Bass stools can be a game-changer for many people. Here’s why I recently picked one up and why I like this particular model.
Sitting vs. Standing: A Bassist’s Guide (Plus Why I Finally Bought a Bass Stool)
I can’t believe I’m saying this: I bought a bass stool!
If you’ve watched any other videos on this channel, you’ve probably noticed that I stand for all of them. What you probably don’t know is that I used to always sit, and actually, until a few years ago, I could barely play the bass standing up.
Like many bass students, I started out standing, sat down at some point in high school, and never really looked back. And while there are a lot of advantages to sitting, there are certain things to look out for.
In this post, we’ll explore the pros and cons of sitting, and then discuss why I ultimately chose to purchase this particular bass stool.
The Pros of Sitting
1. Instrument Stability
One of the greatest things about sitting is that it helps stabilize the instrument. When you sit down on the stool, you get nice and locked in. The bass is right there, locked into your body.
This stability means it’s much less likely that you’ll put weight on your thumb—a big danger when you’re standing. Getting that balance right is one of the major challenges for a standing player.
When you’re playing pizzicato, you have an extra contact point where the bass rests against you so that it can be less of an issue. However, when you’re bowing, balance is something we often struggle with. The tendency to put weight on the thumb or even to squeeze it is significantly alleviated by sitting.
2. Easy Shifting
Another great thing about sitting is that it makes shifting a breeze. All of a sudden, you’re not having to do a whole body motion to get around the bass like you do when standing. (Not that body motion is always a bad thing, but that’s probably a topic for another video.)
When sitting, you can get from low positions to high thumb position—it’s just super easy to navigate the fingerboard.
3. Long Rehearsal Endurance
Finally, sitting is great for long rehearsals. This is a practical reason, but it makes a big difference. Whenever I’m playing some long week of rehearsals and shows, you’ll find me backstage looking for an extra bass stool.
Sitting will definitely save wear and tear on your body.
The Cons of Sitting
Now let’s talk about the cons, and there are some cons for sure!
1. Another Thing to Carry
The most obvious practical issue is that it’s another thing to carry around with you. You’ve got your bass, maybe your amp if you’re a jazz player, and even if you have a stool that folds up (which makes it easier to move around), it’s still yet another thing to be hauling.
2. Posture Challenges
This is something you’ve got to watch out for when sitting. In my experience, many people tend to slouch when they sit, and the bass doesn’t necessarily help with that.
You get the bass positioned, you’re sitting on the stool, and all of a sudden, you start leaning over the bass. Before you know it, you start having back pain. You develop this slouchy position that you wouldn’t have if you were standing up—it’s not something you would do normally when standing.
However, sitting can tend to perpetuate this habit and even exacerbate it, simply due to the nature of sitting with such a large instrument.
Maintaining good posture on a stool is an important topic, for sure. There are all sorts of different things people do, whether it’s:
- Putting your foot on a rung
- Using a yoga block
- Using a guitar footstool
Ergonomics while sitting on a stool is a huge topic, way beyond what we can cover here.
3. Using the same stool
As bass players, we also tend to get really used to sitting on a stool—and specifically, our own stool.
I’ve found that, for myself, and I’ve seen this with many students and other players as well, that you become really comfortable on a stool, but you also become really comfortable with your stool. And if your stool is not available for a gig, that could be a problem. If any stool is not available for a gig, that could be a problem.
That’s one of the big reasons why I decided to start standing. I do a lot of traveling typically, and I’m constantly finding myself on a different bass. Perhaps there’s a stool, perhaps there isn’t. Maybe it’s a short stool or a tall stool.
I was so tired of playing like a fourth grader when I demonstrated, and there wasn’t a proper stool, that I decided, “Okay, Jason, we’re just going to start standing!”
4. Reduced Bow Arm Connection
Something amazing happened when I learned to stand. Not only did I get the ability to stand back after decades of only sitting, but I also discovered some side benefits for the bow.
So that’s the last con for me with a stool: you lose some of that connection with the bow arm.
Why Standing Helps the Bow Arm
When you’re standing, you can get in a different posture for every note on the bass. That might not seem like a big deal, but if you’re playing down on a low C and then way up in thumb position, that’s such a radical difference—like multiple violins in terms of length.
When I’m standing, I can position my body to direct the weight efficiently into the string for that note. Then, if I go up to high positions, I can let the bass fall into my body and I still have my power closer to my sounding point.
It’s a bit difficult to explain, but I noticed as soon as I got comfortable standing again that.
Also, I’m left-handed. I don’t know if this matters much, but I’ve always felt like left-hand issues are less of a deal for me than right-hand issues. Standing seemed to even that out for me a little bit.
When you’re sitting, you can still adjust your torso, and I think it’s beneficial to consider adjusting for different positions. But I do find the bass gets in my way a little bit more. Maybe it’s because I can’t pivot the bass as easily when I’m locked into the sitting position. What is an advantage in many ways can be a little bit of a disadvantage, at least for me and with students I’ve worked with, when approaching the bow while sitting.
Why I Finally Bought a Stool
So after years of standing, why did I finally break down and buy a stool? There are a few reasons actually.
Reason 1: I Never Swore Off Sitting
I never really swore off sitting. In fact, if I’m playing a gig where there’s a stool, I’ll usually sit down. I decided that when I moved to San Francisco, I didn’t want to carry a bass stool around all the time. So I go without a stool, and if there is one at the gig, I’ll use it.
Reason 2: Students and Visitors
People like to come and play for me from time to time, and oftentimes they sit while they play. Sometimes they bring their bass stool, sometimes they don’t, and sometimes they’ve been surprised when I don’t have one.
It’s a normal thing for a bassist to have a bass stool, so I finally decided to embrace the bass world and have a stool available for when people need one.
Reason 3: Practice Flexibility
I’ve missed being able to alternate between sitting and standing while I practice. For the last few years, I’ve always stood while practicing, and then either stood or sat on the gig, depending on whether there was a stool available.
But there are advantages to sitting, as I’ve discussed. Having the opportunity to:
- Sit down and practice left-hand issues
- Stand up and practice right-hand issues
That has been great.
Why This Particular Bass Stool?
Let me show you why I chose this specific model.
This is the bass stool I use when I am freelancing around San Francisco.
It Folds Up
Living in a big city like San Francisco means space is at a premium. This stool folds right up and gets out of the way. I’m trying to make the most of my space in life.
Practically speaking, I love a folding stool. It’s great to get that big boxy sort of stool (metal or wood) out of the way. It’s also so much easier to carry a folding stool to a gig.
One thing I like about this stool is that when it’s folded up, the seat doesn’t flop down. You don’t have to worry about rubber banding it or anything—you can just grab it along with your bass and you’re good to go.
Again, I’d rather not carry a stool, but if I need to carry one, I’d rather carry something like this.
It’s Adjustable
It’s also adjustable, which is huge when you’re having other people use the stool. There’s a simple latch mechanism that lets you slide it up and down. Whether you have somebody tall or somebody short coming over, you can easily adjust the height.
This is really useful when you’re using it for not just yourself.
Built-In Foot Rung
It also has a rung for the left foot. I’ve used yoga blocks and guitar footstools—just about everything—and those can be really useful. But it’s nice to have something built into the stool.
This works great, especially if I’m just using it for a short playing session.
No Back (This Is a Feature!)
Finally, though this might seem like a disadvantage to some people, I like that this stool does not really have a back.
This kind of stool lets me get on the front edge, and there’s a little padding but not too much. I find that if I have a lot of padding, especially soft padding, I’m more likely to slouch. And if there’s a back, I’m going to lean on it—I mean, come on, I’m a bass player.
I like to sit on the front edge of the stool and feel like I’m as close to standing as possible. I like that this stool helps me get on the front edge and maintain that standing-like position.
The Bottom Line
That’s a quick look at some of the pros and cons of sitting versus standing while playing bass.
- Sitting provides: stability, easier shifting, and endurance for long sessions
- Sitting challenges: portability, posture issues, stool dependency, and reduced bow arm connection
- Standing provides: better bow arm connection and independence from equipment
- Standing challenges: requires more balance and can be tiring
The truth is, there’s value in being able to do both. Having the flexibility to sit or stand depending on the situation—and to alternate between them in practice—gives you the most options as a musician.
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