A music stand is a device that holds sheet music for a musician, allowing them to play an instrument with their hands free. The music stand, which is usually made of metal or wood, can be a folding, non-folding collapsible, or permanent height stand. The most common music stand finish for a professional grade model is flat black, which is commonly offered in a highly polished chrome finish for the home musician. A portable version of a stand for supporting sheet music that attaches to the player’s instrument is also available. This type of stand or support is frequently seen in marching bands.
Sheet music must be supported in such a way that the musician can easily see the pages while playing in order to read it comfortably. This necessitates the use of a music stand that can be positioned at eye level while the musician is seated for many instruments. While playing in a band, the music must also be tilted at an angle that allows the musician to read the sheet music clearly by simply looking outward and downward. This necessitates the music stand tilting in and out in addition to adjusting up and down.
Many of the entry-level stands available for beginning musicians and home players are made of chrome-plated folding metal. In a band setting, this type of stand adds flash to the new musician’s equipment, but it does not blend in. In an orchestral setting, the professional music stand is finished in a flat, black color that easily blends into the background. As a result, the players can use the stand almost invisibly. The sheet music is placed on a large platform on this type of stand so that the music does not distract the audience as the pages are turned.
The sheet music is rested on a large shelf in the professional stand. Individual sheets of music or entire music books can both be rested on the stand successfully. In many cases, the stand is responsible for holding the music for two musicians, necessitating the stand’s size, strength, and ease of manipulation. Marching bands use a smaller version of the music stand that attaches to the musical instrument. This stand resembles a clip and secures the sheet music to the instrument with a large, spring-loaded device.