Music stand: Where should I put it? - Newbie

[berntd]

Hello all

So I am working from a tutorial/ lesson book to learn trombone.

I discovered that the stand and book seem in the way of the trombone/slide and when I have it out of the way, I cannot read it or the slide may just scratch past it.

I am guessing that this is a common problem so hopefully others here have some suggestions?

Best regards
Bernt

[timothy42b]

Yes. This is a frustration for many of us, especially as we age and our vision is compromised.

To get decent response, your trombone must be at the correct angle to the face. Some people are lucky enough that this angle is down below the stand. They can play either left or right, doesn't matter.

I am not lucky. My angle is basically at the same level as the stand. Therefore I play to the left of the stand. I cannot share a stand, unless the other person has sharp eyes and can sit right and accomodate me.

You have to make two things work together: where your trombone wants to play, and where your eye wants to see. If you have bifocals this is even more complicated.

Add a lyre to the mix, and.............well I can't so it doesn't matter.

[Mikebmiller]

The worst thing is those stupid low jazz stands. I hate those things.

[Geordie]

If the stand is adjustable the options seem to be to experiment and adjust the height so you can play either above or below or level with the stand and/or to the left or right. If you wear spectacles or have uneven vision complicates it further. I have both these issues and high stand playing lower left is what works best for me.

[davebb]

I recently got talked into progressive lenses (work similar to bifocals) by my optometrist They are an improvement on my previous prescription as long as i’m looking straight ahead. Anything further than about 5 degrees to the side is out of focus. Not a problem for most people but when you have a slide straight out in front and need to focus on a stand somewhere to the side, the music becomes very blurry. The solution was to order some glasses in my old prescription (not progressive) from goggles4u.com which cost about 10% of what the progressive ones cost. These stay in my trombone case for use whenever I need to use a music stand.

[berntd]

Well, after all your kind replies, I do not feel alone with this problem.

I use reading glasses on top of my normal glasses all day long when at work. Lots of comments, jokes... but who cares.

I suppose I will have to suffice with a scratched slide.

Regards
Bernt

[SimmonsTrombone]

Try tilting the desk of the stand back a little if your stand has that adjustment. I find that gives me a needed fraction of an inch to keep from hitting the stand with the slide.

[timothy42b]

The stand support tube is normally in the center of the desk.

If you are one of the fortunate few who can play below the stand, it is worth detaching the support tube and reattaching it at the right side of the desk. That gives you more room underneath the desk and reduces the chance of banging the slide into the tube.

I am not one of those few so I haven't done it. I'm trying to remember who first recommended this, and it may have been Doug Yeo.

Another potential problem: playing standing. I play mostly sitting, so I practice mostly sitting. Recently our group set up in a hurry and could not move chairs, so we stood. Well, my vision had recently deteriorated, so I needed the stand high and close, but I'd never tried that with my good travel stand. Turned out it wouldn't go high enough. Ooops. Well, always practice what you're going to perform!

[tctb]

You can buy a Manhasset trombone music stand with the plate of the stand offset to the left of the support column.If you prefer, it is fairly easy to remake a heavy duty music stand like this . The alternative is to position your stand at 45 degrees making it easier to miss the stand with the slide.
PM me if you need to know more .

[baileyman]

People have covered most everything. But if it's the stand support that gets in your way after trying these ideas, also try this. Use a large folded piece of cardboard bent like the stand but that is much wider so it sticks out the sides. Then you can move your music farther left or right to help.

[ghmerrill]

You can buy a Manhasset trombone music stand with the plate of the stand offset to the left of the support column.If you prefer, it is fairly easy to remake a heavy duty music stand like this . The alternative is to position your stand at 45 degrees making it easier to miss the stand with the slide.
PM me if you need to know more .

This (https://shop.manhasset-specialty.com/p/ ... d-box-of-1) is pretty cool, though I'm not sure I need one. However, it would be pretty easy to take a regular Manhasset stand, drill out the rivets holding the table, then drill two sets of hole to reattach it -- one for offsetting to the left, and one for offsetting to the right. Then attach them with roundhead machine screws and wing nuts. I may try that just for grins (and because I have two Manhasset stands!).

[BGuttman]

There is also a Manhasset stand that is half-width (the width of one sheet of music). I know the Boston Symphony has a set of them for the Trombone section. You can play to one side and still sorta see the music.

[Doug Elliott]

I play all the way on the left side of the stand which gives more options for the height. But that's partly because I play on the left side of my mouth.

[ghmerrill]

Of course, a difficulty with having a stand you can set up for your own preference is that unless you take it to EVERY rehearsal, performance, etc. (and in fact are permitted to do this), it doesn't really solve the problem.

[greenbean]

At home I play to the left of the stand. I used to make sure I had a music book hanging off the left edge of the stand to protect my slide. I used to bump the slide against the stand. I don't do that anymore - but I did it a lot when I was a newb!