Sheet Music Apps for Android and Apple!!

 iPad and Tablet Sheet Music Readers

    For all of you who use tablets for your music, I thought I would let you know of a few that will change your life when it comes to working with your music.  I did a deep dive on some of the available sheet music readers out there and I came up with two of them that are more than stellar.  Here's what I found.

forScore

    forScore is a really good option, but there's only one issue.  It is only for those using an iPad.  It is exclusive to Apple users.  It really is a great program.  It is easy to use and connects to many different options, including foot pedals, if you are using your iPad for something other than choral music.  It is really easy to use and the controls are made to be very user friendly.

    It also has a desktop/laptop companion version so you can edit your music on a bigger screen, using your mouse, and then transport those files to your tablet for editing while at rehearsal.

    One of the options I really like is the ability to place links within the music so when a repeat or a coda is in the music, like in "I Know I've Been Changed", you can simply press a button that you've placed in the music and it will transport you either backward or forward to the page you need to go to.  No more swiping back several pages to get to the correct page!

    forScore comes at a price of $24.99, but it is really a great program, so it is incredibly well-priced for what it can do.

Mobile Sheets

    MobileSheets is a great second option.  It is available both on Apple and on Android.  It is a little less user friendly, but it comes with both a quick start manual, as well as a full pdf manual.  I would recommend that you read the manual to see what options you would like to use.

    This is the one I worked with on my Android because they offer a free version that allows you to play around with it to see if you want to purchase it.  And I did.  There was a little frustration included until I realized what I needed to do to take it from the Performance function to the Annotate function.  But once I got there, it was really easy to figure out.

    This program also allows you to place links between repeats and codas.  The button that you choose comes in different colors and allows you to just touch the correctly colored button to be transported immediately to the correct page.  I especially like this for "I Know I've Been Changed" because it requires going back to the first page twice and then going to the last page when we hit the coda on page 2.  I tried it out on the free version, and immediately purchased the app.

    The editing side of things allows you to easily place symbols for loud and soft, crescendo and decrescendo, and even allows you to place various notes on the page for those pesky notes that Alison wants us to sing instead of the written note (though I haven't seen her do it yet....but it could happen!). 

    You can also add a music track to the software so you can play the recording as you are moving through the sheet music.  There are many settings that allow for specialized page turning and even an auto-scroll function that you can pace to the music, though I like just tapping the page.

    Another neat part about this app is the ability to create a library of songs that can be easily adjusted between practice and the performance.  These songs can also be nested under setlists.  This is incredibly useful when you are a part of another choir.  For example, I am in the Mapleton Chorale as well.  I can pull up the Mapleton setlist for those practices and then pop over to the Wasatch setlist for that rehearsal without having to scroll through a BUNCH of different songs.  

    MobileSheets also has a companion program for editing on a desktop/laptop, if you want to do editing on your computer.  I'll stick with editing while I'm at choir.

    MobileSheets costs $15.99 and is on both the Google Play store and the Apple App Store.

Conclusion

    So if you have a tablet and are looking for a better way to use and notate your music, go to one of these apps.  I've been using a PDF reader, but it just doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to working with music.  These apps are created specifically to assist musicians and have so many great options.  It'll change the way you look at your music.  Some of you may end up buying tablets just so you can use the software, once you see what it can do!