Playing standing up?

[Giovanni]

Get a harmonica

you can always rely on an Aussie to come up with a suitable solution
I know because I watch out back Truckers...on t v.

 

[Giovanni]

I agree, it's a much better presentation. I'm going to work on practicing while standing from now on. In the meantime I just found a tall stool intended for guitarists which works fine for me which I can use for this gig.

There is no right or wrong do what ever suits you....

 

[jozz]

I determine sitting or standing also based on height & distance to audience. So I mix chairs (better for intricate playing), bar-stools (let the back-row still see me), and standing (larger halls and mobility).

Rule of thumb: if I cannot see the back-row I will raise myself always.

In the larger concert hall you can see sitting would be a bad option.

 

[debra]

If you *must* play while standing, get a lighter accordion!
A friend of mine played standing with his Gola 459 (5 voice, double cassotto, MIII) for a few hours and after that he couldn't play at all for three months (due to back issues).
Some people always play (or used to play) standing up. Richard Galliano used to always play while standing (with a 4 voice double cassotto Victoria with quint convertor) but eventually moved to playing while seated. The setup with bar stool that jozz showed is always better than standing, but he still uses a smallish accordion on stage.

 

[hummingbird]

I determine sitting or standing also based on height & distance to audience. So I mix chairs (better for intricate playing), bar-stools (let the back-row still see me), and standing (larger halls and mobility).

Rule of thumb: if I cannot see the back-row I will raise myself always.

In the larger concert hall you can see sitting would be a bad option.

That's really helpful, thanks.

 

[hummingbird]

If you *must* play while standing, get a lighter accordion!
A friend of mine played standing with his Gola 459 (5 voice, double cassotto, MIII) for a few hours and after that he couldn't play at all for three months (due to back issues).
Some people always play (or used to play) standing up. Richard Galliano used to always play while standing (with a 4 voice double cassotto Victoria with quint convertor) but eventually moved to playing while seated. The setup with bar stool that jozz showed is always better than standing, but he still uses a smallish accordion on stage.

I don't have to play while standing--but I do want to have the option without too much difficulty. I have several accordions, some smaller and lighter and some much bigger and heavier (those are the ones I'm planning on selling--just too big for me). The accordion I'm using for this gig is slightly heavier but is a 96 bass and has a beautiful sound that carries more than my other ones. I found just the right size stool to bring for this. I like the idea of being able to smoothly stand as needed, however. Jozz's way of playing sounds like the most practical way to go.

 

[hummingbird]

there is no trick, just practice

if you have only one week and you have problems - my advice: either you dumb down your pieces or you grab a bar-stool

If not all of the musicians play standing up, I am curious as to why you with the large accordion feel compelled to stand. I play in an Irish session band, and everyone wants to sit (we play three-hour gigs). I was fortunate to attend a few Silly Wizard concerts back in the day, and Phil with his large piano accordion always played sitting down, only the guitar players and singer would stand. On the other hand, in polka bands, a standing accordionist seems to be the norm. I suppose using a tall stool is somewhere in between, so maybe a good compromise.

I don't have a very large accordion--it's a 96-bass Serenellini that I got recently and love the sound of. I have other lighter accordions but at the moment I'm enamoured of this one and the sound carries well. I hate when I can barely hear my own accordion because the other instruments are collectively much louder.
When I'm playing with other musicians casually everyone sits. I don't play publicly that much. This group is comprised of mostly guys--I think I'll be the only female, and not a tall one at that!
Silly Wizard?

 

[hummingbird]

Use a back strap.

Use an 80 bass.

I never go anywhere without a good back strap!

 

[SteveBox]

Silly Wizard?

They were one of the best Celtic bands from the late 1970s through the 1980s. I think they disbanded in 1988, but Phil Cunningham, their accordionist, is still active and often performs with fiddler Aly Bain. You can find many recordings and videos of Silly Wizard and Phil online.

Here is a video of an entire concert from the late 80s. Their concerts combined slow ballads with fast instrumental sets. I have positioned the link at one of the instrumental sets. The entire concert is worth watching, but unfortunately, the video quality is not very good.

 

[Thomas N]

I will never play standing up again. I did it quite a bit in my 20's. After seeing countless hip surgeries from the older Italian players in my community, and then reading the same thing about professional players (Frank Marocco and Dick Contino come to mind) I decided there's nothing to be gained from doing it. To think how many hours I played standing with a Cordovox makes me thankful I'm pain-free today.

 

[Giovanni]

I will never play standing up again. I did it quite a bit in my 20's. After seeing countless hip surgeries from the older Italian players in my community, and then reading the same thing about professional players (Frank Marocco and Dick Contino come to mind) I decided there's nothing to be gained from doing it. To think how many hours I played standing with a Cordovox makes me thankful I'm pain-free today.

met and got to know both Frank Marocco and Dick Contino over the years .I know that they both had hip replacement surgery........and my understanding is they both developed problems with the implants and suffered terribly .great players and kind lovely people .

 

[JerryPH]

I will never play standing up again. I did it quite a bit in my 20's. After seeing countless hip surgeries from the older Italian players in my community, and then reading the same thing about professional players (Frank Marocco and Dick Contino come to mind) I decided there's nothing to be gained from doing it. To think how many hours I played standing with a Cordovox makes me thankful I'm pain-free today.

It's not the hips that suffer as much as the middle back and shoulders from the strain of bearing the entire weight of an accordion. The bones in the legs are the largest in the body, same for the muscles, but the back and shoulders... just no way to protect those while standing!!

I am right there with you... there is no amount one can get paid to hurt your health on purpose... at least there should not be. If you want to hear me, you will see me play sitting all nice and safe and comfy.

 

[Valski]

I never go anywhere without a good back strap!

Properly adjusted shoulder and back straps are important because they distribute the weight of the accordion and therefore put less stress on individual body parts. I play the Roland Fr8x and often play it standing but there's no wisdom in straining yourself if your instrument feels heavy. When practicing I use a stool that allows me to keep my legs straight because sitting on a regular chair doesn't allow enough movement in my legs for good blood circulation there. It's all a balance and we need to know our limitations and work with them.

 

[Zevy]

Properly adjusted shoulder and back straps are important because they distribute the weight of the accordion and therefore put less stress on individual body parts. I play the Roland Fr8x and often play it standing but there's no wisdom in straining yourself if your instrument feels heavy. When practicing I use a stool that allows me to keep my legs straight because sitting on a regular chair doesn't allow enough movement in my legs for good blood circulation there. It's all a balance and we need to know our limitations and work with them.

Our group was taking questions at a recent gig, and someone asked me how much my Accordion weighs. I said approximately 25 to 27 pounds, but it’s not dead weight because a good accordion will have all the weight distributed evenly. I explained that it’s not as though you’re carrying a big brick in front of you.

 

[hummingbird]

They were one of the best Celtic bands from the late 1970s through the 1980s. I think they disbanded in 1988, but Phil Cunningham, their accordionist, is still active and often performs with fiddler Aly Bain. You can find many recordings and videos of Silly Wizard and Phil online.

Here is a video of an entire concert from the late 80s. Their concerts combined slow ballads with fast instrumental sets. I have positioned the link at one of the instrumental sets. The entire concert is worth watching, but unfortunately, the video quality is not very good.

I'm surprised I've never heard of these guys. I was married to an Irishman for 25 years, and surrounded by every kind of Irish music. I thought I knew them all ! So much for that idea. Thanks for posting this.

 

[hummingbird]

met and got to know both Frank Marocco and Dick Contino over the years .I know that they both had hip replacement surgery........and my understanding is they both developed problems with the implants and suffered terribly .great players and kind lovely people .

My friend Steve Mobia made a documentary about the accordion (Behind the Bellows, I'm sure some of you have seen it), and I remember his saying that when he met Dick Contino he was in almost constant pain.

I will never play standing up again. I did it quite a bit in my 20's. After seeing countless hip surgeries from the older Italian players in my community, and then reading the same thing about professional players (Frank Marocco and Dick Contino come to mind) I decided there's nothing to be gained from doing it. To think how many hours I played standing with a Cordovox makes me thankful I'm pain-free today.

That has always been my reasoning behind not standing.

 

[hummingbird]

I really appreciate all the advice and comments. It was all very helpful.
I did my gig last night and brought my own stool which was the perfect height. It was a mixed group, with some sitting and some standing, so I fit in fine.
I think at the end of the day using my stool is better for me than focusing on standing. Should I need to stand, I'll use one of my lighter accordions and make my life easier.

 

[SteveBox]

I'm surprised I've never heard of these guys. I was married to an Irishman for 25 years, and surrounded by every kind of Irish music. I thought I knew them all ! So much for that idea. Thanks for posting this.

Well, Silly Wizard was from Scotland, not Ireland. That might explain it. However, in my book, it is all Celtic traditional music, which freely flows across borders and around the world. Some of Silly Wizard's music was of Irish origin. They also played some musical styles that you don't find in Irish trad, such as the strathspey. As for accordions, my observation is that the PA is more popular in Scotland than Ireland. If a Celtic band from the British Isles has a piano accordionist, it is more likely Scottish, and if they have a button accordionist, it is more likely Irish.

 

[Pipemajor]

I'm surprised I've never heard of these guys. I was married to an Irishman for 25 years, and surrounded by every kind of Irish music. I thought I knew them all ! So much for that idea. Thanks for posting this.

Probably because Ally Bain and Phil Cunningham are Scottish!!

 

[Ventura]

I did my gig last night and brought my own stool which was the perfect height.

I think at the end of the day using my stool is better for me than focusing on standing.

very glad to hear this worked out for you, and you now have another good tool
in your performance arsenal

the future standing up stuff really should just be based on need.. it totally
depends where your Music directions lead you

for some of us old timers in the big cities, Strolling was just a normal and
even necessary part of a large percentage of Gig's.. and you have to stand to stroll

also, to command your Audience, sometimes it is just necessary to have that
combination of mobility and vision point that can only be had when on your feet..
even from a raised stage..

partly, i had early training from Italian Uncles about how to lift, protect my back,
and handle carrying weight.. add to that having a big heavy steel Schwinn bycycle that
i must have circled the globe with several times in miles.. built up my Leg muscles
to last most of my life..

if your future leads you into strolling, you still use the stool for the minutes you
land back at your "stage" spot between strolls, and leaning back on the stool
gives you a break really while keeping your visual presence up there

keep up the good work !

ciao