“Music is the great uniter. An incredible force. Something that people who differ on everything and anything else can have in common.” ― Sarah Dessen, Just Listen

Music has been a part of my life since I was young. My mother signed me up for Piano lessons when I was around eight. My first teacher never allowed me to touch the piano, until I was magically able to write and read music on my own. My second music teacher was great, but I lack proper coordination using both hands at the same time. So, I quit, but my love for the piano still remained.

When I got older, I picked up Guitar lessons. In class we were provided with a music stand to hold our music sheets. However, I did not have one to practice at home. It was difficult to find places and ways to prop up my music while practicing. At that time, I did not see the point of getting a music stand. They seem too big, heavy, and bulky. I had a small room, and I was planning to move away soon, I really did not have space for one.

Later I started learning how to play the Japanese Koto. It is an instrument traditionally played on the ground, and a traditional European stand is far too high and the base too wide to play on the ground at the angle necessary to be able to read music for a Koto. The traditional Japanese floor stand that is made of wood can cost anywhere between 50 euros to 250 euros, and the more affordable ones are not so easy to find. Furthermore, they only serve one function.

Fortunately, I invested in Koto stands which elevate the Koto off the ground. I was not good at sitting seiza (on my legs) for too long. So, I finally bought a compact portable wired music stand. It is not very tall. At its full height it stands at 90 cm. It’s good for a shakuhachi player (Japanese flute), but not particularly good for most European instruments. Sadly, the music stand is unusable when the Koto is on the ground. The tabletop is too high for me to read music and the angle of the legs are too high up to fit underneath the Koto. When it’s folded up its length is 43 cm (about 1.41 ft), just tall enough not to be able to fit in my backpack. So, I had to carry the additional 1.5 kg of my music stand with my Koto stands.

On a more positive note the stand is great for holding my music while playing both my Koto and guitar. It could hold my tablet horizontally while I watch a show during my bubble baths, but the stand is a little unstable. With its 31cm (about 1.02 ft) by 18cm (about 7.09 in) table top I would never trust it to hold my tablet vertically. It could barely hold my song books, and the ledge for my books to sit on was too narrow.

If the stand were 60 centimeters (about 1.97 ft) taller, I could use it in the kitchen and place my cookbook on it. Or I could finally use it to play my guitar while standing up or even learn to play the flute. I would like to take it to the park, but the legs are too short to provide adequate support on grounds that are not flat.

My music stand does exactly what it is supposed to do, it could do a little more but not that much more. I would like to get a better music stand but I do not want to deal with the big bulky ones. I learned from the music community that there are lighter, bigger, and stable ones out on the market. Don’t get me wrong, I love my little music stand, but perhaps I’ve outgrown it. Even other musicians have said that wired music stands are good beginners’ stands, but I will have to upgrade to a more stable stand eventually. So I started pokey around the market for a more stable stand, but it looks like I will have to sacrifice lightweight for stability or vis-vera. Wish me luck on this journey. Meanwhile I shall continue to enjoy my bathtub time with my current stand.