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  #31  
Old 08-29-2011, 03:40 PM
PorkPieGuy PorkPieGuy is offline
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If you are any good, people won't remember if you used a music stand or not.
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  #32  
Old 08-29-2011, 03:49 PM
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Wow. This topic always gets folk worked up. Classical musicians almost always play with music stands. Same for musicians in pick up gigs like wedding bands, orchestra pits, etc. Some folks will cater to audience requests and have 300 plus songs at their finger tips. Use a music stand when needed.

Maybe the difference is between between musicians and entertainers? I enjoy seeing both. If someone is looking at a music stand while performing it's more like a recital right?

Take a peek at our song list on the web site below. We can perform all of the songs except for a few at any show. My wife has a wireless headset so she'll roam the floor often sitting at patrons tables, dancing, pouring drink, etc. I'm sitting playing guitar and percussion with my feet. We do everything possible to break down the barriers between us and the audience including mic stands and monitors. We'll often hand out percussion equipment and make it a jam session with the audience. It us so much fun for everyone.

How do we do it? We decided in the beginning we would not have a music stand on stage. It never became a crutch for us. Personally, I need to work at it. I practice frequently during the week on existing songs to keep it fresh in my mind with a metronome. Also try to learn new material and licks. It like she has a photographic memory. She says she thinks of a song as a story. Then memorizing the lyrics in the form of a story to be told. The Beatles "Come Together" was the hardest song for her to remember. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't turn it into a cohesive story. I think Performing frequently helps a lot.

You will make mistakes while performing with or without a music stand. Call them brain farts or whatever. And we do make mistakes. So, have fun with them and make it part of the show.
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Last edited by mike o; 08-29-2011 at 06:37 PM.
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  #33  
Old 08-29-2011, 04:20 PM
Kelly Grayum Kelly Grayum is offline
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I am a gigging musician, coffee shops, restaurants etc. After reading this thread through a few times it made me curious so I polled about 8 of my friends and family about the subject. When I asked them what they thought about performers using music stands when they were on stage all of them but one said they never even noticed or thought about it. They couldn't tell me one way or another if they had ever seen a performer using one. But guess what, the one person I asked that said he had seen them on stage on several occasions is a guitar player and a gigging musician like me. It just goes to show that most of the general public doesn't notice and doesn't care if the performer they are watching or listening to uses on or not. We musicians are usually a lot more critical of other musicians wether we want to admit it or not.
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  #34  
Old 08-29-2011, 04:27 PM
RockerDuck RockerDuck is offline
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I'm 57, sometimes I use a stand and sometimes not. Occasion prevails. I agree with another post that as you get older the memory is not as good. If I'm sitting down, more than likely I'll have a very low stand. When playing in a band, my monitor is my stand. However, technology has found me and my lyrics will be on my Kindle in a special hidden place. That won't look like a stand. Now, let me tell you, I've played over 40 years and in my younger days, in the 70's, the old guys I played with all had stands. So it is common to use stands as a crutch when you get older. It isn't a new thing at all. It is easy to be distracted when older than the bullet focus I had when younger. Heck, its hard to complete a conversation with someone my age that doesn't change subjects a dozen times.
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  #35  
Old 08-29-2011, 04:49 PM
slewis slewis is offline
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Kelly, that's probably a very relevant point!
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  #36  
Old 10-29-2011, 07:22 PM
billder99 billder99 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mike o View Post
OK. This is pet peeve for me. The only thing I hate more than seeing music stands is folks reading vocals from them....
Consider yourself fortunate if you have the ability to memorize the lyrics and music... not all of us do.

I don't suffer from a lack of intelligence (I am an engineer), but my memory works in strange and selective ways. I know I am not alone in this. I have to play a song many times over a LONG time (years) before I can memorize it fluidly, though I can play the song at performance level as long as I have lyrics and chords in front of me... my comfort blanket to peek at discretely when the gray matter locks up.

The vast majority of people will not even notice the stand if it is used professionally and efficiently, and if the musician's energy level and entertainment ability is high.

Last edited by Fliss; 10-30-2011 at 01:08 AM. Reason: AGF rule 1
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  #37  
Old 10-29-2011, 09:42 PM
jseth jseth is offline
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I'm fortunate that I remember lyrics and changes really well; I work off a songlist of about 300-400 tunes, but I know many more than that... there are quite a few songs that I just won't play, not even for a Benjamin or two...

However, that's when I'm playing what I WANT, and when I'm playing solo gigs; when I'm doing any sort of jazz gig, I would use a stand for my Real Books or fake books. If I'm accompanying another artist and doing their tunes, I'm going to use a chart unless i really have the tune down pat...

Admittedly, they can be a bit of a crutch for some performers, but in the overall scope of things, a music stand is not a determining factor of a player's ability or performance... like Jeff said, there's a "pro" way to use them...

I mean, what's all the hubbub, bub?

play on......................................>

John
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  #38  
Old 10-29-2011, 10:03 PM
Rick Shepherd Rick Shepherd is offline
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I would never use one for what I do, but I do understand why some would want to. If I were doing a solo acoustic gig, I would prefer to have the songs memorized, but I can see how using a stand could be acceptable in that situation. Wouldn't it be strange to see someone like John Denver, Jim Croce, or James Taylor, up on stage performing while looking at a music stand? However, if I were in a night club or restaurant providing acoustic music as background, the use of a stand would not be out of place. Personally, I would still practice to memorize all my material, but that is just me. I often see them used during orchestral performances, which is fine and expected.

Last edited by Rick Shepherd; 10-30-2011 at 07:57 AM.
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  #39  
Old 10-30-2011, 07:40 AM
sonicland sonicland is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Shepherd View Post
Wouldn't it be strange to see someone like John Denver, Jim Croce, or James Taylor, up on stage performing while looking at a music stand?
If I saw John Denver or Jim Croce on stage, I'd be a lot more concerned than whether they were using a music stand or not!

Sorry, couldn't resist.
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  #40  
Old 10-30-2011, 07:58 AM
Rick Shepherd Rick Shepherd is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sonicland View Post
If I saw John Denver or Jim Croce on stage, I'd be a lot more concerned than whether they were using a music stand or not!

Sorry, couldn't resist.
I see them on stage all the time on YouTube
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  #41  
Old 07-01-2012, 03:25 PM
trek1500 trek1500 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hansentj View Post
Yo Yo Ma uses a music stand. That's all the justification I need. Anyone gonna call him unprofessional?
Amen to that!
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  #42  
Old 07-01-2012, 03:29 PM
trek1500 trek1500 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PorkPieGuy View Post
If you are any good, people won't remember if you used a music stand or not.
I agree. I consider myself a pretty decent guitarist and I use a music stand and have never been criticized for it. I'm also not a professional. I play on my church's praise team and have for over 3 years...

I feel if given enough time to memorize the music.... playing without a stand is ok but if it's based on an hour or so of practice here and there I see no problem having one...just in case..
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  #43  
Old 07-01-2012, 04:02 PM
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It wouldn't matter to me. It's a pure visual thing and the least important one as well.
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  #44  
Old 07-01-2012, 06:54 PM
Mike114 Mike114 is offline
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I'm a church player and use one. The best of both worlds is have one low, not obstructing the audiences view of the musician, but available for a quick glance down. I've seen this in a bar many times and I can attest to the fact its nice to have verification in a moment of doubt. You can't tell if they are looking down at their instrument or the stand.

I was at a wedding dance, the band had music stands all over the place. 3 ring binders with lyrics and chords in plastic protectors, mainly because they were new starting out but also encouraged people to sit in with them to sing, play cowbell, whatever. I approached the guitar player who had 3 guitars in a rack to play acoustic rhythm, he said sure! I walked off the stage 90 minutes later completely soaked with sweat, what a blast!

Now I work for a company that makes music stands, the black classy ones...

-Mike
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  #45  
Old 07-02-2012, 08:17 AM
joshsimpson79 joshsimpson79 is offline
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I have a friend who is a church player, and he always stresses that "you communicate with your audience better if you don't use music." I don't entirely agree with this. It would be nice to not have to look at music, and just look at your audience. However, he sometimes makes so many mistakes, that distracts me too.

Don't use one if you play well without it. If you need it, use it.
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