Gigging with a music stand.

[Joe Baggadonitz]

I never use one but who cares if you do or you don't.

[Tonemonkey]

Ever changing (depending the gig) set and ever changing band line-up means - Stands - but never above knee height, next to the monitors. A piece of black material hanging behind the stand blends it in to the stage.

[ddewerd]

Back when I was gigging much more regularly and having weekly rehearsals, we were pretty tight, no need for stands.

Now I get together with my band about once a month if we're lucky. Too many other things going on. Sometimes I might go a month or two and not play a particular song. So I have a stand that I keep off to the side. It's mainly to jog my memory. I play in a trio and often times I get a brain fart, coming off a ripping solo and now, 3-2-1, I gotta sing - now - what's the first couple of words of that verse again?

Music's my hobby, so for me the point is to have fun first. When we do go out an gig (a few times a year) I use my stand. I'm in the camp of I'd rather not screw up than worry about what it looks like.

Cheers,
Doug

[boomsling99]

Originally Posted by Larry F

Choose one:

1. Music stand
2. Extra 30 lbs
3. hawaiian/bowling shirt
4. Thinning hair
5. Sinatra/Porkpie hat

You just can't win, accept it.

you just described my entire band!
well, I agree with most advocates here, with stress on the "play with passion, and no heads in the pages" comments...
the band has discussed this, and we are all a little embarrassed by it, but we all have stands. we are all old, usually having a few drinks at the gig, and the mind blanks just come out of nowhere (how to start a song we all know quite well)
bottom line:
we are just having a little fun, and THEY AREN'T PAYING US ENOUGH TO REHEARSE THESE SONGS TO DEATH!!!

[Arbiter]

Originally Posted by getbent

it would be awesome to see an old guy band playing punk with music stands! that would be hilarious... I can picture the singer reading the lyrics and kind of shouting "Too Drunk" and squinting during "holiday in cambodia"

I'll let you know when my next gig is. Love DK.

[getbent]

Originally Posted by Arbiter

I'll let you know when my next gig is. Love DK.

awesome! you made me laugh out loud!

[brewwagon]

i have three music stands in my living room right now all full of notation charts songs etc my dining room consumed by music literature tab song books etc dedicated rooms for study library amps listening stereos drums etc that might suggest a passion for music is a big part of my life
my early music room growing up had a working blackboard (it was green) i practiced almost everyday played in various bands hung out with the best musicians i could learn more from most of them serious pro thats all they - i did
at night either at practice the studio or in clubs



now would i would perform live with a stand-?

i might have a cheat sheet - song list but i would try and focus and let my "soul" take over

hey i just found - tripped over another stand !

[Paul in Colorado]

I saw Bela Fleck and the Flecktones the other night. They played a new song. Out came the stands and the music. Damn, they were good!

I try to avoid it, but of late I stick my set list in the first page of my notebook and turn to a song only when I have to. It's a new band and I haven't quite gotten all the lyrics stuck in my head.

[soul-o]

Originally Posted by getbent

so, I say, the style council can just take a deep breath and enjoy the moral high ground where nothing grows anyway...

That's some good writing right there- that's a lyric!

[soul-o]

Having read more responses, I would like to revise my stance. In my opinion, on gigs where one is hired to be the entertainment- not just background music or accompanying someone else who is responsible for connecting with a paying audience, music stands can be a big hindrance in that regard. I also think that there are a lot of jive characters out there getting paid to be singers who don't actually know a lot of songs. I take pride in having done this for a long time and knowing a lot of songs, and it's all about songs to me. Other than that, no judgement.

I bet a lot of the guys in that BB King band photo are actually freelancers and not with him every night and the audience is there to see BB, so it's appropriate that they would be reading charts. Bass players who need a chart to get through "My Girl" are a different thing.

[RollingBender]

Originally Posted by soul-o

Having read more responses, I would like to revise my stance. In my opinion, on gigs where one is hired to be the entertainment- not just background music or accompanying someone else who is responsible for connecting with a paying audience, music stands can be a big hindrance in that regard. I also think that there are a lot of jive characters out there getting paid to be singers who don't actually know a lot of songs. I take pride in having done this for a long time and knowing a lot of songs, and it's all about songs to me. Other than that, no judgement.

I bet a lot of the guys in that BB King band photo are actually freelancers and not with him every night and the audience is there to see BB, so it's appropriate that they would be reading charts. Bass players who need a chart to get through "My Girl" are a different thing.

"" "" Ditto "" ""

Painting with the broad brush and using the term "professional" in relationship to using music stands doesn't work. What is professional for one application is not professional for another.

This list is a good example of professional for one particular genre...

1. Music stand
2. Extra 30 lbs
3. hawaiian/bowling shirt
4. Thinning hair
5. Sinatra/Porkpie hat

[jimbach]

Can't say I've used one myself, but I am known for extensively annotating set lists. I usually do a custom set list for everyone else in the band, with tempo cues, the key of the song, who sings lead/backup, etc. It's a habit I developed a few years ago and everyone seems to appreciate it, or at least humor me.

[Rolling Estonian]

Bruce uses a teleprompter.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifest...GlS_story.html

M

[brewwagon]

(slogan: “You rock. We scroll”)

[getbent]

Originally Posted by Rolling Estonian

Bruce uses a teleprompter.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifest...GlS_story.html

M

Baby we were born to reeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddddddddd

duh duh duh duuuuhhhhhhh

wendy let me in I want to read these words and sing them with lots of passion, I'm kind of old and forget the words my ipad is strapped to my engines...

sprung from cages out on highway 9, lah lahhh lahhh lahhh lahhh lahhh lahhh lahhhh

[Tim Armstrong]

I spent the last nine years playing in a beach town bar band (how many times have I written THAT?), playing 80-100 gigs a year. Our band was very popular, we filled bars with happy, dancing, drinking customers, folks loved us, followed us around, bought our t-shirts, came to see us every year during their summer vacations, etc. I made half my living from playing in that band. By any definition you want to use, we were professionals, and we were respected by the other musicians who came to our shows as such.

And there was at least one music stand onstage at 95% of our gigs. And when we played outdoors, we usually wore shorts. And sometimes the guitars went through solid-state and/or modeling amps.

Y'all want to worry about the rules, fine, we were busy playing paying gigs for happy audiences!

Tim

[Rolling Estonian]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

I spent the last nine years playing in a beach town bar band (how many times have I written THAT?)

Let me guess. Starboard, Rusty Rudder? If so, I'm sure I caught you but years ago.

M

[soul-o]

After 100 gigs a year, you couldn't remember Margaritaville?

Nah, I kid, but there are a lot of guy out there using that logic as an excuse to be lame: "hey, well the audience doesn't care". I'm saying that there are alot of cats getting paid for gigs who are essentially jive. Not pointing fingers at anybody- definitely not you- just saying. We all know it when we see it and it's not a matter of musical snobbery or "the rules", it's that some guys mean it and some guys think they are fooling everybody.

[brewwagon]

& 4 requests



liyw2igfy

[Oakville Dave]

Also, if you have just the music for the gig in a small black binder rather than a GIGANTIC master song binder, so it's not hanging off the edge of the stand, it's also less noticable. And make sure it's black!!!