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Stage Presence - Do You Have Any?


xilddx
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[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1364896741' post='2032227']
I once read that Blackbeard the pirate used to put long twists of brown paper fuses under the crown of his hat & light them just before he went into battle...
[/quote]
Ever wonder where I got my stage name from?

Edited by iamapirate
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[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1365018621' post='2034279']Yeh, whatever would Arthur Brown do?[/quote]
I think he went on to smokeless coal :) .
Saw him once - I didn't know any of his songs apart from the hit - which was his encore. A bit like a Dr & The Medics show I saw (x3 times), most of their act was B52s songs - no idea why, unless that's where the female backing vox had come from.

[quote name='iamapirate' timestamp='1365018653' post='2034280']e-cigs ;)[/quote]
Modern technology recreating a 17Century pirates' gimmick? Excellent!

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[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1364981368' post='2033490']
For me its not so much the movement as the 'into'. I (used to) love watching Norman with Wilko, his whole body seemed to be in unison with his bass and the music and I loved it.

I used to 'move' around a lot more than I do, I suppose it was more fashionable but mostly I was there to perform and entertain, if the band is dull with with no energy how will the audience react?

I have now released my inhibitions and suffer much more from 'bass face' and movements associated with the playing and the band than movement for it's own sake. I feel a lot more presence from other bass players who do this and hope to give the same but mainly I play a lot better and enjoy myself more. I think this is more entertaining.

Regardless of how much you like the track here you can totally understand the bass playing here because you can see it as well as hear it. I find this compelling and so a huge presence. Wilko's movements are great too, but much more for entertainment. How I'll miss this band.
http://youtu.be/qB1ckQwBlb0
[/quote]that man means every note he plays

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Interesting thread, this! I'd like to think i do, i just enjoy it and am generally a bit pissed-up before we go on anyway so it all works out nicely for having fun :P

Interaction with the rest of the band/ anyone watching is really important for me, I remember the first few gigs i did i was pretty wooden with next to no crowd interaction, but after meeting Dave (frontman of my current band who swings about like something fresh out of the 60's and had been doing it considerably longer than me) it all kinda made sense. I still think he over does it sometimes, but then i guess that's natural for anyone playing the cool-geezer-on-bass role to think that! I like playing with the crowd too, seeing what kind of reactions you can get out of them, it relaxes me.

Definitely feel that live shows, when they're going right, are one of those times when you can just really lose yourself in, have fun with the people who are there at that moment and not really care too much about how perfect your playing is. That's what the studio's for!

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[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1364895287' post='2032204']
For me I love dressing up a bit, moving about, and it's partly natural and partly deliberate, but I really love being on a stage. Oddly, it's the place I feel most comfortable and safe, and it's probably because I'm a anxious nervous type of person and consequently I need attention and affirmation. I also grew up on glam and prog rock and that feeds the total tart within me :D[/quote]

Although I grew up in a different era, everything else applies to me. Definitely love the stage more than people would realise.

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Although I will say, some bassists I have seen just come across as total nerds on stage, especially with weird looking basses or when they barely move. I don't know why, but bass to me seems to attract two types:

1. Cool 'band' types who love the whole rock star 'thing' and really get into it,
2. Nerds.

I like to think I'm 1, but I'm probably also a bit of 2.

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[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1365077470' post='2034899']
Although I will say, some bassists I have seen just come across as total nerds on stage, especially with weird looking basses or when they barely move. I don't know why, but bass to me seems to attract two types:

1. Cool 'band' types who love the whole rock star 'thing' and really get into it,
2. Nerds.

I like to think I'm 1, but I'm probably also a bit of 2.
[/quote]

I'm definitely 2....

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[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1365077470' post='2034899'] Although I will say, some bassists I have seen just come across as total nerds on stage, especially with weird looking basses or when they barely move. I don't know why, but bass to me seems to attract two types: 1. Cool 'band' types who love the whole rock star 'thing' and really get into it, 2. Nerds. I like to think I'm 1, but I'm probably also a bit of 2. [/quote]


Which side of the river are these?
[attachment=131797:Nerd Bass players.jpg]

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[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1365096557' post='2035342']
I subscribe to the view that if you're concentrating on your playing, you haven't practiced enough.
[/quote]

That was funny, coz in the classical world I come from, if you're [b][i]not[/i][/b] concentrating on your playing, you have too little to say about the music. :)
But I do get your, valid, point.

best,
bert

Edited by BassTractor
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in my head i got some great moves...in reality im stuck to the spot,afraid to make mistakes!! some times i forget to breathe while playing,or if i move i cant hear my monitoring,but some of our best gigs are after i made mistakes and i dont care then!! but i cant move to far as im behind a box containing midis...im not operating them singer is! as for dressing up im up for it,i have goggles,wich im not allowed to wear...i also have a emulsion suit and face mask but the rest dont want to wear them!!,i wear black tshirt n cargo pants in black,i tried to get the others to do it but they wont one wears tees with stoopid slogans on,on stage due to the box it dont leave much room to move,but being techno rock we couls adapt a cyber kind of image,but we would be better with lights and visuals...anyone know any cheap ones? also we would like a dancer or 2 like hawkwind!

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[quote name='thunderider' timestamp='1365109419' post='2035601']
in my head i got some great moves...in reality im stuck to the spot,afraid to make mistakes!! some times i forget to breathe while playing,or if i move i cant hear my monitoring,but some of our best gigs are after i made mistakes and i dont care then!! but i cant move to far as im behind a box containing midis...im not operating them singer is! as for dressing up im up for it,i have goggles,wich im not allowed to wear...i also have a emulsion suit and face mask but the rest dont want to wear them!!,i wear black tshirt n cargo pants in black,i tried to get the others to do it but they wont one wears tees with stoopid slogans on,on stage due to the box it dont leave much room to move,but being techno rock we couls adapt a cyber kind of image,but we would be better with lights and visuals...anyone know any cheap ones? also we would like a dancer or 2 like hawkwind!
[/quote]

Do you like the music you play? Just move to it. You don't need killer moves, just don't stand with your feet flat on the floor. Get on the balls of your feet and this will force you to reposition your feet every few seconds.

Do you make mistakes in practice? If you do, practice till you don't. If you don't, why would you make them on stage.

People have come to see you, they want to be entertained, they want to be happy. No one has come to see you fail. If some have, and you make a mistake, then you've made them happy too.

Why are your band mates clothes bad? Go with the flow, get your own slogan t-shirt "The singer's a w.nker" would be a good one.

You can get LED effects and PAR cans that do sound to light from about £50. Have a search of the forum.

Good luck, enjoy yourself, why do it otherwise?

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[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1365080825' post='2034972']
Which side of the river are these?
[attachment=131797:Nerd Bass players.jpg]
[/quote]

Haha! I think the day when you commission a custom bass is the day your best friend should punch you in the face. Like your art is so unique it requires a bespoke instrument. Your art as a bass player - no other instrument screams 'accompaniment' like the bass guitar, nobody needs a bespoke bass built to their own specification unless they have a disability and require a uniquely accessible instrument.

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[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1365112967' post='2035644']


Haha! I think the day when you commission a custom bass is the day your best friend should've punch you in the face. Like your art is so unique it requires a bespoke instrument. Your art as a bass player - no other instrument screams 'accompaniment' like the bass guitar, nobody needs a bespoke bass built to their own specification unless they have a disability and require a uniquely accessible instrument.
[/quote]

+1
I see those basses & know I'm going to hate every note they play!
Probably says more about me than them but hey ho!
As for presence on stage, I have never been able to play standing still, even in rehearsals. I'm always moving & grooving cos I love the music & it excites me. Hopefully what the audience see is me enjoying myself, playing with a smile (& the occasional bassface) it's the only way I know how to do it!
Peace & love (despite my aversion to bits of furniture with 9 strings! ;-) )
Norm

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