Re: Akai Heardush , a little frustrated, please help..

[Ian Popperwell <popperwell@iname.com>]

Hi,
>Kim wrote: "Maybe that's also a question of practice?
>I often find performers who sit down when they could be standing to be a 
>little boring to watch. I guess it depends on the context and instrument 
>and type of music, but most times I think standing is better. I think it 
>affects the energy of the music and the engagement between performer and 
>audience as well.

I think I agree with you in terms of both appearance/stage presence and
musical
engagement/energy but My own issues, (as a Disabled musician) are: 1- about
being able to see my equipment well enough to use it accurately and
consistantly and 2- due to a neck condition, I find it hard to stand for 
long
periods. So I try to do both - playing sitting down when I need to for 
either
sight or pain/tiredness reasons and standing to play when I can. This is a
compromise but I guess that its the best way that I've found of managing it
for
myself. I like to stand up to play as much as I can in terms of 
communication
with other band members, being able to move etc.

Oh, and I also think that musicians whether standing or sitting who play
freely
look much better than musicians with music stands in front of them, that 
does
really turn me off! (only slight change of subject here!) but the last bass
player in my (largely acoustic non-looping band) had a music stand when the
rest of us played from memory and improvised freely - I think it looked 
aweful
- I like to see that musicians can play freely enough to be able to develop
the
music with one another as they play rather than being tied down by the 
written
'dots'.

Ian