Pet Peeve: Bands hinding behind music stands

[chuck3]

I think stands for rock bass players or guitarists are weak; the songs aren't that complicated to begin with. However, if the lead singer needs an unobtrusive stand for all the lyrics, I'm OK with that.

I think stands for jazz are OK. There's a lot of chords in them-thar tunes, and one doesn't always have enough practice time to memorize them all.

 

[James Judson]

I use a music stand. If I'm permitted to use my cheat sheets I know 4,000 songs (recently counted them). How many do you know??? Do the math. Never had a fan ask or comment on the stand. Only musicians seem to have a problem with it. If I'm ever in the situation Tom Jones is in (playing the same sets night after night), I'll probably loose the stand in a week or so.

 

[totallyfrozen]

Music stands don't bother me nearly as much as misspelled thread titles.
You know, since it only takes 15 seconds to proofread your thread title but a day or more to memorize a songs.

 

[Jazzdogg]

Different strokes for different genres.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

I rarely use a music stand on stage, except for a jazz gig.

But I did a last-minute, unrehearsed, sub gig last week where I had about a week to learn 45+ new-to-me songs , ~15 of which were the artist's original material. Some was straight ahead rock/pop, but only 3 or 4 were "3-chord" songs. I kept a stand off to the side where I could easily see it as needed.

In the end, it worked out great - I had my cheat-sheets, the stand was unobtrusive, and I didn't miss anything I had cued in my notes (there were a few missed cues that were NOT in my notes because we didn't really have time for a rehearsal - nothing serious, though).

 

[Marginal Tom]

One reason you never see a star singer using a music stand is that many of them rely on teleprompters. Some Nashville stars (and probably others in different genres) do this even at their own concerts, where they have complete control over the set list.

 

[Baron Von Vik]

No stands.
I've had to resort to taping progressions on the floor, but I'd just kick a stand over. I practice with one, though.

 

[PJSShearer]

I'm doing a gig a week on Saturday with a band I dep for coccasionally and the Guitard and singer both use stands. For the songs I don't know, I can usually "earwig" them (see my sig), if not, I can just about see the guitards stand from where I am (he has the words with the chords), but mostly I just watch his left hand .

 

[Bassdirty]

My singer uses a lyric book, just in case he forgets a line or whatever.
(were constantly learning new material, which can be tough memorizing words.)

HOWEVER..it is a 3 ring binder type, on the floor , hidden behind a monitor.
So...I think thats a good way.

JMO?



O, but for my acoustc duo, We do use music stands.
But, somehow that seems different than the coverband.

 

[Howlin' Hanson]

I used to play in a band with a singer who was always forgetting lyrics. am i crazy for quitting because she couldnt remember the words to songs she wrote? just sayin.

So are you saying she SHOULD have used a stand, but she was too proud? Or she thought it looked unprofessional, so she traded the look in order to SOUND unprofessional??

Since she wrote the songs herself, you might think she would have some connection to those lyrics, though. You're not crazy for quitting.

 

[nobodysfool]

Not when I play, buddy! I make my flubs low and loud!

I have always operated from the attitude that if you hit a clam, hit it again, and act as though you meant to do that. If it's questioned, the answer is, "what, you've never heard of jazz?" To me, bass is not a subtle, nuanced instrument. It can be, but that's not its primary function.

I tell up and coming guys, "Play like you mean it, even if it's wrong". That's how I learned, and after playing in a country band in the 80's where I had to learn nearly every song on stage with no rehearsal, it burned all the fear out of me.

 

[Ric5]

The main reason I prefer to play without stands is that I play better when I don't play from sheet music. But if I don't know a song then I need a cheat sheet.

 

[invader3k]

Stands suck. I know from experience.

I have played with singers who have used stands, and it's always a big crutch. They don't put in the effort to learn the lyrics or work on the songs at home. So they stand on stage looking down, and have no stage presence whatsoever. It makes for a really lame show, especially for a rock and roll band where part of the lead singer's job is to be energetic and get the crowd into the experience. I was in a band for a while that had two female lead singers, and neither would get the lyrics down. They couldn't even memorize half a set list. They didn't get why this was a problem; and this was part of the reason why I ended up quitting that fiasco.

One of the worst offenses I saw was a rock & roll cover band doing southern rock standards at a Fourth of July bash. The lead singer had a huge stand positioned directly in front of the microphone, dead center in front of the stage, with a big binder containing all their songs. He just stood there reading off the sheets, and was even flipping to the next song before the band even finished the current one! If that's the kind of care a band puts into their show, then why should the audience care either?

I have worked with singers where they would have lyric "cheat sheets" with the first sentence of each verse written out. One guy I know uses these on a stand, but he keeps it low to the ground with a small light illuminating it. I think this is OK; as it's unobtrusive and can be positioned so the audience doesn't really see it.

When I first started out as a bass player, I would write out the basic chord structures on the set list (as I'd usually have the singer email the set list a day or two before our gig), and have it taped to the floor or to the back of a nearby PA column. I could glance at the chords quick, before we played. Since then, I know all the songs I play by heart and don't have to use this trick anymore.

 

[ghiadub]

I don't use them but my large jazz band does. Mostly the horns. Pretty much every jazz band I have played with uses them except for the free jazz stuff.

The Rule in my jazz trio is that we only play songs we know, so no stands there.

Any rock band should be stoned for playing with stands.

 

[corinpills]

I use a music stand. If I'm permitted to use my cheat sheets I know 4,000 songs (recently counted them). How many do you know???

Well, I suppose I "know" the same 4,000 songs if I can read them as well. When you say "know", you really mean that you know how to read, right? I know 8 hours of covers without any cheat sheets because I actually know the chords, lyrics and melody. Pretty sure we could all read songs as long as necessary.

 

[RustyAxe]

Also, flubbed words are a bit more obvious to the audience than a clam on the bass.

Yep. A bad note on the bass can be corrected by the the next note. Start off a verse with the wrong lyrics, and you have an exercise in extemporaneous composition ... which may not end well.

 

[Blueszilla]

I agree about using a stand in a rock/blues setting, it looks out of place, very un-rock 'n roll, but if I'm in the audience I don't really care, especially if the band is good. I play two standing gigs a week, a variety of material, blues, country, jazz/standards, pop, just about anything, and I share a stand with the keys/guitar/vocalist. I've gotten to the point of knowing lots of jazz tunes from memory, after reading the chord charts for a few years. Some standards are easy learnin' (Fly me to the moon, Summerwind, Autumn Leaves), some aren't. Like someone said, it's better to play from memory than relying on the chart (IMO). Tunes like Confirmation, Crystal Silence or Good Morning Heartache, I've been able to memorize, but we don't play them all every week, so charts, and a stand, are necessary.

So what?

 

[MNAirHead]

Stands..

When bass and drums have the easiest parts to memorize.. most times it's not necessary.;

Singers and Keys.. often have tons and tons of details... as I understadn production more, a reference is OK.. face in the book is not cool

=====

REmember there are tons of us who play with multiple acts. .. I"m NOT going to memorize 60 songs for a 2x fill in spot..

 

[gjbassist]

I'm not a fan of music stands for bands either! The guitar player in my current band uses one and IMO it makes him look like he doesn't always know what he is doing. He keeps the set list on it as well as lyrics and is always thumbing through it between songs. He says he needs it to remember the lyrics to the songs he sings. I sing about a third of the songs and memorize the lyrics so I don't have to use a stand. I think it just looks more professional.

 

[coldfoot_luke]

For jazz bands, sure, there are usually more chord changes, as well as a wider variety of chords, per song.

For any other style... no way. The average song has a typical verse-chorus-bridge structure, there's no excuse not t have it memorized. If you need help remembering because you're drinking during the show, don't drink. If you need help remembering because you haven't rehearsed the songs enough, rehearse more and woodshed to do you homework before the show.

The singer/guitarist of my old band had a music stand with a notebook of lyrics. Fine for practice. But for shows... His excuse was there was three hours of music to remember... but half of our gig was originals. He always made fun of other bands (that's another thread altogether) but couldn't come up with an explanation of how they could play three hours of music without a crutch. You can't engage an audience if you're squinting to read text in dim light.

So, during the first, and only show he had the music stand and notebook on stage, he was barely managing to play guitar, sing, and read at the same time... my brother came to the show, and when he noticed the stand, grabbed it and walked away. Singer almost panicked mid-song, but managed to pull those lyrics from the cobwebs of his memory and saved face. I covered my brother's tab that night for the good move