Which leg do you put most of your weight on?

Sorry, I use a stool when playing but when I do stand, I like the weight on my left leg. I never have any pain while playing

 

When standing, I usually find that my weight is shifted towards my left. Lately I've been making a conscious effort to change it up: I'll try to equalize the distribution, to not lock my knees, but sometimes I feel like there's more strain on my lower back. Sometimes I'll also put one leg back.

Man, I've got to pick something and go with it...

 

I put more weight on my right leg. I also do this while playing electric if i'm just standing still a lot.

I feel like the higher i am on the bass [range wise]-the more i am balanced. Thumb position-i'm almost the opposite in that most of my weight is on my left or it's pretty even.

 

I know teachers who teach one way or another, but a violin professor spoke to me about this following one of my sophomore bass juries in college. He asked me if it was a conscious decision to shift more weight to the right foot- and suggested that I consider the evidence that such a posture over an extended period can lead to lower back problems. He knew first-hand.

When I was assigned a new bass teacher who was new to the school that year, that was one of the first things we changed. I am more comfortable in standing positions now, but I primarily use a stool these days.

Please don't mis-interpret this post
If you really want to have an earful, play your bass for a physical therapist. I played for my uncle(therapist) and he told me the same thing when I demonstrated the weight shifted-right posture. Be healthy. peace!

 

I've had 3 inguinal hernia repairs; one on the left, two on the right. I'm going with the odds and favoring the left. One more injury and my d*** will probably fall off.

On a sidenote: there's been an FDA recall of the Kugel surgical mesh used in the repairs. Yeah, like they're going to get it back! Geez!

Riis

 

I tend to shift it back and forth every once in a while, but I'd say I spend more time on the right.

 

Even if you think you put even weight on one leg it is increadibly hard to do. You would have to stand directly behind the bass to pull that off.

 

I'm not sure this makes any sense. "Put even weight on one leg"?

 

Well, I meant even weight on both legs.

Just saying that without standing directly behind the bass, it would be hard to evenly have your weight between your legs.

 

I stand with my weight distributed equally and the bass is positioned quite traditionally.

 

As someone who has played professionally for over 25 years, I would highly recommend keeping your weight evenly distributed between both legs. Furthermore, you should learn to balance the weight on your feet, so that you are not sitting on your heels. You might be OK for a few years but eventually, you are likely to develop problems if you adopt an unbalanced stance. My first teacher taught me to stand on the right leg, with the left foot tipped up to stabilize the back of the bass. By the time I was 21, I had lower back trouble. Also, my right heel was often painful.

The best bass lesson I ever had was from my Alexander Technique teacher. Seriously. At first I thought she was out to lunch but I tried what she suggested and since then I have never had discomfort when playing. A couple of years ago, my band opened for Dave Holland and I stood side-stage during his show. He looked like he was standing totally straight, and just happened to be holding a bass. In other words, he didn't change the way he was standing to accommodate the instrument. He seemed to have no trouble getting around on the bass.

All this aside, I have seen some pretty great bassists who have weird habits.

I hope this is helpful.

KL

 

Ive found that I put slightly more weight on my right leg, not because it is stronger, but because while standing, I sort of try to re-create the feeling of standing up straight - especially in the sense of having an ideal posture. I have to "think" the feeling of leaning back, which counteracts the tendency to hunch over the bass. For some reason, this results in slighty more weight being on my right leg. Ive seen this posture with alot of italian bass players for some reason.

 

Is this the funniest thread ever or what?

Edit: Sorry guys, I'm was in a sarcastic mode.

 

I play jazz, but almost ALL of my weight is on my right leg.