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Music Stands on Stage??
- Thread starter DoggBisket
- Start date
Eh. If I see a cover band in a rock club using music stands then I'm gonna laugh at them. There's no excuse for them in that situation.
I have seen vocalists with a lyric book - on the floor in front of them.
I have seen vocalists with a lyric book - on the floor in front of them.
Huh? A guy that's making millions a year doing music full time around the world is allowed to cheat, but a guy with a day job playing two weekends a month at $100 a night is not allowed a little help on stage?
Feels backwards to me.
It all depends on the gig and the venue. Jazz ensemble, classical, wedding band, okay. Cover band, it depends. If you're playing on stage at an actual show bar, I would say that it would be better not to have stands. If you're playing in a corner bar doing three plus sets with no stage and have over 50 songs, then having a stand with lyric sheets to glance at now and then is fine, as long as it's not at face level.
I would much prefer to play well and have some stands then flub through the music and look good. The look of panic as you are trying to remember material on the spot that you don't know looks much worse than having a stand anyway!
I would much prefer to play well and have some stands then flub through the music and look good. The look of panic as you are trying to remember material on the spot that you don't know looks much worse than having a stand anyway!
What's the point of having a chart if it's somewhere you can't see it?
Here's a question for anyone who rags on using stands: How many of you can sightread? How many of you have gigs in which you'd be comfortable showing up and playing charts sight unseen?
+1. How is this unprofessional? It sounds like quite the contrary to me.
+1 many people who read the same music over and over wont remember the it without the music. Use the music to learn the material but commit it to memory for performances (unless you are in a symphony or orchestra... it's looks right in those cases).
Maybe if an artist has such a vast catalog of lyrics they can keep a stand a few feet away for a quick peek would be ok. But if your fans don't mind it's all good.I'm ALL FOR a music stand.If it makes you play that piece of music better??Have at it!!I,for one,don't wanna stand on stage with someone "stumbling" their way thru a song.I like,no,I INSIST(!!)that the band sounds good.Or,I don't play.End of story.I don't bring a shovel to gigs with me,to dig myself a hole because I'm embarrassed.If a stand makes a difference in that,then so be it.Just don't be diggin' through sheets of music in between songs!Have your turds in a herd.Be prepared.
It's not the cheating, it is the sight of an ugly metal music stand. When I am in the audience and see a band with one or more of those things on stage, especially out front, it is a big turn off for me.
I have one of those mic-stand mount music holders, and it's very discreet. It's there for lyric sheeets if I need it, and if I don't, it serves as a tuner, SABDDI, or drink table.
+1
For my main rock band I don't need charts (we rehearse enough), but for subbing gigs, I'll use charts and a music stand. No one calls me the worse for it cause I still smoke it on the bass.
+1
There are so many variations of band type, venue, philosophy, circumstance... Making a blanket statement for ANY band is sort of silly.
It all depends on the band your in. If it's casual and stands are a factor, I agree that they should be out of sight as much as possible. If your band is supposed to be big-time and the gigs you're doing say 'No stands, man. Have everything memorized.' then - no stands, man.
Both of my current bands have members who will use stands and so far it's been fine. I do agree that when the singer has a stand and it's up face-high, it really blows the look - so in that regard, I'd say that's sort of poor form - but again - it's all contingent upon your band and the scene your in.
Kind of in the same vein, is the whole standing/sitting thing. I played in a band once with a lead guitarist who was very good but had some weight and heart issues and as a result started showing up to gigs with a stool and sitting for most of the show. We were a pretty high-energy band playing bar gigs and it started making us all pretty self-conscious to have him up there on that stool. We'd look at pictures from the shows and it was like we were four rockers and one studio musician. Eventually we parted ways with the guitarist and there were a lot of other issues besides just that, but it was one of them.
OTOH for my church's worship team we all have stools up there and the players stand or sit on each song depending on however they "feel it", and in that context it doesn't seem like nearly as big of deal.
OTOH for my church's worship team we all have stools up there and the players stand or sit on each song depending on however they "feel it", and in that context it doesn't seem like nearly as big of deal.
Depends. If I was a sub and was being asked to learn 40 songs in one week you can bet your @$$ that I would at least have a few charts up on stage to help me through songs that I`m less familiar with. I`m not going to make myself look like a fumbling fool or make the band sound bad just to make a few people who I`ll probably never see again think we "look" more professional.
I rate musicians by what I hear. Not by what I see.
Having said that, I would put the stand to the side of the stage or by the side of my amp so it wouldn`t obscure the view of us playing.
*edit* I wanted to add that anyone who bases a bands professional level by what they see might as well be the same people who put a band/player down because someone uses a Squire.
I rate musicians by what I hear. Not by what I see.
Having said that, I would put the stand to the side of the stage or by the side of my amp so it wouldn`t obscure the view of us playing.
*edit* I wanted to add that anyone who bases a bands professional level by what they see might as well be the same people who put a band/player down because someone uses a Squire.
Apart from the fact I could play - and still can - the main reason I was always working when I was working was because I could sight read - so to me a music stand almost denoted the fact I was a proferssional.
Of all of the regular working bands I was in - i.e. we were playing multple (5+) nights every week, not just the weekend warriors - there was only one where we didn't play from charts (tadpoles on telephone wires).
Typically the Band would have a pad 2 or 3" thick with 200+ arrangements that the leader could call at any time, some of which we might have rehearsed when a new chart was added, but mostly I saw for the first time when they were called (and sometimes never saw again) - and was expected to get right more-or-less the first time.
BTW - When "sight reading" you do get a pass when the dots start to resemble flysh*t, but you still are expected to get it right second time!!!.
Then there would be cabaret acts who'd arrive before the club opened with their own charts that we'd have a 1 hour rehearsal to get a 45 minute set tight - if they were running late we'd get by with just a talk-through in the break beforehand, and were still expected to get it tight!!.
So apart from from the occasional Rock'n'roll, MOR, Country and Jazz gigs where I either knew the songs, could Busk them (Fake for our US readers) or eyeball the Guitarist's (or piano player's) left hand - a music stand was part of my musical life - I could also use it to park the Guitar Player Magazine whilst the comedian was on!!..
Of all of the regular working bands I was in - i.e. we were playing multple (5+) nights every week, not just the weekend warriors - there was only one where we didn't play from charts (tadpoles on telephone wires).
Typically the Band would have a pad 2 or 3" thick with 200+ arrangements that the leader could call at any time, some of which we might have rehearsed when a new chart was added, but mostly I saw for the first time when they were called (and sometimes never saw again) - and was expected to get right more-or-less the first time.
BTW - When "sight reading" you do get a pass when the dots start to resemble flysh*t, but you still are expected to get it right second time!!!.
Then there would be cabaret acts who'd arrive before the club opened with their own charts that we'd have a 1 hour rehearsal to get a 45 minute set tight - if they were running late we'd get by with just a talk-through in the break beforehand, and were still expected to get it tight!!.
So apart from from the occasional Rock'n'roll, MOR, Country and Jazz gigs where I either knew the songs, could Busk them (Fake for our US readers) or eyeball the Guitarist's (or piano player's) left hand - a music stand was part of my musical life - I could also use it to park the Guitar Player Magazine whilst the comedian was on!!..
Yep. The biggest gig I ever played was a Sunday morning worship service at a major outdoor music festival. It was a throw-together band and thankfully I had history with the drummer but we only had like 4 or 5 rehearsals to put together a 10-song set. Came the morning of the gig, I had extensive notes for each song that I taped down in front of me flat so I could look down and see them but no one could see anything from the front.
Ironically, the only biffs I made during that set were the time I looked down to check my cheat sheets. In retrospect I probably would have been better off without them.
