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Where do you stand?

Tonight my band played a party and it occurred to me that I have just always fallen in on the right side of the drummer. I've noticed that bass players generally, but not always, hang out to the right of the drums. Anyone hang out on the left? And would there be any reasons regarding acoustics or sound that I am overlooking as a reason to favor the bass on one side or the other?

View attachment 4158413
Is that stage right?
 
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Tonight my band played a party and it occurred to me that I have just always fallen in on the right side of the drummer. I've noticed that bass players generally, but not always, hang out to the right of the drums. Anyone hang out on the left? And would there be any reasons regarding acoustics or sound that I am overlooking as a reason to favor the bass on one side or the other?

View attachment 4158413
I stand to the left of the drummer so the headstock never clashes with the female singer we have.She waves her arms and dances a lot.
 
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Always to the drummer's right for me.

As a guitarist in my younger days, I was always on the drummer's left, and it felt natural. (A la Van Halen, Sabbath, The Who, Motley Crue, Stones, and many others.)

Since switching over to bass, it feels odd to be on that side now. Feel at home on his right.
 
If you are a right-handed bass or guitar player, being on the drummer's right gives you the benefit of having both your fretboard and the drummer in a relatively narrow field of view. Depending on how challenging the music is and how much of a visual cue you need from your drummer, that can be a serious advantage.

Unfortunately, if you're in a band with one or two other guitar players, they are thinking the same thing and it could get a little too crowded and loud on that side of the stage. I've been forced over to the drummer's left a few times rather than deal with the congestion. You just have to turn yourself to the right a bit to see your drummer better.
 
thought at first this was an opinion poll... but then i realized its actually about WHERE YOU STAND! unfortunately, in my musical career involving both being a drummer and a bassist i’ve only had one gig, which consisted of a single amateur guitarist playing with me for an hour or two in my bedroom. eventually i let them play drums while i played bass (at the time i was very very bad at bass... but actually me being on bass made it sound better!!!!) right in front of them. but as it stands i’d probably stand to the left of a drummer if i ever got another gig. i’m 14, by the way... soon to be 15.
 
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Tonight my band played a party and it occurred to me that I have just always fallen in on the right side of the drummer. I've noticed that bass players generally, but not always, hang out to the right of the drums. Anyone hang out on the left? And would there be any reasons regarding acoustics or sound that I am overlooking as a reason to favor the bass on one side or the other?

View attachment 4158413


I've always preferred playing to the right of the drummer too and prefer that side of the stage period no matter what the configuration of the band. It's the natural order of things!
 
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I like to be on the right. When I look across the neck of my upright, I can see the band. Years , I liked right because it kept me a wee farther away from the obnoxious crash cymbal


You know what? I think you just hit it, yes when i play to the left either on electric or upright it's more uncomfortable to watch the drummer and I usually watch the drummer intently along with other members while I play so it's always right side when I can get it which is almost all the time.
 
Tonight my band played a party and it occurred to me that I have just always fallen in on the right side of the drummer. I've noticed that bass players generally, but not always, hang out to the right of the drums. Anyone hang out on the left? And would there be any reasons regarding acoustics or sound that I am overlooking as a reason to favor the bass on one side or the other?

View attachment 4158413
I prefer to stand to the drummer's left(hear the hi-hat, etc.), but many of the places we play, that isn't possible, or it puts the lead guitar/primary singer in the corner or off to the far side from the audience. I go where there's room. This sometimes puts the neck in closer proximity to cymbals than I like. In fact, for some gigs, I hafta use my short scale bass............67 NR Thunderbird..........Rumble 200c...............EB-0
0911201458-00.jpg
 
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You know what? I think you just hit it, yes when i play to the left either on electric or upright it's more uncomfortable to watch the drummer and I usually watch the drummer intently along with other members while I play so it's always right side when I can get it which is almost all the time.

Watch him for sure, but mostly we like to make fun of each other. It's easier if I can see him.
 
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Tonight my band played a party and it occurred to me that I have just always fallen in on the right side of the drummer. I've noticed that bass players generally, but not always, hang out to the right of the drums. Anyone hang out on the left? And would there be any reasons regarding acoustics or sound that I am overlooking as a reason to favor the bass on one side or the other?

View attachment 4158413
having worked as a bassist and as part owner of a fair sized sound reinforcement company I can say with great confidence that the great majority of bassists are set up on the high hat side of the drum set/ I have engineered a lot of national acts and this is true for the vast majority. T believe this goes back to the time when there were much more modest monitoring systems and probably began with club work, not the large(r) stages that have become more common over the years
 
Always to the drummer's right for me.

As a guitarist in my younger days, I was always on the drummer's left, and it felt natural. (A la Van Halen, Sabbath, The Who, Motley Crue, Stones, and many others.)

Since switching over to bass, it feels odd to be on that side now. Feel at home on his right.
All those bands are on the drummers right...
 
having worked as a bassist and as part owner of a fair sized sound reinforcement company I can say with great confidence that the great majority of bassists are set up on the high hat side of the drum set/ I have engineered a lot of national acts and this is true for the vast majority. T believe this goes back to the time when there were much more modest monitoring systems and probably began with club work, not the large(r) stages that have become more common over the years
That’s odd - every backline that’s been provided for me has been stage right.
 
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having worked as a bassist and as part owner of a fair sized sound reinforcement company I can say with great confidence that the great majority of bassists are set up on the high hat side of the drum set/ I have engineered a lot of national acts and this is true for the vast majority. T believe this goes back to the time when there were much more modest monitoring systems and probably began with club work, not the large(r) stages that have become more common over the years


Just my opinion but that sounds to me like it may come from the jazz days when drummers kept time with their high hat, nowadays most do with the kick. I want to hear the kick at all times, i lock in with it.
 
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Tonight my band played a party and it occurred to me that I have just always fallen in on the right side of the drummer. I've noticed that bass players generally, but not always, hang out to the right of the drums. Anyone hang out on the left? And would there be any reasons regarding acoustics or sound that I am overlooking as a reason to favor the bass on one side or the other?

View attachment 4158413
I have stood on both sides, depending on the room available for my rig . . . I am mostly DI'd to the P.A. and I will have my amp volume at whatever is require for the engineer to give us some foldback but guitarist has a Marshall 110watt combo which he always has at the same volume which some times makes for a poor onstage sound . . . . and I am the one wearing Hearing aids ! so hearing anything clearly is sometimes a challenge but I do take out the hearing aid which is facing the guitar so I can hear just a bit more of my amp ah ah. It would be an advantage for all the band to have an hearing test but that would be treated with derision ah ah !
 

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