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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.
#42
I play in a Grateful Dead (tribute?) band. We do almost the whole catalog ,so in the area of 250 - 300 songs and we have gone 14 shows without a repeat . I use a stand, about knee height with the bridges and real odd parts printed out large and it helps. I rarely need it any more and more often than not I just use a quick glance to make sure I remember it right. I spend the rest of the time making eye contact with the crowd. I smile .. A LOT. :)
 
#45
Sometimes stands are very necessary for jazz cats who get a call to play a time and date without rehearsal. Whether its an emergency rescue acct of the usual bassist cut himself or maybe the BL just expects you to know what the fk your doing. Your giving the size of the band and what compilations you'll be playing from. Sometimes you don't know who your playing with until you show up. The BL reads the room and decides in what direction the show will go and then gives everyone a vague overview of what the first three or four tunes will be. He then calls out a song title, page number, key and tempo from the real book, fake book or whatever volume your reading from. 3,4 and you are all up in it.

Now, I can do this without a music stand but I've gotta have my books for a job like this. Which are really few and far between and reserved for only the coolest of cats. And I totally agree with JollySpudd, the end-all is to not have to use charts which again, IMHO, is a long road to hoe. I'd rather not be dependent on paper.
 
#47
the_stoot64 said:
Show bands and orchestras are fine. I don't want to see music stands or ipads on stage if there are loud guitars.
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I agree that they look out of place in original rock bands for sure and in rock guitar cover bands.

Just off the top of my head... Wil Lee used charts all the time, and the band recycled songs regularly. Can't argue with Will Lee. He even used one as he was front and center at that Buddy Rich tribute concert, and he read from it the whole time he was front and center.

The great guy on Live at Darryl's house was using a low-set stand with iPad and he was clearly reading it on the Aloe Blacc episode. And they were EASY lines, esp for him.

One of those British fests televised on Paladia. Monster bassist backing up many artists (but probably "only" two hours of music, really). He didn't look constantly but did look frequently. Had a low-set stand with a book of charts. Still, he was essentially playing lines as originally recorded (great, busy lines with fast plucking hand). It is just very critical that the bass always be there and "on", especially in songs that are very groove-oriented or would suffer from a bass player dumbing down or noodling the line from original. Pounding out 8th notes roots and fifths? No stand. A tribute band purporting to give the real experience? No stand. A jazz band where improvised walking bass is the norm. No stand. But a sub in a whole band making less than $1000? Tough to find a guy whose gonna play those Soul, Motown and dance/disco songs even close to note for note on short notice for $200 or less? Good luck. Yes, no stand is ideal but I'd never walk away from a killer band just cuz someone is using a chart, as long as the front man is engaging the crowd.
 
#49
I don't like seeing stands, but I wonder if a bassist behind a stand is any worse than a bassist hidden behind everything else sometimes crammed onto a small stage or a bassist standing immobile, making no eye contact with the audience or his band mates. Or the bassist I saw a few weeks ago who played the whole gig looking at floor or with his back to us, gulping a beer. He made Bill Wyman look like Mick Jagger.
 
#50
In my younger days, my band(s) would play 4 sets of 12 songs. No one used a stand, but back then we didn't have all the wife/kids/adult responsibilities we have now. We rehearsed a couple times a week and could probably play the songs in our sleep. Right now, I'm playing at two worship services every Sunday with minimal (sometimes zero...) rehearsal time. Not all the songs are "second nature" like back in the bar days, so having a music stand is very helpful. I think I can summarize it this way: If people are paying to see/hear you, you need to be rehearsed enough to not need a music stand. Otherwise, it's acceptable.
 
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#52
Worship & Praise band....we use stands, mostly because we have well over 200 songs. I have 3 huge 3 ring binders full. With contunal song rotation, and seldom playing the same song more than 2 or 3 weeks in a row, it is impossible to have them all down. Some songs are done enough that I do have them down, but the stands are neccessary for us.
 
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#53
My "stand" is an iPad on a short mic stand, usually set camouflaged near the drum hardware. It's the set list with a few chord progressions, notes on things I forget and sometimes effects selections. I use it mostly to get a picture of the song in my head. When I check it during a song, I interact with the drummer to further disguise how lame I truly am. :D
 
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#54
As much as I know it looks unprofessional in our band, we use them anyways. I don't sit around at home memorizing lyrics as much as I should, and apparently the singer doesn't either.

We're not the most dynamic band in terms of stage presence anyways. Guitarist just stands there staring at his fretboard. Singer looking at the lyrics. I keep my eyes closed too long with the funk face. I really don't know or care what the drummer is doing.

Music... no problem. Lyrics... always a fun disaster when the singer and I screw them up when doing harmonies. I learned to react quickly to what the singer is singing.
 
#57
It depends.

And look guys. .... I was a stagehand for 17years. 90% of the shows I did. ...all kinds of genres.... used teleprompters. Most had just lyrics. ...but many had " this song key of A" or something- acting as a digital set list.

An originals band playing 12 songs tops. ..... yes- stands are kinda silly. But when you're doing 4 hours worth of stuff with 100+ songs in the barrel, well. ... I think some cliff notes should be allowed.
We are a three piece cover band and our guitarist/ singer uses a stand for lyrics. We have alot of songs and he does alot of work. * shrug* we've never heard a single comment about it. I personally have still retained enough memory not need charts or cheatsheets. .... but the more I sing- the more I have to think about the song before we start. The day will come.

Ianhin said:
No music stands 4 bands. Looks unprofessional. I m a new bass player, i joined a cover band and had to learn about 30 songs in one month - i was dedicated and did it - and i play sans a stand.
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Ianhin said:
No that s the singers job. My job is to play bass WITHOUT a stand , it s the singers job to know his words, i play far more notes than he sings words.
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That's nice. ... 30 songs? No singing/ backup vocals? Cool. Nice breezy gig you have there.

Question. ..... what will you do for the other two hours?
 
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#58
What a ridiculous question. If the gig requires the reading of sheet music, than how can you not have music stands on stage? Besides...if the band sounds good and plays good, who cares??? Having music stands onstage has no bearing on anything. That's why they were invented: for the musician to read his music!
 
#59
Speaking only of my genre of choice -- classic to modern rock covers -- I hate seeing cover bands with music stands. Without fail, the performers use them as a crutch which sucks the life out of their stage presence. It also adds pregnant pauses between songs as the performers are fumbling to find the right page. It's especially irksome when it's like one of the bands in my town -- a bunch of guys in their 60s who presumably have been hearing and playing the songs on their list for decades. Seriously, you really need a music stand and a chord chart for "Fortunate Son"?

I'm proud of my lead singer for the fact that I've never once seen him use a stand at a gig or practice in the nearly 5 years I've played with him, even with the new songs on our list. He comes prepared. I think it makes him a much more dynamic front man.
 
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#60
The best option is not to have a stand at all; however, depending on the venue there may be a need for a stand. If you have to use a stand it should be minimized and as low as possible. Big band "tables" did an excellent job of hiding the charts, putting out an image, and setting the parameters of the stage. Soloists always stood and if they used a chart it was on that table. Nothing worse than someone with their stand in their face whether you are the audience or the conductor trying to get their attention.
 

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