Music Stands on Stage

[Febs]

Lol. Great example. Steely Dan was almost the DEFINITION of a true "studio band" - who worked endlessly on their albums but did not do that much live music.

in fact, they did not play live AT all between 1974 and 1993 - even during the height of their popularity. NEVER. so read that again. Your point is what? They only toured after their albums stopped selling and they became older. so much for your example

Steely Dan was a prog-rock, jazz-fusion type of band. Hardly a typical rock band by stretch of the imagination. Very complicated stuff and they aren't about the visual performance. and by the way? Walter Becker is dead. It's not Steely Dan anyway. Its Donald Fagen and others. just collecting money on the nostalgia circuit.

We're not talking about pro bands anyway. We're talking about people like us. your typical bar bands.

but as long as you want to play the game of "I HAVE AN EXCEPTION!" funny how Rush doesn't need music stands. Or Zep. Or Aerosmith. or or or....can give you a thousand examples. but it's all beside the point. You're not in a famous band, I guarantee it.

If you're so lame as a rock musician that you need a music stand, you need to give it up. Learn the damn songs, like 99.9% of rock musicians do. I have to keep about 100 songs in my head. More than most. And I've never used an IPAD, music stand, or cheat sheets. I do the work. It's rock and pop stuff, not exactly the NY Symphony kinda stuff is it? And yeah, how you perform counts as part of your performance. If you're tied to a music stand, your performance suffers

Is this your band?

 

[QORC]

LOL. No not at all. I assure you that I have provided no information in my profile to lead anyone to my true identity. I have my reasons, one of which you've just proven. in fact, I planted false information in my profile so as to maintain my privacy, and of course, to trip up people like you.

I assure you that I'm not in the vid you posted, I don't play in a trio, or in a band with that name, or play with anyone so lazy as to use a music stand. I would never play with any band where a singer/guitarist was using a music stand. I don't even live in Elberon any longer. lol

So your attempt to address my comment by trying to embarrass me with unrelated information about myself has fallen completely flat.

but thank you for playing!

 

[Rebel Rocker]

I answered a simple "no" but I suppose I could let a jazz band get away with it.

Pit orchestras aren't on stage so they don't count. They're in the pit for a reason.

But if you play in a pop/rock/variety/top 20/soul/funk/R&B band with a music stand you may as well go ahead and slap on some shorts, sandals with black socks or bleach white snaekers, stupid backwards beany hat, and every other awful old unprofessional bass player stereotype while you're at it. It's just awful.

If you don't have time enough or talent enough to learn the songs then (my opinion of course) you don't have time or talent enough to be on stage.

If I ever paid a cover charge and walked in to see some guy dressed like he would on Saturday morning looking through his reading glasses at a music stand I would want my money back so I could go see a band that gives a crap.

If I am going to pay you, you should be special. You should LOOK dideferential than anyone I'm the audience. And you should be talented enough to warrant being paid..... which means you know the songs BEFORE you show up.

I play only fill in gigs these days. I may play 20 songs in a given show I have never preformed live before. I do keep a chart book just in casE I have a brain far (or the band surprises me with an "alternative arrangement "). But it stays on the floor behind my wedge monitor and the majority of the crowd doesn't ever know it's there. I turn the page with the tip of my shoes.

But if I were a member of a band you can believe there would be no stupid beany hats and no music stands.

As I read your reply about music stands on stage all I can say is HECK YEAH I agree with every word you said!! Look like a band, Act like a band and know what you're playing. If you need notes you're the only one that has to see them. the floor is a good place for them. In my hay day of playing if you showed up with a music stand the band would have kicked you out and your stand would have been right behind you. People knew we were the band.

 

[lfmn16]

I wish I was 16 again and had all day to do nothing but memorize lyrics. Unfortunately with a life outside of music and a failing memory, I need help remembering words to the tunes. However, none of us need some self-righteous asshat’s permission to use a music stand on stage. The doors to all my gigs swing both ways.

I do agree that a singer, or musician , staring at a music stand right in their face all night is distracting.

 

[Rebel Rocker]

I wish I was 16 again and had all day to do nothing but memorize lyrics. Unfortunately with a life outside of music and a failing memory, I need help remembering words to the tunes. However, none of us need some self-righteous asshat’s permission to use a music stand on stage. The doors to all my gigs swing both ways.

I do agree that a singer, or musician , staring at a music stand right in their face all night is distracting.

Age changes things. Trust me I know there's things I use to do on stage I don't do now. And things I do now that I didn't need to do then. Just do what you need to do to play and have fun. That's what playing is about for most of us now. HAVING FUN.

 

[Space Pickle]

DEATH TO MUSIC STANDS

 

[Jokei]

I play in a loud, "rock" type band and I <3 a music stand on stage - I use it for my drinks

 

[buldog5151bass]

My first gig with a new band. I learned 45 songs in 4 weeks. I have a small stand off to the side with set list and a few cues. Will me eyes be buried in it? No. Will it be obvious to the audience? No. Will it be nice so I can glance over and know a few changes? Yes.

 

[QORC]

I play as a fill-in a few times a year in a band where the singer has lyric sheets at his feet, usually laying on his wedge. and he rips them off one song at a time. we all hate it. Why can't he simply learn the lyrics?? He spends far too much time with his head down reading the sheets than engaging the crowd. It distracts. So in general, yes, I'm against them. We are there to entertain and to me IPADs, music stands and the like tend to hurt the visual part of the performance. by the way, we do covers. and frankly not that many of them. Why this guy doesn't learn the songs is beyond me...but everyone can tell he's reading something based on his posture. No music stand, but the effect is the same when you stay in one spot and keep your eyes glued to something at your feet...

 

[sean_on_bass]

I play as a fill-in a few times a year in a band where the singer has lyric sheets at his feet, usually laying on his wedge. and he rips them off one song at a time. we all hate it. Why can't he simply learn the lyrics?? He spends far too much time with his head down reading the sheets than engaging the crowd. It distracts. So in general, yes, I'm against them. We are there to entertain and to me IPADs, music stands and the like tend to hurt the visual part of the performance. by the way, we do covers. and frankly not that many of them. Why this guy doesn't learn the songs is beyond me...but everyone can tell he's reading something based on his posture. No music stand, but the effect is the same when you stay in one spot and keep your eyes glued to something at your feet...

Sounds like a stand would be an improvement in this case...better than looking straight down. But yeah learning lyrics should be easy...just play the song in the car over and over again.

 

[QORC]

yeah but a music stand in an ACDC tribute??? I think I would refuse to fill-in for them! it's bad enough him staring at his wedge most of the night!

 

[GuiTuber]

You know what is really amusing, watching actors at an awards show reading from a teleprompter. People who memorize lines for a living can't be given the text of what they will say when presenting an award?

People like to compare orchestras or jazz ensembles to bar bands and ask what's the difference? When it comes to rock and roll, there is a certain amount of "theater" in the performance. Whether it's the front man doing his gyrations or the lead guitarist coming out front to show off his chops. When we go to the theater, we don't expect to see the players reading from the script.

Using something discrete on stage to prompt you from time to time isn't so bad when you're talking about a weekend warrior band, but once you get into touring and really being professional, any aids on stage are a buzz kill.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I wish I was 16 again and had all day to do nothing but memorize lyrics. Unfortunately with a life outside of music and a failing memory, I need help remembering words to the tunes. However, none of us need some self-righteous asshat’s permission to use a music stand on stage. The doors to all my gigs swing both ways.

I do agree that a singer, or musician , staring at a music stand right in their face all night is distracting.

This is pretty much right on, "none of us need some self-righteous asshat's permission to use a music stand on stage."

I have one that I've used less and less. But I also do not trust a tablet to not power off or not work. So what I've done is take one legal size sheet of paper and put "critical" notes I might need on it and lay it on the floor where I can glance for occasional needs. The notes won't need to make sense to anyone else but it's just what I need. For example, at one time I had "crap/lack/girls/imagination" on there. Those were the key words I needed to sing Kodachrome, and now they don't even appear on my cheat sheet.

But according to the "self-righteous asshats" I still lose because I'll wear shorts in July for an outdoor lakeside gig.

Whatever, you play your gig and keep your judgements or mine to yourself unless I ask for them.

 

[QORC]

I think the purpose of the thread was to ask opinions on the subject, was it not?

 

[JRA]

the OP/poll suggested several possibilities regarding the use of music stands.

some of the responses in the thread (against stand use) are by folks who couldn't read music in the first place. so i'm suggesting that if you can't read music = do not use a music stand.

 

[blue4]

Stands, shorts, hat, glasses, I don't care. You can have stage presence and engage the audience with all those things.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Stands, shorts, hat, glasses, I don't care. You can have stage presence and engage the audience with all those things.

EXACTLY!!

Every band is different because every band has what? Different band members! Rock on, it's your gig!