Comments on: Taming The Sheet Music Tiger Part 3: Going Mobile!

By: Brittany

Brittany — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:51:57 +0000

Hey Stewart,

Thanks for checking out my blogs. Sorry to hear about your stolen MusicPad. I hope insurance covered it.

All of my MTH article are archived here on my website:

http://www.ladybassmusic.net/archives.html

Here is Part 1:
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/taming-the-sheet-music-tiger/

Here is Part 2:
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/taming-the-sheet-music-tiger-part-2-diy-external-hard-drive/

I’m still developing what I am going to use as an interface….stay tuned for part 4, and I’ll definitely answer more of your questions. Thanks for your patience.

By: stewart

stewart — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:26:38 +0000

Brittany, great article! I hope I’m not coming to the party too late. I had a MusicPad Pro for about 4 years and it recently got stolen. Instead of rushing right out to replace it, I’ve decided to wait for the Apple “iSlate” or “iTablet” or whatever it will be called. In the meantime, I’ve butchered a 12″ iBook to fold flat on the music stand and operate it in portrait mode. I initially tried to install a touchsreen that I bought off ebay, but that didn’t work out too well for several reasons. I ended up getting a Wacom Bamboo and have been using that to navigate ( couldn’t find a way to get the ibook trackpad to rotate)
Anyway, I’m having to redo all my digital music since it was all converted to Freehand format and I’m trying to get it to work with Apple’s Preview. That works fine for performing, but it doesn’t allow me to create sortable bookmarks or “playlists”
I’d love to read parts 1&2 of “Taming the Sheet Music Tiger” but can’t find them. I’d also like to learn the steps you use in Acrobat to create a playlist or folder for your different gigs. Thanks

By: Sara

Sara — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:02:55 +0000

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Sara

http://pianonotes.info

By: Hugh Sung

Hugh Sung — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:05:52 +0000

Joe, if you already have a laptop, you might be surprised at how affordable it can be to get started putting your own digital music reading systems together. AirTurn page turner pedal bundles start as low as $64.95, and the MusicReader program is only $99. Cheers!

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:14:43 +0000

I wish cost was never an issue. I wouldn’t mind having a NAMM.

By: Hugh Sung

Hugh Sung — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:06:59 +0000

What a terrific article, Brittany! Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with using computers as music readers and the Footime page turning pedal! It sounds like you’ve put a lot a thought into your system and have come up with a great solution.
If you’re interested, you might want to check out the AirTurn and MusicReader – you can find information on both of them at http://www.AirTurn.com
The AirTurn is similar to the Footime as a plug and play page turner, with the difference being that it’s a wireless system and can actually be used with a variety of pedals. For instance, i use 2 Boss FS-5U pedals when i practice in order to be able to turn pages forwards and backwards, but in performance, i’ll remove the “backwards” pedal so that my foot doesn’t accidentally press it, ensuring that i only turn pages in the right direction
MusicReader is an excellent solution for using PC and Mac laptops for digital scores. You can easily import PDF’s into the MusicReader format to take advantage of its library, playlist, and search functions. You can annotate scores with ink “stamps” using just your mouse or touchpad, and if you want to use a digital pen to draw with color ink or highlights, you can easily add on a USB tablet like the Wacom Bamboo for only $79. Not quite the same as a Tablet PC, but surprisingly effective and very portable.
One of my favorite features of MusicReader is its ability to view scores half a page at a time – regular PDF readers just cut the page in half regardless of where the staves are printed, but MusicReader actually recognizes the white space between staves so that each half of the music gets “centered” correctly and notes don’t get cut off. This has tremendous implications for solo instrumentalists playing from full scores as opposed to just their own solo parts!
You can also look into laptop stands that are about the same size and portability as music stands. AirTurn will soon be offering stands made by insTand – you can check out pictures of them on our blog at http://airturn.com/blog
An article i just wrote to help violinists get started with digital music reading systems can be found at http://airturn.com/blog/getting-started/getting-started-for-violinists

I hope you find some of this material helpful – i’ve been working with computers as music readers for about 7 years now, and absolutely love the freedom from the perils of paper!
Best wishes on your digital music ventures! Be sure to post another article on how things progress (and let me know if I can be of any help with music software or computer hardware questions!)
-Hugh Sung