I thought about asking this awhile back but didnt,But tonight I noticed it alot more than usual,and so decided to post the question,I get to hurting real bad sitting on a my busking stool after about 2 hours,Im just working on the setup up and my material at the house at the moment but,got to wondering If im out on the streets for more than a couple hours Im going to be hurting,I have a few pins in my hip and my back aint bad but it aint good either,I know that those problems dont help my chair sitting problem,I take Lorotabe from the VA most days,but tonight i was out,but really was getting into jamming and after 2 hours i was hurting,I use a stool like any garage type of work stool,My question is do buskers that arent as beat up run into this problem,and if so what kind of stool or chair do you recomend ( I know a lazy boy recliner;-) thanks
---------- Hobostubs
Last Edited by on May 06, 2011 10:58 PM
Hi Hobo great to hear you have started busking. But not so good if it's going to be too uncomfortable. When I did a little busking I stood up but noticed there were others eg a sax player & a squeezbox player in camper style fold up outdoor chairs.
Personally I would not be too comfortable sitting in a camping or indeed a kitchen style chair for too long. My preference would be for a stool type eg me to be almost vertical but have something just to support & rest my butt on. A lazy boy recliner would be great but getting it onto the bus with all your other gear might prove a bit of a problem.
Sorry to hear about the pain. I usually take public transport so have to travel light. I have been sitting on plastic milk crates which I borrow from the back of restaurants and shops etc. Not comfortable at all but we tend to play for 20-30 minutes at a time then take a break and I get up and stretch the legs. I bought a cheap plastic folding step from an office supply store to use as a 'portable milk crate'. Unfortunately, the thing broke on its first outing. Waste of $10. Prolonged sitting and playing gets a bit sore at the best of times, so I think the moving around helps.
Howdy,I havent started just yet,I just getting stuff worked out,I fixed my suitcase bass drum up yesterday,with a bracket and weighted the inside so it looks better and i dont have to put a milk crate in front to keep it from falling,Im also just got a few CD blanks, for the 2 cd's im going to have for sale but,Im having trouble finding a program to use that i can print a cover,I dont have any printer ink so I was going to use a zip drive and a free cd cover print program but I couldnt get it to open up at the library where i wanted to get it printed,someone said save it to JPG and I could then open it up,I havent tried it yet,Im wanting to have a couple cbg''s made for sale also,But i did go though my set tonight and I have a good hour or more worth,of guitar 1 man band and harp and some with the cbg and a song with foot drums and harp.I was really happy with the flow tonight,Im supposed to go jam a birthday party with some locals that want me to play some harp with em tomorrow but its that jam band that plays to loud and to heavy for my taste And i feel like im getting to much involed with the 1 man band thing right now to try and jump ships mid stream so to speak,I went and used my amps tonight I rarly do that,And im really likeing my foot drum sound now,My home made piezo can mic and stand has a metal base and I found out i can have the suitcase and my stomp box touching the mic stand base and the piozo will pick up the thump just a little and with the reverb it sounds really nice compared ,to how they sounded when i 1st started building them,Thats what i like about building this homemade 1 man band setup its allways changing and so far the changes are for the better.But im wanting to set up in a couple weeks I allready have a spot located where its free has some trafic and other venders I know the owner and he is cool about music.allmost ready to get embarassed;-)But my metal stool killls my back and leg,I guess a shot of whiskey and a couple pain pills get me though it,I notice that if i get up and stretch after a hour It aint so bad,but i was wondering what kinds of chairs other buskers might be using ,if and when they have back pains on the job. ---------- Hobostubs
Last Edited by on May 07, 2011 12:53 AM
Hi. I get back/shoulder pain if I stay in one position too long; the first time I used the boom mic stand I was stretched at an unnatural angle and strained my lower back. I find if I stay loose and move around a bit it's easier. I also do some basic yoga stretches (at home) which help quite a bit.
yea i get more sore sitting at a desk than if im up working,I guess Ill have to take stretch breaks,I dont know if i could use a chair with a back or not,I wonder if drummers have the same problem. ---------- Hobostubs
while i don't have pins or plates or rods in my back like some folks, i have been in a lot of back injury situations between sledding accidents, car wrecks, side yard football, and generally doing things i shouldn't. i don't play guitar but being a harp guy i've seen some things that happen to guitarists as well. in fact my wife and duo partner was hurt on dec. 31st and had to be in pt and off guitar for a solid 10 weeks, and is slowly and carefully building back up her stamina- and callouses on her fingers.
a few years ago we picked up 2 average metal folding chairs at a flea market for a buck or 2, then painted them and stenciled our names on them. no cushions or arm rests but nice and solid. they seem to work for us BUT we do take a break every 40 or 50 minutes to stretch.
we use a chiropractor and acupuncture sometimes as well to keep us in alignment. with a big injury like what you have Hobo, i don't know how much good a chiropractor would do you, but it may be something to look into. i also wonder if a folding chair with a seat pad and a back pad would help with your injury?
it's true that we have to sacrifice for our art but any little thing we can do to be comfortable is a step the right way.
I use a folding metal bar stool I got at Wally Mart. It's light and easy to carry--and it puts me into a half-standing position with a good shot at the foot drums. It's also easy to stand, even during a solo, to relieve pressure on the ass bones or back.
I always take a short (10 minute) break every hour and just shake out the legs. If I have a good audience grooving with me though, I just keep on playing until the groove starts to wear down--sometimes that can get painful, but a good groove tends to make me forget all of that stuff and just live in the moment. I can always go somewhere and whimper later.
It also helps me to try to sit up very straight--I have an old back. . . ---------- ==================================== Always be yourself--unless you suck. . . -Joss Whedon
A couple good rules of thumb... when you are sitting you want the top part of your legs to be parallel to the ground. You probably want a fairly broad level seat. The bigger the seat relative to your posterior the better, but you want a couple inches right before you knee to be open so you don't pinch the back of your legs. Your feet should lie flat. That gives you the best distribution of weight. You might want a little lumbar support. I made a real nice (well, it's ugly, but it's real comfortable) with a little lumbar support. Even although it's a wooden seat it's really comfortable for long sitting. We over built the thing. I can get some pictures later today.
I've got an idea for a Cajon Drum Rocking Chair, but that's still in the design laboratory right next to the flying car. :) The idea with that is instead of full length rockers there would be a stop on the fronts so that you didn't rock to far foreword, some push down wheels, and a bar between the two rails in the back that you could use as a handle. It's a rocking chair, it's drum, it's a conversation starter, it's a chest, it's a dolly to wheel the rest of your gear around on... and if you have the skills to make it look like something someone else would want (like I said, I don't; I make stuff ugly) it's a sideline.
You might also ask your doctor. He might have some more ideas on proper seating. I'm actually shopping for a new desk chair at the moment. My good one broke and the cheap spare I have feels like the center pole is applying pressure directly to my... anyway... I'll get pictures of the wonder stool up later and I have blueprints (a really crude MS Paint drawing) of the rocking chair Cajon idea. I'm off to put a new mail box post at my mother's. It's gonna be ugly.
i've been using a large exercise ball as my desk chair for over 2 years. it has helped me with my back considerably. you can get some nice movement on it and it helps me keep rhythm.
i am thinking of getting one for busking. transporting it seems to be the only issue. but since it only takes a few minutes to inflate with a foot pump, i think this is really worth a try.
whats a exercise ball? I think i have seen em befor,but im not sure,thats a interesting idea,but i need to be able to work both feet in time.I wonder how one would work? ---------- Hobostubs
thanks eharp,Interesting idea,get a killer groove going and no telling what kind of visual performance you could bounch to;-)People would surely take notice quicker,(Whats that oh boy doing over there bounching like crazy on a ball playing harp;-) ---------- Hobostubs
I was just at Gander Mountain and saw a padded camp rocking chair. It was unbelievably comfortable and was very light. The downside is, it costs 60 bucks. It did, however, have a very wide cushioned seat that I found very comfortable. I sill have hip problems on the opposite side leg from the one that had surgery. I get uncomfortable sitting long time periods too, and I think I could use that chair for a long time.
Just an idea, never costs anything to check it out. ---------- Danny
I told you it was ugly! And before it got dry rot it was pretty heavy, but these little benches my friend and I made are super comfortable, even with just a wood seat. I even added a comfy little support on the back of mine that gives just a little back support, at the tail bone! The key was getting the measurements right- 21 1/2' wide, 17' deep, 11 to the little rise thing, which is at a 45 degree angle. 17 inches tall. We measured it to the height of the back of our knees. And the crazy Cajon Rocker would make you the envy of every well-heeled busker in the world! :)
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Last Edited by on May 07, 2011 11:48 PM
thanks Nacoran, that wood seat does look like it might work,I might have to break out the saws,Was you going to make the drum or buy 1.looks interesting ---------- Hobostubs
The best chair is a small square pillow on top of a turned over Lectrosonics Mouse. Saves carrying a bunch of stuff on a train ride and a medium walk. Your amp is your chair. Perfect.
I saw a DIY page for Cajon drums. I've got about five other projects going on so this has been on the back burner. Making it yourself allows you to customize the height to your size. The key on the rocker idea is a wheel lock so it doesn't function like and extension of the rocker. You run a cross bar between the back end of the rockers and that becomes a handle for pulling the thing along. I'm not sure how fragile the insides of a Cajon are, but if they are relatively tough and you put a hinged seat on you can store stuff in there.
My stool is made all with 2x6's. Getting height right is really the key thing, and having a deep enough seat on it to so only about 2 inches of your thigh go off the edge (that helps make sure your weight is distributed along the leg so you don't get numb but syndrome. The other two important things is making it heavy duty. We probably went overkill on that (we had a bunch of 2x6's lying around and a box of screws). And even legs.
I saw lots of little spots for improvements. If it was a little wider you could set a cup next to you, but with a little ingenuity there are other ways to deal with cup holders. A high tech version could have some springs under the front to help with the rocking motion since the rockers wouldn't be full length. You could have a bandolero leather harp case mounted to the side (or just a spot to hang one so you could take the harps with you without the whole rig.)
that would be cool to make although im not sure what a cajon drum is?Ive seen them in a musicians friend catolog,I enjoy making my stuff cause it saves money ,well most times;-)
Miles Dewar brought up another question i was wondering about,My setup its kind of a lot of stuff,its a chair,suitcase bass drum,a stomp box,a can mic on a stand i made from a rotating fan stand,I use a acoustic guitar,and a cbg, and then my harps,and 2 amps,I have use of a truck so getting the stuff there and back aint to much of a problem,it sets up nice,but is more like setting up a band on stage.My friend who says he has busked ,says just take a guitar and harps in rack and a tip jar and go lite,Im wondering whats the best way ,or would it just depend,I was thinking the more visual of a setup and better sound would work better,but then again I might be wrong and theres also the chance of trouble such as police ,Im guessing or something that may make you have to git quick,The place im wanting to try this out is a flea market so the police shouldnt bother me,but im not sure as to other spots,I was told by my friend that downtown tulsa at night, around the club scene is good,but im not sure about having a big setup there,I havent tried this yet and havent really seen any buskers befor,so its all new to me.Any tips guys? thanks ---------- Hobostubs
Go light or with a full set-up?--Definitely! With the light setup I'm able to go anywhere and move fast--I have a backpack and a gig bag for that.
With the full set-up, I find that I get more actual paying gigs, and I don't have to work so hard at playing, so I can play longer. Of course the full setup is more work with amps and stuff--but I got me a folding canvas wagon to carry all the stuff in.
I've been working on an idea to build a box on a hand truck that is all self-contained with amps, mixer and a power supply and harps, mics and guitars. I would like to have the choice of going amplified or not right there on the spot, but still have most of the portability of the back pack light setup.
I think I generally pull more in tips when I use the full amplified setup.
---------- ==================================== Always be yourself--unless you suck. . . -Joss Whedon
I got myself a guitar chair when my backs started hurting from practicing. I got the quick lok stool and never lookded back. I can now practice in a much better position due to the adjustability of the chair.
Check it out: http://guitarpickzone.com/best-guitar-stool/
