than not. That doesn't mean you have to be a mud fencepost though. You have to be able to play without staring at the neck. You can move your body around and have some groove and still keep your head at the mic. Look at people, play and or sing to them. Make them feel they're a part of what's happening. Smile, look as though you enjoy entertaining them.
 
#26
Don't fake it. People can see right through it. I don't get why people think jumping around on stage looks cool it looks lame as hell. Its better to stand there and not move if that's what feels natural than force yourself to move around, or pretend like your having a good time if your not.

You want to be as natural as you can on stage.
 
#27
Besides punk is supposed to be all about doing what you feel like and defying all conventional wisdom of what a band should look and sound like. So why would you play a style about anti conformity by conforming to popular wisdom.
 
#28
In my opinion, the best practice is reading something (anything) while playing. While you are reading something, you can't concentrate on the fretboard, you can't even think about what you play.
I often headbang heavily and sing while I play busy 16th (not just root notes) thrash riffs on stage. Concentrating is a must have at practices, but on the stage you have to play like a jukebox. But remember: always pay attention to what you bandmates do, if something changes (your singer starts you sing a verse early or anything like this), sometimes you need to adapt.

3star2nr said:
Don't fake it. People can see right through it. I don't get why people think jumping around on stage looks cool it looks lame as hell. Its better to stand there and not move if that's what feels natural than force yourself to move around, or pretend like your having a good time if your not.

You want to be as natural as you can on stage.
Click to expand...

If you are NOT having a good time on stage... öhm... what are you doin' there?
 
#29
jive1 said:
There's some good advice here. Let me add some more.

In addition to playing in front of a mirror, try playing in complete darkness. A good friend recommended it to me to long ago, so that I wouldn't rely on my eyes as much as I would my ears.
Also, it really helps to get intimate with your instrument. Even though I own alot of basses, I typically gig with one or two. Because I know those basses intimately, I don't need to look at the fretboard as often because I know where my hands are in relation to the bass after playing them for years.

If you get those two down, you'll learn to rely on feel and your ears to know where you are on the fretboard instead of your eyes.
Click to expand...

This this this! Fantastic advice. If you can play when you can't see you're laughing. Especially helpful if the lighting at your gig is crap and you can't see even if you're concentrating. You need to be able to play your set without being able to see, or hear particularly well, before you can really rock out. It's all about muscle memory. When you can do that, it'll also help your stage presence seem more natural.

I've played gigs where I didn't know a song or two as well as I should, so really had to concentrate on those, and it wasn't as fun playing those songs as it was the rest of the set. I actually have videos of back to back gigs I did, and we did No One Knows by Queens Of The Stone Age at both. For the first gig I didn't know it overly well, and played the whole song rooted to the spot, eyes on fretboard. For the second one I knew it really well, and my stage presence was infinitely better.
 
#30
GlamJam said:
In my opinion, the best practice is reading something (anything) while playing. While you are reading something, you can't concentrate on the fretboard, you can't even think about what you play.
I often headbang heavily and sing while I play busy 16th (not just root notes) thrash riffs on stage. Concentrating is a must have at practices, but on the stage you have to play like a jukebox. But remember: always pay attention to what you bandmates do, if something changes (your singer starts you sing a verse early or anything like this), sometimes you need to adapt.



If you are NOT having a good time on stage... öhm... what are you doin' there?
Click to expand...

Doing my job. But if your nervous don't act like your not. If your happy then be happy if your concentrating your concentrating.

When ever bands fake and do coregraphed moves it looks very 80s hair metal and fake.
 
#32
Serious expression and looking down is ok during an intense bassline. For easy lines and mellow tunes you can close your eyes, look like you are grooving - basically mirror a little of what you want the crowd to be feeling.

If you are kicking off the song try to walk forward while hitting first few notes like, "bass player in the house!" [Then] stepping back will show you have the power to let someone else take the spotlight - mirroring good band dynamics.

Smiling, wave to someone to the crowd (don't overdo that, you will look 'tarded). If singer is talking to crowd look toward them(singer) like you are hearing it for first time. IF you find a moment to do something funny and spontaneous that can be great. Was playing a gig lately and the lead guitarist decided to go on waaaaay long at end. I really wanted him to reel it in so I yelled, "enough already". Our chick singer burst out laughing, he smiled and the crowd roared - they assumed it was planned. Could have gone bad though.:hiding:
 
#33
Serious expression and looking down is ok during an intense bassline. For easy lines and mellow tunes you can close your eyes, look like you are grooving - basically mirror a little of what you want the crowd to be feeling.

If you are kicking off the song try to walk forward while hitting first few notes like, "bass player in the house!" [Then] stepping back will show you have the power to let someone else take the spotlight - mirroring good band dynamics.

Smiling, wave to someone to the crowd (don't overdo that, you will look 'tarded). If singer is talking to crowd look toward them like you are hearing it for first time. IF you find a moment to do something funny and spontaneous that can be great. Was playing a gig lately and the lead guitarist decided to go on waaaaay long at end. I really wanted him to reel it in so I yelled, "enough already". Our chick singer burst out laughing, he smiled and the crowd roared - they assumed it was planned. Could have gone bad though.:hiding:
 
#34
jive1 said:
There's some good advice here. Let me add some more.

In addition to playing in front of a mirror, try playing in complete darkness. A good friend recommended it to me to long ago, so that I wouldn't rely on my eyes as much as I would my ears.
Also, it really helps to get intimate with your instrument. Even though I own alot of basses, I typically gig with one or two. Because I know those basses intimately, I don't need to look at the fretboard as often because I know where my hands are in relation to the bass after playing them for years.

If you get those two down, you'll learn to rely on feel and your ears to know where you are on the fretboard instead of your eyes.
Click to expand...

This and what Mellow said will get you there.

I am a goof on stage at times. But people love it.

Also, one of the girls I play with will come up behind me and put a blindfold on me at random sometimes. As long as I am playing my main bass, I could wear the thing literally all night and not miss a note.
 
#35
In my band the basslines can be the most complicated part of the music at times. heres my recommendations.

1 practice the songs until you can play them in complete darkness. If you can play the songs even remotely well without being able to see your bass you'll be able to have good stage presence live even while playing complicated parts with normal stage lighting. Nothing is more boring than watching a band that just stands on stage looking at their fretting Hands the entire show.

2Another thing is try to stay in shape. I'm not saying act like your training for the olympics. But If you are in a high energy hard rock or metal band and you can't jump up and down while playing your bass for at least the choruses of a song than you need to get in a little bit better shape.

3 practice as if your onstage. Obviously not all the time but occasionally run through the set and move around and rock out as if you were onstage. This will help you play the more complicated parts but it'll also help you shape your set lists to give the best performance. A lot of high energy bands will come out "guns blazing" then by the end of the third song they are statues onstage. Organize your set list to give yourselves breaks so there's a good balance of stage presence

4 this one relates to number one. Make a game or challenge with your band mates to look at each other or a specific point on the room instead of looking at your hands. This will also help keep you from standing still while looking at your bass all night. I actually do this a lot live also. Not with my band mates but I look at my wife or friends in the crowd.

Bottom line your band doesn't have to be a circus and do flips on stage to have good stage presence just don't stand still while looking at your hands all night.
 
#36
Just as we start learning to sing and play at the same time at take the skill to other songs we have to learn to dance and play at the same time and then translate that skill to any given performance. I started out in a marching band and a high school funk band had to do a choreographed moves while playing. So that is what I suggest just as we copy a bass line lick for lick copy the moves of those bands that do dance while they play. Just for the discipline of moving your body, not to copy the Bruno Mars band when you play a gig.

Today I when I play I don't even think about it. While my wife, coming from a more traditional church tradition was shocked and horrified when I instinctively started dancing, not to the extent of Verdine White or Flea :D, or even Abraham Laborial while playing at church, the church elders were thrilled more about my dancing and playing then they were at having any bassist for the first time in years.
 
#38
kombi said:
but does anyone have some tips for a stage performance
Click to expand...

Don't fall off the stage - two weeks ago we we're doing some live shots for our first video. I had the entire crowd notify me all at once - 'whooa, watch out dude' - I had wondered way to close to the camera and almost stepped right off - classic - everyone got a good laugh and I got a roaring applause after the song was over. Fun!
 
#39
If you're really hard up, you can try crabcore:
creepin.gif



In all seriousness though, during the difficult parts, no one's going to fault you for staying still and just playing. It also serves to build up tension that you can explosively release during an easier part. John Petrucci is the most boring guitarist in the world to watch while he solos, but during breakdowns, he rocks out.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back