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Where do you sling it? And why?
- Thread starter tb-player
- Start date
So depends on the bass. Most I play kind of low - at belt height however when it comes to my Gibson Thunderbird that demands to be played low as I can get it. Playing that bass is kind of like a 'raslin match anyhow. Not my fist choice to play at home but it IS the sound and look of rock.
Fairly low.
I've got really long arms and legs, and a short torso. So even though the bass hangs below my belt line, you can still see that my right arm isn't anywhere near straight. I often have trouble sitting down and playing for more than an hour or two, and much prefer standing up.
I've got really long arms and legs, and a short torso. So even though the bass hangs below my belt line, you can still see that my right arm isn't anywhere near straight. I often have trouble sitting down and playing for more than an hour or two, and much prefer standing up.
I’m sure this has probably been mentioned by now, but I was told a long time ago that the strap height should match where the bass sits when you practice. I practice with the bass on my leg in a chair, so I make sure that when I stand up, the bass on the strap is exactly the same place. I wear it a little lower on gigs where I don’t have to be so technical, but it’s always within the same range.
Mid Level and 90 works for me. I like to make sure both my right and left wrists are as straight as possible and shoulders don’t rise
Good to know, thx Kael!
To be honest I’ve consistently worn my bass lower than I should in an effort to look “cool” when playing anything remotely close to Rock. I love the Punk-Rock aesthetic personally (much props to Lenny JG) and let’s face it, there are times when one shows up to a cattle-call type audition and it goes like this:
You defer your place in line in order to listen in.
You’ve done your best to dress the part.
You treat everybody around you with respect.
You open up your case/bag and there’s a P Bass (first smile from who you now know is the shot-caller) inside.
You sling your bass on the low side, hang with the drummer (volumes could be written about this plz ref. a YT vid by Jonny Long) and fill up the physical/musical space allotted to you with more attitude than notes.
You get outta there quickly so as to not say something stupid (note to self: apply this to “relationships”).
You get the call back.
Of course this is specific to a media driven rock/pop rock type thing but I thought it was worth a laugh.
It occurs to me that sometimes people are looking for someone to hang their fashion on as much as they are an actual bassist and they miss out on a lot of we have to offer and contribute.
Playing music has never been about money for me and if put on a pie chart it would be small but you know what; we deserve to get paid and there’s money out there rest assured of that.
I’m getting too old to be viable in that market, right now like so many places LA is awash in musicians. I think I’ll take Kaels’ advice and the rest can work out. Save my hands because I’ll tell ya, during the shutdown(s) playing bass saved me.
Be Safe, E
i get it that "rockstars" wear the strap real low, but man it aint ideal.
i'm not quite as high as vic. i guess jaco height is roughly what i copied as a kid, and later had a great teacher confirm was a "good" place to put it.
i'm not quite as high as vic. i guess jaco height is roughly what i copied as a kid, and later had a great teacher confirm was a "good" place to put it.
This logic never made sense to me. Why does sitting down automatically put the bass in the optimal position for everyone?
I realise the point is to keep the playing feel consistent between seated and standing, but playing seated just isn't that comfortable for many people (me included). If I'm rehearsing my band's songs at home, especially if I'm preparing for a gig, I'll do it standing up, with the bass in my most comfortable playing position.
Never thought about it and couldn't tell you . Put strap on bass , adjust to where comfortable at the time , leave it there for ever .
That's a beautiful bass--but then, I'm an Ibanez guy!
Valid opinion. If you don’t practice seated, it kind of makes that idea irrelevant, because as you said the thought is that nothing should change positionally between practice and performance. But if you practice standing, whatever position is comfortable and allows facility to play everything you want to play with no tension and risk of injury. I know guys that have wrecked their wrists playing too low because it put their hand at an unnatural angle. Overall, do what suits you.
My thoughts exactly. When I sit and rest my bass on my leg both my left and right wrists are too bent for comfort. The point of " same position standing or sitting" is just consistency. Instead of forcing yourself to gig like you practice, why not force yourself to practice like you gig? In other words just practice standing up.
The Youtube vid is Keith Horne, perhaps a lesser known but an absolutely monster of a player. He lived here in Nashvilile for many years and I was fortunate to watch him, on several occasions, play with the Wooten's every Wednesday night and 3rd & Lindsley. The two pics well... Bass playing positioning is like wearing underwear...as long as you like where it hangs and it's comfortable go for it.
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Bryan R. Tyler
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As Dean Ween says, "Above the cock or below the cock, but never cover the cock."
OregonMike
Low, covers up if I ever forget to zip up; CRS you know. I don't wear a belt, just suspenders, so rash isn't an issue.
But anywhere from flat when thumbing to almost straight up when trying to get bit of an upright attack, it varies a LOT. On purpose, keeps the wrists and fingers relaxed and less repetitive.
But anywhere from flat when thumbing to almost straight up when trying to get bit of an upright attack, it varies a LOT. On purpose, keeps the wrists and fingers relaxed and less repetitive.
Well, there's low. And then there's LOW! I haven't seen many like this posted so far!
That's how I feel when I sit in for a few in my 6'4" buddy's band!!!
That's how I feel when I sit in for a few in my 6'4" buddy's band!!!
