Left or Right or Not Bothered?

[Japhet]

I've played in bands on both sides. I prefer stage left since I'm right handed and being on the other side usually ended up with my headstock in amongst the cymbals. Always had problems with drummers encroaching in my space though. They seem to think that a guitarist needs extra room even though they're playing a much smaller instrument. I've also played with 2 guitarists where I share one side of the stage with a guitarist and the bloody drummer always used to set up in the middle. I gave up trying to explain that he needed to move over - it seemed too much for his brain to handle. It's an old story but I understand how Bill Wyman ended up playing his bass almost vertically.

[Woodinblack]

Stage right, so I can hit the singer with my headstock

Actually it is just because the guitarist wants to be on the left and I don't care enough to argue.

[SpondonBassed]

I feel a little uncomfortable if I dress on the right.

It's not pleasant and it often results in crotch manipulations that make it look like I am a fan of Michael Jackson.  Ow!

Edited May 11, 2019 by SpondonBassed

[Stub Mandrel]

As I recall I pretty much always ended up stage left without any planning.

[dmccombe7]

1 hour ago, SpondonBassed said:

I feel a little uncomfortable if I dress on the right.

It's not pleasant and it often results in crotch manipulations that make it look like I am a fan of Michael Jackson.  Ow!

There's an operation for that now. Mrs SpondonBassed   

[SpondonBassed]

14 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

There's an operation for that now. Mrs SpondonBassed   

It's that or a truss I suppose.

When us blokes get to a certain age and body shape we can't count on predictable danglage any more.  That's why we enlarge our gussets I guess.

[dmccombe7]

8 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

It's that or a truss I suppose.

When us blokes get to a certain age and body shape we can't count on predictable danglage any more.  That's why we enlarge our gussets I guess.

I'm just after surgery to remove 2 large cysts in that area 2" across. I'm enjoying the freedom to sit comfortably without squashing bits. Dare i say its good to feel normal again. Still got the remains of the disolving stitches but its been worth it. I'll now be able to sit comfortably in my Porsche, on my Harley and even cycling.

Dave

[SpondonBassed]

17 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

I'm just after surgery to remove 2 large cysts in that area 2" across. I'm enjoying the freedom to sit comfortably without squashing bits. Dare i say its good to feel normal again. Still got the remains of the disolving stitches but its been worth it. I'll now be able to sit comfortably in my Porsche, on my Harley and even cycling.

Dave

Don't forget unicycling!

Glad you've got that sorted.  It sounds quite nasty.  There is nowhere on stage neither left nor right where you can stand with that condition and wearing glam rocker pants!  Folk would think you are smuggling kiwi fruit.

[mcnach]

On 07/05/2019 at 08:27, stewblack said:

I was surprised when my keyboard player set up on the wrong side of the stage the other day. He then said he preferred to be next to me when we play. 

Well I always play stage left I said. Do you he said. Yes I do I said. (the dialogue is always this riveting). 

I tell people I stand stage left because that's hi hat and snare side so I can make easy eye contact with the drummer  and so I don't clobber the singer with my headstock every two minutes.. 

But now I wonder if it's just a habit/ritual /superstition/OCD thing. What about you? Do you even care? 

 

Same here in that I prefer stage left, for the same reasons you mentioned.

We have a new keyboard player who is very good at keeping off the lower registers, perhaps because he's a bass player himself (he used to be the bass player in this band a few years ago, but family life meant he had to quit). The problem I have with him is he doesn't seem to realise that I'm not made of ether and need some physical space. Every-single-time I need to go through a whole process of showing him my gear, showing him the space he is leaving, and showing him the much larger space he has farther along. He always seems surprised, and not happy to be asked to move.

I thought that if I put my stuff in first he would get it, but no... he'd set up right against my amp. And I like to wait until the drummer is done, unless we have a big enough stage, before I set my stuff, to give him room to manoeuvre. Last weekend I arrive and the drummer is still setting up his kit. next to him, his monitor. And next, keyboard's monitor and himself. Literally no space for me. I said nothing, dumped my two cabs, head and bass case in front of him and went to get a beer, then sat there watching.

- "You're not setting up?"

- "I don't see where, so I thought I'd have a beer and watch you instead"

Still didn't get it. I sat there for 5 more minutes, chatted with a few people for a bit, and then just had to go and do the usual routine. He moved to the left and angled himself a bit, I put my stuff in, and all was good.

We have 2 weeks off now as we're going to be recording, and in two weeks we have a couple of gigs. If he learns the trick by the second one, then there's hope. If not, I am just going to either start moving things myself, or bringing a lot of extra equipment and take up all available space until he chooses to change sides :D

 

 

[stewblack]

28 minutes ago, mcnach said:

 

Same here in that I prefer stage left, for the same reasons you mentioned.

We have a new keyboard player who is very good at keeping off the lower registers, perhaps because he's a bass player himself (he used to be the bass player in this band a few years ago, but family life meant he had to quit). The problem I have with him is he doesn't seem to realise that I'm not made of ether and need some physical space. Every-single-time I need to go through a whole process of showing him my gear, showing him the space he is leaving, and showing him the much larger space he has farther along. He always seems surprised, and not happy to be asked to move.

I thought that if I put my stuff in first he would get it, but no... he'd set up right against my amp. And I like to wait until the drummer is done, unless we have a big enough stage, before I set my stuff, to give him room to manoeuvre. Last weekend I arrive and the drummer is still setting up his kit. next to him, his monitor. And next, keyboard's monitor and himself. Literally no space for me. I said nothing, dumped my two cabs, head and bass case in front of him and went to get a beer, then sat there watching.

- "You're not setting up?"

- "I don't see where, so I thought I'd have a beer and watch you instead"

Still didn't get it. I sat there for 5 more minutes, chatted with a few people for a bit, and then just had to go and do the usual routine. He moved to the left and angled himself a bit, I put my stuff in, and all was good.

We have 2 weeks off now as we're going to be recording, and in two weeks we have a couple of gigs. If he learns the trick by the second one, then there's hope. If not, I am just going to either start moving things myself, or bringing a lot of extra equipment and take up all available space until he chooses to change sides

 

 

I'm so lucky with our keys guy. He's happy to set up behind me. Sharing space with my cabs usually 

[dmccombe7]

43 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

Don't forget unicycling!

Glad you've got that sorted.  It sounds quite nasty.  There is nowhere on stage neither left nor right where you can stand with that condition and wearing glam rocker pants!  Folk would think you are smuggling kiwi fruit.

At least i didn't need the old sock down the jeans routine. Might do now tho 

[dmccombe7]

3 minutes ago, stewblack said:

I'm so lucky with our keys guy. He's happy to set up behind me. Sharing space with my cabs usually 

Yep ours did that too and then turned his amp up to the point i couldn't hear mine.

Was just a small gig for drummers birthday with only a vocal PA but like the professional i am i struggle thru without hearing myself properly. The consummate professional 

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, SpondonBassed said:

Don't forget unicycling!

I picked my daughter from Nottingham last night at about 10:30pm on the way back we passed a young lady unicycling along the pavement. There ought to be a law 🙂

1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said:

I'm just after surgery to remove 2 large cysts in that area 2" across.

Many years ago I had a modest sized-lump appear in a disturbing location, growing slowly. After several weeks worry I finally inspected it thing I will have to go to the doctor... as soon as I made my mind up, the damn thing exploded! By the next day there was no sign of it.

When I was in school one of the biology textbooks had a picture of a fellow wheeling along his distended testicle in a wheelbarrow... we all thought he looked rather proud of it.

 

 

 

 

[ryan0583]

Stage right for me, but I play with a left handed drummer.

[mcnach]

3 hours ago, stewblack said:

I'm so lucky with our keys guy. He's happy to set up behind me. Sharing space with my cabs usually 

 

Ask him if he'd like to move to Edinburgh, please?

[tauzero]

3 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

When I was in school one of the biology textbooks had a picture of a fellow wheeling along his distended testicle in a wheelbarrow... we all thought he looked rather proud of it.

So Buster Gonad was based on a real person then.

[dmccombe7]

12 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I picked my daughter from Nottingham last night at about 10:30pm on the way back we passed a young lady unicycling along the pavement. There ought to be a law 🙂

Many years ago I had a modest sized-lump appear in a disturbing location, growing slowly. After several weeks worry I finally inspected it thing I will have to go to the doctor... as soon as I made my mind up, the damn thing exploded! By the next day there was no sign of it.

When I was in school one of the biology textbooks had a picture of a fellow wheeling along his distended testicle in a wheelbarrow... we all thought he looked rather proud of it.

 

 

 

 

There's no icon for throwing up so SAD will have to do. 

Surgeon said it was a cluster cyst so i'm guessing one root with several bags stretching from it. 2 large and few smaller ones all removed. If a cyst bursts it can get poisin into blood stream and can be quite serious. Ihad the first one for about 20+ yrs and had regular ultrasound scans if anything changed. Just very uncomfy.

Anyway i'm drifting off thread here.

Dave

[bazzbass]

stage left

 

not so I can see the drummer, he is always on beat

BUT so that my headstock doesn't hit his cymbals, pure and simple logistics

sometimes the stage is so small that I'd be hitting the wall with my headstock, so for these I'm on the drummers right side, but ever watchfull of where the cymbals are hehe

[silverfoxnik]

Stage left.

Close to the drummer's hi-hat and snare.. Always feels more natural that way.