Rockové klávesy - Stojany na klávesy

I want to talk about something really practical this month, keyboard stands. Whether you are playing small gigs in music clubs or Huge ones in arenas, you will need a reliable support for your axe. The most important thing to consider when choosing a stand is what kind of work you will be doing mostly. If you are a jazz pianist with an 88 key keyboard, you may want a solid single tier stand that you can sit at. If you have lots of vintage keyboards and play in a progressive rock band wearing a cape you may want to stand up and shred at an Ultimate stand. Most players eventually end up with a few kinds of stands. I myself have a combination 2 tier stand. I usually play a one manual Hammond SK1 and take a taxi cab to the gig, so size and ease of carry are my most important needs. Sometimes I need a top keyboard too and attach the arms for the second tier. Check out all the different types below.

X stand

The simplest stand in our list is the X stand. This is what most keyboardists using a single keyboard will bring to the gig. It is very functional and locks into place at the center of the stand with a pin that slides through all the moving parts. The more advanced versions of this stand have a lever near the top of the arms that is pulled in to release the mechanism and released when the desired height is reached. X stands are cool and fold up nicely so they are easy to store and transport. The only downside of these stands is that sometimes the rubber feet of your keyboard don’t fit symmetrically on the stand causing the keyboard to be uneven or to sit on the stand in an unbalanced way. One trick is to take the feet off the bottom of your keyboard or to get a piano bench that is at an appropriate height to allow the stand to be a little higher. They have gotten really good at making these though and this group of stands are very reliable and a perfect choice for a gigging cat or kitten.

Ultimate stand

Utimate Support started in 1977, when musician/inventor Darrell Schoenig developed unusual speaker stands. His aluminum sliding track design became the first in a series of incredible stands for speakers and instruments that would stand (pardon the pun) the music industry on it’s ear. Instead of having it’s supports on the sides, The Apex Stand, as it is sometimes called, has a strong central support with two or more “docks” where small keyboard arms lock into place to make the tiers. The bottom of the stand has a lock and three foldout legs that stabilize the unit. The most amazing thing about this stand is that all the parts fit inside the aluminum base. And can be carried with a handle like a mini bazooka. :-) These stands are great for touring bands because the unit folds up very nicely and can be placed right behind a wheel well in a touring van (my secret spot). You can also get up to 4 tiers if you add extra arms and the thing is super stable.

Frame stand

This is one of the first commercially available multi keyboard stands. I got mine in like 1985 and thought I was pretty cool! These stands got kind of left in the dust when the Apex stands came out. They are still popular in studios that have lots of analog keyboards or music stores where they have many on display. The great thing about this stand is that it's the most stable of all the stands we will talk about in this article. If you need to have many keyboards on stage and have lots of room to transport your gear, it may be the best choice for you. This stand has two A shaped braces on the outside that are joined by various interlocking tubing. It is a little tough to get all the angles right as I remember, but once it was set it was really sturdy. To break it down after every gig was a drag though, especially because I had to spend an extra fifteen minutes in that terrible Hawaiian shirt we had to wear in my first band.

Spider Stand

This is the most modern stand we will talk about in the article. It’s actually a newer version of the Apex idea. The feet are not flat like on the Ultimate stand. Instead, three raised “spider” legs give a little more lift and tilt to the stand. It also makes the base for the stand slightly more stable than it’s Apex brother. These stands also come with many fancy attachments so you can attach a laptop stand, music stand, mic stand... pivo holder... lots of stuff. Like the Apex stand, instrument cables can also be threaded through clamps on the central support for a very neat looking rig if you are playing with a top 40 dance band that wants to see your spiky hair and not your instrument cables.

Combination two tier stand

These stands are cool because they can be used as a single or double keyboard stand. To add the second tier, you just screw the attachments in the back of the arms and... whalla. This is the stand I use because I usually only need one keyboard stand onstage but occasionally need to add a second keyboard controller that I use with my laptop. These stands are a little pricy and if you lose some of the springs and screws you are... well... in big trouble, but they do keep you from needing to get two different stands. I have a special compartment in my gig bag for the nuts and bolts and it seems to solve the problem.

Platform style keyboard stand

These are very solid stands and are a good choice for weighted keyboards. They are, in general, designed for players who sit while they play. The width of the stand can be adjusted depending on what kind of keyboard you are using. Sometimes the height is a little less adjustable but this has been improved on more modern versions. The new ones also fold up very small for easy transport.

Custom stands

This is a rather broad category and there are endless possibilities. I like the stands Derek Sheinian uses. Derek is a rock keyboardist who plays with lots of cool bands including, Billy Idol and Kiss. The keyboards tilt away from him so you can see what he is playing. It also seems a little more comfortable to play like this as opposed to a flat key bed. Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater fame also has a super cool stand. He has a very steady pillar upon which a single keyboard will spin. there is also a mount for his laptop.