Stand or sit?

[Bill Spencer]

When doing Keyboards (as opposed to Piano) gigs, I stand... well actually I have a very high stool that I king of lean/sit on, but my left foot is always on an expression pedal and right does Sustain and a couple of other footswitches.

 

I decided to set up this way early in my working musician life, some (OMG) 40 years ago, mostly for appearance, I didn't like sitting low in the back, kinda hidden. And you can actually move a bit to the music if you can get off the foot controls.

 

Now I have a problem with a pinched nerve in my lower back, probably due to this absurd 'balanced on one leg and half an ass cheek' posture. I'm getting better, so it's likely not permanent, but now I'll have to exercise and be mindful of posture, etc.

 

Years ago my keyboard Bass setup had the Bass kybd on top, but I developed shoulder impingement, from holding my arm up to shouder level ALL NIGHT (bass doesn't stop much!). Moving that kybd to the bottom allowed me to play in a much more natural position.

 

Do you sit or stand?

 

I guess the message is, however you decide to set up, place a high value on ergonomics and proper posture to ensure a long playing (working) life.

 

[nursers]

It's a great point. I've tended to stand but in the past 6 months have sat. I find it much more comfortable as far as playing goes, but how it looks on stage can vary i.e. it doesn't fit the feel of the band I play in.

[SamuelBLupowitz]

I remember standing early on doing my first keyboard gigs, but since my early influences were piano players like Elton and Billy, it just felt more natural to sit. I always preferred to feel like I was sitting at a grand piano, even if what I had was a bad DP on an X-stand...

 

As I started adding more boards to my world, I looked to Benmont Tench and Kofi Burbridge for my cues, so I"ve continued to sit (and occasionally jump up and down).

[CEB]

I do both. Depends on what fits the gig.

[Delaware Dave]

back issues force me to sit....

[rickzjamm]

In younger days always stood, but now after several back & knee

surgeries and just getting older sitting is best for me... I also like my posture better.

[aellison62]

I stand and sometimes use a high bar stool like OP does. Again, like others, mostly for appearance sake, and also allows for more movement, higher energy to the audience, more engagement with crowd and even other band mates. Although putting weight on primarily one leg ( the non- sustain pedal leg) does overstrain the other leg and hip. Can"t be good for the back either. I have been thinking about changing to sitting....

[PianoMan51]

back issues force me to sit....

Me too.

 

Wait, are we talking about playing keyboards?

 

[KeyboardEric]

Definitely love to stand and play, especially with simpler tunes. If I were performing a more intricate style of music i.e. jazz/classical I would probably want to sit.

[El Lobo]

I double on sax so I stand. But the last few years I've had knee problems and at one point I had to use a tall stool just to even make the gig. Then I got this stool that's made for string bass players. Like the OP, I lean on it so one foot is on the expression pedal and usually the other foot is on the footrest peg. I stand up to play sax, sometimes to play the keyboard. But more and more I stay half seated. That way I can walk the next morning and my knees don't hurt.

[Bill Spencer]

I've been asked to stand in rock/pop contexts but my responses range from :

 

1) I don't do that.

2) get someone else.

3) are you serious ?

4) why did you call me in the first place ?

5) you can't afford what it would take for me to stand.

6) probably best for all concerned to lose my number.

 

Lol Dave

 

[Reezekeys]

I always sit on local gigs but with AWB I stand and will sheepishly admit it's for the "showbiz" factor â though I'm not saying I mind it. The reason is that I thought it would look a little weird to be on a large stage sitting behind a 61-note 10 pound keyboard (my Roland A800 Pro)! Also, the music tends to be pretty energetic and the image of me sitting down while everyone else is standing seemed incongruous to me.

 

The downside is that it's a bitch to use a sustain and expression pedal at the same time, at least for me. That's actually significant â that I would sacrifice my ability to control things the way I like purely for looks. However, I've adapted. I now use a slider to control the strings volume and the pedal is used mostly for organ sounds where I don't use the sustain pedal. Sometimes you have to make compromises.

 

As far as back health, I do get some pain from time to time but it happens both when I sit and stand â I probably have some general posture issues. I don't feel that either position is better or worse, for me at least.

[timwat]

Do you sit or stand?

 

I guess the message is, however you decide to set up, place a high value on ergonomics and proper posture to ensure a long playing (working) life.

 

For anything other than piano-gigs, I stand. It's exclusively a deliberate performance thing; I'm part of the entertainment, so my physicality is part of the show.

 

The biggest things that have mitigated the wear and tear are: I found very comfortable shoes that are patent leather uppers, on a spongy crepe comfort soul. So in a tux or suit, it appears that I've got great dress shoes, but they are comfortable to dance and stand all evening. Also, I often use a thin outdoor mat with very low pile padding that I picked up at Costco. It's really impressive what a very small amount of padding underfoot can do over the course of a long evening gig.

[El Lobo]

Also, I often use a thin outdoor mat with very low pile padding that I picked up at Costco. It's really impressive what a very small amount of padding underfoot can do over the course of a long evening gig.

I've heard this from other players too. Even a thin layer of extra padding makes a big difference the next morning. I've got to try this.

 

[Bill Spencer]

Exacerbating all of this is likely the fact that I always have my wallet in my right rear pocket⦠The physical therapist said either move your wallet or have less money in it⦠second solution super simple to achieve!

[Stokely]

^ You must have a "wallet cube" like my brother has LOL! It's so fat it's the same in all dimensions. Mine is bright blue parachute material (ultra thin) and has only the bare essentials in it, and I've been a front pocket guy for years...started when I heard it's way easier for pickpockets to get a rear wallet.

 

I think generally that standing looks "cooler"...couple flip sides: it looks weird to me when someone plays a real piano standing up (older live Journey videos come to mind), and sitting looks fine when you are surrounded by a bunch of boards. IMO it mainly looks iffy if you have a single keyboard on an x-stand and you are lower than everyone except maybe the drummer. Speaking of height, when I sit I use a stool that is only maybe 2-3 inches lower than my standing height. I'm at least 2-3 inches taller than the rest of the band, so it's just right!

 

I tend to sit mainly when we play on really tight stages--it's just awkward to stand when you can't even take a step in any direction (when I say small, I mean REALLY small and we are a 5-piece...)

 

Looks aside, I'd prefer to sit, I play better as I expect most do. As Reezekeys said, it's way harder to use pedals while standing.

[Tom Williams]

I always stand to play, excepting church organs and pianos. There's an unconscious Stevie Wonderesque nervous energy that manifests itself when I play in public. I would probably explode if I sat.

[EricBarker]

Stand.

 

Even piano gigs, if I really get into it, halfway through the night I'm standing anyway! Every time I try sitting, the bench ends up flying backward at some point.

[allan_evett]

I remember standing early on doing my first keyboard gigs, but since my early influences were piano players like Elton and Billy, it just felt more natural to sit. I always preferred to feel like I was sitting at a grand piano, even if what I had was a bad DP on an X-stand...

 

As I started adding more boards to my world, I looked to Benmont Tench and Kofi Burbridge for my cues, so I"ve continued to sit (and occasionally jump up and down).

 

 

I've discovered basically the same thing. The deciding factor was a conversation I had with a mentor/teacher in 2013. When he discovered that I'd been standing to play with my forearms at a downward angle, he said to either get the stand height up or sit to play. After a couple of decades playing that way (including many country piano-ish gigs), I had started to notice wrist and lower palm issues. Being that I play two keyboards on most gigs, it was logistically easier to sit.

My current variety act doesn't mind at all, but a band I worked with for six months (Nov, 2018 - April, 2019) hated it. I'd gigged with them, late 1990s - early 2000s, and had rejoined the group; its' line up was three guys upfront (all singing), and the drummer and I on the back tier, sitting. The prior keys guy - who exchanged the role with me previously - always stood (as I did originally), though he did sing some lead vocals. Long story short, I left the band last year, somewhat mutually decided. Much happier now. The current keys player stands tall, but is quite short on pocket and groove - from conversations with buds still in the rhythm section .

[CowboyNQ]

I"ve never sat down for a gig. I do for practice though and it sure is a lot easier from an ergonomic and accuracy perspective.

 

I feel like I can give the performance more energy when standing and I"m conscious that a live show is a visual experience in addition to being an auditory one.

 

I would be happy enough to sit if necessary though.

[Outkaster]

Stand and Sit. Depends on the band

[jeffincltnc]

Stand up for pop/rock synth band where I am out front. Sit for piano/rhodes centric playing, organ trio on a dual manual, jazz/improv stuff.

[linwood]

Always sit. I sound worse standing than sitting.

[b3maniac]

I stood up to play for years, but now days I use a tall fold up stool and alternate sitting,leaning, or standing as the night progresses.

[MathOfInsects]

Organ-heavy and AP/EP-centric gigs: sit. Synthy, paddy, every-key utility-man gigs: stand. Exceptions made for stage optics and/or laziness, depending on the gig and context.

[Moonglow]

Always stand for band gigs. It"s just more rock-n-roll, even if it isn"t a rock gig. Sort of keeps that rebel spirit alive. Only sit for cocktail piano gigs at an acoustic piano, but I haven"t had one of those in years...

[Shamanczarek]

In my earliest days when I played Hammond and electric piano I always sat down. In the polysynth era with three Keyboards on an Ultimate Support A-frame I started standing. In the early 90's I started sitting again when playing certain vintage keyboards. That was followed by a period of several years when I played bass pedals that also required sitting down. Now I stand on gigs when playing modern gear and sit down on the gigs with vintage gear.

[Konnector]

I've never sat for a gig. I always stand, but I've never incorporated a piano as part of my "pile" on stage either. If I was playing mostly piano, I think I'd prefer to sit down.

[gino]

Used to stand but broke an ankle a couple of years back so was forced to sit through gigs during the rehab period. I really enjoyed being able to hear my foldback wedge a whole lot better so I've been sitting ever since. I do accept though it definitely does detract from a showmanship point of view.

[ajstan]

I used to sit until I saw a video of my band. Once I saw how bad I looked, I immediately switched to standing. It took a bit of work to learn how to work multiple pedals simultaneously while standing, but it was worth it. Also, the night is much more fun being able to stand and move vs. sitting on a bench for 2.5 to 3 hours.

 

Physical limitations and personal preferences notwithstanding, I would think that standing would be preferred wherever you want the crowd to dance and/or to provide a livelier visual presentation. Sitting would be preferred where you're playing an actual organ, AP or EP, or if you"re primarily playing those parts over the course of an evening in a more subdued situation.