Do any of you still stand and not sit when playing live?

[Outkaster]

Stand 60% of the year

[The_Star_Guy]

6 hours ago, DJkeys said:

I always stand when I play, as I am a singer as well.  I even stand at rehearsal.  

 

-dj

 

Ditto.   In all band work I sing & dance during the performance, so standing is all but mandatory.  It's part of my "stage persona".    The only exception would be in solo or duo work when I am accompanying a singer on acoustic piano.

[DroptopBroham]

After reading this thread, I am going to start sitting full time. Like most I've been sitting for jazz and funk gigs and standing for cover band stuff. On a few longer cover band gigs that were around 4- 5 hours I used a tall stool and sort of halfway sat/stood. With the cover band I also play rhythm guitar on a good number of songs. For rehearsals I always sit.

 

Why am I even standing. I think from here on out I sit. Much better control over the expression pedal.

 

Saw Brian McKnight last summer and his keyboardist was sitting on a tall stool playing a Montage 7 on top of a Montage 8 and when Brian played solo at the keys, a Montage 8, he also used a tall stool where it was almost like standing. That's where I got my idea to use a stool for the longer gigs. But a regular height bench is much more comfortable.

 

Sun Ra sat so I'm gonna sit too.

 

[Jose EB5AGV]

4 hours ago, DroptopBroham said:

After reading this thread, I am going to start sitting full time. Like most I've been sitting for jazz and funk gigs and standing for cover band stuff. On a few longer cover band gigs that were around 4- 5 hours I used a tall stool and sort of halfway sat/stood. With the cover band I also play rhythm guitar on a good number of songs. For rehearsals I always sit.

 

...

 

 

That is the way I tried to explain in my post... I think it is a good compromise for control and looks on stage, more if you are on a band setup and not on first line

[nursers]

I do both, depends on the song. I have my stool and Spider Pro set up so I can comfortably sit or stand without adjusting anything.

[Tusker]

8 hours ago, DroptopBroham said:

Saw Brian McKnight last summer and his keyboardist was sitting on a tall stool playing a Montage 7 on top of a Montage 8 and when Brian played solo at the keys, a Montage 8, he also used a tall stool where it was almost like standing.

 

I use the same tall stool. I guess you could see it as a compromise and it is easy to stand for solos. You get seen quite clearly and yes I am in the back line, like the drummer usually.

 

For me, it's all about the pedals. I can't bring myself to play synth and B3 sounds without a swell pedal if I plan not to screw up. If it's a more B3ish gig, the swell pedal is to the right of the sustain pedal, which switches Leslie for organs. Otherwise the other way round.

 

Um, the last time I saw Elton he was still sitting. 😉

[SteveCoscia]

I sit these days as I play old standards.  Back in the 1970s/1980s I stood.

[Baldwin Funster]

Depends on how many fingers I'm using.

2 fingers or less, stand. 

6 fingers or more, sit.

Between 3 and 5 fingers, depends on how many shots I've had.

[Montunoman 2]

15 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

 

From a health perspective, today's conventional medical wisdom is, the less you can sit, the better. Most of us are too sedentary, especially as we get older. So from that perspective alone, you're better off standing and also keeping your body in motion, to whatever extent you're comfortable. 

Motion is the potion :  ) 

[eric]

I've always stood for every gig dating back to the early '80s. It's just part of my thing and as some know, I do use a rig that pretty much requires standing, LOL. I am going on 35 years with some form of rolling/tilting keyboard stand, I think I'm on at least Version 10 of this stand over the years. I don't remember ever giving much thought to sitting to play and have done the standing/moving around thing for so long that it is just part of what I do. I also love using a sit/stand desk for day job work, typically standing in the morning hours and usually sitting in the afternoon or when I'm doing very detailed work. Cheers!

 

 

[ABECK]

I'll stand occasionally, but much prefer sitting.  I'm tall and standing frankly feels too exposed - like I'm towering over the other performers.  Pedal management is def easier while sitting as well.  I do like the high stool setups, a la Tony Banks tho.  Good middle ground.  I always max out the height of my throne.

[Delaware Dave]

My back wouldnt get me 20 minutes through a standing gig.  i cant even stand that long if I'm waiting in line at a hardware store. My seat has back support else I wouldnt make it through a 4 hour show.

[Justin Havu]

I used to do both, depending on the occasion.  Most of the time nowadays, because I sing a lot, and I'll commonly use an L-shape or U-shape setup, I play standing. 

[Jon E]

The first I learned when playing in a band was sitting in the background not to obstruct the guitar players 😀. Sitting is the only practical way to work an expression pedal, a control pedal, sustain pedal and kick the leslie switch.

[eric]

15 minutes ago, Jon E said:

The first I learned when playing in a band was sitting in the background not to obstruct the guitar players 😀. Sitting is the only practical way to work an expression pedal, a control pedal, sustain pedal and kick the leslie switch.

 

I've found it quite practical to do all of these things standing! LOL.

 

 

[Stokely]

I haven't yet worked my expression pedal into my rig.  I'm probably not going to be doing super-precise things with it (more like bringing in a 2nd part during the chorus) so we'll see how well I do with it while standing.  The other pedals (switches) are no problem.

[ProfD]

It wasn't until Rock & Roll that pianists/KB players stood up to play.😉

 

Standing was initially part of the stage presence i.e. show.  

 

Portable KB rigs and dedicated KB stands made standing to play even more common. 

 

Nowadays, preference to sit or stand seems to be a function of 1) music and band type, 2) venue and stage space and 3) age.😎

[Jon E]

1 hour ago, eric said:

 

I've found it quite practical to do all of these things standing! LOL.

 

 

I suppose you are velcro’ed to a microphone stand to use both feet simultanously? 😃

[Bosendorphen]

I'm 65 and I tend to do both depending on the song I'm performing. For some that I sing that are high energy, I prefer to stand, others I sit if they are more low-key or sedate.

 

 

[EricBarker]

I will stand until Satan himself yoinks me from this fetid world!

[KeyMoe]

I stand for gigs, sit for rehearsals! 

[Stokely]

I actually like the idea of sitting part of the time.  Ballads and slower stuff would be better to play while sitting for sure.

Being tall, a stool tall enough to allow this without changing my stand height or making the play angles awkward might be a challenge.   I love my Omega Pro but I don't see quick height adjustments being feasible during a show. And then there's laziness...being in a minimalism phase, I'm trying to bring as little as possible   One trip from the vehicle even without a cart is where I'm at now, though just barely and only for in-ear gigs.

[musicbysterling]

With a pedal board that has two foot controllers, two sustain pedals, a Leslie switch and a Bluetooth pedal controlling an iPad, standing is currently, not an option. Also, when I do stand, I want my lower keyboard to be at the same height as it is when I sit with a 90 degree arm angle, which invariably means a higher setup. I can’t stand and have my arms and wrists angled downward. My technique totally disintegrates. 

[Tom Williams]

6 hours ago, musicbysterling said:

With a pedal board that has two foot controllers, two sustain pedals, a Leslie switch and a Bluetooth pedal controlling an iPad, standing is currently, not an option.

Huh.

I'm 64 Y.O.; Got a two keyboard stack.  I always stand when performing, and sit when rehearsing.

 

From right to left my pedal board currently has a CV pedal (upper manual), damper and sostenuto (lower manual) , damper, sostenuto, soft, and leslie speed switch pedals (upper manual), plus a "continuous damper" that I use for steel guitar chord changes.  I've been told in the past that part of my "show" (unconscious of it until it was mentioned) was all the "dancing" to get to the right pedal at the right time.

 

I do sit for weddings and funerals.

 

 

[stoken6]

1 hour ago, Tom Williams said:

I do sit for [...] funerals.

Definitely appropriate. Can you imagine: "Alright everybody, hands in the air, I wanna see you all dancing! '🎵They asked me how I knew / my true love was true...'"

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Montunoman 2]

Dave Brubeck had a Baldwin Hamilton elevated so he could practice and compose while standing up. He did this up until his 90’s. 

[El Lobo]

I stand. I'm doubling on tenor sax so I pretty much have to stand. I'm 78 and have arthritis in most of my joints -- except hands and fingers, probably because I use them all the time. I use a tall stool when I'm playing keys so it looks almost like I'm standing. 

[Jose EB5AGV]

13 hours ago, El Lobo said:

I stand. I'm doubling on tenor sax so I pretty much have to stand. I'm 78 and have arthritis in most of my joints -- except hands and fingers, probably because I use them all the time. I use a tall stool when I'm playing keys so it looks almost like I'm standing. 

 

That is the exact one I use to sit-stand while playing keys 👍🏻

[Moonglow]

I’ve been standing for 43 years. Lately, I’ve been experiencing some mild knee pain after playing all night, but I’ll get one of those stretchy knee braces if it gets worse. My dad played tenor sax standing up well into his mid-70’s. Even turned down an offer to play with a band of older gentlemen because they all sat!

[Dave Keys]

On 12/1/2023 at 5:57 PM, El Lobo said:

I stand. I'm doubling on tenor sax so I pretty much have to stand. I'm 78 and have arthritis in most of my joints -- except hands and fingers, probably because I use them all the time. I use a tall stool when I'm playing keys so it looks almost like I'm standing. 

We have one of these at home for my boy who's a double bass player. They're nice stools. I've tried playing keys at it and I have trouble with the pedals at that height. Any tips on getting the ergonomics right.