Sheet music and iPad

Cut the spine off,drill 2 holes and insert the pages into a ring binder.Job sorted.

scott

Dungassin posted:

Somehow, I don't think Apple want us to use external USB devices with iPads/iPhones, because that would stop us buying devices with more memory than we usually need!

For the cost of an I-pad Air you can get a full blown notebook PC with far greater memory, capabilities, functionality and a real keyboard. Of course, it wouldn't be an Apple.

Dungassin posted:

Why don't sheet music suppliers print as spiral bound books which would lie flat on music stands when open?  

I suppose spiral binding would encourage copying/scanning and potentially cut into their sales.

You do not have to buy new - Macbooks last quite a while so look out for a 2 or 3 year old machine. I have not bought a new Mac computer at list price since 2005, I have bought end of line (last years model), refurbed models, second hand ones. I also tend to keep the smaller models, I did sell a 2008 Mac Pro to get a 2012 refurbed Mac Pro.

I have seen a pianist using a Mac Book as a music book with scanned in images of sheet music. It enabled him to take with him to events/gigs his whole collection of music rather than having to preselect the music to take with him. 

Is there a possibility that the sheet music you want is available for kindle?  I hate the inconvenience of trying to put big heavy books on flimsy music stands, so I now buy them for kindle and run the app on a Mac mini - this allows me to record into Logic whilst reading the music.  You can also get the kindle app for iPads. The other thing to consider putting them into iBooks so you can change them over when docking. 

I sympathise, some sheet music books are really difficult to lay open. I have tried Kindle, it's hopeless for music. I have tried the iPad but the display is too small. I think when I read music .. It's not just the current notes, but you are looking ahead .. You are repeating.. You are doing loads of things that are not serial.

My best solution, although not ideal, is to scan and reprint my music.. Join together with sellotape and fold over.. Most of my music does not extend to more than 2,3 or 4 sheets and this works fine and packs quite well down into a folder of favourites to take with you. This method also allows you to pencil notes, which becomes quite important, especially when you want to adapt and adlib.

Simon

Load your PDFs onto Dropbox and view them on the iPad. Assuming you have an internet connection, of course.

Thanks for the replies.  I do tend to scan my music into PDFs and then reprint, to get round the 'book not staying open' problem.  I've even occasionally sellotaped several sheets together side by side to facilitate reading them.  It's just that the iPad would be much more convenient than taking a load of sheet music on holiday.   When we visit the 'out-laws' (sic) in Malta, I usually borrow a guitar from one of SWMBO's many relatives there for the duration.

In this country, I have used a laptop for this purpose in the past, but now we only have SWMBO's 13.3inch MacBook Pro.  I don't think she'd let me pinch it for my own uses!   My old Windows laptop is now with my eldest grandson (aged 8).   I'm not totally wedded to Macs, BTW, and realise that they have problems, just different ones from Windoze.  I have debated getting another cheapish (but large screen) laptop solely for this purpose, but would like to try the iPad route first.   Perhaps I should have got the large screen iPad Pro rather than the Air 2?

I think I can devise with a stand for the iPad (hopefully foldable for travel) that will stop the iPad/uDrive connection being fouled.  Just requires a bit of DIY.   Perhaps I could market it!  (just joking)

Simon, you're right.  The Kindle is hopeless for sheet music, or anything else involving graphics.  I don't see why I should have to buy another copy of my music for use on a Kindle or Kindle app anyway.   When I want to write down my own ad-libs, improvisations etc, I usually just make a note, then enter them into a proper version using Sibelius.  Got quite a catalogue of those now, including some of my own guitar arrangements from music scored for other instruments.  At one time I did look at using Avid on the iPad to access sheet music music, which basically links you to a lot of (not free) Sibelius files.  Alas, I can't see any way of getting the music downloaded from Avid off the iPad and into my desktop computer for editing.

The dropbox suggestion would be OK, but most of the time (especially on holiday in the UK), I have no internet connection.   To anyone who suggests 4G etc, well, our village is supposedly a 4G area, but I don't think I've ever got more than 2-3 bars on my iPhone and that on 2G!   My eldest daughter is on Orange (or whatever they call it now), and often has no signal at all when she visits us.

As regards  Apple.  I just wish they'd move into the world that most people operate in, and add an SD card slot to the machine.  It's ridiculous that they charge so much for extra memory.  But then I suppose greed comes into it.  Now they have this option of compatible USB sticks, but don't seem to be capitalising on it.

Anyway, back to 'mangling' my currently assigned pieces.  Trying to get my head round fingerstyle playing ATM, especially on Classical Guitar.

BevC posted:

Is there a possibility that the sheet music you want is available for kindle?  I hate the inconvenience of trying to put big heavy books on flimsy music stands, so I now buy them for kindle and run the app on a Mac mini - this allows me to record into Logic whilst reading the music.  You can also get the kindle app for iPads. The other thing to consider putting them into iBooks so you can change them over when docking. 

Yes, I know about the iBooks thing, but haven't yet tried to see if I can do that properly with the files on the USB stick.   Even with my 64GB iPad, there isn't enough room on the iPad itself.   Still don't understand why Apple say that the lighting cable extenders won't work.  Have they not fully wired them to the ends?

Scooot posted:

Cut the spine off,drill 2 holes and insert the pages into a ring binder.Job sorted.

scott

That wouldn't solve the problem of taking several kilograms of books abroad!   Also, you're very dependent upon there being a large enough margin so that your punched holes don't actually go through the bit you want to read!  (they often don't, BTW)

Dungassin posted:

BevC posted:

Is there a possibility that the sheet music you want is available for kindle?  I hate the inconvenience of trying to put big heavy books on flimsy music stands, so I now buy them for kindle and run the app on a Mac mini - this allows me to record into Logic whilst reading the music.  You can also get the kindle app for iPads. The other thing to consider putting them into iBooks so you can change them over when docking. 

Yes, I know about the iBooks thing, but haven't yet tried to see if I can do that properly with the files on the USB stick.   Even with my 64GB iPad, there isn't enough room on the iPad itself.   Still don't understand why Apple say that the lighting cable extenders won't work.  Have they not fully wired them to the ends?

bl**dy 15 minute restriction (grumble, grumble).  Lightning (or Thunderbolt), not lighting.

If internet access (or lack of it) is a problem maybe you could use a WiFi accessible portable hard drive, something like a WD MyPassport which works wirelessly with iOS devices.

Might be an idea.

BTW, just had a look on Amazon, and there IS an iPad stand which would seem to fit the bill for my needs, so I won't have to make my own.  I was going to order it today, but will wait until tomorrow or else it would come when we're not here. (babysitting duties all day tomorrow and Amazon Prime)