The music desk is the part of the case that holds the printed music upright for the pianist to see. The bottom horizontal portion of the music desk which supports the bottom of the printed music is called the music shelf. The music desk is hinged and usually can be set at several different angles. When not using printed music, the desk can either be folded down, or completely removed from the piano and set aside. The music desk can be very plain or extremely ornate, depending on the design of the piano.