digital sheet music on gigs

[feral guitar]

So, I was getting all exited about the new 12.9" Ipad Pro ($900-1100) that is coming out in November until I realized that I really need to read at least 2 pages at a time (not interested in foot-switching).

The new Ipad Pro screen will be just under the size of a single 8.5 x11 piece of paper.

I was thinking of getting a Mac Mini ($500) and a 22" monitor ($150) - add a cord, and a keyboard (maybe something mini) and I should be set.
Obviously more bulky that an Ipad, but should be manageable.

I already lug a 1' x 2.5' filebox of charts to gigs (its heavy!)

Anyone consider this sort of thing - have any ideas?

[Greentone]

So far, I still use sheet music--where the gig calls for it. I have resisted digital formats. What does everyone else do?

(My iPad, etc., all go to sleep at the most inopportune moments.)

[s1track3d]

I use iRealb on my iPhone.

Pros: Light weight, illuminated, nothing else to bring, phone will not sleep when this app is on, can instantly transpose to any key.
Cons: Small (very - hard to see at a distance - i.e. where to put it?), Only chord charts - no melodies

[Thecytochromec]

I bought a galaxy tablet 16GB, 9.7" for $250 at Fry's. You can buy a micro SD card that's 32 GB for $15. A case for it was $10 off amazon.

I only have digital copies of real books, so it's perfect. It fits on the stand and you can adjust the brightness. It's hard to read the melodies, unless you're a great sight reader but you can read the chords/changes just fine. There's also a feature on the adobe app to let you view two pages at once. Obviously the print is smaller, but you can read most songs in 1-2 pages.

To me, it's amazing. I have literally tens of thousands of lead sheets and books just sitting in my backpack. I bought it solely for lead sheet and educational books and stuff. I was almost surprised when I saw everything else it can do.

"What this has Word, PowerPoint and kindle apps?

Who'da thunk?"

[Little Jay]

Ipad with iReal and iGigbook (iphone with iReal as a backup) for me, tucked away in my guitar bag. My iGigbook has some 26 Real and Fakebooks in pdf, my iReal has a lot of extra playlists from their forum. I can't remember the last time a tune was called that I didn't have in there. Never looked back!

My analog Realbooks (the paper ones that is) I use only at home for study purposes and I write notes in them ;-)

[drbhrb]

iPads are less conspicuous on gigs. Phones work for irealb if you need it but are small. I once saw someone playing with a phone strapped to their headstock like a snark tuner - not a good look.

[D.G.]

iRealPro on an iPad. I also bring printed charts (from iReal) in case the machine decides to die on me Since I'm never called on to read melodies, it works fine for me.

Besides, you know that old joke:

Q: How do you get a guitar player to stop playing?

A: Put a piece of sheet music in from of him!

[Thecytochromec]

My only beef was with Apple's limit on storage. If a galaxy tab runs out you can swap in new 64 GB micro SD for ~$30 whereas most, if not all, iPads are limited to the internal storage of the device. I also liked how I can just drag and drop files onto the galaxy without requiring the use of iTunes or other software and the don't cost as much either.

[339 in june]

iPads are less conspicuous on gigs. Phones work for irealb if you need it but are small. I once saw someone playing with a phone strapped to their headstock like a snark tuner - not a good look.

Neck heavy !

[feral guitar]

good resource:
https://goingdigitalmusician.wordpress.com/

[Al_F]

Just don’t digital paper modeling is there yet, ‘analog’ paper is warmer and risk of failure during a gig is almost non-existent!

[pingu]

i wonder if a kindle could
function as a pdf reader for music sheets ?

anyone done this

[ah.clem]

Nexus 7, Orpheus app, AirTurn foot switch. Easy to set up and use, foot switch is small. My wife just gave me her iPad (she doesn't care for it) and I might try it with the same setup, except using forScore. A little bigger so it means buying a new stand mount. For practicing bass or guitar, I just run iRealB on an old 10" Android tablet and Bluetooth stereo speakers. I put both tablets on a regular music stand and it works just fine.

[ah.clem]

i wonder if a kindle could
function as a pdf reader for music sheets ?

anyone done this

I've done it with my Kindle app on Android. You just send the PDF to your Kindle account and either enter CONVERT in the subject line (to make it a Kindle file) or leave the subject blank and it will remain a PDF file on your kindle. This will work for any PDF, MOB, etc. format. I do both as sometimes one formats better than the other; I then delete the one I don't want.

[Longways to Go]

I use Ireal on an android Asus mini pad. It is great in so many ways. I only wish they would add in the melody line . . . oh & I guess maybe the lyrics? Currently just a practice tool though. Call me old school, but I don't want to look like a blue faced zombie guitarist out there . . .

[DanielleOM]

I use an Acer Iconia 6120 (dual screen tablet) with a pdf music reader software app. Unfortunately Acer discontinued and there is no replacement.

A friend has used a Toshiba large screen tablet with the same software. However it's not as easily transported.

Danielle

[docdosco]

I read somewhere recently that the new larger iPad is supposed to open 2 programs split screen. Anyone heard this? In theory, one could have lyrics on one side and either ireal or a PDF reader on the other. Co-ordinating 2 programs to open with the right pages coming up might not be feasible though.....

Doc Dosco

[pingu]

I've done it with my Kindle app on Android. You just send the PDF to your Kindle account and either enter CONVERT in the subject line (to make it a Kindle file) or leave the subject blank and it will remain a PDF file on your kindle. This will work for any PDF, MOB, etc. format. I do both as sometimes one formats better than the other; I then delete the one I don't want.

scuse my ignorance Clem ....

can one open the pdfs on an actual kindle
device ?

[kenbennett]

For me, a regular iPad on a good clip onto the mic stand is perfect. The clip has to rotate and turn so you can position it well. To turn the page you just touch the screen near the bottom (next page) or top (previous page). To go to the next song touch the page near the right (next song) or left (previous song).

The page turns are easy because I only have to move my picking hand about a foot, pretty much level, to touch the screen.

The sets are PDFs compiled in iGigBook from the Real Books and other stuff that I loaded plus the charts, lead sheets, and lyric sheets, that I make myself.

So besides making sets for various gig situations, you can also search up any song that someone calls or requests from all the books and charts you have in the system.

On top of all that, if you have a wireless connection, which you do in most venues, you can search the entire internet if necessary.

[Cunamara]

I use my iPad with an app called unrealBook which works very well. It manages multi-page files like the Real Books quite gracefully and I can also load individual lead sheets that I generate using LilyPond.

[ohlcv]

scuse my ignorance Clem ....

can one open the pdfs on an actual kindle
device ?

yes

[WilliamScott]

I use a Kindle and it works but the screen is small and, in my opinion, not worth the squint. It is very handy to have, though, and a bigger screen is something I will eventually have. Other folks I play with use Ipads and they clearly won't go back.

[pingu]

For me, a regular iPad on a good clip onto the mic stand is perfect. The clip has to rotate and turn so you can position it well. To turn the page you just touch the screen near the bottom (next page) or top (previous page). To go to the next song touch the page near the right (next song) or left (previous song).

The page turns are easy because I only have to move my picking hand about a foot, pretty much level, to touch the screen.

The sets are PDFs compiled in iGigBook from the Real Books and other stuff that I loaded plus the charts, lead sheets, and lyric sheets, that I make myself.

So besides making sets for various gig situations, you can also search up any song that someone calls or requests from all the books and charts you have in the system.

On top of all that, if you have a wireless connection, which you do in most venues, you can search the entire internet if necessary.

hi Ken,
i have a few pdfs of scans various real books ...
would igigbook automagically index all the
tunes for me ?

(igigbook page says it will , but I can't understand how it would line up
the page numbers etc)

[BigDee62]

I have old eyes so I used to use one of the earlier huge kindles (Kindle DX?) ... Until I max'd out its minuscule memory. I switched to my iPad mini. I have to use reading glasses but it works.

I should mention, I'm a keyboardist first, so I'm reading full piano scores on my mini.

[Ol' Fret]

Hmm, the exuberant and ubiquitous spreading of (digital) sheet music on jazz gigs - even in the professional field - is seen by some as critical: Why You Shouldn't Be a Real Book Player | jazzadvice.com