Stand vs. Sit?

Korggal2015 · Post by **Korggal2015** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 5:23 am

For performances, I'm trying to get a sense of how many people prefer to play standing versus sitting and why.

I ask, because when sitting I sometimes feel restricted and want to move more with the music, but being 6'1 tall, I'm guessing I'd need a pretty high stand if I want to remain standing
Thanks

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:16 am

I'm 6'6 and use an Ultimate Apex, works fine for standing up. I play only with my 88 and it's not completely at the top position.

Whether I stand or sit depends on the gig, I have a K&M table type for sitting.

michelkeijzers · Post by **michelkeijzers** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:24 am

I always stand, because playing in a rock band looks stupid. However, sometiems I wish I could sit, since I use foot pedals/switches very regularly (to be able to keep my hands on the keyboard).

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:28 am

michelkeijzers wrote:I always stand, because playing in a rock band looks stupid. However, sometiems I wish I could sit, since I use foot pedals/switches very regularly (to be able to keep my hands on the keyboard).

Try not to care how stupid you look, just be yourself!

Vlad_77 · Post by **Vlad_77** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 12:30 pm

I prefer sitting and the reason is I am also the frontman in a band so sitting gives me a little break from the energetic jumping around I do as a frontman.

Someone mentioned that it looks silly in a rock band to sit. Do you think that Paul McCartney or Elton John look silly?

Diego5150 · Post by **Diego5150** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 12:43 pm

I stand, have for many years. I have on a few occasions have sit while performing but it felt strange, easier to control the foot pedals but I feel that standing makes me feel more involved for some reason. Mental thing I guess.

geoelectro · Post by **geoelectro** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 12:50 pm

I started out sitting back in the day because of having very large instruments like a Hammond, Piano etc. In the 80's I switched to standing when the keyboards got better at emulating those older large instruments. In the 90's still standing. In the 2000's, I changed to sitting again because of the pedals. I routinely switch a Leslie speed switch, volume pedal and sustain pedal. This can be hard on the feet!

After sitting for over 10 years, I don't find it unusual at all. (The drummer sits!)

Geo

benny ray · Post by **benny ray** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 2:50 pm

Agree with Geo and i did exactly the same as you back in the the Hammond days i sat mostly but would stand sometimes. In the 90's always was standing and grooving with the music but now since 2006 i have been sitting mostly because i can play much better sitting but will stand on certain songs. But i prefer sitting because i am in my 50's and i play much better than i did in my early days. But do what feels right for you.

fcoulter · Post by **fcoulter** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 3:39 pm

Vlad_77 wrote:I prefer sitting and the reason is I am also the frontman in a band so sitting gives me a little break from the energetic jumping around I do as a frontman.

Someone mentioned that it looks silly in a rock band to sit. Do you think that Paul McCartney or Elton John look silly?

Or Tony Banks?

Falcon2e · Post by **Falcon2e** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 4:24 pm

I'm still rock'n at 65, and stand. Have been doing it that way for decades. Sometimes the stage is small, and I may get pushed in the back row. If that would happen and I'm seated, I would have a great view of my guitar players 'you know what'. YUCK!

But at my age, get out of my way on break, cause I need to set down for awhile.

BillW · Post by **BillW** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 5:09 pm

fcoulter wrote:
Vlad_77 wrote:I prefer sitting and the reason is I am also the frontman in a band so sitting gives me a little break from the energetic jumping around I do as a frontman.

Someone mentioned that it looks silly in a rock band to sit. Do you think that Paul McCartney or Elton John look silly?
Or Tony Banks?

I always stood when I played in rock bands, but I had to start sitting when I became "Tony Banks" in a Genesis tribute band. At first, I felt really silly, but Tony was always seated and I have two keyboards plus 7 pedals to contend with. It just couldn't be done standing up. I've gradually become accustomed to doing it and I think I play better as a result (plus my feet aren't killing me at the end of a show).

jeebustrain · Post by **jeebustrain** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:12 pm

if you're super tall, you might consider a forward facing stand. I'm not the tallest person in the world, but my Kronos88 faces forward, which allows me to set it really low (waist high). It's super easy to play. I even have a 2nd tier above it, and that's still fairly low.

I manage my forward facing Kronos with a modified A-Frame stand, but you could do the same thing a number of other ways

Derek Cook · Post by **Derek Cook** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:08 pm

BillW wrote:
fcoulter wrote:
Vlad_77 wrote:I prefer sitting and the reason is I am also the frontman in a band so sitting gives me a little break from the energetic jumping around I do as a frontman.

Someone mentioned that it looks silly in a rock band to sit. Do you think that Paul McCartney or Elton John look silly?
Or Tony Banks?
I always stood when I played in rock bands, but I had to start sitting when I became "Tony Banks" in a Genesis tribute band. At first, I felt really silly, but Tony was always seated and I have two keyboards plus 7 pedals to contend with. It just couldn't be done standing up. I've gradually become accustomed to doing it and I think I play better as a result (plus my feet aren't killing me at the end of a show).

It's the multiple pedals for me as well that made me sit down since 2008 when I always stood before then. Since 2008 I play in a Pink Floyd tribute band, and Rick Wright sat down with no complaints, so I thought if it's good enough for him......

I did a small open mic night thing last year with just the Kronos and a single foot switch, so I stood for that. It felt odd.....

danmusician · Post by **danmusician** » Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:25 pm

Vlad_77 wrote:I prefer sitting and the reason is I am also the frontman in a band so sitting gives me a little break from the energetic jumping around I do as a frontman.

Someone mentioned that it looks silly in a rock band to sit. Do you think that Paul McCartney or Elton John look silly?

Let's be honest - Sometimes Elton John has looked a little silly over the years. But it's not because he's sitting.

The hats, the glasses, there have been times he has looked a bit silly. But when you write, play and sing like that you can do whatever you want!

LZ · Post by LZ » Tue Apr 19, 2016 2:20 am

I've always stood. It's bad enough being back in the corner behind a wall of keyboards....if you can't move around, you may as well be part of the back drop. I always try to dance around and get into it as much as possible. That's very difficult to do while sitting.