Lose the music stands

Dork: a contemptible, socially inept person.

Apologies, but dorks prefer fashion over function and make broad sweeping generalizations. Please, do whatever it is that you need to do to make good music.

 

No can do, I play in a jazz ensemble...

 

Back of your hand, edge of guitar, drum riser, pinned to bassist's back without him knowing

shoestring hanging from belt, clamped to headstock, taped to mic stand

Left in practice room with do-rag, blow & cucumber.

 

I sing the lead in probably over 95% of the songs in the band's repertoire. We have over 200 songs on the list. Obviously there are some songs that don't get called for over quite a period of time. Unfortunately, my memory is more sieve-like than steel trap-like. So, to remedy that and allow me to continue doing something I've done for a very long time (and continue to love doing), I use a small tablet attached to my microphone stand to help me with lyrics when I need them. Sometimes, we need to do things we don't like in order to continue moving forward.
Kind of like wearing an eye patch.

 

I can remember being worried about looking like a dork. When I was about 12. I have a size large Manhasset music stand that I love.

 

I assumed he was reading a Pizza Hut menu......

 

Lamps Stands okay?

 

If it was something that happened infrequently, that might be a solution. Unfortunately, for me, CRS syndrome hits more often the older I get. So, rather than sing the same verses over and making it appear to whoever is listening that I came "unprepared", I would just prefer to sneak a look at the tablet for the memory-jogging first few words to get me on my way.
No one has ever complained about or mentioned my tablet. In fact, this is the only place I ever see it be an issue.
It works for me and I'm a-gonna keep on doin' it. Sorry.

 

Dorks...

Dork...

Bunch of dorks...


Dork:
(Noun) One who can read music.

 

It would be so nice to not use any sort of ques but for me it's just not possible. Regardless of how much time I put in (and I put in LOTS of time) I cannot remember a 60 song set list that constantly rotates new music in. If people are that bothered by my stand they have the choice of leaving. I'd rather use the stand and play things correctly than look cool and screw things up.

To those of you with good recall I'm truly jealous, I wish I had that talent but I don't. I use a stand and the only complaining I've ever heard about it is on this forum.

 

The small group I'm in has a song list of over 300 songs, plus we do some special occasions. We also take requests often from varied age groups. Oh yeah, we have our music stands with lyrics and chords in front of us. We are all also past middle age, our youngest is over 60. Try to keep the lyrics to over 300 songs, from 9 decades in your head. We don't do rap or opera, but pretty much everything else.

 

Uh huh...got it.

or·ches·tra
/ˈôrkəstrə,ˈôrˌkestrə/
noun.
a group of instrumentalists, especially one combining string, woodwind, brass, and percussion sections...


group
/ɡro͞op/
noun.
a number of people or things that are located close together or are considered or classed together.

cornfield
/kôrnfēld/
noun.
a place where something is deposited out of sight.

 

I'll own up and admit to having a music stand on stage, set real low to glance down to when I need it.

I'm the frontman, the only singer, along with all the texts, I play standard tuned guitar, open-tuned guitar, mandoline, various percusion instruments, and several different mouth-organs in the course of a set......and quite honestly, I get disorientated unless I have my folder in sight to remind me of who in the band is playing what break, when. and in which key.................and I can't be arsed annotating new setlists with the basic info - which anyway, still need looking at - just like a music stand.

Does it make me feel like a dork? (well... had to look the word up to find the meaning)...........no.

Personally, I would find wearing a hat far more embarrassing.

Dressing up in gendre archtypal apparel and striking clichéd poses........ not a social misfit within a given cultural subset.....so not a dork?


And now it's getting near the time, I gotta make the scene
I change out my dark gray mohair suit put on my dirty jeans
The band comes round to pick me up, I holler, "Hello, boys"
I gotta mess my hair up, I'm gonna make some noise

Can blue men sing the whites
Or are they hypocrites for singing woo, woo, wooh?

Oh Lord, somebody help me

- viv stanshall

 

Well, yeah, if you've got David Byrne (or is it Sheldon Cooper?) as your lead singer, do whatever.

 

Jazz bands, orchestras, music stands okay. Anything else, stands scream “unprepared”.

 

I always thought having a music stand impressed audiences: "Wow, those guys can read music!"

In our lounge trio, the bassist and I share a music stand mainly because he's not off-chart on everything and won't practice at home.

But it's okay, we're a low-key act creating ambience. At old-folks homes gigs we're forced to do a 'concert' and relate to the audience, but more typically we're focusing on each other and don't talk or even announce songs (there is no singing, no PA).