When did jazz guitarists start standing up?

[dot75]

Sonny Rollins did that too when I saw him, but he wasn't wearing a guitar.

I think he arrived at Ronnie's in a black cab and walked in already playing, left the same way and wandered into the ladies mid set before finding the gents.

[Litterick]

Fender was granted a patent for the Jaguar/Jazzmaster body shape, which was designed to make seated playing comfortable.

[kris]

1.If the electric guitar is very heavy, do you prefer to stand with it or sit with it?
2.Classical guitars are usually not heavy......I've never seen a guitarist play a classical guitar standing up.
Perhaps difficult pieces cannot be played standing.
3.Acoustic guitar – T.Emmanuel plays standing up and sometimes he runs around the stage with his guitar like a rock musician.
Apparently he likes to do it.

[Hep To The Jive]

On stage I really prefer standing up. It feels better, grooves better, and connects with the audience better. Moving your body is more natural standing up, and that's part of the show. I'm only sitting down when I need to read big band charts, playing GJ, or practicing at home. But I'm a rocker at heart, even if I play jazz standards, so there's that mentality.

[Cunamara]

I generally practice sitting and I find that standing with the guitar changes my relationship to the instrument, which then changes my facility on the instrument. However, it's often necessary to play standing, so it takes a little adjustment.

In addition to the foregoing examples given, Johnny Smith often seems to have stood as did Joe Pass. With modern players, that generally seems to be the norm: Frank Vignola, Peter Bernstein, Jonathan Kreisberg, just to name a few archtop players. On the other hand, Pasquale Grasso seems to sit pretty consistently.

[Rob MacKillop]

I've never seen a guitarist play a classical guitar standing up.
Perhaps difficult pieces cannot be played standing.

There are some paintings/drawings from the 19th century of players standing with a strap. There’s even one thought to be Giuliani, which you can see on the cover of Thomas Heck’s biographical study of him.

I myself have played an entire concert standing with a strap, and I’ve heard of others doing the same. Admittedly it is not common.

Many original guitars from the 19th century were made with strap buttons.

[kris]

There are some paintings/drawings from the 19th century of players standing with a strap. There’s even one thought to be Giuliani, which you can see on the cover of Thomas Heck’s biographical study of him.

I myself have played an entire concert standing with a strap, and I’ve heard of others doing the same. Admittedly it is not common.

Many original guitars from the 19th century were made with strap buttons.

It's very interesting.
What was it in your repertoire?
Did you play Bach like that?
ps.
A long time ago I had a very old classical guitar with botton. This guitar was not suitable for playing classical music. It had a small size and a smaller number of guitar frets. The sound of this guitar was flat.I haven't seen any outstanding classical guitarists play anything standing.

[Rob MacKillop]

I played a few concerts standing. Some of the venues had room for only 50 people, and there might be no stage. If I sat on a chair it would be difficult for much of the audience to see me. They really appreciated my standing. I did play some Bach, the Prelude, Fugue and Allegro. Some of the time I was happy doing it standing, and sometimes I preferred sitting. There are pros and cons with any technique.

I once saw a virtuoso baroque lute player play a concert of German lute music - a very difficult program - and he played with a strap, standing all the time. Andrew Maginley is his name, based in New York I think. I can’t find a video of him playing standing, but this video will give you an idea why he is capable of doing it:

The concert I saw him give was at The Lute Society in London, with an audience of lute players. He was very brilliant, and clearly had no problem standing.

[kris]

Thank You

[dot75]

I knew someone who had one of these so he could play parts of a tune on a second guitar...

someone knocked it over after about three gigs & it was retired...

[kris]

I knew someone who had one of these so he could play parts of a tune on a second guitar...

someone knocked it over after about three gigs & it was retired...

:-)
This device looks like a camera tripod.
Of course, properly developed.
An extremely creative idea.

[kris]

When playing the guitar in a standing position, proper guitar balance is of great importance.
I mean, with a heavy guitar neck... The neck of the guitar pulls down.
Then it may not be comfortable when playing standing even if you have a very good guitar belt.
It is easier to control this problem and have controls in a sitting position.

[GuyBoden]

Fender was granted a patent for the Jaguar/Jazzmaster body shape, which was designed to make seated playing comfortable.

I've played Jazzmasters and Jaguars, but nowadays the Jaguar seems very heavy, even whilst siting with a strap. Maybe, I've got accustomed to playing very light carved archtops and I've got old.

[SoftwareGuy]

One influence regarding standing verse sitting is if you are in the back line or you are the featured performer.

[ragman1]

It's safer standing up

[MarkRhodes]

T-Bone Walker stood. (He was not only the guitarist but the singer and bandleader; singers tend to want to stand.)
Chuck Berry stood, and moved around a lot.
They have since influenced several generations of guitar players, though not primarily jazz guitar players.

In the clips I've seen of The Great Guitars shows (Kessel, Ellis, Byrd), they are seated.
But Herb stood in the Oscar Peterson trio. Joe Pass preferred to sit.
Have I ever seen Grant Green play standing? Not that I recall.
Wes sat.
Les Paul stood. (Early on.)

I nice set from 1979 of Byrd, Kessel, and Ellis.

[setemupjoe]

I think it’s no different to today. Sometimes the situation calls for sitting, sometimes standing.
Chuck Wayne doesn’t seem to have any problems standing here.
90% of my gigs I stand. I sit when I do duo gigs with singers.

[Cunamara]

I haven't seen any outstanding classical guitarists play anything standing.

And because we haven't personally seen it, it hasn't happened? I haven't seen a guitarist play bebop on a pointy Ibanez shred machine, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

I think it is safe to say that few classical guitarists play standing, mainly because it is not even presented as a possibility within classical guitar pedagogy. Instead, classical guitarists are trained to play the instrument in an ergonomically poor position, resulting in back/leg and neck/arm pain and potentially impaired motor functioning of the arms and hands through compression of the spinal cord canal and the nerve roots at the foramen. The classical position twists your pelvis and lower spine as well as your neck and upper spine. Sitting in this position for 6 to 8 hours a day practicing the classical repertoire, which is not an unusual practice schedule for serious students and top-tier professionals alike, is ultimately damaging. There are a few that are fortunate and escape injury, but most have at least mild problems resulting from that position. Many have severe problems and for some it is career-ending and/or ends up requiring surgery. However, Segovia did not stand with the guitar and therefore thou shalt not stand.

Check out Zoe Barnett, who despite her young age cannot play for extended periods in the normal classical position because of spinal problems caused by that position. You will find videos of her sitting and playing, you'll also find videos of her standing. I think her head and neck position is still problematic and will ultimately cause her further problems. We really should learn to play the instrument without looking at our hands, that would also solve a lot of positional problems related to the instrument. So far in 47 years I have not been able to do that myself.

However, instead of fixing the position itself, we get to market all kinds of doodads that sit under the guitar, stick onto the guitar with suction cups or magnets, etc. We often tend to look for the most complicated solution to a problem instead of the simplest one. Put the guitar on a strap; you can play seated or standing at your choice. Search for "classical guitarist strap" or something like that on YouTube and you'll find many videos on this topic. Due to the traditionalist nature of classical guitar, there seems to be little uptake in that as far as I can tell, but the idea is at least out there. The classical guitar police get the wiggins about playing without nails, playing standing up with a guitar on the strap might send some of them into fits.

[David B]

The Stan Getz - Jimmy Raney Quintet in 1952.

[kris]

It's safer standing up

[Average Joe]

Here is Oscar Moore alternating depending on context

[frabarmus]

Beautiful composition. I'm a big fan of William Walton.

[Cunamara]

I had not heard of Walton prior to seeing this video a few months ago.

[ragman1]

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It was a joke. There used to be a rumour in the old days, maybe even now, that you wouldn't get pregnant if you did it standing up, hence 'it's safer standing up'.

I knew you'd understand :-)

[paulkogut]

I can do either, it usually (but not always) ends up to be standing if there's a drummer, sitting if not. I always use a strap and try to keep the playing position consistent either way.

PK