Paperless Music

[Elwood38]

Having recently seen a solo folk artist using an iPad instead of printed paper for his crib sheet and set list, I am wondering if any of you do the same? From what little I know, it seems that all the songs accumulated in a ring binder folder or on odd bits of paper can be transferred and stored on an iPad making them immediately available and without having to lug around a heavy and bulky ring binder.

If any of you use this method then, what program or app do you use and how do you get the song sheets into the iPad?

I'd be grateful for any information as I belong to a beginner/intermediate guitar group and have a very bulky and heavy ring binder to carry. It would be so convenient to be able to use a tablet PC instead.

[coopman]

Lots of posts on this topic if you search the forum.

I use gigbook by deep dish designs on my ipad. Basic technic is to scan your music into PDF files. Either as individual song files or multi page collections - gigbook handles either with ease. It has many flexible and fast methods to organize and search. Gone are piles of paper and books. : -)

Check out my website for a more detailed review and pdf with screen shots and more tips on becoming a paperless musician

[HHP]

I'm old fashioned and feel that performance should be unencumbered by stands, sheet music, ring binders or iPads. If you don't know it well enough to play it without that stuff, you probably shouldn't be playing it on stage.

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by HHP

I'm old fashioned and feel that performance should be unencumbered by stands, sheet music, ring binders or iPads. If you don't know it well enough to play it without that stuff, you probably shouldn't be playing it on stage.

I used to feel that same way. Consider a symphony performance - all the musicians have sheet music in front of them. Some of my favorite big band concerts - yep, music stand and charts.

I was raised as a rock 'n roll musician... charts on stage?? No way! About ten years ago, I made a change to a solo keyboardist, and couldn't keep it all straight without some "cheat sheets."

These days, I use an iPad Mini with OnSong app to keep track of the songs and set lists. I can't seem to memorize lyrics like I used to, so having a little memory jog by glancing down at the iPad once in a while keeps it flowing. If I couldn't play the music without the prompt, I generally won't do that song.

Most people don't even notice it. Some techie folks are interested. I also use a TC Helicon vocal harmonizer, and have had a couple people ask (during a break or at the end of the night) if I have the vocals programmed into the iPad. Nope.



Captain Jim

[MJRB]

Originally Posted by HHP

I'm old fashioned and feel that performance should be unencumbered by stands, sheet music, ring binders or iPads. If you don't know it well enough to play it without that stuff, you probably shouldn't be playing it on stage.

Half your luck. Thanks for the encouragement.
I hope you can still say that when you are my age, 80.
I use cheat sheets because my memory ain't what it was (if it ever was).
MJRB

[Kyle76]

Originally Posted by HHP

I'm old fashioned and feel that performance should be unencumbered by stands, sheet music, ring binders or iPads. If you don't know it well enough to play it without that stuff, you probably shouldn't be playing it on stage.

I can't remember the last show I saw where the professionals weren't using an iPad or a laptop. Of course a lot has changed over the decades. They aren't drunk/stoned much anymore, either. Maybe when they sobered up, they realized their memories weren't as good as they thought.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Elwood38

Having recently seen a solo folk artist using an iPad instead of printed paper for his crib sheet and set list, I am wondering if any of you do the same?

Hi Elwood...

I've been using the iPad to carry charts for over 4 years now. It is far more convenient.

Score reading (chart reading) Apps are worth their weight in gold, and are different than pdf or text readers in that they allow you to build song lists, where you can switch from song to song, and edit lists a number of ways very quickly. Some even allow scrolling if you choose to turn the tablet sidewise and use a blue-tooth foot pedal (so the text is larger).

I prefer to format my songs and convert them to pdf and use an App called UnrealBook (the king of the pdf music sheet readers). I don't do much transposing, especially not on the fly, so pdf based is great for me.

If you plan to do a lot of transposing, then you want OnSong which is the king of the Text Based Song Sheet Apps. It is preferred by large worship teams because of the beaming features (sending charts from iPad to iPad), and transposing and scrolling capability.

If you are a classical musician who converts scores to pdf or purchases them as pdf, the App which classical musicians seem to prefer is FourScore.

If you are an Android user, the App you want is Mobile Sheets.

If you plan to use/convert all the existing sheets you have, then you will have to convert them to either text or pdf (scan them, or type them) into the format you prefer to use. This is the time consuming part of the task of conversion. There is no simple way to just go 'poof' and they magically appear in your iPad/tablet.

If you need to preserve your hand written sheets or sheets with a lot of hand written notes, scanning is your only realistic option.

I have a friend who scanned his into the iPad directly (used a 'scanning' app which let them shoot pics of the pages with their built in camera). It required more work, but it did a good job.

Our home Epson printer doubles as a great scanner and keeps the perspective of scanned sheets straight (it's easy to capture sheets at weird angles when shooting with a camera). I prefer the flat-bed/printer/scanner because I have more control over the finished 'image' (I scan charts to pdf). It shoots at higher resolutions.

Then naming your songs for the app is just as important as scanning them - so you can find them easily (alphabetically) to build lists out of.

Using tablets is certainly becoming more preferable and organized than my old notebooks. It's really useful for rehearsals, and situations where I'm playing with musicians who don't know the songs I do in the keys I perform them.

Hope this helps.

[Laughingboy68]

I'll second Larry's recommendation for UnrealBook. I scanned two large binders using our Canon printer, bought a Bluetooth page turner with some Boss pedals and have been using this setup since.

Things I've learned since: 1 - The pdf files from our printer are large and I haven't figured out how to make them smaller - they respond slower than smaller pdf files when selected or while turning pages. 2 - It's almost as quick to create new files as it is to scan them. 3 - I hardly ever use the pedals even though they work flawlessly. 4 - I cut and paste lyrics from the net, convert them to Pages files, add notes and chords, correct mistakes in the lyric or format and save them as pdf files. It takes a few minutes per song but gives clear and accurate files that work well and respond quickly. 5 - I use a GigEasy holder for my iPad. I know many people recommend stands or holders that are larger or can hold the iPad in a case but I like the small secure clamp of this one.

Mike

[dhalbert]

Originally Posted by Laughingboy68

The pdf files from our printer are large and I haven't figured out how to make them smaller

I don't know the specific scanning software that comes with your printer/scanner, but one thing I've found is that the software packages supplied with various scanners (including Canon - we've had three) often call grayscale scans "black and white". They make it difficult to choose true "bitonal" scans (each dot/pixel is black or white, not anything in between). Often the setting to choose true bitonal is buried in the "Advanced" settings.

So you might want to poke around in the settings and help to see if you can get bitonal scans.

I eventually bought a relatively inexpensive separate piece of scanning software that was much was easier to use: http://www.softi.co.uk/ (for Windows). There are two packages for sale there: the more expensive one also does the shuffling necessary to do scans from double-sided originals easily, and will deskew crooked scans.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Laughingboy68

I'll second Larry's recommendation for UnrealBook. I scanned two large binders using our Canon printer, bought a Bluetooth page turner with some Boss pedals and have been using this setup since.

Things I've learned since: 1 - The pdf files from our printer are large and I haven't figured out how to make them smaller - they respond slower than smaller pdf files when selected or while turning pages. 2 - It's almost as quick to create new files as it is to scan them. 3 - I hardly ever use the pedals even though they work flawlessly. 4 - I cut and paste lyrics from the net, convert them to Pages files, add notes and chords, correct mistakes in the lyric or format and save them as pdf files. It takes a few minutes per song but gives clear and accurate files that work well and respond quickly. 5 - I use a GigEasy holder for my iPad. I know many people recommend stands or holders that are larger or can hold the iPad in a case but I like the small secure clamp of this one.

Mike

Hi Mike...

Scan at lower dots per inch.
Scan in Black & White (B&W)

I find formatting songs quicker too. That way I can do updated changes (things I do now that I was not doing when they were created)

I use a small music stand which clamps to my mic stand. In 3 models of iPads I have owned, not one of them was the same size as the others. The dedicated stand I bought for the first would not fit the second or third ones.

Also, I have my iPad in an OtterBox case. It takes 5 minutes to unmount it from the case - so a little music stand works for every sized tablet - oh and for paper too! (occasionally someone hands me a song on a sheet)

I also don't use pedals. I just don't need em.

There are so many great options these days...

[pjroberts]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Mike...

Scan at lower dots per inch.
Scan in Black & White (B&W)

I find formatting songs quicker too. That way I can do updated changes (things I do now that I was not doing when they were created)

There are so many great options these days...

Larry, I think these are good suggestions. However if you need the tonal image (as opposed to straight B&W, which = Black OR White, you can usually adjust the final PDF size (as you say) by reducing resolution to 100 dpi... that really depends on the tablet screen resolution, so you can be safest at about 150. What frequently happens with default gray scale or color scans, is the resolution default setting is set way up at 200-300 or more, and you get gigantic files. Keeping it locked down to 150 or 100 should be manageable on most modern tablets. Experiment with a few adjustments to see what works best. As mentioned, scan resolution settings are frequently found in the Advanced Settings, depending on which scanner/printer/SW you're using. Poke around and experiment (Just like playing guitar) and you will find the best recipe.

[GibbyPrague]

Yep, my singer moved from paper to Ipad, use Onsong. Great app, saved a lot of hassle.

Because Im brilliant I dont need it and remember all the guitars parts from heart .. ;-)

[leatherguy]

Am i correct in saying that OnSong is not available for Android?
Is there an Android app that is just as good?

...after a little research over in the "Play" sub forum, I got my answer and a few good ideas.

[teletaylor]

Glad for this thread

I made the jump to Onsong, now I'm going to prep for the next gig!

[Steely Glen]

Originally Posted by HHP

I'm old fashioned and feel that performance should be unencumbered by stands, sheet music, ring binders or iPads. If you don't know it well enough to play it without that stuff, you probably shouldn't be playing it on stage.

I think this is terrible advice because it seems to ignore a variety of musical contexts. My situation is that I play a weekly gig in 2 worship services, using 12-14 songs per week and without much repitition of songs from week-to-week. The repertoire of songs annually might be 200-300 songs. My iPad is a life-saver because it allows me keep all this music organized and by attaching it to the mic stand, reduces my on-stage footprint.