which side of the stage do your prefer?

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 30 Oct 2009 4:00 pm

Which side of the stage do you like to set-up on? Seems like stage right (off of the drummer's right shoulder) is a good place with a line of sight (past your bar) to the front person at center stage.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 30 Oct 2009 5:01 pm

Stage right is also good because you can see the chords the guitarist is playing... if necessary.

Ray Leroux · Post by **Ray Leroux** » 30 Oct 2009 5:02 pm

I prefer to be on the opposite side of the HiHat, that being said any side except the side the bass player is on.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 30 Oct 2009 5:46 pm

I voted stage right. I like the outside...I can put all my rack gear to my right along with my other instruments. More convenient and less space used for me.

I'll take the current bass player on my immediate left over the lead guitar any day.

Ronnie Boettcher · Post by **Ronnie Boettcher** » 30 Oct 2009 6:10 pm

I prefer the top side. Other than that, It doesn't matter.

Tony Glassman · Post by **Tony Glassman** » 30 Oct 2009 8:39 pm

Jerry Overstreet wrote:I voted stage right. I like the outside...I can put all my rack gear to my right along with my other instruments. More convenient and less space used for me.

I'll take the current bass player on my immediate left over the lead guitar any day.

Exactly!

I prefer being next to the bass and as far as possible from any (and all) guitars. I also agree that stage right provides the better line-of-sight for onstage communication.

Andy Zahnd · Post by **Andy Zahnd** » 30 Oct 2009 10:52 pm

I love to be next to the bassplayer... but he's left and I prefer the right side.... as far away as possible from a out of tune bending guitarplayer. Also on right side of the stage..... alot more pretty girls

Jonathan Cullifer · Post by **Jonathan Cullifer** » 30 Oct 2009 11:22 pm

I've found that if I can set up right next to the guitar player's amp, the cabinet blocks the sound and I get the best of both worlds. It means I'm behind everyone else, but it doesn't really hurt my feelings.

Mike Kirkley · Post by **Mike Kirkley** » 31 Oct 2009 12:02 am

I'm kinda partial to stage right, especially when playing with only 2 or 3 other people onstage. In a larger group, I still prefer stage right, but closer to the front of the stage so I can see the rhythm guitar player's hands to see what chord he/she is playing. I am so danged old that I forget a lot when to look at pretty girls...aren't they out on the dance floor somewhere?

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 31 Oct 2009 5:44 am

Stage right - it's a visual thang ....

Les Green · Post by **Les Green** » 31 Oct 2009 5:48 am

Makes no difference to me. I usually take the side closest to the door for loading up.

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 31 Oct 2009 8:33 am

If I'm playing steel only in someone else's band it doesn't matter to me. When I'm playing with my band (The Long & Short of It) I like to take stage left as I set up my steel and then a Dobro on a stand to the left of that and play my guitar behind that. This gives the singer (my wife) more room as the Dobro and guitar necks aren't sticking into her area........JH in Va.

Ray Leroux · Post by **Ray Leroux** » 31 Oct 2009 8:53 am

I must be lucky, I've gotten to work with some awesome guitarists and have never minded being next to one. Better to trade licks with. We angle our amps slightly away from each other. My reason for being away from the bass is that I'm sitting down and the bass amp is on the floor. This often causes me not to hear my low notes as they get drowned out by the more pervasive bass notes. I like to hear and account for each and every note.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 31 Oct 2009 9:03 am

I prefer stage right, so I can look at my left hand, if necessary, in the same direction as seeing the rest of the band.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 31 Oct 2009 9:17 am

i prefer outside front right where no one can walk on my chords...but have to use left side in one band to save my ears and sanity fron the lead ice pick player.

which is too bad...lots of guitarists i've played with are fantastic, but standing above their floored amp they don't get the piercing volume that i do at my ear level.

Tracy Sheehan · Post by **Tracy Sheehan** » 31 Oct 2009 9:39 am

Back in the stone age before sound men i always sit next to the guitar player as we twined a lot.Also liked to sit near the drummer as we phrased together.This was back when musicians knew how to adjust thier volume.I realize i am telling my age.
I know what it is like today as i played weekends for a few years after retiring from music full time.Quit some time back as it got to where the old joke about how to tell who was the band leader became a realility.The one with the most powerful amp not counting the drummer.

Ray Leroux · Post by **Ray Leroux** » 31 Oct 2009 10:09 am

I may have posted something like this before. I worked in a couple of bands where we all put our amps in front of us in a semicyrcle including the bass amp. Musicly these were the best bands I worked with. Too much vol and you took your own head off. Not enough vol and you angle your amp away from you and turn it up a bit. You can hear your technique at work Immediately your pic touches the string.This helps greatly with intonation as well as vol.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 31 Oct 2009 10:30 am

My how times have changed. I remember a time when about 90% of the comments would be about taking the side nearest the exit for when the bullets and bottles start flying

...or behind a big column or other protective barrier

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 31 Oct 2009 11:12 am

Being that I play multiple instruments and do so quite often when playing on stage, I prefer the left side (house right). When playing bass, I tend to turn and face the band more than towards the audience. Some times our female vocalist shares my bass duties when I get behind the steel, She slowly works her way to the right (house left) and usually tangles cords with our lead guitarist, who likes to run around the stage and put on his own show. That's when I prefer sitting well off to the left or right to stay out of the fracas.

When I know that I am going to be playing steel only during a gig, I push to setup on the left (house right). Most of the time our lead guitarist leads into the sets so I pick up on his chords visually. I also angle my steel towards the band so I can keep an eye on what everyone else is doing without having to turn my head too much.

Loren Nelson · Post by **Loren Nelson** » 31 Oct 2009 12:48 pm

I'm with Jim Cohen 100%.

Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 31 Oct 2009 1:09 pm

With my regular band stage left, but I was stage right also several times with other groups, depends on the stage. Most important for me is to have enough space for my gear. I'm always in the front row because I also do a lot of lead and harmony vocals.

Kind Regards, Walter

Keith DeLong · Post by **Keith DeLong** » 31 Oct 2009 3:43 pm

Stage right, so my good ear can hear everybody else. Also the guitar player usually sets up there and I can hear him off the stage, and stay out of his way when necessary

Tor Arve Baroy · Post by **Tor Arve Baroy** » 1 Nov 2009 8:21 am

I prefer this setup, thats how i arranged my setup with power supply etc... but I can sit the other way too if I have to. On a few occasions I also sit sideways, that works fine too

This band is HardCoreTroubadours

Jim Walker · Post by **Jim Walker** » 1 Nov 2009 9:15 am

Stage right works for me. I like my monitor on the left and the bass player on my right. Only issue is on small stages I take a graze to the head once in a while from the headstock on that vintage Jazz Bass. Them ol' things are pretty darn solid. OUCH!

JW

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 1 Nov 2009 9:26 am

I didn't vote as it doesn't matter to me as neither or "all of the above" was not an option.

Generally, I like to be close to the lead guitar player for better coordination between us, but that's the only preference.

I've worked with bands where I was on the left side of the singer and stage and bands where I was on the right side of the singer and stage.

A lot of times, the size of the stage dictates where the steel and drums set up. The last 7 winters doing the "RV Park Tours" there are stages of varying size (and places where there isn't any stage) - you just adapt to whatever is there.

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