Large tablets for performance not memorized

[howland]

I generally perform by memory, but recently got the free Tonara app for Ipad and uploaded my rep.  Also bought an airturn foot pedal.  I love  it,  but the scores are small to see.  I gather that Apple is working on a 13" (diag) screen to come out soon.  Has anyone found a large format screen to download PDF of music, and bluetooth connectivity. Thats all I need on this device.  I notice more and more performers using this in performance without a page turner.  Thanks to any answers here!  Sue

[phillip21]

This is an interesting topic.  At home I use a 22" flatscreen monitor attached to a laptop for practice, and making Youtube videos.  I turn the pages with a wireless mouse or keyboard - which can be done quite quickly, although I edit out page turns on the videos!  I also have a 10" android tablet, which will display two pages side by side (using ezPDF Reader), and can turn using a quick tap.  I have used this in performance with the help of a magnifier attached to my specs!  However, the main problem I have with that is that there seems no way to disable the zoom function, so if you touch the screen to turn the page in the wrong way, you can zoom the image by mistake, which could be disastrous.  I tend to use it for playing at functions from lead sheets, which can usually be displayed on a single page, and it is really excellent for that, because you can use a program like MobileSheets to set up playlists.  That program will even handle repeats and turnbacks.  Alas it doesn't yet support landscape view of two pages at once, although that feature has been promised for some time!

An Airturn would certainly deal with that problem - although I would have thought it could compromise pedalling (especially if you are using the 'soft' pedal).  Incidentally, there is a video on YouTube of a performance of a piano trio by Kapustin in which the pianist uses a widescreen monitor attached to a laptop, and in which he uses an Airturn.

Viewsonic used to make portable 20"+ touchscreen Android tablets, but I am not sure they are still available.

[nyiregyhazi]

This is an interesting topic.  At home I use a 22" flatscreen monitor attached to a laptop for practice, and making Youtube videos.  I turn the pages with a wireless mouse or keyboard - which can be done quite quickly, although I edit out page turns on the videos!  I also have a 10" android tablet, which will display two pages side by side (using ezPDF Reader), and can turn using a quick tap.  I have used this in performance with the help of a magnifier attached to my specs!  However, the main problem I have with that is that there seems no way to disable the zoom function, so if you touch the screen to turn the page in the wrong way, you can zoom the image by mistake, which could be disastrous.  I tend to use it for playing at functions from lead sheets, which can usually be displayed on a single page, and it is really excellent for that, because you can use a program like MobileSheets to set up playlists.  That program will even handle repeats and turnbacks.  Alas it doesn't yet support landscape view of two pages at once, although that feature has been promised for some time!

An Airturn would certainly deal with that problem - although I would have thought it could compromise pedalling (especially if you are using the 'soft' pedal).  Incidentally, there is a video on YouTube of a performance of a piano trio by Kapustin in which the pianist uses a widescreen monitor attached to a laptop, and in which he uses an Airturn.

Any idea why this airturn is so expensive? It's a bluetooth button, what's the big deal? Surely there must be some kind of functional alternative at a reasonable price?

[gvans]

I looked into it a while ago, couldn't find a way to use Apple computers (my preference); there are PC laptops that fold flat and can set on the music stand and have blue-tooth connections to air turn, they're just, well, PC computers.

That's good news Apple is coming out with a bigger iPad. Recently I saw Yu Han playing the Faure C minor quartet with David Finckel and others from Lincoln Center. Yu uses what looks like a largish iPad with the pedal. Someone told me it was an older, larger iPad, not sure about that.

Good luck and please let us know what you find out.
 Best,
Glenn

[quantum]

There are 27" screens that can be had for far less then a current tablet.  If you are intending to primarily use this at home, just hook up a computer to it.  You save money and have a larger screen. 

For live performances, the portability of a tablet does have its merits.  Although, I have not really come across a satisfactory large tablet for score reading. 

[falala]

Tablets themselves don't seem to go up to a large enough size, no.

However there are quite a lot of tablet-laptop hybrids around at the moment, with larger screen sizes. Some have screen and base/keyboard units that are detachable from each other, with options to use them with the screen section only (ie as a tablet) or with the other section attached (as a laptop).

This seems, in principle, like the answer. It would also mean you'd have the benefit of proper keyboard input when preparing the scores in the first place, while keeping everything on one machine.

Problem is the technology seems to be in huge state of flux, with different ways of doing it coming out all the time. It's hard to tell what's going to last. Also most of them seem to come with Windows 8, which has had some pretty mixed reviews. And the larger screen ones are damned expensive, and haven't been around long enough to confidently buy one second hand.

I'd love to do something like this, but I just can't seem to alight on the exact solution yet.

[falala]

I looked into it a while ago, couldn't find a way to use Apple computers (my preference); there are PC laptops that fold flat and can set on the music stand and have blue-tooth connections to air turn, they're just, well, PC computers.

My old PC laptop is falling apart now, but it does actually fold back so that the screen is on a single plane with the base unit. I could run it in portrait mode, and just bung the whole lot up on the music stand, reading off the screen with the keyboard there next to it.

Seems a bit tacky somehow, but I'm wondering whether something like this is actually the best answer. I could replace it with something with a 17" screen for less money than a smaller tablet-laptop hybrid, and still running Windows 7 which I like. I can't see that I'd miss the touch screen - it just seems weird having the keyboard sitting up sideways next to the display.

[j_menz]

It would appear that there are tablets of a useful size coming onto the market.  Sony has a 20" one, which seems to me a little small, and =https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2013/01/lenovo-ideacentre-horizon-27-inch-tablet-turns-into-27-inch-table/Lenovo has a 27" one, which seems to me ideal.

IMO, having two pages side by side is preferable to just one, and being able to scroll one page at a time gives it an edge even over print editions. Not sure about software capable of doing that, but shouldn't be too difficult.

[jaxcard]

Unfortunately, Sony has gotten out of the PC business. If you are short, as I am, some of the large-screen monitors will be too high on top of a piano. Also, some of the large screen systems I have looked at seem like they would be too heavy to put on a piano (e.g., 27 pounds).

Touch screen would be helpful  in making notes on sheet music, using programs such as Music Reader.

Forescore sheet music reading software gets excellent reviews but unfortunately it's available only for the iPad, which is too small for me.

From Paper to Pixels, an e-book available from Amazon, has lots of good information. But I wish the author had noted at the beginning of the book that he is one of the principals behind Airturn.

[quantum]

EDIT: wrong thread (how did that happen anyway?)