Who else finds it annoying when playing from a book of music the thing won't stay open but keeps wanting to shut itsself?!
I have to plonk another book either side to keep it open then fight with them to turn the page. Also why are they printed with only 4 lines of music- my old collection of Beethoven Sonatas has 8 lines per page!

If the stand on the piano is thin enough could you peg your music to the stand?

Edit - just thought, not so handy if the piece is more than 2 pages long.

It is annoying though, I end up folding it really hard so it stays.

Just what I was going to suggest. Clothes pegs are excellent for this.

If I'm in a rage I bend it back so hard all the pages come out of the spine!!

Oh dear! In my experience, thinner books stay in place more easier than thicker ones.

Oh yes, that is really frustrating... I just tend to buy thinner books and most books stay open on the right page. Otherwise I just bend it really back and hope that I didn't break the book.

I know what you mean. Modern albums. Glued up? Call that book-binding? Infuriating!
There's no way round it if you have to turn a page (except pulling it apart and ring-binding the pages).

Sympathies!

I know, it really is a pain. My metronome has sometimes got the dual purpose of both keeping time and trying to hold a page open.

....or photocopy the page turns until you've learned it from memory? I believe this is allowed. Perhaps install a flat screen monitor onto your piano like they do in the latest recording studios then you'll never need bother with nasty cheap editions again.

I bend it back as hard as I can and hold it that way for a minute. If it doesn't stay open on that page, I get mad and throw the book on the ground and play from memory. O_O

I have this problem too! My modern piano has just a small felted and lipped ledge on which to stand the music - no upright struts to which to peg anything...

This is particularly annoying at the moment because I'm trying to practise sight-reading hymns & I can't find a suitably slim & pliable hymn book with full music....if anyone knows of one, perhaps with spiral binding, I'd be sooooo grateful....

I became adept at playing from a hymn book open on the stool to the left of me!

Taking inspiration from the organ I used to play on, though - it was fitted with a piece of thin elastic around the music stand, so you could keep a book open by putting it on the stand with the elastic going in front of it to pin it down. Perhaps if you get a piece of stiff card/cardboard/thin plywood you could put a piece of thin elastic around that and place that on your music stand with the hymn book strapped to it, open at the desired page

I use extra large paper clips for this.
I angle them across the centre of the open book.

Well, I don't think I'll try reading from the side just yet.....it might dent my newly won confidence... but yes, that's what I need, elastic & something to secure it to (now my mind is running off in the direction of some Heath Robinson contraption )...I'll see what I can rig up tomorrow

Or you can take the whole book in and get it ring bound after very carefully slitting down the spine with a craft knife. That is what we did with a big urtext edition book I had and it worked well. It wasn't expensive $3NZ ( 1 pound? I think) and my local photocopy place did it easily.

Ring binders are definitely the best,but not many editions are put together this way.

Two great books worth investing in ( and make for very good sight reading ) are:

All the tunes you've ever wanted to play....there are three editions. I only have the red and blue versions. The green remaining elusive.

They retail at 12.99 each...BUT....visit Ebay and The Works bookshop. They can be picked up for as little as 5.99.

Hope this helps.

Youv'e made me laugh with all your suggestions which is just what I need on a wet monday morning. I may do a surgical procedure on one of the worst culprits - hope I don't end up in A/E with fingers sliced off!

Haha i thought I was the only one!! I can identify with the spine splitting, throwing books on floor in mad rage, stamping on books, etc.

Another fab ringbinder book is 'The library of piano classics'. It's got 91 (i think) of the most famous ever tunes and its only £17 retail. Again probably cheaper on ebay!

Yes its so annoying! I totally agree!! I find that fatter books are worse!! xxxxx

all books are SO annoying when they do that! I end up leaning sideways trying to catch the last bars of music before the page closes and look really WEIRD...my piano is right next to the door so if i photocopy and someone comes in halfway through all the sheets just fall off!grrr

The AB clothback books are an investment and the pages do not fall back. But Wow! are they expensive.

I have here my copy of Chopin's Nocturnes....cloth board. I purchased this on 10th April 1979 and the price states:

£1.00 paper cover/ £2.00 cloth board.

Compare those prices with todays...

£7.95 paper cover AND a staggering £22.00 for the cloth board.It isn't described as cloth board anymore...it is de luxe hardback edition LOL

I used to buy sheet music instead of the usual things teenagers spend their money on.

Bet you are glad of that now!

whoa....question though, what ARE clothback books?

Trouble is that they wear out too easily.
I have a couple which are getting thinner and thinner...

Sarah - Yes I am. And I used to go out with older men,so they bought the drinkies in

crazy_purple_piano_freak - They are hardback editions rather than soft. Beethoven Sonatas retail at £25,but in my eyes these hardback books are better value. My philosophy was ( and still is )to buy the best you can afford. In that I also mean buying secondhand wherever possible.

sbhoa - How are you? Sorry I haven't been in contact. It's all Suzy's fault Yes they do wear out,but I haven't noticed they wear out any quicker than soft covers. I cringed when that certain pupil of mine bent his book back

What if you got really frustrated with the ringbinder though? It'd rip...boohoo! I hate ripping books, i'd rather stop and start again!

Mmmmm...especially if you need to whip the page over double quick. Or worse still the sheet music flies sideways off the piano

I'm ok thanks... my ADSL went down over the weekend but I'm back now...

Hahahahaha one thing hasn't changed then

What is that suppose to mean? Don't tell me you are jealous?

Well ......... you obviously think older men are better so who am I to argue?

[[/quote]
Well ......... you obviously think older men are better so who am I to argue?



Let's talk in the singular,please Am I right?

Would I argue with the consort of a God??

No! Because you are a wise gal and I'm the Mother of Bacchus...

And that,as they say is that!!!! Heehee

I won't go against a senior member.

Thought you were that,my dear I'm just advanced round these parts...

Older men are better than what????

Hello Noodle...big wave...talk soon I hope xxxxx

You need to ask Semele that!!

Now,now then, Suzy.

I'm wagging my finger at you here....

I'm hanging my head in shame .....

And quite right too. Besides we have hijacked this thread,so lets get back on topic.Otherwise this might get shut!