tablet for music

[Hugh Anderson]

What is the right size tablet to play music from? How are those really big ones, say 20"?

[dstdenis]

I use an iPad Pro with a 12.9" screen. Works great!
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[JoeLoeffler]

12.9" iPad Pro all day, every day.

Sucks for lots of things 'cause its way too big, but awesome for music reading. I can take hundreds of books/pieces along with me when I go teach and display them at mostly full size. I couldn't imagine using anything smaller.

[Dayton]

I use a Microsoft Surface Pro. It works really well.

[lexluther]

I Pad Pro.......Perfect!
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C - Yamaha Artist Chicago Xeno
Flugel - Getzen Custom Reserve 4895
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Cornet - Bach Strad 184ML

[trickg]

iPad Pro here. Been using an iPad since 2010 or so.
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Patrick Gleason
- Jupiter 1600i, ACB 3C, Warburton 4SVW/Titmus RT2
- Brasspire Unicorn C
- ACB Doubler

"95% of the average 'weekend warrior's' problems will be solved by an additional 30 minutes of insightful practice." - PLP

[Raya2]

iPad Pro with forScore, problems solved.

[Rapier232]

Another vote for iPad Pro and forScore. I use mine for shows, playing in the pit. Fast page turns, no need for a stand light and no worries about the music being knocked off my stand. However I do have the paper music with me, just in case the iPad dies.
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Smith-Watkins Bb
Will Spencer Bb
Eclipse Flugel
Smith Watkins K2 Cornet
JP152 C Trumpet
Besson Bugle

[jengstrom]

The next one will be the new 10" iPad Pro, but for now I'm perfectly happy with a 9.7" iPad Air2 and Forscore. The nice contrast on the screen offsets the smaller page, at least for me. Also, I use reading glasses one diopter size lower than normal to put the focal point at the music stand. (I wear the same glasses for paper music too.).

-John
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Kanstul 1525
Bach 196 picc

[plunkett]

iPad and ForScore for me, too... Been using this combo for many years.
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Pat Plunkett

[snichols]

As far as size goes, 9-10" works okay. That's what mine is. I initially thought it would be too small, and while the music is a bit smaller, I've adjusted and it works fine for me.

12-13" is a great size and ideal for displaying sheet music at almost full size. The issue is whether you want to spend the premium of several hundred dollars more on the options in this size range (Surface Pro, iPad Pro, etc.) There are just more options available at better prices in the 9-10" area.

The giant ones like the Samsung View or whatever would be overkill and aren't very portable. Their resolution likely isn't good enough for viewing sheet music up close also.

If you want something more affordable, an Android tablet works just fine (you don't need an iPad). I got a Samsung Tab A 10.1" for like $250 or something, and there's an app called Xodo Docs that's awesome and lets you make notations and access your PDFs from Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. With an Android tablet you'll have more flexibility in how you manage your files because you can actually manage your device's folders and files much like on a desktop computer, so if that's important to you, that's something to consider.

[lewins]

+1 on the 12.9" iPad Pro and forScore. I'd also recommend the AirTurn foot pedal for changing pages

[trickg]

I've used GoodReader for a good long bit - never tried ForScore. I might have to look into it. For the moment, GoodReader has gotten me where I needed to go, particularly when it comes to downloading and syncing to an FTP server. At this point there are 500+ charts for horns in the trumpet book, so it's a nice way to be able to maintain it.
_________________
Patrick Gleason
- Jupiter 1600i, ACB 3C, Warburton 4SVW/Titmus RT2
- Brasspire Unicorn C
- ACB Doubler

"95% of the average 'weekend warrior's' problems will be solved by an additional 30 minutes of insightful practice." - PLP

[timothyquinlan]

I would vote for the iPad Pro as well. It comes down to what your favourite ecosystem is. If you have an iPhone, getting the iPad is a no brainer. If you are an android phone user, you should find an android tablet. Having everything is perfect sync between devices saves so much of your time!
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[GizB]

I just picked a Pro 12 tablet, which has Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) OS. It's considerably cheaper than Apple products. I got it mainly for gigs, because of its 12" screen size - that translates to 6.75X10.5. I wouldn't want to sight-read on a gig, but the size works great for at-home practicing and reading on a gig where I have some familiarity with the music. You younger folks with better eyes should have no problems with this tablet.

I picked up MobileSheetsPro (for set lists and music reading) and iRealPro (basically Band-in-a-Box with Real Book tunes), both designed for Android, and they're CHEAP. I haven't fully learned how to use either app, but having played around with them in the week since I got the tablet, I am looking forward to using them a lot.

I think the Pro 12 supports a USB pedal to use for page turns with MobileSheets, but haven't researched it.

Another nice thing, for me, is a near-full-size keyboard. It does make the tablet quite heavy, but it easily detaches.

The only difference I've noticed between the Pro 12 and my wife's smaller iPad is that my tablet doesn't have a gyroscope function, which, using Sky Safari 5 astronomy software, would show the exact night sky from wherever I point the tablet.