does anyone gig sitting?

[iconic]

I always play sitting down but have a 1st gig iminent and thought, maybe im expected to stand around n play......ive seen blues bass players sitting but is this erm....
unusual? I can play standing but simply prefer sitting....im lazy like that...!

[Cat Burrito]

Once after a knee operation but no, not generally

[flyfisher]

Last time I saw BB King in concert, he played sitting down.
But there again, he's a music legend and can do whatever he likes.

[Dingus]

Anthony Jackson always plays sitting down . His basses don't even have strap buttons . I prefer to play sitting down myself , but the reality is that if you intend to play in front of an audience , in most situations you usually need to play standing up . The bad news is that if you are going to play standing up then you need to practise playing in a standing position , because it comes as a shock how much harder it is if you are used to sitting down . The positions of all the bones in your hand change when you play standing with the bass on a strap and it takes some getting used to . I strongly advise practising the songs in the live set standing up if you intend to do the gig that way .

[arthurhenry]

Robert Fripp, Billy Sheehan in Niacin.

[ubassman]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1370556452' post='2102832']
Anthony Jackson always plays sitting down . His basses don't even have strap buttons . I prefer to play sitting down myself , but the reality is that if you intend to play in front of an audience , in most situations you usually need to play standing up . The bad news is that if you are going to play standing up then you need to practise playing in a standing position , because it comes as a shock how much harder it is if you are used to sitting down . The positions of all the bones in your hand change when you play standing with the bass on a strap and it takes some getting used to . I strongly advise practising the songs in the live set standing up if you intend to do the gig that way .
[/quote]

+1

[redstriper]

Depends on the gig and on the band.
If it's a quiet intimate do then sitting is fine, whereas a big loud do might require a bit of showmanship.

Ask the band what they think and have a great time either way

[the_skezz]

To be honest, unless it's extremely laid-back, easy listening music or else an acoustic gig, I wouldn't bother watching a band whose members are sitting down - I like groups who try and engage the audience a bit, and it's harder to do that and draw attention to yourselves sitting down than it is standing up. Makes them look like they can't be arsed more often than not too, like they're just going through the numbers rather than making an effort.

+1 to what Dingus said about practising playing while standing up, it does make a massive difference. I once played a gig with a bloke who was used to sitting down while playing, and he ended up having to lean against a wall throughout most of the set. Didn't particularly suit numbers like Run To The Hills, really.

[Truckstop]

Depends what the gig is. I once got asked to play seated for a blues gig because the singer/guitarist wanted to make sure that he was the focal point of the band. Which is fair enough; after all it was HIS band playing HIS music.

Otherwise I'd always play standing. Why wouldn't you?

Truckstop

[alyctes]

Jah Wobble...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylOCIP54PIQ
Allegedly he'd learned sitting down and couldn't play standing up. YMMV.

Edited June 6, 2013 by alyctes

[borisbrain]

With the exception of Robert Fripp (who was boring to the point of respiratory failure - I actually fell asleep), I can't recall any other gigs I've seen where a guitarist played sitting down. Drummers and some keyboard/piano players have a fair enough excuse, but to me anybody else needs to be upright. Unless you're in an orchestra...

BB

[skidder652003]

might be worth setting your strap length to the same height as when you're playing sitting down, (ie don't have the bass down by your knees!)

[gary mac]

I sometimes sit at rehearsals but find myself standing again for the more boisterous numbers.

I just don't/can't play with the same ooomph when sitting.

[steve-bbb]

if my back is playing up i will often sit for a while but that usually depends on the venue and space/seating available - our drummer has a spare drum stool with the added small back support which is very comfortable - i have in past experience of big band / stage band stuff and that was always seated

[Happy Jack]

I have a dodgy back, so I use a Kinsmann guitar-stand/stool.



That gives me a decent excuse to have a stool on stage right by my rig, and on slow numbers I frequently sit down ... purely to make better eye contact with the drummer of course.

[paul_5]

I wouldn't even get on stage if there was a stool on it. Dirty bastards.

[steve-bbb]

these are quite expensive (about 100-120) but worth trying out if you have back problems persoanlly i find them very comfortable

[AntLockyer]

When I saw Cream, Jack sat down for most of it.

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='skidder652003' timestamp='1370580963' post='2102960']
might be worth setting your strap length to the same height as when you're playing sitting down, (ie don't have the bass down by your knees!)
[/quote]
+1. I also recommend [url="http://youtu.be/PPVMBPmrblU"]this[/url]. (Still haven't cracked embedded video!)

Edited June 7, 2013 by JapanAxe

[voxpop]

[quote name='skidder652003' timestamp='1370580963' post='2102960']
might be worth setting your strap length to the same height as when you're playing sitting down, (ie don't have the bass down by your knees!)
[/quote]

( see above )
The bass is the same height standing up as sitting down. Best of both worlds.

[chris_b]

The acoustic duo sits on chairs, but all other bands that I'm in or see stand up.

If you're going to sit get a high stool from the bar. That will keep you at the same level as the rest of the band. Just one person sitting on a chair is going to look pretty silly.


BB King sits these days because he's nearly 90!

[KevB]

I seem to be able to adjust without too much difficulty even though I have a slight back problem (not nearly so bad since I did the right thing and stopped playing golf). I've read the 'strap same height sitting as standing' so many times and I've NEVER got it to work, it is always too high for comfort when in a standing position if I adjust it while sitting. Now I practice sitting with the strap not really doing very much but I'm not one to go for hours at a time playing. I'm also not very tall so this might be less of an issue for those a bit short in the body compared with others, not sure. Currently I guess I'm playing standing up often enough at gigs that my body naturally readjusts. I do notice if I'm not gigging for a long time and then have to go back into it for a new project, then I take time to do some standing practice sessions in advance to get up to speed.

[geoffbyrne]

Being 66 & also having back problems, I welcome practicing sitting down, but I stand for a performance.

G.

[iconic]

bugger, from what I'm reading I'm gonna have to get off my a**e ....didn't Bootsy say that first?

[BigRedX]

Adjusting your strap so that the bass is at the same height sitting or standing IMO simply doesn't work. When you sit down the whole upper half of your body relaxes, so unless you make a conscious effort to "sit up straight" your posture and how the bass sits/hangs in relation to your body will be completely different to when you stand up. For the bass to be in exactly the same place when you sit or stand, it would have to be barely supported in your lap sitting, plus you would have to unrelax the upper half of your body. After doing all those things you might as well practice standing up.

Because when I play in public I always play standing up, I also always practice standing up. That means even when I'm just doing 5 minutes noodling on the bass at home, I'm stood up with the bass on its strap as it would be when I gig. If I was to join a band where we sat down to play live I would change my practice position to match.