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Music Stands on Stage

Should musicians use a music stand on stage? [results will be displayed after you vote]

  • No

  • It doesn't matter -- use one if it helps you play better

  • Depends on the kind of band or performance

  • It's OK if you minimize the visibility of the stand

  • It's complicated -- defies a multiple choice answer like this

Results are only viewable after voting.
#321
I just don't see the big deal TBH. The only argument against them that I think is credible is the contribute to crowded stages. Anything beyond that and I think there is a fair bit of ego that comes into play with this argument.

I don't have a lot of time to practice, and the bands Im generally in either don't rehearse often or are bands where Im filling in so there is going to be some material I just flat out don't know or don't remember well. Therefore I'll bring a music stand and an iPad. Added bonus to the stand for me is i can use it to store various small things I like to have access to while Im playing (picks, earplugs, etc). If its a really crowded stage I'll leave the music stand in the car and just place the iPad on top off my amp.

A guy I used to play with just posted on FB yesterday about who music stands on stage are his personal pet peeve...his argument is they make it crowded, you should have everything memorized (i won't argue against that point, I agree but as I said before there are some things I just won't get down like that), and they make for less than stellar band shots. This coming from a guy who generally plays gigs that pay next to nothing (or in some cases literally nothing) at places where maybe 5 people will show up to see them play.
 
#322
Photo on 1-21-18 at 10.31 AM.jpg
As long as your eyesight's decent (and your gigs aren't at Bob's Country Bunker), you can put a tablet on a short mic stand base—the kind you'd use for a kick drum mic. Add a bluetooth page turner pedal, and you've got an easy-to-read monitor that doesn't clutter the stage space.

Works by a pedalboard, or—if you're really concerned about what the audience sees—hidden among the drummer's cymbal stand legs.

Just the thing if you do a lot of sub gigs.
 
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#323
ole Jason said:
I play jazz so I always bring the iPad in case someone calls a tune I don't know. No one cares.
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In a jazz jam session is expected that not all the musicians in the club know the whole real book . It's ok to have a music stand with an iPad or the real book itself.. As you say, in this case people doesn't care too much about it..... In my country we are used to see dance orchestras to play seated and reading music.. Usually they play 3 or more hours shows covering LOTS of songs (from typical spanish dance styles to some classic pop and rock covers)... The singers (usually 3 or more) are seen as the main entertainers.. they sing, dance ,engage the audience between songs... the band only supports them.

Music is a visual art too and there are some situations where a music stand is OK..
 
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#325
jmhaslip said:
If you're reading notation then of course, yes. BUT, if all you're doing reading lyrics then no. IMHO it looks unprofessional. I never understood those who can memorize chord changes/bass lines but insist on reading the lyrics to songs they've sung for years.
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This ^

We had a guitarist who couldn't remember the chord changes to simple rock songs (4 or 5 chords max) or the lyrics. He was a good singer and a fair guitarist on the songs he knew but for those he didn't know he never took his eyes off his crib sheets.

He was surprised when I wound the band up after the other guitarist and I started a side project that really tool off. He still keeps in contact with the other guitarist and says he wouldn't mind joining us, NO WAY!
 
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#326
I don't mind the iPad on the mic stand thing, that's fine, but a big old music stand with papers being flipped through and singers doing karaoke on stage, to me, it looks hackish and unprofessional and not something I would want to see if going out to see a live band.

I get that even the pros use teleprompters for lyrics, again, the iPad on the mic stand thing, OK, I guess..
 
#327
It really depends on how, not whether, it is used. I saw the Paul Jost trio Friday night (vocalist, upright bass, piano). Both the vocalist and bassist had music stands, and the pianist had his music on the piano. But that did not interfere with their emoting to the crowd - both during and between songs. Frankly, I have never been to a show, rock, jazz, or otherwise, where there was as much a connection between artist and audience. Did they need to look at the music at times? Yes. Were their heads buried in the paper? No.
 
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#328
I voted no but have been fighting the battle with 2 bands for years. I do think a mounted iPad is a reasonable compromise for bar bands.
For me I find it hard to engage the audience and other band members fixated on a stand.
 
#330
4-fingers said:
I don't like stands in classic rock and country bands. I'm ok with iPads attached to mic stands. What bothers me most is playing with musicians with stands in front of them that don't put them to good use........
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I'm really down on stands for a variety of reasons, but also see that they can be necessary.

When I played trombone in an orchestra and stage band in college, we all used stands. A lot of people are trying to coordinate their sound in a precise way. And the goal is to play as well as possible to improve the show.

When playing intensely complicated music, it may also be needed. Again, this is to improve the quality of the music, improving the quality of the show.

Also, when I play at church I am there solely to play the music well and often expected to play songs I was only introduced to an hour before the service. I use a stand.

But in classic rock and pop bands, the music is not technically that difficult. And the "show" is a lot more than just the music. Showmanship by the musicians involved is part of it, and playing the music competently is the other part. This has no room for music stands. Know your part. Know your lyrics. Period.

Watch one of the small pop bands perform at Disneyland some time. No stands. Watch a big band play pretty much anywhere and they have stands.

Sure, when you're playing for beer you can get away with using stands. Personally, if I'm no better than that I might as well sell my basses.
 
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#331
Robroy said:
I'm really down on stands for a variety of reasons, but also see that they can be necessary.

When I played trombone in an orchestra and stage band in college, we all used stands. A lot of people are trying to coordinate their sound in a precise way. And the goal is to play as well as possible to improve the show.

When playing intensely complicated music, it may also be needed. Again, this is to improve the quality of the music, improving the quality of the show.

Also, when I play at church I am there solely to play the music well and often expected to play songs I was only introduced to an hour before the service. I use a stand.

But in classic rock and pop bands, the music is not technically that difficult. And the "show" is a lot more than just the music. Showmanship by the musicians involved is part of it, and playing the music competently is the other part. This has no room for music stands. Know your part. Know your lyrics. Period.

Watch one of the small pop bands perform at Disneyland some time. No stands. Watch a big band play pretty much anywhere and they have stands.

Sure, when you're playing for beer you can get away with using stands. Personally, if I'm no better than that I might as well sell my basses.
Click to expand...


Bolded...those guys more than likely rehearse and practice a lot more than the average tb'er, hence no stands.

Guys like me, who probably only get to practice on their own a few hours a week, and are in bands that are difficult to schedule rehearsals for, need stands.

Trust me, I wish neither of the above were true for me, but thats my reality and I deal with it the best way I can.

That said, do I have my nose in the music stand for an entire song? No...its there for reference at the beginning. the rest of the time my eyes are on the band leader watching for cues and hand signals.
 
#332
unless you're in a jazz band, orchestra, or the Glenn Miller band or something, music stands, to me, when we are talking about rock and pop, especially for singers (including IPADs, lyric sheets on the floor or monitor) scream "lazy" to me. and people who are glued to music stands can't be putting on a very good show and/or interacting with the audience as much as they could be. Learn the effing songs - I have to!
 
#333
I'm OK with it for everybody except the singers; AND if the stands are out of the way or to the side.

When I play 3 sets, there are times where I will print out one page of notes for the entire night; and the notes are always off to the side of the stage that I refer to between songs.

I admit am also the worlds crappiest singer, and I have given my try at singing. I totally get that memorizing lyrics is much harder than memorizing the song to play; so I get it.

BUT! Our singer has a tiny Android tablet that she swears she never looks at, and she keeps it low so nobody notices it.

BUT! When you watch our videos, you can totally see her glancing at the lyrics, even though she honestly says she is not (and I truly believe that she really does not think she looks at her tablet). But, it is soo obvious and distracting in the video, that now I notice it everywhere. You can totally see when singers have the lyrics in front of them, you might as well be ordering a drink in the next room: your band has totally lost it's connection to the audience.

I tell our guys; when we are playing a live show, all eyes and attention are on the lead singer. Nobody is there to watch me fumble around on the bass mumbling incoherent background harmonies. And every time the lead singer looks at the lyrics, the band might as well be in the next room. It sucks, but it's true, lead singers are the connection to the audience...
 
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#334
QORC said:
unless you're in a jazz band, orchestra, or the Glenn Miller band or something, music stands, to me, when we are talking about rock and pop, especially for singers (including IPADs, lyric sheets on the floor or monitor) scream "lazy" to me. and people who are glued to music stands can't be putting on a very good show and/or interacting with the audience as much as they could be. Learn the effing songs - I have to!
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Resurrecting here, in honor of Prince. Just ran across this 2002 video of Prince and the New Power Generation on The Tonight Show and it reminded me of all these TB threads.

Prince's very large (but very low) music stand is visible ~ 1:48-2:02, 2:45, 3:53-3:58, and again at 4:17—which is the point in the video where the studio audience is losing their minds cheering for the nasty tight...oops, sorry, I mean lazy, phoned-in performance they just had the good fortune to witness.

It's not the hammer; it's how you swing it. (Pretty sure Prince was down with TB's doctrine of "no cargo shorts on stage," though.)

 
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#336
I see so many people using iPads, tablets, or phones on stage anymore, I think this is kind of a moot discussion. Many say that they use them for their setlist, but I see lots of "setlists" with charts.

No one really cares about seeing tablets on stage in my experience, but some question music stands. I say spend $40 on a cheap tablet and rock on.
 
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#338
I hope not.

I was shooting for something like British irony (saying what's clearly the opposite of what's intended, for playful effect) rather than sarcasm (irony with an intention to wound or harm)—but irony in all its moods is tricky in print, and more tricky online.

IOW, internet irony is dangerous enough that it should probably require an operator's license, and I might not yet rate more than a learner's permit.
 
#339
tonybassman said:
I wore shorts onstage on the 4th of July. We played at a pool bar in a very large resort. I also used a stand. The crowd loved us.

Do I win?
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Yep, you win, in the category of screw 'em if they don't like it. Your band, your performance, your bass, your wardrobe. There's no right or wrong to it, just alot of hot air that's a little too opinionated if you ask me.

We just had a gig last Sunday, pouring rain outside so got moved into the small bar room about 4 ft from the kitchen and roasted our chestnuts off. And even with a music stand and shorts we had a fantastic gig! So we won too!

The only difference between my music stand that I try to set low and off to the side and Tom Petty's teleprompter is a few hundred bucks and some time programming.
 
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