So since this discovery, brought on by extensive exploration into what keyboard stands I could find to fit my purpose, I decided to make my own.
But do you need to have a keyboard stand for bicycle adventures?
It is one novel solution to my conundrum of finding myself to be a piano player who hates cars, and who is fortunate enough to live somewhere with enough transport infrastructure to get by without! I attended an open mic at The Vic in Devonport and got stuck in traffic in an Ola (Uber alternative) for about 30min for what was a 10min trip to the ferry simply because my keyboard stand could not fit on my bicycle. It meant at the other end I had to lug it to the venue from the ferry terminal. Also relevant to this post is that I am very small framed- sometimes I wonder if music accessories are made with average sized men in mind.
Sidenote: the jury is still out as to whether it is a good idea to take a midi controller keyboard (along with computer, interface and stand) along to casual gigs/jams such as open mics. If you have any thoughts or experience with this, please reach out! Personally I am new to the world of music technology and it seems like too many components to go wrong… The alternative is a keyboard ‘with a brain’, of course, but I have yet to find one I like that is so lightweight, low cost and with good features.
A style of playing adapted to bicycle adventure gigs
Disclaimer I have no design or making background so tend to get myself in all sorts of messes doing things wrongly, but this project has turned out surprisingly well. I have now been using said keyboard stand for several months and have found it fit for purpose. The keyboard stand is for my light 49 key M-Audio midi controller. It fits in a backpack which I bought off Ali Express (I have found New Zealand has very limited supply of such things and musical supplies are very expensive). It has limited usefulness for full on thrashing of the keys, but has been adequate for what I use it for, which is playing synth parts into my DAW, and it has not once fallen over. Although I am yet to take it on a bicycle adventure (due to health), I am confident it would work in this context and when accompanying myself singing stripped-down originals.
SO keyboard stand design from my humble understandings…
The simplest and cheapest stand you can find is an X like this:
I previously owned this kind of stand- I think it was the one with 2 metal bars for extra strength, and the folding mechanism was quick to break, rendering it useless. Prior to this it did once save me from falling down a bank in hilly Wellington, leaving me holding by dear life to my stand as it was wedged between the bank and a tree, so I am forever indebted to the X stand… Anyway, it is not suitable for bicycling due to its length, unless perhaps I used a mechanism similar to the kind used to hold surf boards on bicycles, but I would need to upgrade to a less city-ish bicycle:
Since the sad demise of my X stand, I managed to utilize my dad’s table-top stand which is indestructible and was perhaps made prior to when things started to be built with planned obsolescence in mind (but I see something similar is still for sale for more than the cost of my midi keyboard itself). This is great for steadiness and use with my electronic piano, but probably the bulkiest/ heaviest stand available.
Then there are some expensive stands which could potentially fold up to fit in a small space. It seems they would need to be imported, further adding to the cost and bringing them grossly out of proportion of what my needs are. Also, I think they would still be very heavy.
A variation on the table-top design: https://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/Quiklok-Adjustable-and-Foldable-Mixer-DJ-Keyboard-Stand/Y28
Referred to as the Z stand: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ZStd–on-stage-stands-ks7350-pro-heavy-duty-z-stand
This one below seemed like the best design for lightweight stands that are smaller:
Gibraltor (mostly known for drum set-ups) has cool systems for customizing your own keyboard stand in this style. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMlcErM3BRc&ab_channel=GibraltarHardware … they are, of course, very expensive and hard to find in NZ….
My Design using Plumbing Parts- the pros and cons:
I used this as inspiration to make a similar design but with PVC. There are several websites online about making things such as clothes racks out of PVC pipes (designed for plumbing), and a few with keyboard stands, but nothing quite like what I wanted.
The online examples report that it is a very cheap solution, but PVC pipe in NZ right now isn’t that cheap. Retrospectively, I could have searched at building sites for PVC pipes being thrown out- a week or so after purchasing them, I noticed some similar pipes in the skip outside my place. Alternatively, I would search further than Mitre10 and Bunnings, because I later noticed local outlet stores with more competitive pricing. Anyway, the finished product cost the same as buying a low-range stand at a shop in NZ, but is much cooler looking and more fit for purpose (in my opinion).
Initial plans were changed in several ways to lower costs, but at the detriment of adjustable functions. Door stoppers were used as cheaper alternative to an adjustable screw and the metal brackets were attached with plastic joiners and cable ties as opposed to something movable such as found in Gibalrator designs. Instead of an adjustable curtain rail (which could fold-up to be smaller or to adjust to bigger keyboards), I have made do with another piece of PVC pipe.
Take this Idea and Run with it!
I’m no designer or business person, but I hope that someone sees this and develops a business for making low-cost and versatile instrument accessories to sell in NZ. They could be made from donated building waste, and the design could be worked on to be suitable for a wider range of purposes, such as for use with heavier keyboards. Of course, part of my lack of business-mindedness means most of my ideas sadly make no profit, but you never know! If by chance your business is a success, please offer me a reasonable lifetime discount 🙂
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