At the risk poking into things a little out of my realm (and maybe sounding a little too hillbilly in front of your other readers), your conclusion is right on the money.

The only style of music I play that really lends itself to sitting is hotclub jazz. Single mic bluegrass can require a pretty decent amount of choreography, and most of the other styles of music I play don’t lend themselves to sitting at all. At least not if you’re trying to keep the dance floor jumping. I suppose that is why the laymen sometimes refer to it as the stand-up bass.

A great many of the gigs I play can exceed four hours of playing (my current record is 7 hours at a recent wedding). If I didn’t regularly play standing up, I simply wouldn’t survive. In the blue-collar double bass world, mastering the instrument often feels more like a matter of endurance, rather than one of self expression, doing justice to the piece, and achieving the magic tonal qualities that made you fall in love with your instrument in the first place.

Besides that, though, it’s surprising how many aspects of the instrument are consistent between these vastly different styles.

Very insightful post. Keep them coming!