iPad as Sacred Music Library
  • Adam Bartlett
    Posts: 533
    What do you think of this?

    I'm not too crazy about this particular application, but it is an example of what can and will be done. This basic idea has already been discussed a bit here.

    I can tell you that I can't wait for my Easter present!
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 994
    There are some dedicated electronic score applications out there, but because they are pricey and single-use I haven't looked at them. The other problem - and maybe one the iPad won't have - is their uselessness in sunlight. As a harpist with lots of outdoor gigs, the ability to see the screen clearly is a must. Their strong point is the ability to set up playlists very easily - something that would also be great for vocal music. (Do you know how many black binders I have?)


    So I'll have to keep my eye on this one. Thanks for the heads up, Adam.
  • Carl DCarl D
    Posts: 992
    I've been monitoring this whole market for several years, so it's great to see people experimenting now with these kinds of applications. I agree that this app may not be ready for prime time yet, but it's a start.

    It didn't look like they allow you to make notes and squiggles which show up ON the music itself, and they don't say how you can get your own music into the application.

    But it's progress.
  • Dan McGarveyDan McGarvey
    Posts: 59
    If I were to use this as my conductor's score, I see pros and cons. Page "turning" becomes a little easier, assuming I can just swipe a finger. I like the visual metronome, as my choir constantly rushes. The app's page does mention that eventually we can import our own scores. However, I mark scores like crazy, mostly for cues, and I see nothing in this app that even approximates what I'd need in that regard.
  • Adam Bartlett
    Posts: 533
    By the way--the iPad is way too small for music scores in its current screen size. Chant scores would be fine, but scores at A4 or 8.5x11 paper size...no way. I'll be looking forward to a future version with a larger screen.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    Skeptical. What happens when the battery dies in the middle of performance or the app locks up and you have to reboot? What do you do when a storm or someone knocks out the power for hours or days in your town? We had no power for 11 days once.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,220
    We'll need one with a hand-crank generator. (Especially suited to cranky musicians.)
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 994
    If anyone on this forum has used Music Pad Pro, I would love to hear your opinion. As a gigging harpist, I haul huge black binders and try to keep track of sheet music and lead sheets for a wide range of circumstances. While I'm checking this out with my harpist colleagues, I thought I'd see if there were any closet technophiles here.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    The AGO magazine recently had an article about an organist who scanned all his music, did powerpoint presentation files of them and used a monitor for a music desk at the organ. Lot cheaper than Music Pad and just as useful.
  • Chrism
    Posts: 873
    The killer app will be when they integrate a headset, analyze your pitch, and tell you whether you are flatting or sharping, and when you need to breathe or clear your throat.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    I also have a problem with size of music. I regarly use concert size scores. How large is the screen on an ipad?
  • mjballoumjballou
    Posts: 994
    The iPad does have a problem with size. The Music Reader app says that you'd only see 1/2 of a page at a time because of the display limitations. Further, there's no foot pedal available as there is with Music Pad Pro or Music Reader on a tablet PC.
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    I hate to startup an old post, but I have to say, I am using a Lenovo X200 tablet PC, with all my music scanned with a high speed scanner, utilizing the MusicReader application for PC, with two small FS-5U Boss pedals and Airturn, and it's awesome! The tablet screen is got a finish that doesn't get distorted with light, and have been using it since Palm Sunday. I love it. I am going entirely digital in my music ministry, and having all kinds of accompaniment books, wedding/funeral materials, etc... all at a click, touch, or pen on the screen, makes it extremely easy. Sometimes I have a priest that asks for a change to reflect their homily, and it is quick and painless.

    For my other musicians, not on digital yet, I can send print to a high speed printer sitting into one of our music cabinets, and they have the score, ready to go.

    Ipad, great for cantors, no so great for organists/pianists. Too small.
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    Francis, here's the iPad screen specs:

    image
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    By the way, I've found you can also do a lot by using the built-in iBooks reader and PDFs of the music you need (like these). I've used an iPad during Mass with a PDF of SEP before. Quite handy...
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,985
    Skeptical. What happens when the battery dies in the middle of performance or the app locks up and you have to reboot? What do you do when a storm or someone knocks out the power for hours or days in your town? We had no power for 11 days once.

    Pretend it is an old tracker and you have to keep pumping. ;-) WWBD - What would Bach do? Just kidding, Francis. Couldn't resist.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    Call me old-fashioned, behind-the-times, whatever. But I say, leave the toys at home when you're going to church.
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    Gavin,

    I agree, but it is amazingly helpful if you need to do last minute planning, or don't have books handy. I too prefer not using it during the liturgy if I don't have to. Hey: if it's your Graduale that you left at home, the iPad isn't too bad of a substitute.
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    I could call you a taxi, Gavin, or "Ray," or "Ray Jay," but I'd rather just call you friend!
    At our joint, we (organist and moi) have to carry chapel copies of the Roman Missal in our bags to be prepared for two particular celebrants. We have four parishes at which we often rotate to at least two or three a weekend. The ACER (Android) pad I'm typing on takes up less space in my kit bag than does a volume of the SEP, which we do keep in hardcover at the mother parish. And that I've never played a video game since pong in the 70's, doesn't make the pad a toy device, but an extremely valuable reference. And yes, there have been times when I've connected to other musical sources at a moment's notice for a moment's unforeseen need.
    If I were King of the Jungle, I'd have every parishioner bring in their own St. Joseph's Missal, or a pad with a parish designed app for all liturgies, devotions, meetings, etc. in a heartbeat.
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    I guess at parishes that don't have money, you don't have a battery backup. I am grateful that my parish has a battery backup, which I am connected to, as well as the battery on the tablet. Never had it lock up yet, and besides if it does, and you can't keep on playing, you shouldn't be playing to begin with. It's called improvising, Bach would have certainly known this talent. Besides, I would rather have one device that has all my music, for 9-12 masses that I do on a weekend. Then to keep giving carpal tunnel a chance to set in, from lifting those heavy accompaniment books 15,000 times on a Sunday. :O)
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    Exactly! Especially with the 3G, you can find anything at a moment's notice...
    Thanked by 1ContraBombarde
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,985
    I find carrying all the books around to be somewhat amazing. I make photocopies of all my music every week, including hymns and propers, and put them in a binder. I carry the binder, and the seasonal missalette. Occasionaly, I will need to bring a book with a piece or two I didn't have time to copy. Yes, the environmentalist nuts would be unhappy with my paper usage, but I don't care. A plague on them. However, the tablets do hold some promise for the future, they are just not "there" yet.
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    Depends on your level of experience with technology. I am fortunate that I have that expertise, and have flown big jets with advanced computer systems, probably carted a few of you around to the CMAA. Technology is a part of life, and luckily having a tablet or ipad, opens up the doors to endless opportunities, and being able to change music on the fly, when the priest comes up, decides he wants a few changes, instead of lugging around those 50lb OCP, Gather, or WLP accompaniment books,

    or as just as happened to me today, open up the accompaniment book, and find out that someone forgot to return a piece of music to the binder, guess what, luckily I was also using my tablet for most of the mass, and quickly found the music on the tablet. A life saver!

    I am still hunting down who took the hymn and didn't return it.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    actually i have a completely digital music system on the organ. i may have posted a video on it. i will check.
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    Please do send me the link. I love it! I am almost completely digital here, and don't regret it a bit. The lenovo x200 tablet hasn't failed me yet, and like I said earlier, saved my life today, as some careless musician didn't return a piece of music to the accompaniment books.

    What device are you using??
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7in7jG4oHk&sns=em

    here it is

    a 23 inch flatscreen by LG, ($189) which hooks to my laptop on the right on a music stand. i have over 10,000 pages of organ music and of course tons of chant and polyphony in separate libraries of pdf files. i developed a naming convention that works like this:

    composerslastnameTitleOfPiece.pdf

    for bachs library


    composerslastnameTitleOfPieceBWVxxx.pdf

    so finding music is instantaneous

    it displays two 8.5 x 11 pages side by side at actual size, and two 10 x 11 pages (custom layout out of sibelius or indesign) at actual size.
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    Awesome!! I love it!! I have a lenovo all in one, which I use sometimes, as it's got a big enough screen, but for normal Sunday work, I just use the Lenovo tablet, as I want to get out after my 9-12th mass.

    Awesome organ playing by the way! Very nice!
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    tnx

    that is my latest fugue
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    very well executed!

    Now if we did a little bit more of that in church, especially as Catholic musicians, perhaps that could help change the element of music.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    btw... you could probably use an ipad to hold and project your music library. if anyone wants a system, i will buy it load it and box it up for you and will include my 10000 page library of organ music (all public domain). email me if interested.
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    did you assemble most of your music from the different free scores websites or from those on ebay selling those CDs jammed pack with music???

    I am always up to adding to my library :O)
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    i collected all my scores from five or six free score websites over years of searching and downloading. then i categorized everything as mentioned. do a search for the great bach!
  • CGM
    Posts: 702
    How do you turn pages?
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    I use a device called airturn. If you do a good search for it, you will find it. Air Turn, and they have their own pedals, or you can use BOSS FS-5U pedals. I paid $50.00 for the airturn, which you can get in either USB, or Bluetooth, and about $50.00 for two BOSS pedals. I absolutely love it. I wouldn't have it anyway. In fact I bought a second airturn unit, and set of pedals, for the piano. So I have my own set just near the organ pedals, and the other set near the piano. This way when I have to jump between the two.

    I use that in combination with the PC program MusicReader PRO, which is also available for Ipad and droid. It has tons of features that are awesome.

    Honestly, because I run between two different languages in my church, English/Spanish, having 15 different accompaniment books out was starting to cause carpal tunnel sensations. That's why I decided to digitize. The tablet is light, I just pick it up, and jump between the two instruments. No picking up big heavy sloppy OCP organ accompaniments, everything on one pc, all in PDF. Bought a high speed fujitsu 6130 document scanner for the scanning of every accompaniment book I have in my library. All digital now.

    disclaimer: I don't work, or know any of those people at airturn, or BOSS. Just enjoy their products.
    Thanked by 1CGM
  • BenBen
    Posts: 3,114
    And just a small note, since PDF seems to be so widely used here, here's a great little app for splitting and combining PDFs.

    You could use it to put an entire day's music into a file, or to get rid of unnecessary pages. It's little, and works very well.

    PDF Split and Merge

    Note: I don't work for them either. :)
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen ContraBombarde
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    Hi Ben, Thanks for that info, I could have definitely used that a few weeks ago, before the Vigil. I ended up having the church buy me the full adobe acrobat, so that I could split the files.

    I know MusicReader Pro has the ability to do the split, but have not really experimented much with that. I'm definitely going to download that PDF Split, as it's nice to have a program that just concentrates on one thing.

    Thanks again!
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    i use touchmouse on my ipod and set it on the keyboard at the top of one of the manuals. however, i also just have the regular mouse that sits next to me on the bench.
  • CGM
    Posts: 702
    Francis - I was watching your video, and I can see when your head moves to the left for a fresh page, but I can't for the life of me detect any body language indicating that you've touched anything to trigger that page-turn on your monitor. The mouse next to you on the bench - do you bump it with your hip in some subtle, undetectable way...?
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    no, that piece is all on one screen. perhaps i should make a video demonstrating the system.
  • ContraBombarde
    Posts: 471
    That would be great. Are you using a touchscreen monitor connected to the laptop? Also, is the ipod connected via bluetooth and used as a touchdevice???

    I am curious, as I like the setup I'm using, but definitely like seeing what others are using, perhaps it's better.
  • benedictgal
    Posts: 798
    I have a Blackberry playbook and it comes in quite handy when it comes to learning the SEP chants (tutorial). I do take it to Mass with me and do a last-minute rehearsal in the sacristy. It is certainly better than recording the tutorial from my computer, as the audio is clearer. I have even used it for Fr. Spencer's Spanish Ordinary I.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    MichaelM

    No touch screen. With the touchmouse app on ipod, i can control the computer like a remote through wireless network. I set the ipod (running touchmouse full screen) on the top of the manual keyboard, right on the keys so in essence it becomes part of the manuals and then anywhere i touch it, it turns the page in pdf file. In practice, it is easier than trying to turn paper pages.
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