• Grah1
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  • From: Cold and rainy Settle UK
  • Registered: 2011-05-12
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Topic: Music stands

How  many  of  you  out  there  find   you  have  to  take  a  music  stand  and  prompts    to  your  live  performances .
In recent  years (as  I  have  aged ) I  find  I cant  remember   lyrics  and  chords  as  I  could  years  ago and  so  I'm becoming  more  reliant on  the  stand and  find  my  self  making  excuses  for  it  being  on  stage .
Here  in Greece  it  doesn't   seem  to  hold  any  stigma however  In the  UK   I  feel  it  attracts  comments  or  am  I just feeling  bad  about  my  own short comings ?

Grah1's Website

  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: Music stands

I can't remember half the words to half the songs I write.  I have a music stand.  We have two music books. The white one, which contains our set lists.  And the blue one, that contains all the songs we don't quite know by heart, but still play.  The goal is to get the blue book down to nothing, but we keep getting older.

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jerome.oneil's Website

  • From: massachusetts
  • Registered: 2010-10-18
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Re: Music stands

I have always needed a stand and books. In 30 years, I can only remember about 10 songs in my head.

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  • Zurf
  • Zurf
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Re: Music stands

YoYo Ma uses a music stand. If the world's most versatile and readily recognized cellist is allowed to use a music stand, I don't see the problem with a middle aged desk jockey hobbyist doing so. (meaning myself). YoYo Ma doesn't even sing.

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  • Tyson7
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  • From: Wisconsin
  • Registered: 2011-04-25
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Re: Music stands

I do three different gigs when I play out. So with so much material I need to have music and a stand. Although a great number of those  songs I can do without music. At one time had a little over 5 hours of material I could do off the top of my head. As I get older it does become more of a problem. I see more and more people using music at gigs. I totally understand and I think most people are cool with it. I think Zurf's analogy is right on.

Joe

Tyson7's Website

  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: Music stands

Zurf wrote:

YoYo Ma uses a music stand. If the world's most versatile and readily recognized cellist is allowed to use a music stand, I don't see the problem with a middle aged desk jockey hobbyist doing so. (meaning myself). YoYo Ma doesn't even sing.

http://media.al.com/mcolurso/photo/rushad-eggleston-052810jpg-62f99f70400a60da_medium.jpg

Someday we'll win this thing...

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jerome.oneil's Website

  • From: Osceola, Indiana
  • Registered: 2013-05-03
  • Posts: 51

Re: Music stands

Only play for myself and can't remember a song I played 5 min ago. When in school and played in a band had no problems.

jackde's Website

  • From: Tooele Ut
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 4,049

Re: Music stands

I have never been good at memorizing chords and lyrics.  And I finally figured out that nobody really cares.  It has always bothered me that I have to have the sheet in front of me, but no more.  I have had very few comments about it.  Don't let it bother you.  Like Zurf said, some of the biggest artists out there use a stand.

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  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Re: Music stands

I couldn't get by without a music stand w/ the lyrics and chords in front of me. Apart from a few old favorites, memorizing "all of that" is intimidating. I also find that trying to sing & play at the same time (especially if the playing is complex) requires the stand to be there to aid concentration. The poor ol' brain can only do so many things at a time!

I noticed Jon Anderson of YES using a tablet on a stand during a concert ... and they've been playing a lot of that material for decades.

  • From: Scott County, Virginia, U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2008-03-19
  • Posts: 794

Re: Music stands

I use a stand all time, never could keep everything memorized. I can memorize a song but as soon as I start trying to memorize a second song, pieces of the first one start to disappear.

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  • Grah1
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  • From: Cold and rainy Settle UK
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Re: Music stands

Well  I'm glad  its  not  just  me I  was  beginning  to  worry .I  can go  to  the  UK  now  in December and  not  worry (that  is  unless  we dont  get  any  where  to  play )

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  • dino48
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Re: Music stands

I think most bands that play a lot and have been doing the songs for a long time may not need too use one. I know if I did play in public I would have too use a stand with the music and words on it.

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  • beamer
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  • From: WASHINGTON ST
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Re: Music stands

Man since the 80's bands have had tele prompters hidden in monitor cabs LOLOL (kareokie befor it was invented)  Im a slave to my sheet music as i dont play every day.  My friends ban that plays every weekend and someweekedays if booked, has paper all over teh floor and taped to monitors for the lead singer. 
dont worry about it!

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