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Double Bass Tablet device for reading music

#21
Also when using forscore I will take screen shots from iReal or also homemade charts; you can then add them to for score and put in the same set list. Super helpful when a chart is in another format and you just want to hit the page turner between tunes instead of have to exit and enter a new app.

also, I purchased a small kick drum Mike stand, for electric gigs when a music stand might be looked down upon or look out of place. Put it down by my pedals and have the airturn right there. Not for full charts, but when you need a glance at some changes..
 
#22
Fat bob said:
Also when using forscore I will take screen shots from iReal or also homemade charts; you can then add them to for score and put in the same set list. Super helpful when a chart is in another format and you just want to hit the page turner between tunes instead of have to exit and enter a new app.
Click to expand...

Yes. One of my bands has sheets with only lyrics and chords, but iGigBook and forScore handle those just fine. Also, you can export a PDF directly from iReal, you don't have to use a screen shot.
 
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#23
I have used my 9.7” iPad Pro with ForScore and an Airturn pedal in my community orchestra. I wish I had a larger screen, but this one works. ForScore is nice because I can annotate on-screen (highlight passages, note dynamics, etc.) with my Apple Pencil after I import the PDF. Can create setlists, too.
 
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#24
Fat bob said:
also, I purchased a small kick drum Mike stand, for electric gigs when a music stand might be looked down upon or look out of place. Put it down by my pedals and have the airturn right there. Not for full charts, but when you need a glance at some changes..
Click to expand...

This is a sometimes-overlooked advantage of the tablet device over paper. It's a more low-key presence on stage than a full music stand. There are various clamps available that hold them, with threads or clamps for attaching to mic stands. There are so many of these products, and they fit different sized devices, and the products come and go, so there isn't a single recommendation I can make. Just look at the customer reviews and make sure that it fits your particular device and your particular stand.

Of course, you can put one on a (sturdy) music stand, too, which I generally do for rehearsals.
 
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#25
ForScore on iPad.
It also supports white on black display, which I like for not having a big white screen shining in my face in darker settings, and avoids having a music stand light.
I'm the type of nerd who, if there is a set-list in advance, organises my music in order, so there is no fumbling between tunes, just flicking from one page to the next.
ForScore also supports writing with a stylus in 'layers' so you can make notes on the sheet and then toggle them on or off.
 
#26
I have an iPad 9.7" with Forscore and a Samsung 8" with MobileSheets Pro.

I switched from paper last year (2019).

IMO, the 12" tablets are nice by not necessary. One advantage of the self-illuminating tablet over paper is that you can mount it on a mic stand and bring it closer to your face, all the while providing less visual blockage of you to the audience. Basically, don't use a music stand for your tablet, use a tablet holder on a mic stand.

For a pianist though, a 12" tablet is nice.

BTW, one big difference between iPads and Android tablets is the screen size aspect ratio. iPads are 3:4 and match paper pretty well. Most Android tablets are 2:3 and are too tall for the width to match letter/A4 size paper. I thought that was a drawback until I used my Android tablet with MobileSheets and realized that the vertical scrolling option allowed me to see the next page top before turning pages. For some charts, I would not need to turn pages because of this. That is a very nice feature not available on a 3:4 screen. (The drawback is the page width is smaller.)

Check them out in stores.
 
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#27
Thanks to everybody for the great suggestions. I was able to scrounge up a couple of tablets, to try, but of course it's "all dressed up and nowhere to go" now, thanks to the covid. Meanwhile, I built a little page turning pedal. It's not that I'm too cheap to buy one, but I enjoy tinkering. I've put it up on Github, with the absolutely most skeletal documentation, but will flesh it out a bit more in coming days.

bassistTech/PgUpDnPedal
 
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#28
In my experience an iPad and ForScore does everything you need it. You can add in notes and rearrange the order of the set etc.

I’ve also just been sent a pdf with the set list in order which also works easily on the iPad.

For teaching I’ve got all my resources on a tablet which does make life a lot easier but when it comes to actually gigging I will always use paper where possible.
 
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#29
Anyone using a 10" Amazon Fire Tablet to read charts at gigs? My 10 year old Samsung, while functional, is somewhat slow and the battery isn't what it used to be. The way I use the Samsung tablet at gigs is by keeping open my music subfile in the "File" app. There, my charts are automatically sorted alphabetically and the subfolder contains a mix of WORD, pdf and jpg files.
 
#30
I bought a refurbished iPad Pro last year (I think it's the 2017 version) and I'm using it with ForScore for all my bands, with an AirTurn BT-200 when needed.
For written parts I use portrait, but for most chord notation pieces I use the 2-page landscape mode.
I'm very happy not to have the piles of paper in front of me any more.
 

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