Hello fellow musicians,

I am a Trombone student from the UK and I am conducting a market research survey for a school project in which I have to design a useful study product. I would greatly appreciate it if you could take a minute to just complete a few questions.

https://forms.gle/Z6Ua2rREcGCrF1jm7

Thank you for the support

Done!

Also done.

Me, too.

Donedonedone

done

Done.

Thanks everyone! A lot of people in the survey have said that a dual trombone and music stand wouldn't be a good idea. Why do you think that it wouldn't work as I feel like it is a good concept?

It might work if you never left your home practice area.

It would be a huge problem in rehearsals and gigs. You'd have to find more space, and trombonists already need more than most instruments.

Design would be tricky. It has to be stable with and without the weight of the trombone, with the stand desk catching wind.

- Many people are using iPad (or other readers) stands for tablets instead of regular music stands. easier to accommodate that with separate items.

- Everyone places their trombone stand in a different location (right or left of the music stand). easier to accommodate that with separate items.

- I play bass so I need more room for the stand than a tenor. easier to accommodate that with separate items.

I don't mean to rain on your parade, and admire your creativity. That said, sometimes I take a Hamilton wire music stand to rehearsals/gigs, sometimes a big black Manhasset, and sometimes a hybrid with big table and folding legs, depending on where and what I'm playing. I don't think I would like to be locked into one kind of music stand all the time. I play in a big band where the stage is tight; I have to put the stand on the floor and sit on a riser maybe 18" to 2' above it, so there is no way a combo stand would work there. I put my horn stand tight to the left and in front of my left knee, my next door neighbor at a concert yesterday put his on his right side and further away, and another player I know likes his next to his chair if he has room. I can't see how one combo stand would work for all three of us. I could be missing something, so a sketch or detailed description of your concept would be helpful. Keep those brain cells working!

Done.

Done.

I admire your energy, but I think your a bit ahead of yourself by proposing a product (i.e., “solution”) before you identify a specific problem.

The vague design you propose has a basic Physics problem. Optimally for stability and low weight,etc.. The music desk part of the stand and the trombone itself need support directly below each’s center of gravity, if there are two vertical posts, one or both is not above the center of gravity, so like the weight of the trombone would pull away from the music stand axis, and have added leverage from whatever length of horizontal rod that connects the bone support to the main stand… so to counteract, you’d have to have a much heavier base or much wider tripod to support the weight of each to counteract that tendency. Seems to create more problems.

My advice would be start with identifying a specific problem to solve for just trombone stands.

first start with a more open questions

to identify “who” they are, pros, students, studio users, travelers, bass versus tenor versus alto…etc

Then how they primarily use the stand,… those who travel a lot to gig or go to practice rehearsals, versus those who have a permanent shed to shed like a studio, versus those who need a concert stage stand…

Finally ask what kinds of problems people have with their current trombone stands. Notice the earlier questions help elicit the context where they have the problem.

For example, I’m a pro tenor player who gigs around a lot of different venues. And I’d like to have a quick easy set up. But my trombone stand requires two hands to open, and I fumble a little wheel to tighten. A real pain. Meanwhile in my other hand is a horn or case or something. You ever see the player walking to their seat in the orchestra with a $40 stand in one hand with a $4000 trombone perched atop, a and music folder in the other hand and mutes in the other hand…as they negotiate around the $24000 contrabass? I need a better way.

Then you can focus on a product that might solve for example just the portability issue, OR the durability problem OR the high cost, OR the facility issue OR the weight OR the fit for alto, OR being able to leave a mute in the horn during rest..OR…..

From a survey of those “problems” for specific “end users” you can brainstorm products (AKA “solutions”) that have a feature that addresses each use case. If you can address more than one common issue, you might have a popular product.