Should the bass player be on the left...looking at the band?

[iconic]

I tell you for why, there is a comment on a youtube video of a band saying something about the "bass player and guitar being on the wrong sides"...bass on right, guitar on left.


....and the poster and a member of the band (I think?) agreed, but said something about BV's (backing vocals?) wouldn't look correct?

Is there some sort of etiquette here?

...thinking about it bass seems to be on the left more often than not from what I've seen?

[LukeFRC]

I prefer to be on the snare side of the kit. You can see the snare and both feet that way. For right handed drummers that is the left hand side of stage (looking at band).
Visually my bass will move the eye inward and down too.... towards the centre of the stage

[bertbass]

Looking at the band, I'm always on the left but that's because I'm left handed.

[Big_Stu]

I'm so old I can remember the days when it was called "stage left"...............or stage right, as the case may be.




exeunt...............

Edited February 5, 2014 by Big_Stu

[jazzyvee]

Looking at the stage from out front I'm usually on the right that's not a deliberate thing but I think it's that way because keyboard players and and guitarists usually set up side by side on the stage left in the bands I've joined. I'd rather be on the opposite side to the snare as the crack is just too loud.
When it's my own band on stage I'm usually out front with the sax player.

Jazzyvee

[White Cloud]

[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1391631389' post='2359571']
I tell you for why, there is a comment on a youtube video of a band saying something about the "bass player and guitar being on the wrong sides"...bass on right, guitar on left.


....and the poster and a member of the band (I think?) agreed, but said something about BV's (backing vocals?) wouldn't look correct?

Is there some sort of etiquette here?
[/quote]
Eh.....no!

[haruki]

+1 for the snare/hi hat side of the kit......that seems to be the direction the drummer is most likely to look .....sometimes

[bonzodog]

I always stand on left (looking at band from crowd). Not sure why, I think it just happened but strangely in my last band when I played lead guitar I also stood on left with bass player on right. I think I would feel odd now on the right

[roonjuice]

which side are the girls dancing?

[rogerstodge]

[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1391632141' post='2359582']
Looking at the band, I'm always on the left but that's because I'm left handed.
[/quote]yup, same goes for me, saves headstock clashes with singers guitar

[discreet]

Always on the drummer's left. I like to be sure of hearing the hi-hat.

[icastle]

This might help.



Somewhere between stage left and left centre and downstage for me.

[chrismuzz]

I prefer to be on the drummer's right, even though I was told in college it's supposed to be the other way round to make it easier to make eye contact with him. There's no real reason for it either I just seem to prefer that side.

The one time I stood in the middle of the stage I ended up getting twatted in the face with a guitar headstock

EDIT: No, it wasn't because I was the vocalist and deserved it

Edited February 5, 2014 by chrismuzz

[TRBboy]

I stand wherever there's space!

Seriously, the only consideration for us is that we have two guitarists, so we make sure one goes each side of the kit. I couldn't give a monkeys which side I'm on really. We do always seem to set up the same way at the same venues though.

I always remember playing at a pub when I was younger (different band) that was so small, we had to pile all the amps and PA on the seat in the bay window, and even then, me, the drummer, two guitarists and singer had to fit into a space about 8' square!

[cytania]

I'm right handed and I prefer to stand on the right of the drummer. The reason is that naturally I'll be glancing at the neck of the bass which is to my left and having the drummer in my peripheral vision. Even when not attending to particular drum parts it's good to have them in my field of awareness, I rarely lose contact with the beat that way. When I stood on the left of the drums it felt like I was having to remember to look over at the drums. Maybe my head has a leftward bias

[krysh]

Usually on the drummers hi-hat side, so mostly center stage left center depending on stage size.

[Lozz196]

I prefer to be on the drummers left, purely as my left ear works better than my right, so want to preserve the hearing in that ear as much as possible. Plus agree, I can focus better on the hi-hat and snare from that side - it would be ride cymbals & floor toms the other side - no ta.

[obbm]

Snare side so I can see the kick-drum pedal.

[xgsjx]

The correct answer should be "wherever you feel comfortable".

In one of my previous bands, we always had a different layout for each gig. The only position I wasn't keen on was being dead centre with the guitarist one side & the vocal/guitarist the other & the drummer behind us all.

[bobbytodd]

its always been the left side for me.when I first started in bands I chose that side so I could see the bass pedal and hear the hi hat.it was a confidence thing back then now its just habbit

[leschirons]

I usually find it depends on wherever, whatever twat of a keyboard player we've got sets up. It usually works out like this (can't do a pie chart)

30% of stage = keyboards, various monitors / stands
25% of stage = guitar rig, 2 spare guitars and associated floor spaghetti
25% of stage = drum kit with at least 2 unnecessary drums and 2 extra completely crap cymbals for "the look"
15% of stage = vocalists mic stand and array of water bottles, song sheets on floor, throat sweets and sprays
5% of stage bassplayer, with headstock stuck up in air

[KevB]

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1391640137' post='2359757']
I usually find it depends on wherever, whatever twat of a keyboard player we've got sets up. It usually works out like this (can't do a pie chart)
5% of stage bassplayer, with headstock stuck up in air
[/quote]

Aye, that'll be me except I don't have space to do that and get a decent go at the mic for b.vox. End up in some crappy space about half the width given to the guitarist yet I'm the one with the longest instrument neck and shoved up against the side of the PA speaker, knocked my bass out of tune twice at gigs from this nonsense and end up like Quasimodo to get a half decent b.vox volume. Boils my piss.

[scalpy]

Stage left for me. I dance like a complete muppet when I'm playing and I incur less extra expense from damaging cymbals and other guitars if my headstock is practically in the wings!

[chris_b]

My choice is to be on the hi-hat side.

[jonunders]

I've always stood to the drummers right so now it's habbit