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Why is this so badly neglected

#21
I think a lot of it comes from having a part down so well it doesn't require too much concentration. When you can be on autopilot with the part you are playing you are able to think actively about being entertaining, interacting with others etc.

Also care about your appearance. Be one or more of: attractive, eccentric, stylish, mysterious, rougish, fun, dangerous etc in your appearance and your suddenly an eye magnet.

P.S. it occurred to me that one of the most natural pieces of good stage presence is when a player gets a big goofy grin after nailing a big fill/solo/weird technical part etc. To the audience it looks like a smile of victory, when in reality it's probably relief...
 
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#22
If you look like you're enjoying what you're doing it will be infectious. People will have fun too.
If you look like you're not enjoying what you're doing the same will happen in a negative way.
I play my part. Others do the same. I'm not a frontman. I'll interact with the frontman, and I'll take a lead vocal, but don't expect me to be the frontman. The music is the most important part.
Bass gets behinds moving, not bass players.
 
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#23
AGCurry said:
No matter what the manifestations, stage presence results from enjoying (or at least appearing to enjoy) what you're doing.

On the other hand, I've seen performers who seem to hate what they're doing. And you could call that stage presence too ... but not an attractive one.

The least stage presence, I suppose, would come from total apathy.
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I agree. Which makes it all the more interesting to me :) .

I have a lot of thoughts on this, but none that I ever organized, so I hope this post makes sense :) .

I am a strong believer that fear and anxiety can be worked with and channeled into stage presence. Its energy, and when worked with can make people glow. That takes acceptance of the fear however, and practice with not having that deer in the headlights look on one's face.

Confidence is another essential element too, IMO. Not cockiness. Just certainty that we can do the job well.

I'll add that I've learned that presence doesn't mean jumping around like an idiot either :), though that can sometimes help. Michael Jackson used to stand for 5 minutes not moving a muscle at the start of some concerts, and the presence he gave off could blow up a room. I've seen lots of performers like that. For whatever reason, they just light up a stage by standing on it.

If someone DOES want to add to their performance, which I think is a good thing, 2 things have helped me. I suffer from the above mentioned stage anxiety (and doubt it will ever change), and because of that, used to be pretty stiff on stage. I was always a big Jimmy Hendrix fan, and wanted what he had. Watching him somehow inspired me to draw all the shades, lock my doors, and start practicing whatever songs I was doing getting into every position imaginable. I'd play them super slow, too... dancing, jumping, climbing, getting in the weirdest positions and basically doing whatever possible to free me up with the bass. The goal wasn't to look good, but to meld with my instrument like Hendrix did. Never got there, but got lots more comfortable.

The other thing that was recommended was to practice being able to recognize the songs we were doing by watching a video only, with no sound. Makes for some interesting practice.

And with all that being said, I'm gonna spit some truth out. There was a gig I played a while back that only recently got posted on YouTube. For a plethora of reasons (no sleep, former band members being present, no time to review before gig, and a bunch of other issues that were out of my control) I was absolutely terrified. I locked myself in a bathroom, prayed, and moved forward. The anxiety didn't go away, but I was practiced in channeling it. This is that gig. Kinda felt like being on a roller coaster:

 
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#28
Shalto said:
Also care about your appearance. Be one or more of: attractive, eccentric, stylish, mysterious, rougish, fun, dangerous etc in your appearance and your suddenly an eye magnet.
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IMO there are three things that set a good band apart from the run-of-the-mill -
1) vocals
2) song selection/song list
3) stage appearance. That's stage set, lighting, how the band is dressed, how much you seem to be enjoying playing for them.

I had a booking agent tell me very early in my career that just walking into the room not carrying a guitar case etc the audience ought to be able to tell you're in the band just by how you're dressed. Even if you don't move around much you attract attention just by being dressed better than your audience. If you're dressed well, getting into it, having fun, enjoying yourself that makes the audience more likely to enjoy watching and hearing you. ZZ Top is a good example of that. Dressed better than the norm, don't move much but still obviously into it, great song list and delivery.

Enjoying your self on stage in and of itself is going to be entertaining to the audience. If you're dressed better, if you're connecting with the audience, if your vocals and song selections are on point you'll be considered to be a band worth seeing again and again. Stage appearance, stage presence gives you a big boost above all the other average you're trying to stand out from.
 
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#31
well, it's not something i'm thinking about but i can't play without moving my body and share gazes and smiles with my fellows music's brothers.. I've sometimes more difficulty to share with audience. Much because i'm naturally shy than anything else. But i try to improve that and share smiles with people.
 
#38
EdO. said:
I had a booking agent tell me very early in my career that just walking into the room not carrying a guitar case etc the audience ought to be able to tell you're in the band just by how you're dressed. Even if you don't move around much you attract attention just by being dressed better than your audience. If you're dressed well, getting into it, having fun, enjoying yourself that makes the audience more likely to enjoy watching and hearing you. ZZ Top is a good example of that. Dressed better than the norm, don't move much but still obviously into it, great song list and delivery.
.
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I went to a NASCAR race in Miami where the had a band player beforehand. We had had tickets so we were in the pits and front stretch before the race and the concert. This guy was milling about and sure stood out from the rave crowd in his tight plaid jeans and.black shirt. I didn't know he was with the band but knew he wasn't the usual crowd.

Saw him 30 min later on stage and it made.sense.

Paul Bushnell (Melissa Ethridge, Alanis Morisette) | Know Your Bass Player
 
#39
For me, it means confidence, connecting with the crowd, feeling their energy, and entertaining them. People want to have a good time and we want to give it to them. Smiling comes naturally to me and that is what I want to project. And yes, I practice in front of a mirror once in a while.

But that’s just my stage presence. There’s plenty of snarling stage presence in some genres. And as mentioned, crappy stage presence is still stage presence, just not what most of us seek. Compare Jagger and Dylan. Both legendary musicians, but I vastly prefer the stage presence of Jagger, who would certainly be among the definitive examples of great stage presence.

Who else has it? Lots of people over the years. Townsend, James Brown, Bob Marley, Bowie, Billie, Flea, Tony Levin, SRV, Cobain, Bruno Mars, Gaga, Ella, BB King, Madonna, Sinatra…

You get the point. No two are alike. All great performers with great presence. It comes more naturally to some than to others, but it is a skill that can be developed.
 
#40
Eilif said:
An entirely false choice.

I think we agree that dynamic movement is not necessary for stage presence. However,
clothing to somehow differentiate you from the normies, confidence, a tight set, good audience interaction, and good posture are accessible to almost any musician no matter the age or stage size.
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^^This^^
 

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