Hi folks. Some of you may know I had surgery last Thursday on my shoulder. I have three decent gigs coming up at the end of August and in September. I am having a really tough time getting motivated to play standing up on amp. I have done a lot of overblow practice, lick and phrasing practice, scales and other technical harp practice while seated. I am needing to just get off my butt and get on my mic more standing up, but the energy washes out of me so fast. I am in some pain as well. The meds make me way too loopy to play or do anything standing up, really. I am about to do some on mic practice sitting ..I have done plenty of that this week. As you know, it just isn't the same with the groove and all. Maybe tonight i can go to jam night at the local BBQ deck and try some in front of the crowd near some tables to sit down at if i get too tired. Thanks for reading.
You know, I saw BB King when he was about 70. He came out on stage, pulled up a chair and promptly said into the audience, "I'm a sore man and I've been standing so long that I think I'll just sit down for this gig. Ya'all don't mind do ya? And he proceeded to give a rip roaring performance of all his greatest tunes. Best damn concert I ever saw and he sat through it all. At the end he told us all that he had just had some medical problems and couldn't stand and he thanked us for letting him sit. Now it was BB and he can get away with somethings others can't but if you ask, It'll probably be Ok, and then thanks them afterwards you'll get away with it. ---------- "Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
True..I play congas, so i could easily sit there and play them on resonator boards. They are mic'd too. Good suggestions.m Give's me a hip pocket plan. I could stand for the one trumpet number just for the extra diaphragm room.
If youv'e got to sit down because it hurts to stand then to my way of thinking sit down.
There should be no problem in playing exactly the same standing or sitting providing your well. If it's an issue then you are playing for the wrong reasons.Too many folk in the world doing that.
You play for you first, no one else. It's about individual expression.That is crucial. So this standing or sitting business means nothing. Deal with yourself and how you express. If you do it right things will take care of themselves. Never concern yourself with how others see you. If you think that way you ain't playing properly.
Last Edited by on Aug 21, 2009 4:26 AM
Actually, i don't play for myself first. I am playing to paying customers/fans who have a preconceived notion of how we play and the energy involved in this band. My individual expression is already a known quantity, and I prefer to keep it at the same energy level from gig to gig if possible.
I play standing up on congas, trumpet, bongos, vocals, and harp. I have played everything but harp for years and years. I am know for my energy on the other instruments around here. It is the reason i was picked up by this band in the first place when my other band went metal. Obviously I can play everything sitting down, but there are plenty of good reasons for me to stand up that will dictate when i do it. Controlled Breathing from the diaphragm is easier and more effective, especially on the trumpet in an amplified band setting, where acoustic volume counts and needs to be controlled in a small venue. I will stand up for sure for some of the music we play.
If you mean people may be listening for the wrong reasons causing it to be an issue, I might agree. I can't really think of a wrong reason to be playing my music to people who want to hear it and are taking time out of their evening and money out of their pocket to do it. I'm sure we have plenty of fans who won't care one way or the other.
Standing will always be my preferred mode of playing all these instruments. I also frequently interact with the guitar player in a call and response fashion. He will be standing and roving around the stage. Sitting behind congas while playing harp will certainly work for slow blues, but I can't picture it on a cover of Aerosmith's version of "you gotta move" or any of our rockin' blues originals with guitar/harp call and response.
Also pain is all relative. I have found some similarly effective meds that don't make me drowsy, so it's not going to be an issue of being too groggy to do it anymore. I have the option either/or now. I will stand/sit as needed, for practice and at the gigs.
Last Edited by on Aug 21, 2009 10:23 AM
'You play for you first, no one else. It's about individual expression.That is crucial. So this standing or sitting business means nothing.'
The moment you take money for performing as a band or an individual for purpose of entertainment you are playing for people's enjoyment. That is crucial.
This is the motivation for congaron; he is thinking about how to maximise enjoyment for his audience. Not by being self-indulgent, but putting a lot of thought into the performance.
If you want to play for yourself stick to the bedroom and open mic's
there's an obvious health question here that nobody has addressed: what does the doctor suggest? if there's pain that's your body telling you to take care and not strain as this could affect how and how fast you heal. i don't know what the issue is- a surgery maybe. i believe in commitment to my craft too, but there's a line which should be drawn.
in my case i usually prefer standing since the air column is more accessible and i like to sort of half-dance as i get into the harp parts. it's not for show, it's just part of how i express musically. but my wife, who is my partner in a duo, has health issues which preclude her using a guitar strapped on- tmj, which has a big effect on the neck and shoulders-, and she has less stamina than i do i think. we bought 2 folding chairs last year and painted them blue, and put her name on one and mine on the other, and when we play in public these chairs are as big a part of our gear as a guitar and a case of harps. i've adapted well to sitting. we play well sitting. and in one respect sitting removes some distraction from the performance and i think improves focus some.
there was a time not so many years ago when i would do a lot of moving around on stage and totally throw myself into different moves esp when soloing on harp. some "friends" ridiculed me to the point where i decided to give it up. i became a stone pillar for a few years. but in recent months and years i began to loosen up again. those particular "friends" are not part of my life any more and i just do what i feel.
BUT if i were recovering from a treatment that caused me pain while standing and playing i think i'd do the bb king thing. just easing the pain can be a dangerous thing. from past experience i can say that sometimes playing through the pain can cause a re-injury and much longer recovery.
this is no slight to an audience, in fact they may really appreciate that you even came out to play- albeit in a chair- when you were struggling with a health issue.
health first, music next, always have a good time!
Thanks Jbone! I had my one week checkup yesterday. I have good mobility, better than he expected. i am going to take it very easy and sit as needed all week during prep for friday's gig. The gig will be the same way. I'll be seated as needed. I expect that will be for most of it. Thanks for the concern. The next gig will be a coffee house and seated the whole time. I really want to be healed by mid september for the two outdoor festivals in the last half of the month. I plan to take it easy.
