You'll notice that in the picture with the students using it
for seating, they are using it in two different orientations,
which have two different heights. Eureka ! This looks a lot
like what I need.
I currently play music on my Chapman stick and Dragonfly acoustic stringed instruments while seated on a quicklok keyboard/piano bench, similar in the way a cellist usually plays. It does this function well, but there are other issues that make it an annoying.
This has led me to try and come up with something better.
When I am doing this music work, I switch my seating between two specific heights. Playing height (24 in). and Desk work height (16 in.)
I have the seat height at 24" on the piano bench which is most comfortable for me for this activity. Doing desk work for me is uncomfortable with a seat height of 24 in. I like to sit lower than that, like around 16 in. I could raise the desk, but that's still not comfortable for me. So... I have to switch seats and use my Aeron desk chair. Not Ideal.
I also want to move the bench quickly and easily when I want to use my Aeron desk chair instead for other activities.
The piano bench is a tank and it's awkward to move even just a few feet. So switching seating is awkward. It's also slow and awkward to change it's height. I could use a drum stool or something similar, but even that is really too much fiddling for my liking.
The possible answer to my search for something better came quite by accident.
I was looking at museum exhibits of various Bauhaus Designers online and i came across a very interesting piece of furniture by the famous designer Max Bill called The Ulmer Stool, which he designed in 1954.
You'll notice that in the picture with the students using it
for seating, they are using it in two different orientations,
which have two different heights. Eureka ! This looks a lot
like what I need.
If one browses through an image search of google with 'ulm' stool , you'll see it's used in a myraid of ways as a modular piece of furniture, including a carrier/basket of sorts by turning the stool upside down and using the crossbar dowel of the stool as the handle of the basket.
The original Ulm stool has height/width/depth dimensions of:
44cm / 39.5cm / 29.5cm or 17in / 15.5in / 11.25inIf I alter the dimensions close to:
24in / 16in / 16in
I'll fulfill the basic requirements for my music bench. I can switch from 24in high to 16in hight by just tipping the stool over on it's side and back again as needed for playing or "desking".
As I investigated further, I discovered that finewoodworking.com already had the same idea , although not specifically as a music bench. Here's what their version looks like.
I think the extra dowel cross pieces are a good idea, but I think i'll try just two and align them along the long dimension to preserve using one as a handle. I also decided to keep the plain wood styling of Bill's original Ulmer stool, but use plywood instead of plain pine for the main panels.
Something like this:
(1) is playing mode, (2) is desk mode
(1) is playing mode, (2) is desk mode, (3) is instrument stand mode.
Using it as a "basket" in mode (3) to carry a small amp. My Bose
S1 Pro will fit. Nice !
It should also (mostly) fit underneath the bench when playing in mode (1)
If desired.
When using the bench as an instrument stand. it will probabaly be necessary to have some way to prevent the instrument from shifting/sliding when leaning on the dowel cross bar. I thought about this a while and concluded adapting some off the shelf handlebar handgrips for the task. i'll just slit them lengthwise, pop them over the dowel, And slide them to an appriate distance apart to keep the instrument snug between them while resting on the crossbar
Note: Bike handle bars seem to be about 22mm -- 7/8in outer diameter usually.