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Rookie question: better standing up or seated?


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To Mr. Jose / Rookie... Lots of great insight here, you came to the right place with your question!

 

What I would add to the mix - what bands / artists do you absolutely love?  There's a good chance that you love them for both their music and HOW THEY LOOK when they're performing. 

 

For example, I loved Jimi Hendrix when I was a kid.  Part of me loved his incredible playing, the songs he crafted, how his solos, rhythms, lyrics and vocals all fit.  But what really tied it all together is how he looked and moved.  Hence, a natural tendency (for young folks anyway) is to emulate what their artist heroes are doing.  Since Jimi was standing when he played, I stood up when I played, even though I was a keyboardist.  I tried to channel Jimi's mojo (even though often times the music I was playing was very different than Hendrix). 

 

Eventually through repetition, that mojo becomes part of your own DNA.  This mojo could be either sitting or standing.  This is what makes live music so fun, for both the performer and the audience.  There are no rules, do what makes you feel good, do what you love.  If you are truly loving what you're doing, the audience will see it and feel it and appreciate it.

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16 minutes ago, timwat said:

yet so many musicians project like dour, disengaged accountants on stage. 

Tim, we were writing our posts around the same time, with some similar context!  However, I take issue with what you're saying here.  I'm an accountant. 🤣

Some music I've recorded and played over the years with a few different bands

Tommy Rude Soundcloud

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At at least one point in almost every show I play, I need both my feet simultaneously, so I almost always sit by default.  Every once in a blue moon if the visual aesthetic of the band calls for it, AND it won't limit my ability to execute the music the way I want, I'll set up standing.  It's probably been less than five times in 20 years.

 

I think a sitting keyboardist on an upstage riser, side-by-side with a drum riser, is a great look.  That way, both the musicians that are seated, and more-or-less stationary due to their instruments, are elevated in the back.  On big productions that's usually where I ask to be (if anybody asks).

 

When the energy levels get sky-high (usually in a closer with a loud rock band), occasionally I'll stand up and "play down" at my top keyboard.  Also I love playing accordion on a song or two when appropriate – I stand for that, of course, and it's a nice visual change-up.  

 

I think the energy and interaction you bring to your fellow musicians and the audience onstage is more important than sitting vs. standing.  I'm talking to myself here – I tend to close my eyes and live inside the music much of the time, if I'm not making a conscious effort to engage.

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23 hours ago, EB5AGV said:

I have ordered a K&M 14045 stool and will try the different keyboards setups to find the best fit.

I use that same stool. I play standing up because I'm also doubling on sax. But I got that stool so I can sit standing up, if that makes sense. I'm old, arthritis in my knees and hips, been gigging all my life, but 3 hour gigs are hard on the legs to play standing all the time so I can sit behind the keyboard but look like I'm (almost) standing. And getting up from a full sitting position is also hard. The stool was a perfect solution. I used to stand at rehearsals but lately I sit down on a regular chair. It's no fun getting old. But it's better than the alternative. 

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These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise.
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1 hour ago, TommyRude said:

Tim, we were writing our posts around the same time, with some similar context!  However, I take issue with what you're saying here.  I'm an accountant. 🤣

Hahahaha

 

I was an accounting / finance major, and now teach graduate accounting. 

 

"How do you know when you're talking to an outgoing, extroverted accountant?"

 

"While he's talking to you, he's looking at your shoes, not his own."

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, El Lobo said:

I use that same stool. I play standing up because I'm also doubling on sax. But I got that stool so I can sit standing up, if that makes sense. I'm old, arthritis in my knees and hips, been gigging all my life, but 3 hour gigs are hard on the legs to play standing all the time so I can sit behind the keyboard but look like I'm (almost) standing. And getting up from a full sitting position is also hard. The stool was a perfect solution. I used to stand at rehearsals but lately I sit down on a regular chair. It's no fun getting old. But it's better than the alternative. 

 

That is great!. I see what you mean. The stool has shipped today from Germany (I live in Spain). So I hope to get it by next week, still a couple weeks to the D day

 

Meanwhile, I will try the concept with a lousy quality Stagg high stool I have, just to see which height will be fine and begin setting the height of the keyboards. By now, temporarily, I have placed my Casio CTX-5000 (I use it at most rehearsals because it is really portable) on the lower level of the Spider Pro and an iRig Keys I/O 49 on the top one, connected to the iPad Air 2, which is used for ForScore and as a VST host (have plenty of them, as Korg Module Pro, several pianos, some IK software and such)

 

The live rig will have the Montage 6 on the lower deck and still not sure if nothing or the iRig Keys on top one. Well, I want to keep it simple, but really the iRig is not a big deal. And makes the rig look nicer 😄

 

I will post some pictures when I get the other accessories installed (monitor and perhaps a mic)

 

Thanks a lot to all of you for your kindness sharing your experience with me. I feel like at home here, thanks to you 🤩

 

Jose

 

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I always thought keyboard players standing up looked idiotic except when necessary to move around to multiple keyboards for logistics.   Standing at a keyboard always reminded me of the gal in the Partridge Family pretending to play an ill-height-adjusted electric piano of some sort.  Keyboardists should be seated, just like a pianist or an organist (unless it's part of an act where you're stabbing the organ with a knife or doing some Jerry Lee Lewis theatrics, etc).  

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28 minutes ago, JazzPiano88 said:

I always thought keyboard players standing up looked idiotic except when necessary to move around to multiple keyboards for logistics.   Standing at a keyboard always reminded me of the gal in the Partridge Family pretending to play an ill-height-adjusted electric piano of some sort.  Keyboardists should be seated, just like a pianist or an organist (unless it's part of an act where you're stabbing the organ with a knife or doing some Jerry Lee Lewis theatrics, etc).  

So, you don't sing? Or you do but prefer to sit? I'm good either way but I'm not so sure about the "idiotic" part. Not my reaction or my judgement call, just wondering. 

I do sing (not great but people seem to like it) and I also record my songs and I can tell you for certain that I sing much better standing up so I always perform that way even though I might prefer to sit and play my guitar sometimes. 

 

Lots of keyboard players I know do sing and they prefer to stand while singing as well. El Lobo's solution of a tall stool is pretty slick. 

I've seen some trombonists that looked sort of weird but not "idiotic". Keyboardists can do what they do, doesn't bother me in the slightest, they can even sit and sing or not sing. 

 

Ray Charles sang his ass off both times I saw him and he always sat, probably safer than standing in a noisy, unfamiliar environment at the edge of a potentially dangerous drop, given that he was blind. 

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44 minutes ago, KuruPrionz said:

So, you don't sing? Or you do but prefer to sit? I'm good either way but I'm not so sure about the "idiotic" part. Not my reaction or my judgement call, just wondering. 

I do sing (not great but people seem to like it) and I also record my songs and I can tell you for certain that I sing much better standing up so I always perform that way even though I might prefer to sit and play my guitar sometimes. 

 

Lots of keyboard players I know do sing and they prefer to stand while singing as well. El Lobo's solution of a tall stool is pretty slick. 

I've seen some trombonists that looked sort of weird but not "idiotic". Keyboardists can do what they do, doesn't bother me in the slightest, they can even sit and sing or not sing. 

 

Ray Charles sang his ass off both times I saw him and he always sat, probably safer than standing in a noisy, unfamiliar environment at the edge of a potentially dangerous drop, given that he was blind. 

 

I guess I always found the whole standing thing in front of a simple two tiered rig gimicky.  Not unlike the rare drummer who stands.  Never understood the whole, "keys should stand like the guitarist"  line of thinking.  You don't see bands asking their drummer to stand.

 

There are tons of pianist singers, so I didn't think singing would be a factor (like Ray or Stevie).  I don't sing.

 

Now this is what I'm talking about :):

 

JoeJ.png

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21 minutes ago, JazzPiano88 said:

 

You don't see bands asking their drummer to stand.

 

 

 

0-DSC00868.jpg

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9 Moog things, 3 Roland things, 2 Hammond things and a computer with stuff on it

 

 

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2 hours ago, JazzPiano88 said:

 

I guess I always found the whole standing thing in front of a simple two tiered rig gimicky.  Not unlike the rare drummer who stands.  Never understood the whole, "keys should stand like the guitarist"  line of thinking.  You don't see bands asking their drummer to stand.

 

There are tons of pianist singers, so I didn't think singing would be a factor (like Ray or Stevie).  I don't sing.

 

Now this is what I'm talking about :):

 

JoeJ.png

I let him sit, it's fine. People do all sorts of things, I don't say that those things appear idiotic unless they attack grizzly bears or something truly stupid like that. 

I saw Artur Rubenstein play piano, he sat. I saw Jon Lord play Hammond with Deep Purple, he stood. I enjoyed the music, neither of them looked idiotic to me.

 

Here is a guitarist who has approached the instrument in a truly unique way. Nobody frets notes in a fury with their thumb but he does. I'm OK with that too, in fact I'm impressed. 

I'm certain you have more relevant things to dislike. 😇

 

 

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11 hours ago, TommyRude said:

Eventually through repetition, that mojo becomes part of your own DNA.  This mojo could be either sitting or standing.  This is what makes live music so fun, for both the performer and the audience.  There are no rules, do what makes you feel good, do what you love.  If you are truly loving what you're doing, the audience will see it and feel it and appreciate it.

Couldn't agree more! I always stand when playing, keyboards or guitar, or for that matter, doing workshops or lectures. However, I would never try to convince anyone else they should stand because it's "better." It's not, it's just one way of doing things.

 

Standing, I have better access to front panel knobs/buttons/faders. Sitting gives better access to pedals. So some of it depends on your playing priorities as well. I've never tried, but I highly doubt I could play steel guitar standing up :)

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I've always played standing up, but my rigs over the years usually involved multiple keyboards on two opposing stands and never included a piano. I played hard rock for the most part and sang a lot as well. I always thought standing up was a better look for that style of music. If I was primarily a piano player, then sitting would be more comfortable. 

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After sitting for years on an organ bench as a kid, at the point where I had the opportunity to stand I did.  But years of putting my weight on my left leg didn't help my spine at all and I'm still paying for it.. In the early 2000s an artist told me to sit. "You look like the fucking Archies up there." I sat for the rest of my career. Turns out it was way more comfortable and ergonomic. I could run a floor full of pedals and still keep the hand independence.  I'm squarely in Camp Sit. It's near Ft. Stay. 

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9 Moog things, 3 Roland things, 2 Hammond things and a computer with stuff on it

 

 

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I have always stood (exception: funerals, weddings, and acoustic pianos) because it lets me trade more emotional energy with the audience.  I tend to play to the point of exhaustion, however, and that makes teardown a double chore.

 

Also, as my body deteriorates (just turned 63), my feet are starting to pay a penalty after a 2-3 hour gig.  Even my band is starting to encourage me to sit and save my energy.

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12 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

I let him sit, it's fine. People do all sorts of things, I don't say that those things appear idiotic unless they attack grizzly bears or something truly stupid like that. 

I saw Artur Rubenstein play piano, he sat. I saw Jon Lord play Hammond with Deep Purple, he stood. I enjoyed the music, neither of them looked idiotic to me.

 

Here is a guitarist who has approached the instrument in a truly unique way. Nobody frets notes in a fury with their thumb but he does. I'm OK with that too, in fact I'm impressed. 

I'm certain you have more relevant things to dislike. 😇

Yeah, I have a hair trigger for calling certain things idiotic, especially when going against the grain.  I, for some reason, tend to take a contrarian view on a lot of things and can get pretty hyperbolic to stress a point.  I'll switch to cringey.

 

Love to see guitarists sitting down too!  Don't get me started :)

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On 6/30/2022 at 8:42 PM, JazzPiano88 said:

 

I guess I always found the whole standing thing in front of a simple two tiered rig gimicky.  Not unlike the rare drummer who stands.  Never understood the whole, "keys should stand like the guitarist"  line of thinking.  You don't see bands asking their drummer to stand.

 

There are tons of pianist singers, so I didn't think singing would be a factor (like Ray or Stevie).  I don't sing.

 

Now this is what I'm talking about :):

 

JoeJ.png

It isn't a gimmick.  Some musicians feel it looks lazy for people to sit.  For certain types of music it's appropriate.

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"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

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On 7/1/2022 at 9:05 AM, JazzPiano88 said:

Yeah, I have a hair trigger for calling certain things idiotic, especially when going against the grain.  I, for some reason, tend to take a contrarian view on a lot of things and can get pretty hyperbolic to stress a point.  I'll switch to cringey.

 

Love to see guitarists sitting down too!  Don't get me started :)

Standing keyboardist insult severity ranking:

1. Gimmicky = less severe

2. Cringey = more severe

3. Idiotic = most severe

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Some music I've recorded and played over the years with a few different bands

Tommy Rude Soundcloud

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Thanks again for all the input!

 

I am right now on a trip in Germany. Yesterday, on a beer festival (not uncommon here 🤣) there was a 7 member pop/rock band (named Fetzentaler) which included a keyboardist. He played standing up, using a similar kind of support like my Spider Pro. On top, a Yamaha Motif ES7. On bottom, the brand was covered, but I would say it was a Korg Triton or similar. He played also the accordion, which of course may explain why he was not sitting. Also, he was the most senior of the players, which gives me some hope 😅, having myself started at an advanced age (at 50, now I am 54) so well, I have some years still to improve and perhaps reach a decent playing level 😉

 

All in all, I learned some more things about live performance and enjoyed a good time with the family 👍🏻

 

Jose

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I was at an open air concert yesterday, and there was a soul/pop/funk band playing with a female singer being the performer who is the known name, the one that is announced. The band members were more for live gigs as far as I understand. There were two keyboardists, one standing (with a Nord Stage 3) and one sitting (with a Roland RD64 and a MIDI keyboard on top). The one standing was kind of a show-off, he was dressed more dandy and acted like he was melting under the music, dancing, moving, etc. The other guy, the sitting one was unobtrusive, hardly moved, wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses. Honestly, the standing one looked idiotic 😀 He acted as though he's the one who needs the main attention. Let's face it, we keyboardists are the ones that nobody watches, right 🤣 No need to act like jokers. That's my opinion...

 

Now, if we're talking about someone like Derek Sherinian or any other keyboard virtuosos that are the main show runners and need to look like a rock-star macho shredder, then it's OK.

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Any musician that stands - keyboardist, guitarist, bassist, vocalist, percussionist, horn player, etc. – has the ability to move around in ways that a sitting musician can't. The standees can be motionless, or dance like Elaine Benes - or anything in-between. Because one particular musician chose to look idiotic doesn't necessarily mean all standing keyboardists are idiots - though the chances of that might be a little higher in certain cases! 🙂 

 

Not gonna name names but I saw a fairly known seated keyboardist do the move where during a solo they "reach" for a high note, goose the PB while simultaneously leaning to the side with eyes closed and an expression on their face suggesting a good dose of ex-lax might be appropriate!

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3 hours ago, Reezekeys said:

Check out this idiot! 🙂 

 

image.thumb.png.96c0ef2b1a70c3b50530525f6113a2d3.png

 

 

These guys were just at the jazz festival.  I think two are original.  They are from our part of the state.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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Spyro has had personnel changes, I guess you're talking about Jay and Tom? Julio Fernandez has been with them quite a while too, though he's not a "founding" member. I first met Tom around 1976 or 77 when a band I was with was playing the original Tralfamadore Café in Buffalo. Every pic I've seen of Tommy playing with the band has him standing.

 

BTW, I just played at the Syracuse Jazz Fest - not too far from you.

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On 6/30/2022 at 10:37 AM, mynameisdanno said:

I think a sitting keyboardist on an upstage riser, side-by-side with a drum riser, is a great look. 

Two risers, one for the keys, one for the drums, is a great look if the keys player is sitting or standing! It 'elevates' and/or showcases the player.  And for a sitting player that might be less physically energetic, no problem!  The riser takes care of that.  And as you've nicely articulated, any player doesn't necessarily need to be jumping up and down and around to be engaged with the music and the band, or the audience for that matter. 

 

Sort of like when a spotlight is trained on a player or singer, if the sound that's emanating from the player is great, the spotlight amplifies that goodness and the audience will go crazy, whether or not the person is seated or standing, moving around or motionless.  The riser has a similar effect.  And it's just nice to have your own riser!

 

Caveat:  not every situation calls for 2+ risers, or any risers for that matter!

Some music I've recorded and played over the years with a few different bands

Tommy Rude Soundcloud

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