Putting a laptop next to my piano. Need advice.

[barnowl]

I have a digital piano in the living room, and am considering putting a laptop right next to it, to use strictly for music — downloads, and whatever else you might suggest. The DSL connection is already in place.

Last time I looked, there are cheap units out there - maybe $400-500 - and I figure I'll get one of those.

Primarily I want to be able to download pieces for listening purposes. It's such a fast way to learn! But what else can I do with it.

Is there software available that accelerates the learning process? Should I organize the system in some way?

I'm not a computer whiz (as is readily apparent  ), so I'd appreciate any inputs, and hope to get lots of them.

[mariocast]

I have a digital piano in the living room, and am considering putting a laptop right next to it, to use strictly for music — downloads, and whatever else you might suggest. The DSL connection is already in place.

Last time I looked, there are cheap units out there - maybe $400-500 - and I figure I'll get one of those.

Primarily I want to be able to download pieces for listening purposes. It's such a fast way to learn! But what else can I do with it.

Is there software available that accelerates the learning process? Should I organize the system in some way?

I'm not a computer whiz (as is readily apparent  ), so I'd appreciate any inputs, and hope to get lots of them.

Why don't you put the laptop ON your digital piano and you can actually read your music from your laptop!  Get a cheap USB MIDI interface and hook up your digital piano to your laptop for optimal use of your setup.

After getting that set up, you should look into buying a program called Home Concert Xtreme.  Through this program, you can utilize any MIDI file (either commercial ones that come with some method books and sheet music, or ones that you download from the internet) to display the musical notation on your computer screen.  It is also an "intelligent" program, so as you play the piece on your digital piano, the program and any sequenced accompaniments will follow where you play: speeding up or slowing down, getting softer or louder as you do, and even "turn pages" automatically for you.

There's even a "Learn mode" that will inform you if you play a wrong note and tell you which notes you should be playing at that point in the piece on a keyboard display on your computer screen.  So when you asked about software that "accelerates the learning process", I thought of this program since it can act sort of as a teacher by informing you if you're playing wrong notes based off the MIDI file that you have loaded.

It's $99 which I think is a real bargain.  There is a fully functional demo (both for Windows XP and Mac OS X) that you can download from their website at https://www.timewarptech.com, so you can try it out if you like it before you buy it.  I'm also looking to feature my own demonstration of this program on my video podcast, so keep an eye out for that too!

[antonino]

I just downloaded this software.... I've noticed that I can't open a midi file other than the five midi files that come with the demo software.

Do you know if this is this a limitation of the demo software?

[mariocast]

I just downloaded this software.... I've noticed that I can't open a midi file other than the five midi files that come with the demo software.

Do you know if this is this a limitation of the demo software?

Yes.  That is the limitation of the demo.  Sorry if that was misleading when I said "fully-functional demo".  It's fully-functional with the MIDI files that come with it.  But the full-version is compatible with any standard MIDI file.

[barnowl]

Absolutely brilliant suggestion, Mariocast!

This will be the first piece of software I'll buy for me laptop.
Do you know if I can install Home Concert Extreme in
my desktop and my laptop as well? I'll buy it anyway, but
I'd like to know.

Once I'm hooked up, I view the music through the tiny screen on my piano, right? I can't imagine having to flop the laptop on the piano's sheet music stand, unless the screen part is detachable.

I might even get the UM-1EX today.

In any event this is very exciting

Anyone know of great deals on laptops?

[mariocast]

Absolutely brilliant suggestion, Mariocast!

This will be the first piece of software I'll buy for me laptop.
Do you know if I can install Home Concert Extreme in
my desktop and my laptop as well? I'll buy it anyway, but
I'd like to know.

Once I'm hooked up, I view the music through the tiny screen on my piano, right? I can't imagine having to flop the laptop on the piano's sheet music stand, unless the screen part is detachable.

I might even get the UM-1EX today.

In any event this is very exciting

Anyone know of great deals on laptops?

I'm pretty sure that if you buy one copy of Home Concert Xtreme, you're licensed to install it only on one computer.  If you want to install it both on your desktop and laptop, then legally you are supposed to buy two copies.

I don't know what kind of digital piano you have, but Home Concert Xtreme won't display on your digital piano's screen.  It will only display on the computer screen that you have the application installed onto.  I'm hoping you have a digital piano that can either remove the music rack or lower it so you can put your laptop on top of it.  You can see a few shots of how I've put my laptop on my computer in this video on YouTube.com.

If you don't have a digital piano that for some reason can't support a laptop on top of it, you might want to consider purchasing a Tablet PC.  Hugh Sung, who's on faculty at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, uses a tablet PC extensively in his performances.  He doesn't use Home Concert Xtreme, but he scans all of his music and saves them as PDFs so they display on his tablet PC screen that he easily can place on practically any piano's music rack.  He even has a USB foot pedal so he never needs a page turner.  He has pictures of his tablet PC on his website/blog.  I don't know what the price range is for these tablet PCs, but I'm guessing they're not cheap.

As far as laptops are concerned, I have to confess that I'm partial to Macs.  Not to sound like a commercial, but I have just had less problems and less worries with Macs.  Their least expensive laptop is the 13.3" Widescreen Display MacBook.  It starts at $1099, which I know is about double what you were looking to spend, but I truly believe you get a lot more peace-of-mind and functionality than you would with lower-priced Windows-PC laptops.  What a lot of people don't realize is that now that Apple has switched to Intel Processors, you can run Windows XP on these new Macs.  So it's like you have two computers in one!

Sorry about my cheap Apple plug, but if you say you're not a real computer wiz, then the user-friendliness of the MacBook might be just right for you.  Let me know how it goes.

[princessdecadence]

I would never understand anyone who can read music from a laptop and play it on the piano- I suppose clicking the "PgDn" button is faster than turning a page but it's just odd.  I tried putting my laptop on my piano (good thing its eye-level) but it just didn't feel so right.  Back to them sheets!

[barnowl]

I would never understand anyone who can read music from a laptop and play it on the piano- I suppose clicking the "PgDn" button is faster than turning a page but it's just odd.  I tried putting my laptop on my piano (good thing its eye-level) but it just didn't feel so right.  Back to them sheets!

Maybe you have trouble adjusting to technological advances because that damned pea under your mattress is causing you to lose so much sleep, Princess. 

Just kidding. I might have the same reaction as you when I try it.
 
What's more, I think there's something in my Digital Piano User Manual that says to keep electronic stuff away from the damned thing.

[princessdecadence]

Maybe you have trouble adjusting to technological advances because that damned pea under your mattress is causing you to lose so much sleep, Princess. 

Just kidding. I might have the same reaction as you when I try it.
 
What's more, I think there's something in my Digital Piano User Manual that says to keep electronic stuff away from the damned thing.

That bloody pea!

Um...it should take a lot of getting use to but it just look silly anyhow.  Bad for the eyes as well.  Only do it when your dear printer decided to leave you.

[antonino]

I work in IT and I think something like a great lcd might be good but I do have my reservations about reading music from one and playing piano at the same time.

I don't know if you're like me but just try looking at the screen now then looking at the keyboard you're typing on back and forth.   Some how my eyes feel like they are adjusting.

I have a laptop and I will probably test it once my piano arrives this month.  I also have a couple of 19" LCD's I could try with too.

[barnowl]

I work in IT and I think something like a great lcd might be good but I do have my reservations about reading music from one and playing piano at the same time.

I don't know if you're like me but just try looking at the screen now then looking at the keyboard you're typing on back and forth.   Some how my eyes feel like they are adjusting.

I have a laptop and I will probably test it once my piano arrives this month.  I also have a couple of 19" LCD's I could try with too.

I'll be very interested in your experiment, Antonino. I hope you will try using the laptop on the piano, and then telling us how it went.

In the meantime, though, how about commenting on the advisablility of using a laptop while it sits on a digital piano. How bad an effect can it have on the piano's electronics — and maybe even vice versa?

Also, I'd be using the computer as a learning tool, and when I practice I make it a point to look at the keys only when I absolutely have to. I admit I have to peek sometimes when reaching for some of the low bass stuff, in the Joplin Rag I'm working on, but for one of my two Tchikosky pieces (for kids) I can almost totally ignore my hands and focus on the the music.

In an earlier post PrincessDecadence also observed she couldn't tolerate using a laptop as a music stand. But she lives in a tree and plays for the Keebler Elves, the Seven Dwarfs, et al, in a time when Ben Franklin hasn't yet invented electricity. 

[mariocast]

I'll be very interested in your experiment, Antonino. I hope you will try using the laptop on the piano, and then telling us how it went.

In the meantime, though, how about commenting on the advisablility of using a laptop while it sits on a digital piano. How bad an effect can it have on the piano's electronics — and maybe even vice versa?

Also, I'd be using the computer as a learning tool, and when I practice I make it a point to look at the keys only when I absolutely have to. I admit I have to peek sometimes when reaching for some of the low bass stuff, in the Joplin Rag I'm working on, but for one of my two Tchikosky pieces (for kids) I can almost totally ignore my hands and focus on the the music.

In an earlier post PrincessDecadence also observed she couldn't tolerate using a laptop as a music stand. But she lives in a tree and plays for the Keebler Elves, the Seven Dwarfs, et al, in a time when Ben Franklin hasn't yet invented electricity. 

Good for you, barnowl.

Piano research says that successful sight readers of piano music keep their eyes focused on the music score. 

Your eyes should NOT be wandering back and forth between the music score and the piano keyboard. 

So the argument that your eyes would have difficulty adjusting moving back and forth from the computer screen to the piano keyboard is moot, and (I don't mean this to sound flippant) coming from the perspective of those who are likely not particularly strong sight-readers.

As far as your question on whether putting a computer or any other electronic device on your digital piano is concerned, I have never heard that this produces any adverse effects on either instrument.  Electronic musicians place sound modules, speakers, computers, and other devices on digital pianos all the time.  I have placed my laptop on top of my digital piano for almost three years now and have never had a problem on either end. 

[barnowl]

Antonino quote: well, a snippet about putting a laptop on a digital piano (my emphasis, below)

As far as your question on whether putting a computer or any other electronic device on your digital piano is concerned, I have never heard that this produces any adverse effects on either instrument.  Electronic musicians place sound modules, speakers, computers, and other devices on digital pianos all the time.  I have placed my laptop on top of my digital piano for almost three years now and have never had a problem on either end.

I'll take your word for it over the mfrs, Antonino. They'll say whatever it takes to spare them from footing the bill for every possible malfunction. Yamaha even admonishes its users to shut off the dig. piano when it's not in use. But even the rep admitted that it's like any electronic thing: leaving it on is better than turning it off and on throughout the day. Thank you very much for the tip.

And by the way, I have to admit that for the Weeping Willow Rag, I'm peeking a helluva lot more than I first thought. But it's wonderful just to slide the left hand down and back. The sounds just thrill me to death, and the gloriosity isn't at all dimmed by my all-too frequent sneak peaks.

Speaking of that Rag...

When someone starts a thread asking for fingering help (like I desperately need), is it presumed the person who'll help has the sheet music, or do I mail a copy to him/her?

I can't seem to scan properly to give a big enough picture for the "Helper" to print.

[mariocast]

Antonino quote: well, a snippet about putting a laptop on a digital piano (my emphasis, below)

As far as your question on whether putting a computer or any other electronic device on your digital piano is concerned, I have never heard that this produces any adverse effects on either instrument.  Electronic musicians place sound modules, speakers, computers, and other devices on digital pianos all the time.  I have placed my laptop on top of my digital piano for almost three years now and have never had a problem on either end.

I'll take your word for it over the mfrs, Antonino.

Not that it matters, but I think that was MY quote.

[barnowl]

Not that it matters, but I think that was MY quote.

I truly beg your pardon.  Incredibly stupid error and I apologize.

[antonino]

I think the greater part of us are always going to have to look away from the screen for some reason or another.  Those that don't I hold in awe (although I'm yet to meet one)

After all sight reading isn't the only reason you would use a screen - it could be that you are simply learning a difficult piece and will need to spend some of the time looking back at the keyboard which may or may not be hard to adjust to with the eyes when they look back and forth.

Unfortunately I don't have an electronic keyboard to test the theory of electronic interferance but I would suggest it's not a big possibility - as has been mentioned already.  I'd be just looking at testing by placing my notebook computer atop my accoustic piano (when it arrives).

I hope it will be ok - obviously keeping all my music available on screen at the click of a button could be pretty handy

I'll let you good chaps know if I sort it out.

[barnowl]

Antonino,

Check out Mariocast's posts here. And try his links. He has a grand and his laptop rests atop it. No problems, I'm sure.

He teaches, and in a very nice low-key way.

And you're not too excited over getting your piano, are you! 

Tell us about it.

[barnowl]

I googled on Joplin Rags and off to the right of the links was an ad promising

   
“Joplin Rags
Here are the top 8
sites on Joplin Rags

And here are the 8 Joplin Rags offered:

1. Doo Rags
2. Doo Rags Wholesale
3. Terry Towels
4. Beach Blankets
5. Microfiber - Great Prices
6. How to Choose Paint Colors
7. Rags & Wiping Cloths
8. Lint free Bulk Rags

Made me laugh.

[mariocast]

Antonino,

You're right that everyone will have to look away from the musical score at certain times, particularly with more challenging pieces as you mentioned.  

I know I've used my laptop on top of both my digital piano and on top of grand pianos and had no trouble with my eyes adjusting back and forth.  

Hugh Sung has even used his tablet PC on top of grand pianos for contemporary pieces that involve plucking the strings and other inside-the-piano techniques.  In this case there's a WHOLE LOT of eye-movement from what you're doing inside the piano and the music score on the computer screen.  So if he's not having any problem with that, then I would assume the majority of people would not have trouble adapting to reading music off the computer screen.

One more question for you, Antonino.  You said you don't have an electronic keyboard, but you said you downloaded the demo for Home Concert Xtreme.  If you don't have a MIDI-compatible keyboard, then how can you try out all the functions of Home Concert Xtreme?

Just curious.

[antonino]

That's right I don't have an electonic piano just a couple computers and a laptop lying about.

My interest in the software wasn't for it's midi capabilities... more for the ability to have my music on screen to save myself having to page turn and save wear and tear on sheet music.

Well I hope your right about the looking at and away from the screen.  From the comments I'm thinking now this might be just an issue with my own eyes since I look at a computer screen at my fulltime IT job all day.

Yeah I know - pretty excited about finally getting a piano.  Back in my youth I played on an Eisenburg $A3000 piano so it will be really really nice to get my own decent one!

I'll have a look around for those links!  Cheers!

[barnowl]

That's right I don't have an electonic piano just a couple computers and a laptop lying about.

My interest in the software wasn't for it's midi capabilities... more for the ability to have my music on screen to save myself having to page turn and save wear and tear on sheet music.

Well I hope your right about the looking at and away from the screen.  From the comments I'm thinking now this might be just an issue with my own eyes since I look at a computer screen at my fulltime IT job all day.

Yeah I know - pretty excited about finally getting a piano.  Back in my youth I played on an Eisenburg $A3000 piano so it will be really really nice to get my own decent one!

I'll have a look around for those links!  Cheers!

Antonino,

There is no such currency as $A3,000. Give us the proper figure for the Eisenburg piano or a note goes home to your mother. 

MarioCast,

You, and others here might be glad to know TimeWarp Technologies' stance on the number of computers we can install Home Concert Xtreme on. According to George F. Litterst...

Our license agreement permits you to put Home Concert Xtreme on
multiple computers on the assumption that one copy is used at a time.


If anyone has any other questions about the software I can give you his email address.

[mariocast]

You, and others here might be glad to know TimeWarp Technologies' stance on the number of computers we can install Home Concert Xtreme on. According to George F. Litterst...

Our license agreement permits you to put Home Concert Xtreme on
multiple computers on the assumption that one copy is used at a time.

Barnowl,

Good to know that you touched base with George and thanks for clearing up the license agreement for Home Concert Xtreme (I guess this teaches me that I should read my own license agreement every once in a while!)

And isn't it refreshing to hear a software developer give you this type of license with their product?

[antonino]

I meant $3000 Australian dollars.

[barnowl]

Mario,

If this isn't a too-involved question...

How do I input sheet music into Home Concert X?

I assume that this is do-able.

[princessdecadence]

The only good thing for using a laptop is the midi since it's helpful if you are not sure what a song should sound like but then again they are not always complete but playing the piano on the computer -those softwares where you click buttons and they make it sound like a piano is just absurd still.  Never encourage replacing real piano (or any other instrument)'s sound with a digital sound. 

In an earlier post PrincessDecadence also observed she couldn't tolerate using a laptop as a music stand. But she lives in a tree and plays for the Keebler Elves, the Seven Dwarfs, et al, in a time when Ben Franklin hasn't yet invented electricity. 

and I am adamant.  A laptop can never be a music stand nor music sheets.

Looks like I have been reduced to a faery or a squirrel I cannot surmise... 

[tac-tics]

Buy this

[hughsung]

Hi Folks!  Sorry to be so late with the discussion - just happened upon this forum when someone linked to my site! 

If i may, for roughly the same money as Freehand system's MusicPadPro (which, btw, runs on a linux operating system, has no hard drive - you need to keep your music on separate USB flash drives - and you still need another computer to load music into it), you could be working with a fully functional Windows XP Tablet PC, a full notebook computer with pen inking capabilities and complete internet connectivity and software compatibility with programs like Microsoft Office, Finale, Sibelius, and Home Concert XTreme (i'll have to check that program out - sounds intruiguing!  Musebook has a similar program that follows along with piano playing and is able to turn pages automatically, i believe)

I could spend days talking about using Tablet PC's for music students, but let me invite you to read through my "Getting Started" section of my website here: https://hughsung.com/blog/start.php
Just a couple of thoughts before you read through that section:

• I'm a professional pianist who has been using tablet pc's and digital music exclusively for all my rehearsals, lessons, performances and recordings for the past 3 years, day in, day out - the technology has proven itself to be reliable and incredibly useful for musicians, and i'd be happy to help anyone interested in using tablet pc's to read and work with digital music
• Regarding screens:  as i stated above, i've been staring at tablet pc screens 12+ hours a day for 3 years and haven't experienced any problems - BTW, i still don't need glasses, but maybe i'm just a mutant...
• I'd love to explore Home Concert Xtreme - the pedagogy possibilities look really interesting, and perhaps my kids could really take advantage of it!  As for its page turning capabilities, i'd rather stick with a more reliable footswitch solution, like the programmable one offered by Delcom Engineering, or my modified Griffin PowerMate USB controller (i use it together with a wooden cradle i made myself to prop the controller in a more comfortable angle for my foot) - i tried a wireless solution from Musebook, but it turned out to be too unreliable;  sometimes the pages turned, sometimes they didn't.  Not what you want to be worried about when you're flying through a very fast, very difficult piece of music on stage!
• With some careful shopping, you can get some great deals on Tablet PC's through eBay - i buy all my tablet pc's that way (i've owned about 8 of them so far, selling off older ones to upgrade) and would be happy to help advise anyone on potential purchases - just send me an email with the link to the computer you're thinking of buying and i'll let you know how it looks (i've helped several students this way, so don't worry - i won't suddenly swoop in and outbid you!) You can find very good units for around $1000, some a little cheaper, obviously others that can be more expensive, but Best Buy and other stores are finally coming out with more economical units that are brand new and close to that price point.  The best units i've found for music use are the Tablet PC slates (units without attached keyboards), as opposed to the convertibles (where the screen swivels around and folds backwards over the keyboard, the most common type) - weight and form factors are considerations, but certainly not a limiting factor given the incredible variety of Tablet PC's out on the market today
• There are some amazing things that happen when you start working with digital music and digital ink, as opposed to traditional paper and pencil - you suddenly realize that you have ALL your music with you at all times, and don't have to go shuffling through stacks of books to find that piece - you can mark up your music with digital ink in all different colors in a completely NON-destructive manner, so you can go crazy with highlights and multi-colored fingerings - you can save music as multiple files, so if one teacher says one thing and another teacher says something else, you can keep the same music in different files without confusing the differing opinions (incredibly useful for accompanists who need to work with many different musicians on the same repertoire!) - being able to turn pages with your foot instead of your hand, you suddenly realize that there is no reason to "skip" that last measure when you're reading a piece through;  there's no more 'delay' in learning stuff between pages!  - contemporary music page turns are no longer a concern! - you can take advantage of online music stores and libraries (like this one, in PianoStreet.com) and have the music downloaded directly into your system, as opposed to having to load up a stack of paper to print out and ink catridges refilled after each 100 page concerto...i could go on and on...

Ack, i'm sorry - don't know when to stop!  But please visit my site - i spend a lot of time talking about various technologies for classical musicians, and would love to help you (and anyone else here) explore using things like Tablet PC's for their digital music libraries.
Thanks, and apologies for the ramble!
All the best,
Hugh Sung

[barnowl]

The only good thing for using a laptop is the midi since it's helpful if you are not sure what a song should sound like but then again they are not always complete but playing the piano on the computer -those softwares where you click buttons and they make it sound like a piano is just absurd still.  Never encourage replacing real piano (or any other instrument)'s sound with a digital sound. 

and I am adamant.  A laptop can never be a music stand nor music sheets.

Looks like I have been reduced to a faery or a squirrel I cannot surmise... 

No no, no, Princess. 

When I think of you playing the piano in the Keebler Elves'  tree or over at the Seven Dwarfs' house, I imagine you as Snow White. Not a faery or squirrel. And all the Elves and Dwarfs are hopelessly in love with you.

They should be. You're not just beautiful, you play Mozart even better than Alicia de la Rocha.

But when it comes to your views on technology, well, they just don't pay any attention to your rants.

[barnowl]

Hugh Sung,

Thank you very much for your most informative post.

I went briefly to your website, bookmarked it and will return many, many times. It's jam packed with good stuff.

But while I'm bright eyed and bushy tailed, I will put in some piano practice time.

See you later.

[mariocast]

Mario,

If this isn't a too-involved question...

How do I input sheet music into Home Concert X?

I assume that this is do-able.

Barnowl:
Home Concert Xtreme works exclusively with standard MIDI files.  If you want to use printed sheet music with it, here's the most efficient way to get them into Home Concert Xtreme:

1. Get a music notation software program like Finale or Sibelius
2. Each program comes with an add-on or plugin for scanning sheet music and putting into their respective formats (Finale uses SmartScore Lite and Sibelius uses PhotoScore Lite)
3. After you scan your sheet music via a scanner into either music notation program, you can edit or fix any mistakes that were made. (The scanning process isn't always perfect.  In fact these 'lite' versions of music scanning plugins usually recognize less markings like slurs and articulations.  So they recommend upgrading to a more 'professional' version of their scanning plugins.  But if you want to save money, you can add missing markings like slurs and articulations in either notation program or Home Concert Xtreme itself.)
4. Once your music is scanned into the notation program of your choice, you can export it as a standard MIDI file.  This MIDI file can then be utilized with Home Concert Xtreme.

It may seem like a difficult process, but it really isn't once you've established a regular workflow with it.

Standard MIDI files of course are the easiest to work with Home Concert Xtreme as they don't rely on those other notation programs.  With the level of pieces that you said you were working on, I bet you could get a standard MIDI file either from the music publisher or by searching on the internet. 

I'm hoping that I can do a video podcast demonstrating some of the capabilities of Home Concert Xtreme later this month, so I'll let you know when I make that available.

[barnowl]

Mario Excerpt:

"I'm hoping that I can do a video podcast demonstrating some of the capabilities of Home Concert Xtreme later this month, so I'll let you know when I make that available."

You might even PM me  when you do.

And thanks very much for all this knowledge you've imparted.

[mariocast]

Mario Excerpt:

"I'm hoping that I can do a video podcast demonstrating some of the capabilities of Home Concert Xtreme later this month, so I'll let you know when I make that available."

You might even PM me  when you do.

And thanks very much for all this knowledge you've imparted.

Hi barnowl,

I finally got around to making that video podcast demonstrating Home Concert Xtreme.

I have it syndicated at YouTube.com at:

Or you can download the video from my podcast feed on iTunes or from my blog page at: https://marioajero.blogspot.com

[barnowl]

Mario, your demo was wonderful. It was very nice of you to alert me to it.


Getting that software and a low-cost laptop are projects I have in the forefront of my mind. If you know of anyone who's upgrading and wants to sell his old laptop or tablet PC (in good condition, of course), please let me know.

I'm not after a feature-laden PC/Mac, just something that'll handle HCX, midi downloads, and whatever other software might be crucial to a piano student — even a retired old geezer like myself.

Thanks again. The demo was most enjoyable!

BarnOwl

[barnowl]

Buy this

I don't think I ever thanked you for posting that link to the Freehand Music Pad.

It was nice of you to go to the trouble, and I appreciate it.

Haven't yet decided what to get - Tablet PC or a laptop.

Someday...

[mbmleone]

There is an alternative for the Music Pad Pro.
MusicReader digital music stand software runs on standard Tablet PCs, laptops and desktops.

[gerry]

You left out an 'r' in your link - correct url is www.musicreader.net

[mbmleone]

Thanks, I changed it in my post.

[Bob]

I don't see those things happening yet.


It's a computer, so it will crash eventually.  You'll need paper backups ready anyway.

The screen kicks out light which you might not always want.  It's distracting.

And the power?  Did you see that nest of cords with just a few performers?  Dang.  

And those are... $1,000?  For $10 you could have nice paper and a handy pencil?

The hassle of trying to figure out how to write or create something simple on the screen?

And that it's technology, so it will probably go out of date in awhile?  For a grand?


I can see it for practice though.  

[gerry]

I didn't realize it was corded - thought it was wireless (which always brought forth the image of an evil hacker in the audience wreaking havoc with the orchestra parts during a performance! It was fun watching the demo, however, to see the orchestra members adding the conductor's edits directly to their scores by touching a symbol to pick it up and placing it on their scores (in red so they could tell the difference between added material and original) and could erase it all afterward and have a clean score. Also notice that Christopher O'Riley uses this technology for all the accompaniment he does on his program "From the Top" on PBS.

[Bob]

What I saw were power cord strips. 

I remember sometime thinking that that would be pretty unnerving if my music was connected to someone else's and could be messed with that way.  I doubt those things are on the internet though.  I didn't even quite like the idea of having the music automatically follow you. 

[mbmleone]

It can also be completely wireless, good Tablet PCs and laptops have a battery of at least 3 hours. In the MusicReader video they use touch screen monitors, thats the reason they are power cords. If only laptops and Tablet PCs are used it could easily be wireless.

[gyzzzmo]

Good suggestion from Mario, i use Sibelius instead of Home Concert Xtreme. Btw, you can download those programs for free by using a torrent. They often contain a crack to get it fully operational and if they dont have one, you can google a crack.

The only thing wich isnt free, is the USB-Midi interface, costs like 35$ i think.

[jolly01]

Good suggestion from Mario, i use Sibelius instead of Home Concert Xtreme. Btw, you can download those programs for free by using a torrent. They often contain a crack to get it fully operational and if they dont have one, you can google a crack.

The only thing wich isnt free, is the USB-Midi interface, costs like 35$ i think.

Shame on you for recommending piracy (not to mention that bit torrent sites can be a breeding ground for virus/malware).  I know it exists and to deny it is not the solution, but I'm a computer professional by trade, and while I don't like paying huge prices for software, I do when I want the software.  They charge a price for a reason, and that is somebody spent the time and effort to create it and has a business need to recoup the price.  There are open source and shareware versions out there for those that don't like the commerce, but you get what you pay for.  This really is no different than copyrights for printed sheet music.  This site and many others won't publish sheet music that is not under the public domain.  Same premise holds true for software.

I'll get off my pulpit now, sorry for intruding.
Brian

[gyzzzmo]

Shame on you for recommending piracy (not to mention that bit torrent sites can be a breeding ground for virus/malware).  I know it exists and to deny it is not the solution, but I'm a computer professional by trade, and while I don't like paying huge prices for software, I do when I want the software.  They charge a price for a reason, and that is somebody spent the time and effort to create it and has a business need to recoup the price.  There are open source and shareware versions out there for those that don't like the commerce, but you get what you pay for.  This really is no different than copyrights for printed sheet music.  This site and many others won't publish sheet music that is not under the public domain.  Same premise holds true for software.

I'll get off my pulpit now, sorry for intruding.
Brian

You're the computer professional, but im the musician. 500$ for a program is rediculous, especially if you're not using it profesionally. And if people do want to make music but not for a profesional reason/goal, i can only recommand them to become a pirate :p