Digital Scores Made Simple

Wed Sep 23 at 11 AM - 12 PM PDT
Wed Sep 23 at 11 AM - 12 PM PDT
Event by Team

Ready to make the move from paper scores to a tablet?

 

Join us for a practical livestream on using digital score apps like forScore for iPad and MobileSheets for Android.

 

We’ll walk through how to import and organize scores, add fingerings and annotations, create setlists, use Bluetooth pedals for page turns, handle repeats, back up your library, and set up your tablet for practice and performance.

 

You’re welcome to download forScore or MobileSheets beforehand and follow along during the livestream, but it’s not required. You can also simply watch, learn how the apps work, and decide later whether digital scores are right for you.

 

Whether you already use a tablet or are just curious about getting started, bring your questions for a live Q&A.

8 replies

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    • Unfrozen Barroom Piano Player
    • Peter_G
    • 7 days ago
    • Reported - view

    I've always annotated my scores heavily with pencil, but I'm trying to get comfortable using ForScore on my iPad Pro -- because this combo offers so many potential advantages and efficieincies.

    But I'm finding that for me it's very slow going. I always have to go back and edit my markings: for example, when adding a fingering or a slur or other marking, my hand might slip a little, making for a very messy or inaccurate marking which then I must go back to, erase, re-enter, and so forth; or if I'm trying to edit a textual entry, I have to fiddle with getting the cursor in the right place, or I accidntally start a new entry in the wrong place, etc. etc. and so I get totally distracted by wrestling with the interface when all I might want to do is make a simple annotation that has occurred to me and then get back to my practicing.  More often than not, I lose my patience and reach instead for my pencil.

    I assume that others have gone through this same process and that it gets better with practice and experience??  I'd love to hear about other players' comments, experiences, and tips & tricks, and I'll be attending and watching this event with great interest!

      • Larry_K
      • 6 days ago
      • Reported - view

       I am sticking with Blackwing Matte pencils and paper after trying ForScore with a Bluetooth pedal. I struggled with both the marking interface and the page turning interface.

      I don’t like having only one page of music in front of me.

      My classical guitar teacher complained about the amount of time it took his students to mark up a measure. He was like, ok, this is annoying but I’m still getting paid, lol.

      I gave my new teacher a gift of a few Blackwing pencils along with the dual red/blue Mitsubishi pencils. She was delighted.

      Good luck with it! I know a lot of professional players use ForScore. I have spoken to some about it.

      I use StaffPad with the Apple Pencil on an iPad Pro to write up my recorder exercises so that I can play along with recorded samples.
      A pencil is the world’s fastest input device. The StaffPad interface comes close to using a real pencil but that’s not your use case. 

      • hot4euterpe
      • 6 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Just to clarify Peter, do you have an Apple Pencil with your iPad Pro? I mostly just write directly on the score with my Apple Pencil the same as I would with paper and pencil. I would definitely find it awkward to use just finger presses.

      Just checking! Some people still find using digital pencil awkward as well!

      • Unfrozen Barroom Piano Player
      • Peter_G
      • 6 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Yes, good question Dustin, I was thinking I needed to add this, Yes I do use an apple pencil.  My hand still slips around and all of that.  But I should be able to improve that;  after all we are piano players here, and if nothing else we should be able to exert some control over the small muscle movements in our hands! Still, I've always been a sloppy writer, as my secretary would certainly confirm.

      • Unfrozen Barroom Piano Player
      • Peter_G
      • 6 days ago
      • Reported - view

       thanks Larry; I'm going to be stubborn and stick with this to see whether I can get beyond this inefficient stage.  Meanwhile, my real pencil is never out of reach when I feel myself at risk of defenestrating my iPad....

      • Larry_K
      • 6 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Good luck!

      I spent the last four years of my career writing an app for the iPad. I think it’s a great device.

      I took hundreds of pages of written notes on an iPad Pro.

      I used a screen protector that made the screen feel more like paper. I also changed the tip to a pencil-like type,

      https://shop.astropad.com/products/rock-paper-pencil?_ga=2.229371804.1649872940.1786544648-253613093.1786544648&_gac=1.54811353.1786544648.CjwKCAjws_DTBhB_EiwAXZknGd96GW-01vdaaB1xOtal1t6cVaihbGT6NSNZj9TuJ83tx98xQZlPihoC4cYQAvD_BwE

      This would help you from sliding around so much.

      • Akzent oder Diminuendo?
      • Maria_F
      • 5 days ago
      • Reported - view

       I also only use paper. I own at least 50 books of sheet music. 

      • Larry_K
      • 5 days ago
      • Reported - view

       I understand. I went back to paper.

      I recommend the Blackwing Matte pencils. They make a dark line. My teacher said it was a great pencil. 

      https://blackwing602.com/products/blackwing-set-of-12

      Yes, they’re expensive.

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