Doing it Standing

tovo
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Wed Jul 25, 2012 8:56 pm

On the weekend some old friends dropped in for lunch and some tunes. Great times! My mate loves his country music (A bit of Waylon....a bit of Willy) I ask you...who doesn't mind a bit of willy?! Anyway....not really my scene but I was willing to play along and had a good time. My friend always plays standing, and given that there was only 1 sheet of tab and 1 stand I was forced to stand alongside him.

To my point now: What a difference standing makes! Given I always play seated it is very easy for me to spend a lot of time staring at my fingers. A weakness I have been aware of but one I have done precious little to address. Standing really forced me to go by feel because I can't see the fretboard anyway, why bother to try?

For anyone looking to improve their feel, I suggest getting your strap on and playing standing up for a bit. It's difficult at first but a great way to improve your fretting.

No doubt this is obvious stuff for experienced players, but I thought newer players could take something from it.


eagle670
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Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:02 pm

You are so right. I put on a strap the other day, stood up, looked down and said "whoa where did the fret board go! A whole new look that's for sure.


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Music Junkie
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Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:17 pm

Tony:

That epiphany hit me a while back in a similar situation. I also noticed that it took me out of my poor posture and gave me better reach for certain chord shapes. I still sit when playing alone (out of laziness), but the difference was VERY noticeable.... B)

J


Lavallee
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Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:47 pm

I find that if I strum some chords, standing is generally no problem. But if I need to fingerpick, it has to be a really easy song other wise I sit.

Marc


michelew
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Thu Jul 26, 2012 2:23 am

:) :) :) I nearly started a thread with the VERY same title a week or so ago.

I was playing guitar on the lounge. I was freezing bits of me off that I can't afford to lose and so decided to stand in front of the heater. Oops... Where did the fretboard go indeed! I was going to declare my new found appreciation for those that are able to do it standing so easily. I guess it is a feel thing to be sure. Perhaps I need to focus less on being able to see. My hats off.

:):):)

Shel


dennisg
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Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:43 am

Whenever I get the ridiculous urge to perform in public, like at an open-mic, I practice my songs standing up. It's a little disorienting at first, not being able to see the fret board. But I practice with my eyes closed so that I become less reliant on visual cues. Talk about weird! Try playing with your eyes closed. You'll make tons of mistakes at first, then your muscle memory will kick in.


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Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:51 am

dennisg wrote:
Try playing with your eyes closed. You'll make tons of mistakes at first, then your muscle memory will kick in.
Excellent point Dennis. I do that from time to time on songs that I have fully committed to memory. Like you say, it is a struggle at first, but with a little practice, it gets easier.... ;)


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