Music stands - are they as common as I think?

[Passinwind]

On 12/29/2017 at 05:07, chris_b said:

Story so far. Music stands are "not good" but iPads are OK. The big acts have been using monitors for decades.

So if I had the latest technology or a stage crew running the monitoring systems I'd be accepted, but because I'm a poor, penniless, amnesiac Luddite I get told I'm uncool!!

Just turn down your hearing aids and play dumb. Works for me.

[Rich]

I usually take my stand out to gigs. More often than not it's hidden off to one side and just holds set list, picks, towel etc. If I'm depping then it carries my notes & chord charts.

One of these, I like it a lot. Tremendous VFM. : https://m.thomann.de/gb/thomann_orchesterpult.htm?o=0&search=1514722872

Edited December 31, 2017 by Rich

[discreet]

28 minutes ago, Rich said:

One of these, I like it a lot. Tremendous VFM. : https://m.thomann.de/gb/thomann_orchesterpult.htm?o=0&search=1514722872

Perfect. I can imagine myself falling over that, with predictably hilarious consequences.

[EssentialTension]

2 hours ago, Rich said:

I usually take my stand out to gigs. More often than not it's hidden off to one side and just holds set list, picks, towel etc. If I'm depping then it carries my notes & chord charts.

One of these, I like it a lot. Tremendous VFM. : https://m.thomann.de/gb/thomann_orchesterpult.htm?o=0&search=1514722872

I've got that one ... I'm planning to refinish it in camoflage colours.

[drTStingray]

I've amassed some light entertainment stage props including a music stand but haven't run to a pullover and rocking chair yet (or stool)

or to 1970s light entertainment wear (brown was clearly in during 1975)

[casapete]

Just got my stand out now for it's regular airing on NYE. Can't wait....

[walbassuk]

It is very situational. I've done pit gigs and you simply have the music on a stand but when I'm playing at pubs or functions I don't like it. Both the function bands I play with all the singers use music or iPad stands, and in one of them both the guitarists, drummer and keyboard player use them. It shouldn't bother me, but I don't like it. #oldschool

[Baxlin]

In our church band, we are regularly introduced to new songs on the day, and have several worship leaders, so even if we play familiar songs, they are often in different keys.  Band members are on a rota, meaning we play with different musicians each week, and only have an hour or so rehearsal before the service, so we use iPads with words and chords.

Also, our wired in-ears are each fed by a Me-i, which we all have on stands, so an iPad on a holder doesn’t add much...

[pintspiller]

I do. I clammed up at my first gig (private party) and refuse to play without one. 

I don't look at it all the time. At the start of each song incase we've changed the key and quick check of chords/notes.

[LeftyP]

6 hours ago, Baxlin said:

In our church band, we are regularly introduced to new songs on the day, and have several worship leaders, so even if we play familiar songs, they are often in different keys.  Band members are on a rota, meaning we play with different musicians each week, and only have an hour or so rehearsal before the service, so we use iPads with words and chords.

Also, our wired in-ears are each fed by a Me-i, which we all have on stands, so an iPad on a holder doesn’t add much...

I'm in exactly the same situation at our church but I use chord charts which I produce on my computer, as a tablet thingy is not big enough for my eyesight!

[bassace]

As I was starting to read this thread I suddenly realised that I’d left my music stand behind at last night’s gig. In a panic I phoned one of the musos who had scooped it up as one of his, so I’ll be reunited with it next time I see him, which could be a while with that particular band. I usually use an iPad for chords so I won’t miss the music stand until the next time I’m presented with a pad (usually quite thick).

[stewblack]

On 27/12/2017 at 19:30, lowdowner said:

I've been watching a few performances lately of pub and events covers bands and I've noticed in more that a couple of cases that the bass player is using a music stand.

I do this for fun, and I couldn't really care less whether anyone else uses a music stand when gigging but I've been playing most of these tracks so long it's all muscle memory now anyway so I don't, but I wondered how common it was. Do you use a music stand when gigging? Do you know others that do (or don't)?

Just wondering...

I did it once depping at a wedding. Had 4 tunes I'd never played. Music stand side stage so I could glance over if I got stuck. 

Now I play in so many bands and haven't time to learn any of the sets by heart I use iReal Pro on a tablet. More discreet, more efficient. 

Edited May 17, 2019 by stewblack
typoo

[stewblack]

On 29/12/2017 at 16:37, drTStingray said:

 

ive decided to learn my dep set for NYE properly and place cues on my iPhone for those little difficult moments - then I won't have to use the music stand. Just hope no one thinks I'm texting between songs if I have to refer to my 'notes'!!

I'm in an ongoing mic stand candy war with a singer. She added a tambourine holder so I got a drink holder, that kind of thing. 

This is why I have a phone holder as well as a tablet holder. To my utter shame and bewilderment I caught myself messaging someone while playing the other night. 

Addictive behaviour in action. 

[nightsun]

12 minutes ago, stewblack said:

Now I play in so many bands and haven't time to learn any of the sets by heart I use iReal Pro on a tablet. More discreet, more efficient. 

This, I'm now in the 500 tunes in the electronic brain area.  Granted, I probably don't actually need the iPad, but I'd be buggered if I forgot it.  Plus it's better than the old days of gaffering a set list the nearest flat surface.

[neilray]

Hi 

I’ve never used one but all the horn players in our band do - it’s all I-pads now . Our singer uses one too . It’s a thing with me if I’m doing lots of singing - which I don’t these days . I’m always bringing up the fact of music stand usage with the horn players . I understand completely if you’re new to the tune , but they still read songs they’ve played a hundred times .you c ant remember what notes you play in “ Gimme some lovin “ ? Really ?

ill expect a backlash ............lol

[Dan Dare]

The thing to bear in mind is that a lot of people play in more than one band (this applies especially to brass players), so they need an aide-memoire. It's OK if you play the same 20-30 numbers every night.

[casapete]

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

The thing to bear in mind is that a lot of people play in more than one band (this applies especially to brass players), so they need an aide-memoire. It's OK if you play the same 20-30 numbers every night.

Agreed. Brass section in my old band used to memorise all their parts, and could play them spot on even after a number of visits to the free bar at functions.

Think old school brass players were brought up to read everything, ( unlike guitarists! ) Subsequently they got used to just having parts in front of them all the time and never saw the need to commit stuff to memory. A lot of keyboard players seemed to be the same too. That 'reading music' culture didn't seem to extend to many bassists / guitarist and drummers, certainly not in this area anyway. 

[Hobbayne]

Just turned on Glasto and there's a wealth of them being used by The Synth Orchestra

[T-Bay]

On 17/05/2019 at 11:53, nightsun said:

This, I'm now in the 500 tunes in the electronic brain area.  Granted, I probably don't actually need the iPad, but I'd be buggered if I forgot it.  Plus it's better than the old days of gaffering a set list the nearest flat surface.

Old days? Just printed out set lists for next Friday and checked stock of gaffer tape in kit bag...........

[gjones]

Friends of mine, who play and sing, are getting to a certain age. It's an aid to early onset dementia

Edited June 29, 2019 by gjones

[LeftyP]

We have some of these at church as they take up less floor space.  I play bass in the band about once a month and we only get to run through the songs together about 45 minutes before the service.  The line-up of musicians changes each time and there are always songs we haven't played before or for some time.  The band is tucked away in a corner so most of the congregation can't see us.

If I was in a gigging band and playing the same set night after night I, hopefully, wouldn't need a music stand but as things are it's a great memory replacement!

[Baxlin]

6 hours ago, LeftyP said:

We have some of these at church as they take up less floor space.  I play bass in the band about once a month and we only get to run through the songs together about 45 minutes before the service.  The line-up of musicians changes each time and there are always songs we haven't played before or for some time.  The band is tucked away in a corner so most of the congregation can't see us.

We’re about the same at church, although my turn comes around more often, and the band is on stage, very visible!

It’s very rare that we have paper copies as we use iPads, but it’s a hard job to convince many to use an iPad bracket rather than a music stand.  Guitarists need somewhere for their capo and spare plectrum, don’t they....

The words are projected onto the back wall of the hall for the singers, and we also each have a Mei monitor mixer for our in-ears, which brackets onto the  mic stand, but an iPad also on a bracket IMO is better than a music stand, for our purposes, anyway.  WIP to convince the other band members, but it’s not important enough to lose sleep over , regardless of the time this is being posted!

 

[Stub Mandrel]

Music stands?

I have a YTS trainee as a page turner.

[Dan Dare]

In answer to the original question, yes, music stands are common. Common as muck. I can't take mine anywhere without it embarrassing me 😄

[paul_c2]

The people who need them (because they're reading music, because they're not sufficiently familiar with it to have it in memory) are clearly very skilled, in different ways than those who play simpler songs over and over and over again.

Also in different genres, its perfectly acceptable (and necessary, and preferred) to read music than the time/effort to memorise it.