Where do you stand on stage?

[TonyRamwell]

I always seem to be on the left hand side of the stage, always to the left of the hi-hats, there's no specific rule about it. Most of the places we play tend to have reletively small stages any other way I'd be clouting our singer in the face with the headstock!

[Lfalex v1.1]

Wherever.

Driven by the need to;

Hear the kickdrum
Dodge the headstocks of Lefty guitarists
Avoid the spiralling antics of the frontperson
Hear my cabinet. I never get a look-in when it comes to the monitor mix.

[allighatt0r]

In the total of 5 gigs I've played, the band I'm in has developed a bit of a standard floorplan:



How do you like my excellent MS Paint skills?

This layout basically allows me or the left handed guitarist to walk right forward if we feel the need, and gives us both plenty of space...

Whenever i've made eye contact (EDIT: with the drummer), I don't know if it's his equivalent of bass face (drum fizzog???), but he gives me the worst evils you can imagine, and i don't really know what eye contact would accomplish...

Also, i listen to the snare, not the hi-hat, so i can hear that anywhere i go(if I'm actually listening )

Edited March 4, 2008 by allighatt0r

[bremen]

[quote name='acidbass' post='150485' date='Mar 3 2008, 05:04 PM']I used to stand stage right for purposes of keeping time with hi hats, but recently I've been standing stage left for the same reasons as Phaedrus above - it's easier to check your playing as well and make eye contact with the rest of the band.[/quote]

I used to do the hi-hat thing but for some reason I've swapped for the band I'm in now. Thinking of swapping back this Saturday so I can put my rig in the corner (that's just the way the stage is).

The Ox used to stand stage left. I wonder if that's significant?

[Pikefloyd]

Stage left for me, (on the right side from the crowd perspective). Fairly close to hi-hat

[mcgraham]

I don't mind too much, although most stages I've played on I tend to end up stage right. I usually position myself so that I can see everyone else and communicate with them.

Mark

[johnnylager]

Stage left now I've worked out that watching the drummers bass pedal is a jolly good idea. As is standing ever so slightly behind him so I can pull faces and gesticulate at him with no fear of a drum stick to the back of the head. He's half blind from all the White Lightning so there's no need to make eye contact.

Edited March 4, 2008 by johnnylager

[lowhand_mike]

right hand side of the drummer its just the way it worked out to start with and its stayted that way. tried playing on the other side but it felt weird

[BigRedX]

Hi-hat side of the drummer. Just gravitated to that position with my current band without really thinking why, but we definitely don't play quite as tightly if I stand on the other side. Nearly all my previous bands used sequencer technology to some extent so positioning wasn't quite as important from a playing PoV so we set up in a way that looked good.

[Faithless]

Wherever I may roam...

Ok, right side for me ( from audience's prospective) most times... Trying to negotiate with drummer as much as I... want. Ok, and can.
It's kinda rule, but, umm, what should I do when I try talking to the audience ??? ( because the frontman is good at singing, but making sensible/funny phrases is just not for his mouth... What do ya guys do,if ya need that? Kick frontman's a s s ?

[karlbbb]

Usually the drummers high hat side:

[endorka]

In the abscence of a sophisticated monitoring system, my basic approach is as follows: the drums have to be on one side of me, and the main chord player on the other. I find that this is the optimum method for making the band sound good as a whole... the bass is, after all, the glue that ties rhythm, harmony and melody together. I find that any other arrangement will cause something detrimental to happen.

Jennifer

[EskimoBassist]

Yeah i generally end up stage right of the singer, but to be honest as long as im not relegated to the back im not fussed! Yeah +1 for eye contact, it's definitely the most important part of being tight on stage, especially with the drummer but i also try to keep it with our guitarist, just so we don't get lost .

[Danbass7]

Right at the front , gotta get the crowd moving , clear line of sight straight back to the drummer too, gotta get the left foot on the monitor headbanging !

[josh3184]

always right for me as I'm left handed and its the only way for me to not knock out the singer

[Mikey D]

For Jazz, right next to the ride cymbal and staring at it for the majority of the gig (Of course I pay attention to everyone else, but the ride is the thing for me)

For everything else, by the hi-hat so I can communicate easier with the drummer.

I don't like standing in front of the drummer.

Although, I tend to stand as close as I can to the kit and my amp as I like having the drums loud on stage.

[clauster]

Usually to the drummer's right - I'm another that finds that side easiest for eye-contact with everyone else.

Last gig I had to go to the other side as I was delegated the task of slapping down the second guitarist when he decided to play new versions of sngs we'd been rehearsing for weeks (he ain't with us anymore).

[OldGit]

[quote name='Phaedrus' post='150419' date='Mar 3 2008, 04:01 PM']I like to be stage right, or on the left as the punters look at the band.

I can then pretend to be looking at my bandmates while I'm actually checking that the fingers on my left hand are going where they're supposed to be.

Can't imagine standing on the other side.

Mark[/quote]

+1 a good trick ..
and then it's just a few degrees between your visual cues from the singer and the drummer and your fret board when needed ..

Other than that my rule is "the other side of the drums from the lead guitarist ..." otherwise it's cymbals to le left of me, lead to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with tinnitus ...

[OldGit]

[quote name='Faithless' post='151712' date='Mar 5 2008, 01:46 PM']It's kinda rule, but, umm, what should I do when I try talking to the audience ??? ( because the frontman is good at singing, but making sensible/funny phrases is just not for his mouth... What do ya guys do,if ya need that? Kick frontman's a s s ? [/quote]

Rehearse the talky bits just as you woudl a lead break or a bass intro. Plan your set so the gaps between tunes are minimised so he feels less exposed.
Front person does the main talking to the audience, That's the rule for slick presentation. it's Ok in a party or laid back gig if someone else has a go but, in general, it's weird if someone other than the front man tries to do it.