Rookie question: better standing up or seated?

[Stokely]

As a funny aside, I'm (yet again) trying to learn guitar.  As a rhythm player, I'm peeking into intermediate as a basic rock player; I have absolutely no clue on leads.

Anyway, the funny part is that for all my practicing, I've barely ever tried to play standing up.  When I did try it at a band practice--the band is supportive of my dream to some day play guitar live!--whoa.  What a rude awakening.  The angles changed completely, I could no longer see the fretboard.   At some point I'll definitely need to practice standing unless I'm going to sit live, because it's far more of a change than it is for keyboards IMO.

[CEB]

You'll be fine with the guitar.  Just do what you do with authoritay.  

 

PS - it was hot this weekend and I didn't have my hat on.  Here is why I ALWAYS wear a hat. 

 

 

[synthizen2]

On 6/30/2022 at 1:37 PM, mynameisdanno said:

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.

 

Yes, this is the ideal stage layout for a sitting keyboardist. It looks great.

 

The way I look at it... the drummer is sitting, so it should be good enough for me. The drummer has a lot of pedals to deal with. So do I.

 

With the stool height that I sit at (a little higher than how a drummer sits)... standing up only makes me 10 inches taller than sitting. My head easily rises up above my 2-tier rig, while sitting.

[Outkaster]

On 7/3/2022 at 3:18 PM, Reezekeys said:

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.

 Oh Wow I had a gig.  Some of the guys I play with in Auburn are part of that scene.

[CEB]

I stand in the Pop band and we still put the drums and keys on risers. Drums and keys are in the rear corners.  The band allows drunken women on stage and the risers keep the drums and keys out of the chaos ... Usually ...  there have been instances of having unwanted company on the risers.  Its all in good fun until some loses an eye.  lol

 

[Jose EB5AGV]

On 7/12/2022 at 8:29 PM, CEB said:

I stand in the Pop band and we still put the drums and keys on risers. Drums and keys are in the rear corners.  The band allows drunken women on stage and the risers keep the drums and keys out of the chaos ... Usually ...  there have been instances of having unwanted company on the risers.  Its all in good fun until some loses an eye.  lol

 

 

Nice idea!. Perhaps when (in some years 😅) my playing improves and, let's hope, our band gets some higher level gigs, we could go that way

[vonnor]

I'm still standing (at the age of 63), and will likely continue as long as I can. I think it's more engaging to the audience, since I can dance and bop around more than if I were sitting. Can also reach different sections of each board more easily. That being said, and as others have mentioned, it does take a toll on you physically. Some tunes I have to support my whole weight (240lbs) on my left leg while working the sustain pedal the whole time. Roll With The Changes is one of them... brutal left-hip fatigue. I even have both damper pedals (from the Kronos and Forte) routed to Addictive Keys and the Forte (easy to do in Cantabile3) so I can change support legs if I need to during the song.

 

I hope to live long enough to be forced to sit&play, but for now I keep on dancing.

 

~ vonnor

[synthizen2]

Each of us may have a "personal constitution" about how we want to be seen onstage as keyboard players.

 

For me, as long as the front line (lead singer, lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist) are effectively entertaining the audience with their antics, I am perfectly comfortable serving my purpose on the backline with the drummer.

 

I'm not exactly looking down at my keys all the time with a dour look on my face. I smile, look lively, and am engaged with all the other musicians (yes, while sitting). But quietly doing my thing on the backline. I feel no need to stroke my ego and try to steal audience attention from the frontline players. As Eric Idle from Monty Python would say... "It's silly".

 

Usually, at the end of the show, I get about as many audience members wanting to talk to me about my rig, as any other member of the band. They hear my solos, they see me up there.