To move my various music projects forward, I’ve really started to spend time thinking about stage setup. In particular, stage gear can affect multiple aspects of the performance experience. Great example: for playing in classical guitar ensemble (or solo classical), a music stand is a must. When I started playing gigs with Ben and Carol, I alternated between a standard size Manhassett stand, and a small folding stand. Having done six or seven coffee house gigs with our ensemble, I noted several issues affecting my ability to perform. First, we’ve been working on pieces longer than three pages, often without a good opportunity for a page turn. Second, the lighting in smaller coffee shops and restaurants is often suboptimal for reading music. Third, Ben plays a much nicer guitar than I do. Since we’re going unamplified, I’ve had a rough time competing with Ben as far as projecting sound.

Recently, I picked up a new music stand that addresses each of these problems! The stand has “side-out” extenders to display more pages of music than my old stand. An orchestral-style lamp solves the lighting issue. And, this stand is half the height of my old Manhassett stand, so now I’m playing over the music, and projecting more sound outward. I’ve already heard some positive comments about the balance of sound since I made the switch.

No doubt, always keep an open mind about stage gear. In this case, changing music stands directly addressed multiple factors affecting my comfort level while performing, and the sound heard by the audience.