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The Best Music Stand Lights

What's the point of reading sheet music if you can't see in the dark?

By Kathleen Walsh

Kathleen Walsh

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April 16, 2020

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A good stand light has just one job, really: to provide excellent light. Seems simple until you try to work with subpar lighting. It’s one thing to have a stable music stand to put your notes, books and sheet music on; it’s another thing to be able to actually see everything on the stand.

If you’re looking for the best music stand light, you can narrow the field by zeroing in on a few factors that separate the merely serviceable from the real life-changers. The first and most obvious requirement is that the light be bright enough to illuminate all pages evenly — without being so bright that it’s distracting or casting shadows or glare. Even better is a light you can adjust for brightness or color; you want to be able to read the music in front of you without affecting your neighbor or the overall mood of the concert environment.

The next thing to consider is the quality of the actual machinery and how long this thing is going to last. A music light that starts to dim after a few months is pretty much useless. Stand lights come in rechargeable, battery-operated, and plug-in varieties, and there are are pros and cons for each.

Other features, like how well the stand’s grip holds to a surface, whether the light is portable, or if it’s suitable for other uses can also be helpful when considering which light you really want. We’ve found options that clip-on easily to existing music stands, and are portable enough to be carried around in your bag or instrument case too.

1. Professional Musician Super Bright Music Stand Light

Without getting hyperbolic, if you never want to buy another stand light again, this might be the one. The super bright LED light itself has three brightness settings and three color temperatures, so you can customize and adjust the lighting to suit your exact needs. It has a wide illumination area and an anti-glare shield, with a design directing light away from the audience and onto your page, as well as a super flexible neck for precise adjustments. Conveniently, it is also lightweight and portable with a rechargeable battery.

Pros: Convenient, customizable, and high quality.

Cons: Battery life can be short.

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Courtesy Amazon Amazon

Buy Professional Musician Super Bright…

2. Kootek Clip On Music Light Stand

Like the stand light above, this Kootek model includes all of the basic features we’re looking for in a music stand light. The LED light produces great brightness with two settings, it has a rechargeable battery, an adjustable neck that doesn’t wobble, and it’s also lightweight and convenient to travel with.

We also like that it has a super-strong anti-slip clamp that attaches to almost anything, making it totally multi-functional. In other words: no wobbling here.

Pros: Strong and stable clamp minimizes shaking or wobbling.

Cons: Neck is on the short side, which can be inconvenient.

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Courtesy Amazon Amazon

Buy Kootek Clip On Music Light Stand $17.99

3. Clip-On LED Music Stand Light

If you’re a touring musician or need an extra stand light in your practice bag, you can’t go wrong with this model. There are no real bells and whistles for this stand light, it just does exactly what you need it to do. It travels well and can be used almost anywhere, which is a plus.

We like that the adjustable arms are sturdy and fairly long and that it comes with two lights instead of one, as well as the four levels of brightness. It’s not rechargeable and is powered by USB or AAA batteries, but we don’t think it’s a dealbreaker. Because it’s so easy to carry around, we also think this stand light makes a fantastic back-up to keep on hand for emergencies.

Pros: Extremely easy to travel with and can be used for anything.

Cons: Brightness of the bulbs can be inconsistent.

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Courtesy Amazon Amazon

Buy Clip-On LED Music Stand Light $9.99

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