Where's a good place to set up on stage?

Gary Reed · Post by **Gary Reed** » 24 Oct 2011 7:15 pm

Haven't played with a band yet, but I suppose I need to have an idea where to set up? Maybe near the Lead Guitar so we don't step on each other ??

Dave Harmonson · Post by **Dave Harmonson** » 24 Oct 2011 7:46 pm

It can be good for communicating to be next to the lead guitar. When I'm playing in a band where we know well where each guy plays I like to be on opposite sides for a more stereo sound. If the guitar player is loud I'd opt for the opposite side.
Good luck, have fun.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 24 Oct 2011 8:08 pm

...what Dave just said, exactly.

All else being equal, if I have a choice of side I generally go for stage right so that I can see the rest of the band as I look to the left over the fretboard. On the other hand, I seem to hear better when the band is to my right and my amp to the left and behind.

Any way you go there is a trade-off and the answer is ultimately determined by type of the show, size of stage and the make-up of the band.

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 24 Oct 2011 8:13 pm

YES,YES,YES, YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.

Billy Tonnesen · Post by **Billy Tonnesen** » 24 Oct 2011 8:49 pm

After playing in a Band for a while, yourself and any other Lead Players ahould start using "eye contact" as who is going to play and who is going to be playing fills. I know the Band Leader should be directing who does what and when, but many times the Band Leader leaves it up to the Sidemen to support the Song and really tailor the Band into c cohesive unit. IMHO there is nothing more rewardeng than playing in a real "tight" Band.

Dave Harmonson · Post by **Dave Harmonson** » 24 Oct 2011 8:51 pm

Well said Billy. The most legal fun you can have.

Cal Sharp · Post by **Cal Sharp** » 24 Oct 2011 9:00 pm

I try to stay away from the drummer, especially the cymbals, because a crashing cymbal right at ear level can hurt you. I don't like to set up too close to a loud or out of tune guitar player, either, because you'll think you're out of tune but you can't really tell because you can't hear yourself. And singers complain if they can hear your amp louder than their monitor, so I stay away from them, too, because they're the star, not you. If I'm too close to the bass I can't hear what everybody else is playing, although it makes it easier to follow the changes on a song I don't know. Well, now I'm clear off the stage, but real close to the bar. Works for me.

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 24 Oct 2011 9:31 pm

Cal,Why don't you just set up by the ladies room,Each time one comes or go's you can peep in,Keep your hat pulled down low,that will fool them. YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.

George Seymour · Post by **George Seymour** » 25 Oct 2011 2:13 am

Stage right, that way you are looking towards your bar hand, and the band..

Alan Tanner · Post by **Alan Tanner** » 25 Oct 2011 3:17 am

To the right of the singer...most of them I work with play flat top guitar, and I can see what key they are going to sing in. Especially helps with no song list or with unknown crooners.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 25 Oct 2011 3:37 am

It depends on the stage layout and where any permanent gear might be located, but generally I like to sit on the far right. Last piece. My rack gear and other instruments are out of everyone's way and less apt to suffer accidents, I take up less space, I'm away from swinging headstocks, visibility to the rest of the band is better, and I'm right handed so it just feels better over there.

I prefer the bass on my left generally, but don't mind the guitar if he's easy to work with.

I suppose I should be glad just to get on stage.

Running joke "Where to you want me to set up?" Ans: "Parking lot.".... at least I think it's a joke...

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 25 Oct 2011 4:14 am

Near the door...

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 25 Oct 2011 4:26 am

.... Oh yeah, and away from high traffic stage or audience areas if you can. You don't want someone stumbling over your stuff, kicking your pedal board, yanking your cables loose, etc.

Ken Metcalf · Post by **Ken Metcalf** » 25 Oct 2011 4:26 am

Dave Harmonson wrote:It can be good for communicating to be next to the lead guitar. When I'm playing in a band where we know well where each guy plays I like to be on opposite sides for a more stereo sound. If the guitar player is loud I'd opt for the opposite side.
Good luck, have fun.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 25 Oct 2011 4:28 am

It doesn't really matter whether left or right side. I've done both. The band I'm in now, the lead player is to the far left and I'm on the right side of the lead player. We can hear each other and communicate by eyesight on who is going to do what.

The size of the stage (or lack of) can also dictate how the steel sets up.

Ronnie Boettcher · Post by **Ronnie Boettcher** » 25 Oct 2011 5:23 am

I try to set up to the left of the singer, so I can sometimes peek at what chord they are in. But haven't played much in bands, for years. I do a jam every Wed. and I sit to the left of the bass, so at least 2 of us are in time. We get about 12 that sing, and out of the 12, most are just used to playing alone at home. Their timing is off, and they add bars, or rush, and skip bars. But it is fun, and fills the void of playing at home. There is no lead guitar there, so all the breaks, and fills are mine. Gets testy on songs I have never heard, but use the fake it method, and it works.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 25 Oct 2011 5:51 am

I'm pretty much with C#. If there's a real good player who's always in-tune and doesn't overplay or play too loud that I can play off of, and is not upset at being able to hear the steel, I'll hang with him or her. Otherwise, I try for a corner of the stage away from the main pack. Many singers get messed up if they hear the steel too well (steel does have a strong vocal quality), and loud &/or out-of-tune &/or overplaying guitar/bass players do mess things up for me.

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 25 Oct 2011 6:12 am

Set up next to the bass player and if you make a mistake give him a dirty look.

George Plemons · Post by **George Plemons** » 25 Oct 2011 7:03 am

If you have two good ears either side is ok but if you are like me and have one bad ear sit with your best ear close to the other players and NEVER sit up directly in front of the drums where the cymbals can kill all your brain cells.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 25 Oct 2011 7:08 am

I'm with Cal, (real close to the bar) and Dave Grafe. Also, it's hard to avoid the drummer unless you just pass on the gig ….

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 25 Oct 2011 8:35 am

I like Robert's stage position:

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 25 Oct 2011 8:52 am

I have to vote with George - stay away from the drummer. The "natural" position for sidemen is crammed way back right next to the drummer, and if you set up there - "stage right" - you will eventually lose the high-end hearing in your left ear. It doesn't take long, a single loud hit on the crash cymbal right next to your head will do measurable damage. They're all pointed away from the drummer for a reason, though as drummers get older they go deaf so they have to hit harder and harder. Trust me, I'm a bassist, and it's "obvious" where the bassist goes... especially on the smaller stages. Same place as the steeler, only then you're sitting down and you have no escape from the "crash" cymbal.

Wayne Franco · Post by **Wayne Franco** » 25 Oct 2011 9:51 am

Very few of those positions available!. Lots of good advice here. I personally like to play next to the other lead player in a jam situation. Great to hit off one another. But if they're too loud all bets are off there. A good bass player is great if they know the songs well. It's always with the caveat that they are in tune and not blasting loud. I'll always try to set my amp back a ways so I can achieve enough volume to be heard out front.

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 25 Oct 2011 10:19 am

Some of our poster’s ideas of the steel player’s positioning on stage make sense while some make me wonder the value of their positioning. After fifty-five years of playing in bands on a stage, I don’t think there is a really good position or a really bad position. If a band is a well rehearsed and has been together for a while, everyone works together as a team, no matter where the steel is positioned. A band that plays loose and on a cramped stage, there will be problems abound no matter where the steel player sets up.

I have had more than one lead and/or bass guitarist lean their guitar against my steel when they switched instruments when I moved to play another instrument for a particular number. Setting up too close to the drummer is a pain in the *ss at the best of times. Any steeler on stage who leaves their cables and electronic toys laying about haphazardly deserve to be unplugged by wandering feet. The steeler can build a gizmo rack to place all their toys on if he/she has lots of them.

Personally, I would love to sit in a position where I can see all of the necks (to everyone’s right side) of the other stringed instruments and be able to hone in on the vocalist’s little intricacies and eye signals. On a bar stage however, how many times does reality dictate the musician’s place on a stage?

Brett Lanier · Post by **Brett Lanier** » 25 Oct 2011 10:34 am

I've learned to be not too picky. Everyone in the band will have an opinion about where things should go, and imo, it serves the music better to just smile and stay out of it. Also, if you're ever in a real bad spot, you can sorta lay down the law and they'll listen.
Where you position your speaker in relation to your ear is more important i think.
That said, don't set up with one ear up next to a wall. The reflection of sound can hurt your ear even more than being next to a cymbal.

The Steel Guitar Forum

Where's a good place to set up on stage?

Where's a good place to set up on stage?

Thats a good one Dan!