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Standing, sitting, not even looking…..
- Thread starter Kgveteran
- Start date
side dot inlays help....when i was in a band i always stood up, as i got older..well you know the "rest" <-- being the operative word...Now its just noodling around with my guitarist so no pressure.
I have the absolute worst posture while practicing of anyone on this forum. I slouch all the way back on my mancouch and rest my bass almost on the couch falling across my chest.
That being said, I've.thousands of hours of stage time under my belt. The only way to get used to playing standing up is to play standing up.
That being said, I've.thousands of hours of stage time under my belt. The only way to get used to playing standing up is to play standing up.
Once upon a time, hanging an instrument low was a sign of edginess and attitude. These days, folks are much more forgiving of someone hanging their instrument at whatever height works for them. For example, no one calls Tom Morello a wuss for hanging his guitar pretty high. This is all a good thing IMHO.
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4 pages later this is probably redundant:
You can sit with the neck angled so you are looking at the side of the neck instead of the fingerboard.
You can also lean forward while standing to see the fingerboard.
You can sit with the neck angled so you are looking at the side of the neck instead of the fingerboard.
You can also lean forward while standing to see the fingerboard.
Peter Quaife with the Kinks...check out where his right hand is...over the 12th fret!
35 years of bass, and some decades at pro level, never played better than sitting with bass' body between my thighs, exactly like classical guitarists: it's better for your ergonomics, healthier then, why do you think classical guitarists sit when then play ? don't follow the hype, the hype is useless, standing is useless and at your level won't bring more gigs, money or girls 
The goal is to get neutral positions, so the less tension possible in your shoulders, elbows, wrists as flat as possible, floating thumb as much as possible too.
If you've ever seen one of the GOATS of bass ever played stand up , the great Anthony Jackson, call me back... the guy does not care for hype, he always want to give the best he can, and as most of us he pratices sitting, he performs... sitting, naturally.
The goal is to get neutral positions, so the less tension possible in your shoulders, elbows, wrists as flat as possible, floating thumb as much as possible too.
If you've ever seen one of the GOATS of bass ever played stand up , the great Anthony Jackson, call me back... the guy does not care for hype, he always want to give the best he can, and as most of us he pratices sitting, he performs... sitting, naturally.
Standing to practice almost always, standing at rehearsal and gigs. Fretboard peaking allowed, but that is getting less and less.
Nothing wrong with sitting but if your standing at gigs you want to be standing almost always to get used to it, moving around, not tripping over your chord or pulling your head off your amp.
It is interesting at rehearsal when I’m standing and playing without music and others are all sitting and reading music or lyrics. I’m the only one listening to what anyone is playing and it gets pretty nasty for way longer than it should. Even my attempts to pull it back together, jumping around yelling, singing, get lost. All real beginners which is ok, but it drives home to me how important it is to be prepared and listening to the music we are creating.
Nothing wrong with sitting but if your standing at gigs you want to be standing almost always to get used to it, moving around, not tripping over your chord or pulling your head off your amp.
It is interesting at rehearsal when I’m standing and playing without music and others are all sitting and reading music or lyrics. I’m the only one listening to what anyone is playing and it gets pretty nasty for way longer than it should. Even my attempts to pull it back together, jumping around yelling, singing, get lost. All real beginners which is ok, but it drives home to me how important it is to be prepared and listening to the music we are creating.
Mate, what an amazing answer. Thankyou so much, and I'm so pleased you connected with it. And your initial reaction - I totally get it. And thankyou very much for the honesty. Brilliant.
The mighty Billy Sheehan taught me back in 1990 to adjust my strap so that the bass hangs in the same spot as when I’m sitting. When seated, I have always held my bass’ body between my legs, not across, with the neck angled up slightly. And, that’s basically how it hangs when I’m standing. The angle reduces plucking hand/wrist issues.
BobDeRosa
Commercial User
- May 16, 2012
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- Owner, Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camps
This too is the way I sit.35 years of bass, and some decades at pro level, never played better than sitting with bass' body between my thighs, exactly like classical guitarists: it's better for your ergonomics, healthier then, why do you think classical guitarists sit when then play ? don't follow the hype, the hype is useless, standing is useless and at your level won't bring more gigs, money or girls
The goal is to get neutral positions, so the less tension possible in your shoulders, elbows, wrists as flat as possible, floating thumb as much as possible too.
If you've ever seen one of the GOATS of bass ever played stand up , the great Anthony Jackson, call me back... the guy does not care for hype, he always want to give the best he can, and as most of us he pratices sitting, he performs... sitting, naturally.
It's comfortable.The bass is braced between my legs and chest.
I sit on the edge of the chair so that the bass hangs a little below the seat.
Plus I always use a strap which is set so that the bass is at the same height a when I stand.
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A little addition. Some people recommend having your strap length the same standing and sitting so that both remain the same however you practice/play. A strap when sitting is a good idea as it takes a lot, or maybe all, of the weight of the bass off your thighs; I actually once developed a mysterious - it was at the beginning. I was totally mystified - leg injury and limp because I didn't do this. I guess using a strap like that would greatly reduce so many of the issues I wrote about. However, it's not for me but I totally get that it does make sense. But really, if you want to rock out on stage, for me, a high strap just doesn't cut it. Again, just my opinion.
Ok, what the heck is that beautifully crafted piece of equipment, i love anything thats made well, thats amazing
This is essentially what I do when I rehearse. A stool is taller than a chair, and you can sit on a stool in a way that's almost more of a lean, leaving the front of your body in more or less a standing position. You can actually sit in a chair this way, too, but it's a little trickier. The main point is that there's not a great deal of difference between how your bass is positioned sitting or standing if you do this right.
As for looking at the neck, if you are going to sing (be on mic), you're going to have to keep that to a minimum, and it's the same if you're reading sheet music. Reading is the reason our teachers tried to ingrain this into our heads in elementary school when I was learning to play a violin.
However, most of us are not always reading or always singing, and there's no practical reason we can't (or shouldn't) occasionally glance at our hands to make sure we're positioning things correctly. It's a bad habit of mine to watch my hands and I do it because, as a female player, I never wanted to spend too much time gazing at my (male) bandmates or anyone in the audience lest they develop some weird ideas about why I was looking in their general direction. Trust me, it happens. So I fix my eyes to a neutral place.
But I think this is one of those things some folks forget has a practical rationale. If you want to sightread sheet music you're going to need to be able to play blind. Otherwise it is not a hard and fast rule.
I studied classical guitar. On classical guitar you hold it like that because you can reach the highest notes more easy amongst other. However this raised position of the left leg on a footstool is also not the most ergonomic position ever for your body.
On bass it is different because the classical guitar has a much thicker body. So the balance on a bass is different/less stable when sitting this way with bass. It can still work well but it’s not exactly the same as on classical guitar. One other thing with this classical guitar hold on bass is that the lowest frets are further away then when sitting in the ‘normal’ position. The higher notes can be reached easier though. Even though I am used to sitting with classical guitar I find this position for bass less convenient than the normal position when sitting. But in the end it’s what works best for you and what gives you the least body/hand problems. There is no hard rule or ‘the best’.
That’s funny! Cause I’ve played in so many hard rock bands and we blew the roof off places, with my bass high. I’ll add that every band I auditioned for, including a successful black metal band, asked me to join. My playing ability and energy were/are way more important than where my bass hangs.
i have about 15s total accrued time where I have been thrown off by meeting someone’s gaze (watching me as i play) and being absolutely uncomfortable, concentration lost.
I have a few things i prefer to look at/can get into a deep connection with the drummer, anything but knowing i am being peered at.
I like being seen playing live but i don’t like eye contact or the intensity of some gazes.
Shrug.
