To hold music as you play, of course! I once heard a guitarist say that his heavy stage music stand could also double as a battle ax. I’ve already spoken about my experiences with my compact wired music stand in another blog. I got my hands on the miniput v0 and I was surprised about how remarkably light it is. Can it replace my current music stand? Let’s put it through the test.

The first time I saw the miniput in its carrying case, I thought it was a compact umbrella instead of a music stand. When I picked it up, I was surprised at how light it was, and it fit nicely in the water bottle compartment of my bag. It comes in multiple parts instead of one unit like typical music stands. But setting it up was quite simple. To lock the main pole to any height, you just have to twist the pole to line up the grooves, and then screw in the legs. The tabletop was interesting to assemble but once I understood it, it was easy. The only knob on the entire thing is the one to adjust the angle of the table top. It really is slick and simple.

For sitting down or standing up while playing my guitar the miniPut performs just as well as any ‘normal’ music stand on the market. Comparing it to my compact music stand, the miniput can actually extend higher, actually allowing me to do standup practices and performances. The light weight of the stand itself makes it easier to relocate if necessary. Just pick it up and place it where you need it without the worry of it folding up, collapsing or falling over like the typical wired stands.

I also play two types of Japanese koto, the traditional long 13-stringed version, and the large 17-stringed bass version. It’s an instrument that is traditionally played on the ground. Most music stands are fine if you play the Koto while sitting in the chair, but a special kind of wooden stand is typically used while playing on the ground. It’s very short and very sturdy, but the average price for a basic one is around 50 US dollars. You might be able to get it at a discount through an instructor in Japan. The miniput can sit very low and the table has a great range of adjustable. It doesn’t sit as low as the traditional Japanese wooden Japanese music stand but low enough for me to see my sheet music at eye level and wide enough to hold three pages. It actually fits me better, since I sit high when I sit ‘seiza’ and it actually forces me to memorize the music better. I usually cheat and look at the paper on the floor when I practice.

If you ever lived in a place like Japan which generally has a small kitchen area and truly little counter space, you might be familiar with the annoyance of not being able to find a surface to place your cookbook or your tablet on. Before, I used my wired frame music stand. The range of movement for the table wasn’t as great and the stability was a little precarious. With the miniput I could raise the book much closer to eye level compared to my wired one, and even when I bumped into it, it still maintained its balance. I would not suggest placing it on the counter. The base is quite wide and for a short person, it is a bit high. It would also be somewhat unhygienic to place something that has been on the floor on your pristine kitchen counter.

I really do enjoy soaking in a nice hot bath. I enjoy some entertainment while soaking even more. I wanted to try placing my old heavy 2^nd generation iPad Pro on the miniput. I was a little hesitant but it held up just fine at the side of the tub as I binge watched a TV series or listened to an audiobook.

miniput’s light compact size makes it easy to take on the road. So I carried it with me on a trip. Why not? I found it immensely helpful when it came to the shower room. My stall had no place to hang my towel. And since the tabletop is made with water resistant fabric, I used it to hold my towel and a few of my travel sized toiletries.

The bathroom isn’t the only place I can relax with my miniput. I like going to the park and vegging out on my picnic blanket, occasionally with a snack. Reading my tablet flat on the ground usually causes a glare on the screen, so having the miniput to read it at an angle, hands free, really helps. It’s much more stable compared to my wired music stand. Then an idea struck me. I slightly elevated the miniput and decided to play a Yoga workout video on YouTube. Looks like I no longer need to sign up in order to do Yoga in the park. This inspired me to do other workouts. We have a large open space in the basement of our apartment building. It‘s a safer place to do burpees and jump-based exercises down there instead of disrupting my neighbors with all my stumping.