Are you interested in moving more while you play? Perhaps you realized people tend to look elsewhere or even talk amongst themselves while you’re playing. Maybe your bandmates have called out your lack of energy and are asking you to do more. Perhaps, even audience members have commented ‘he doesn’t look like he wants to be there :/’.
Stage presence is very important. If people just wanted to listen to the music, they could do so from the comfort of their own home. But if you’re a headliner and people are coming out to watch you, they’re expecting a show. Eye contact and shouting out things to engage the audience is a start, but if you’re just standing still and looking at your instrument the whole time, there’s not much for them to watch and they’ll get bored. So learning to move while you play is vital.
If it’s your first time on my blog, Hi! I’m Nostalgia. I picked up guitar seriously in 2020 with hopes of making my middle school dream of playing with a band on stage come to life. By 2021, I put together a rookie anime cover band, and by 2022, we got to perform at a couple gigs. I even got to play at a festival as a duet in 2023!
I’ve since moved on from the niche as I got truly saved and started focusing on my Christian faith seriously. I played the guitar at a church plant for most of 2024, focusing on CCM (Christian Contemporary Music), and now (2025) I have picked up the ocarina to play hymns at a different church.
I haven’t touched my guitar much this year, but decided to start learning some Japanese Christian rock songs that I really liked and build a new setlist. I decided to record some that I was working on. I’ve been recording my guitar learning journey on Instagram, so I liked to add clips on there to show others what I’m up to and what I’ve learned recently, even if they’re not polished or perfect yet.
I only practiced these songs sitting on my bed until just before I hit record, yet, it was natural to move and dance, and even lip sync while playing these songs live. Of course, some took a handful of takes, but not more than 7 to get a take where I played the piece relatively well and was still entertaining to watch.
As I was uploading the clips to my Instagram I realized this isn’t exactly easy to do. I totally understand why people would rather fake play so they can act like a rockstar on stage, or just stay pretty still so they can play the piece well, but I feel that this generation has lost the touch of being able to play somewhat well while still engaging with the audience and being fun to watch. They’d rather pre-record so they sound great, and some even avoid the stage completely because they know they can’t replicate their videos.
But trust me when I say this didn’t come naturally to me either. I’m not much of a dancer as it is….I can learn some moves, and I can easily get 5 stars in Just Dance, but free style dancing and trying to get attention isn’t my thing. But I also understood that if I wanted to play with a band on stage, it was something I had to get over.
In my earlier Instagram clips, after I started standing up and playing, I remember thinking in my head that I was bopping my head or swaying a lot, but on camera, little to no movement was seen. It made me aware of how much more I had to move for someone feet or or kilometers away to see any action. Since my hands are occupied, more attention had to go towards my head and feet.
For my first gigs, I did choreograph pretty much everything ahead of time. I know I can get nervous, and I didn’t want to risk freezing nor did I want to attempt something new and have my music cut off nor play a really bad chord in the process. Stepping side to side, jumping, fist pumping, I thought about them and practiced them a lot at home.
But now that I’m a more confident and competant player, I know my hands can play the part with me moving, so it’s a lot easier freestyling and just feeling the music. I still only worked on these songs for a couple of days, some I even memorized the day before, so messing up was bound to happen, but I know if I had the songs more down, dancing and having fun in the first take would be a breeze, and same for if I was on stage.
So, if you’re looking to add more moves to your groove, here’s some practical tips that I used that I’m sure will help you start and improve!
1. Start Recording Yourself
So many people avoid the cameras until it’s time to record, and then are embarrassed by what they see (if they ever bother to watch it anyways). This shouldn’t be so! You should record yourself regularly to see what you sound like and what you look like to others.
Maybe you think a move looks cool, but it actually looks like you almost tripped. Or maybe you think you’re smiling, but you actually look pretty upset. Thus, recording is your opportunity to analyze yourself before anyone else sees you, and to start improving your stage presence. It’s a lot easier to change and improve if you’re aware of where you come short.
2. Watch Others & Study Up
As much as you may want to be original and do your own thing, there’s so much you can learn about stage presence from others. The great thing about dance moves is that they can be reused many times in different ways without getting stale. It only becomes stale if that’s the only thing you do the whole time.
There aren’t many videos online about how to move or be a rock star, but there are a handful that can get you started. I saw the first one below as I was learning, but I only found this one by Art of Guitar as I’m almost done writing this article! I was dying at 0:39 when he did the ‘Running Man’ move and mentioned that he’ll probably drop this one. I’m sure seeing himself do it on camera made him realize how lame or cringey it looks, which goes back to my first point 😛
Additionally, I went to see a couple concerts before my band performed mainly for this reason. I never cared for concerts, but if I’m going to be on stage, I wanted to see how other musicians and bands utilize the stage, how they change things up, how they interact with each other, and perhaps find some cool dance moves that I could attempt. Below are some clips from the Japanese bands I saw live.
3. Start with your Head
The easiest part to start moving to make yourself seem a little more charismatic is your head. Anything else can throw off your playing at first, but your head is like it’s own entity. The only thing you may need to ensure of first is that you can play without looking at your guitar. Some things you can start to incorporate include:
–Eye Contact. Don’t just look at your guitar or the floor the whole time. Learn to look forward or at the camera. Learn the scan around as if there was an audience around you. You’ll automatically feel more entertaining if people feel you’re connecting with them with your eyes.
–Smiling. This depends on the song of course, as smiling may not fit the most emo metal song, but in most cases, you can slip in a smile, grin, or smirk of sorts. A smile shows that you’re happy to be there, that you’re enjoying the music you’re playing, and that you’re having fun. No one wants to watch someone who looks like they’d rather be home.
–Head Bopping. Almost every song has a beat. You do have to be a little aggressive in this aspect though, cause if you’re too subtle, you may put in the energy just for no one to notice anyways.
–Lip Syncing. Even if you’re not the singer of the track, if you know the words, feel free to mouth or sing along. It’s a fun way to add more expression and action to your face. It also shows you really like the song and are engaging in more ways than one. You can also encourage others to sing along this way. And hey, if you have a decent voice, it’s also good practice should you ever take the mic.
Below is a music video from Nercy Talkie, an alternative Jpop band that was recommended randomly on Youtube one day. The whole band stays in their spot, and some are more focused on their instruments, but you can see how even simple things like eye contact, bopping, and lip syncing can still make the band enjoyable to watch!
I also like how they all have a different approach. The singer smiles the most and she bops, but not much else. The male guitarist doesn’t smile but he makes eye contact and adds more flare to his playing. The keyboardist is usually looking down but she bops and grooves more, and you can tell she really enjoys the song. The drummer is kinda in his own world, but he has a soft smile and still looks engaged. And the bassist has a cool look and vibe, but she still bops, lipsyncs, and has her own unique head movements.
4. Start Moving Your Feet
Your feet are the next part which can add so much motion to your performance. It obviously takes a lot more practice to get comfortable with it, but it will give you so much freedom when you’re trying to be a rock star. At first, you may want to tighten your guitar strap so your guitar is closer to your chest and that will be an anchor for it. Otherwise, one step could have your guitar swinging in various places.
–Move Side to Side. This is a very simple move. While facing forward, you’re going to step to the side with your right foot, then put your left foot beside it. Then step out to the left with your left foot and put your right foot beside it. Then you repeat. For a lot of stages, people won’t see your feet much anyways, so this simple motion can make it look like you’re swaying and moving quite a bit.
–Walk Around. Now that you can move your feet without it affecting your playing, you can start attempting to move around. Come closer to the audience and interact with those in the front rows. Go and play near your bassists or drummer, or even have a moment with your singer. Just take up more space on stage.
–Jumping. Jumping is a fun rock move that isn’t as hard, but I find it’s all about timing. What you’re playing is a big factor, and it’s better to find parts in a song where you’re simply doing downstrokes for example. Or you can do it when there’s a short break in the song before it starts up again. You will definitely need to practice your hold and transitions though, otherwise it can really mess with your live playing.
–Actual Dance Moves (Shuffling, Kicking, High Knees, Spinning). For this, it’s up to you to explore and see what moves you can do with your feet. Since I was into Jpop, I attempted to add some cute dance moves to my roster. Shuffling seems to be gaining a lot of popularity, and since it’s strictly a feet thing, it is definitely something you can learn to do while playing. Spinning will always look cool, but you have to be aware of your wires lest you trip or get tied up. Practice the move without your instrument first, then try while just holding your guitar, and then work on playing as you dance.
Below are some clips from when I saw Scandal in concert. I was gifted front row tickets from a fan who wasn’t able to make it, and was in front of Tomomi, the bassist. She was definitely the most energetic player of the band, and I was honestly blown away by all she could do. I included another clip in the choreo section where she is really going crazy, but here is some ways her and the band moves around by just bending, walking, and moving side by side as they play.
5. Use Your Arms
This is something that requires you to know the songs really well. If you know points where you are holding a chord or taking a break, you can utilize those moments and do something more fun with your hands and arms.
–Clapping. If you got even a couple seconds, you can clap a couple times and hopefully encourage the audience to clap to the beat as well! A cute and simple way to engage.
–Whirlwinds/Wheels. When you’re playing some fun and easy chords like power chords and want to get some attention, doing wheels as you play is a classic. You definitely have to practice this a lot though as it’s easy to miss your strings or play too soft/hard.
–Fist Pumping. Bring energy to your crowd by throwing your fists in the air on beat. It’s a great way to bring energy and action to your performance. I’d say there is a limit for this move though, so only do it once or twice per song when the energy is highest.
–Posing. This can be a fun and silly way to make use of breaks. And since everyone has a camera now, you could even do poses for pics during your gig. Could be something as simple as the peace sign, or putting your hand under your chin, or tipping your hat.
–Pointing. It’s rude to point, unless you’re on stage haha. You can point at someone in the audience who is very engaged to let them know you acknowlede them (it would make their night, I promise!), or at a member who is soloing and demands the spotlight, or even up at the sky if the lyrics mention it.
–“Turn it Up!”. I wasn’t sure what to call this move, but it’s when you tell the audience with your hands to get louder, either by moving your hands up as if to say “gimme more/get louder”, or putting your hand behind your ear as if to say “I can’t hear you”.
6. Consider Creating Choreo
If you’re band is down for it, why not choreograph some moves that you all do at the same time? I know many musicians don’t care to entertain or dance, but if you’re in a cool group who wants to create a real show and experience for the audience, it is worth talking about. If you’re doing a cover and the official band has choreo in their music videos, why not try to replicate it? Otherwise, you can come up with your own things at a time in the song that works for everyone.
It doesn’t have to be anything complicated, it could be a simple moment where you all raise your hand, or you all spin, or you all come to the front of the stage. It doesn’t have to be perfectly in sync, but everyone (besides the drummer in many cases) should be involved. Choreo is great when you want to get the audience involved as well, as it’s hard for anyone to miss a move or cue if everyone is doing it together.
Below is a clip from one of my favourite Disney films, Lemonade Mouth. The movie is about a group of different teens with their own issues at home, ending up in detention and then their teacher pushing them to be in a band to help the music department since their principal only cares about sports. This was their first gig at a school Halloween bash, so they were shy at first, but because they choreographed the later bit, it got easier to just do what they practiced once they got going.
There are lots of dance moves throughout, but there are non-dance sections that were choreographed like where they all got their can of lemonade and pretended to chug, where the singer put a keytar on the keyboardist/rapper and he gave her his mic once he was done rapping, and being aware that the guitarist will be rolling on the floor in the last chorus so the others don’t step on her by accident. These all had to be planned and practiced to ensure the performance went on smoothly.
And here’s some other Japanese rock bands who had the band members participating in some choreography. The Scandal one would probably be nearly impossible live, but as you may have seen from other clips from when I went to their concert, especially the bassist Tomomi, who I got to sit right in front of! Also, the MV is from their early years (2009), while the concert I went to was over a decade later (2022). They actually won the world record not long after as the longest lasting all-female rock band with the same original members!
Same with One OK Rock. The musicians in the band totally have the opportunity to just sit back and take it easy since Taka gets to focus on singing, but I love how they still make an effort to move and interact with the crowd. In their Netflix documentary “Flip a Coin” that took place during the pandemic, they wanted to put on a live show for their fans online, so they practiced as if for a real concert where you only get one shot, but with a little more attention to cameras.
Taka decided they should do some choreo for their song “Wonder”. During rehearsal, they would spin after each line/every 4 beats, but they decided to simplify it as the musicians may slip or get dizzy. I didn’t expect them to do the choreo when I saw them in concert months later, but they did! Again, it’s nothing complicated, but it’s really fun and cute when you see bandmates come together like that!
7. Put It All Together!
An average song is 3-5 minutes, so that’s a lot of time to play around, experiment, and try different things throughout each track. The point is to have options that you’re comfortable with and will end up doing naturally. Even if you’re just bopping or swaying for the most part, and occasionally looking at the crowd and smiling, that’s a lot more than some musicians give on stage and your potential fans will appreciate it.
I have to share this clip with Miyavi again because he’s amazing! While there is a band behind him, he is a solo artist, so he really has to do all the stage and crowd work on his own, and maintain his energy as he sings, raps, and plays for an hour or so. Mind you, this guy was like 40 years old in this clip! He also has some choreo where he and the girls singing on the side sync up. He’s not only an amazing guitarist, but an amazing performer as well!
Conclusion
If you really want to move and dance while you play guitar or bass, or any instrument for that matter, it’s totally possible! Even if you’re not a natural dancer, you can learn some moves or poses that will greatly make you a more enjoyable musician to watch. And if you ever audition for a band or gig, you’ll more likely get it as well because directors and leaders want people who can make the band pop. That doesn’t mean you become a diva or anything, it just means you play your part in bringing energy to the crowd.
Lindsey Stirling is a violinist who wanted to bring her instrument to dubstep and incorporate ballet/contemporary moves. She first got some attention when she went on America’s Got Talent, but didn’t make it to the end. Her idea was great, but her playing wasn’t too solid with her dancing. She didn’t give up on her idea though, and she went on to make music videos, and now she’s touring world wide with the same idea.
While she is doing so much on stage, you must know that she isn’t as flexible as you are as a bassist or guitarist. Having played the violin and viola myself, I know your head has to be anchored as your instrument is nuzzled between your chin and neck. She also can’t let go of her bow or it will fall to the floor. Thus, her movements tend to be centered on her legs, but she also incorporates moves where she moves her whole torso like body waves. She also knows how important smiling and eye contact is. So if she can do all that despite her limitations, you too can do more than you think if you explore!
And of course, it all comes down to practice! You can’t try these moves once or twice at home, then expect them to come naturally when you got hundreds of eyes looking at you and your nerves are high. Just like how when you play a lot, your fingers develop muscle memory, take the same approach when working on moves that you can pull out as you play. It will feel weird and you won’t play as well as you normally would at first, but soon, you’ll be rocking on stage like the pros!
Have fun!~