Paperless sheet music solution

[BluMunk]

I have an annual outdoor, televised gig on the day after Thanksgiving. The pay is minimal, it is always cold, always miserable, but the gig is short and a good networking/get my face out in public kind of event.

 

Anyway, due both to wind as well as cold fingers, page turning is a giant pain in the ass, as is keeping my book open to the correct page.

 

It's a little late I think for me to get this together for next week, but I think it's time to spring for an iPad, get some software, some foot pedals(?), and get myself set up in the digital world.

 

Who here uses a tablet for sheet music? What hardware/software do you use? How does it work? Can you use your own pdfs? How does page turning (forward, backward, skipping pages, etc) work? Can you write/erase notes on the page? How do you find the legibility on a smaller-than-paper screen? Does not having two pages open at a time (book format) pose a big liability to the digital format?

 

I'm really curious about this not only for windy gigs, but also for cocktail piano gigs, to which I currently carry stacks of books. It'd be great to scan in everything and just have a tablet.

 

 

[Sven Golly]

If only this had been asked here before once or twice.

[BluMunk]

Geez, Sven. Yes, I know how to search the site via google, and have read, on and off, most of the big thread on the topic.

 

However, most of that thread is over 2 years old. Technology changes. People's rigs change. I'm interested in what people are doing now, today, not two years ago. And I have some specific questions that haven't been answered here previously.

 

Thanks for your helpfulness.

[DulceLabs.com]

You'll have to excuse Sven. Since he lost his security gig at Walley World he's been guarding the forum from dangerous interlopers.

 

http://oi59.tinypic.com/hv6y6g.jpg

[MorayM]

I'm a cheapskate so I use a Kindle. It reads PDFs and the battery lasts for weeks. The only problem is the screen is quite small so you may need to tweak any existing PDFs. If you write your own sheets of course you can optimise them for the screen.

[16251]

If only this had been asked here before once or twice.

[Reezekeys]

Believe it or not I use my iPhone 5S with the excellent Set List Maker. I also had my reading glasses on while I played!

 

My charts are lead sheets with chord symbols and a few notated lines here & there. By experimentation I designed a format in Sibelius that presents a readable chart when the phone is in landscape mode (increasing staff size & document dimensions to make one very tall page). I move around the page by touch. The gig I use this on is one that I don't want to have a music stand & music showing so it works well the phone sits on my keyboard and is invisible to the audience.

 

I'm sure this is probably not exactly what you need to do, but if you already have an iPhone you may want to try it before buying an iPad. Set List Maker can import PDFs and as I mentioned has controls to scroll & change pages by touching different areas of the screen. I think it also has provisions for using one of those page-turning pedals. It also has tons of features that, like me, you will probably never use the developer is very active with adding new things and addressing bugs.

 

I do think an iPad mini is in my future but for now the phone work well enough. I definitely couldn't use it to play any completely notated (i.e., grand staff) music though.

[Joe Muscara]

The gig I use this on is one that I don't want to have a music stand & music showing so it works well the phone sits on my keyboard and is invisible to the audience.

For gigs when I don't need full charts, just a song list with perhaps the key and maybe some reminder notes, I also use my iPhone (now a 6) running Set List Maker and one of these sticky pads on my keyboard. These were designed to keep devices like iPhones and iPods on your dashboard without permanently adhering to the dash nor marking it up, so it's great to do something similar on your keyboard too. Otherwise the phone moves around with vibration and stuff.

[Reezekeys]

I also use my iPhone (now a 6) running Set List Maker and one of these sticky pads on my keyboard.

That's a great idea, thanks. I took some gaff tape & made two small "rolls" that the phone rested in, but this is much better.

[BernMeister]

...How do you find the legibility on a smaller-than-paper screen? Does not having two pages open at a time (book format) pose a big liability to the digital format?

 

Legibility can be challenging, but I'm told you get used to it after a short while. (I'm still holding out for an iPad Pro of sorts)

 

I transcribe most of my clients' sheet music for tablet format. The first rule of thumb is, there is no two-page book format! Whereas traditional sheet music format can contain D.S.'s, this is not ideal with tablets for obvious reasons (it's best viewed one page at a time).

 

Most of my clients perform for live concert and TV performances. These musicians prefer to read their music once through, without the distraction of repeat signs, especially D.S.'s (unless you're redirected within the same page). Yes, it means possibly reading through multiple pages. But this isn't a problem with tablets...it's not like you need to tape your sheets together or require a sheet stand wide enough to hold 4+ pages

[Jazzmammal]

Geez, Sven.However, most of that thread is over 2 years old. Technology changes. People's rigs change. I'm interested in what people are doing now, today, not two years ago. And I have some specific questions that haven't been answered here previously.

 

Nothing's changed and these threads may have started years ago but there's plenty of recent posts. The primary app seems to be irealb now updated to ireal pro:

 

http://irealpro.com/

 

If you're using all the many different real books this has pretty much everything. As far as page turning apps, footswitches and all that, nothing's changed there either it's all in that thread.

 

One gig we had a sax player sitting in and he called a tune I didn't have a chart for. He pulled it up on his phone in literally a couple of seconds and handed it to me. That link shows what it looks like and surprisingly I could read it ok but for a full gig I would want a tablet. ireal pro is available both for ios and android. I've been thinking of doing this too but my jazz gigs have really died the last couple of years and all I'm doing now is classic blues and rock. Don't need any charts for that stuff.

 

Bob

[gino]

Do it... I use Set List Maker to view my PDF'd charts and use the midi feature in the app to send program changes to my 2 keyboards. I love this app, it has heaps of features, but those are the 2 features i use. I use an Air Turn BT-105 two pedal board for scrolling back and forth through charts pages. The bluetooth pedals can also be programed to perform other tasks/features the app has.

 

Regards,

Gino

[Kenny Ingram]

(I'm still holding out for an iPad Pro of sorts)

So am I (I currently use an iPad 3), but slowly and surely losing hope.

 

There are some great apps for the iPad that do exactly what you're looking for: MusicReader, ForScore, ect.

[PraiseTheLord]

I use an Ipad4 with forScore. Excellent quality, but then I also write my arrangements in Sibelius and can enlarge the music until it's readable! I'm looking forward to an IPad Pro.

[yamoho]

I am also using iPad 4th gen (Retina display) with ForScore and the BT-105 pager turner from Air Turn. Works well for me and I am fine with the 10 inch screen of the iPad, as I have it pretty close, attached to the mic stand using one of the tablet brackets from Air Turn (also the Retina display is very crisp). I got the iPad used on CL for $250, it's in perfect shape. There are some good Black Friday deals I have seen, check out Staples for iPad AIR (1st gen, has Retina display).

 

I have only been into the paperless music scene for a few months, and I am still wondering about all the apps available for music reading/set lists/transposition etc... I don't want to hijack this thread, but does anyone know of any reviews of these apps, comparisons, etc (For Score, iGigBook, Set List Maker et al.)? Might be interesting to have a thread dedicated to music apps, it's a lot to digest for a newbie like me...

[Bobadohshe]

Been using this combo effectively for a year:

 

-Forscore for huge PDFS (like an entire real book in 1 PDF)

-igigbook for multiple small PDFS (setlist feature and markup features invaluable)

[Kenny Ingram]

That's a HUGE issue I'm having with MusicReader PDF. I have a 200 page file, and it takes nearly THREE seconds to turn the page after it being pressed. Does ForScore lag with larger PDFs?

[yamoho]

I just transferred a 534-page fake book from my Mac to iPad, opened in For Score. No lag turning the pages, all 534 pages in one PDF file...

[Kenny Ingram]

Thank you very much for the update. I'll have to try out ForScore.

[yamoho]

Like some other apps, For Score also allows you to annotate PDFs, create set-lists, attach recordings, has a metronome, you can even program it to turn the page automatically after a defined number of beats. Lots of stuff I haven't even gotten into yet. Not bad for $6.99...

[Bobadohshe]

That's a HUGE issue I'm having with MusicReader PDF. I have a 200 page file, and it takes nearly THREE seconds to turn the page after it being pressed. Does ForScore lag with larger PDFs?

 

No lag I've experienced really. The biggest reason I like Forscore for big PDFS is because you can swipe through the PDF rapidly on the bottom and see previews of the page you're flipping to. Extremely convenient.

[Cloner]

... I use a Kindle.

 

Just curious, how do you navigate turning the pages? I've tried it with mine without a great deal of success.

 

Thanks!

[MorayM]

... I use a Kindle.

 

Just curious, how do you navigate turning the pages? I've tried it with mine without a great deal of success.

 

Thanks!

 

I've got one of the old ones with physical buttons on the sides for turning pages. Works pretty well, and easier than the touch screen version.

[Cloner]

Thank MorayM - I'll have to give it another try.

[Phil-E-Phil]

Been using this combo effectively for a year:

 

-Forscore for huge PDFS (like an entire real book in 1 PDF)

-igigbook for multiple small PDFS (setlist feature and markup features invaluable)

 

Curious as to why you wouldn't be using the indexing feature of iGigBook for real books.

[Kenny Ingram]

Now that this age-old thread has been brought back from the dead, I'd like to comment on my issue from earlier this year...

 

I was having problems with the $.99 app called MusicReader PDF for all of my PDFs. The first problem I had with it was that it looked like it hadn't been updated since the early 2000s...now I could live with that if it weren't for my second complaint: it took forever to turn the pages...

 

So, I took some advice from others using iPads for PDFs, and stumbled across ForScore. $9.99 - surely no app could be worth that. I decided to take a gamble anyway, and it's been a fantastic decision for me. Lightyears ahead in every way from MusicReader - but I'm still finding my way around it. Pages don't take forever to turn (thank goodness!), with the exception of when you're making notes on a page with the annotations, and press 'back page' or 'forward page'.

 

I'm still figuring everything out on it, but it's doing a much better job than MusicReader could ever hope to do (and yes, I do believe it's worth 10X as much).

[RABid]

Has anyone tried using a Kindle Paperwhite? I know that you can get them to read pdf files. Seems like it would be handy for outdoor gigs, plus it is cheap.

[ewall08530]

I just wanted to add the I've ordered an ipad4 and intend to go in this direction in 2015, finally. I'm about to retire from my day gig and go full time music/ teaching and I realized for a new project and last minute sub gigs this would be almost essential.

Thanks for all the helpful info. You guys are the greatest!

[J Graul]

I've been using ForScore with the BT-105 successfully for over a year now. I'm now trying out SetListMaker since it can also send MIDI messages. I want it to change my patches for me.

 

Some of the songs I've entered into SetListMaker have lyrics, some have chords only, some have sheet music PDFs attached, and some are just the title of the song. I had a few issues on my first gig switching between songs, especially with the PDFs. Also took me a little while to figure out which Bluetooth keyboard commands to configure for the BT-105 so it would turn pages, go to the next song, etc. I'm hoping to have all my issues resolved for the next gig this weekend.

[Al the Piano Guy]

Glad to see this topic raised again. I installed forScore on my iPad Air and have only been dabbling with it and not using it for the sessions I play. Size does matter, but so does ergonomics, and I when I get the appropriate iPad holder that positions the iPad where I can easily view/access it, I will definitely want to use it for reading my lead sheets and chord charts.

 

But there is another, maybe bigger issue than iPad ergonomics and this has to do with the various Hal Leonard fake books available in either iBook or Kindle (maybe even Nook I have a B&N gift card Im wanting to use ) formats. I have yet to buy these because I have not had success moving the Kindle or iBook documents to forScore in my tests. One of the Kindle books I have is the Hal Leonard drum machine pattern book (great for this NON-drummer) I bought from Amazon. Anyhow, HLs big fake book would be great for the senior audiences I entertain, but not unless I can get it into forScore. I emailed forScores support team (had excellent response) about this, and they told me that DRM protection prevents this. This seems to be a grey area that I would like to hear what other users have experienced.

 

Thanks