Electronic music readers

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JamesGunning
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Electronic music readers

Post by JamesGunning »

Dear All,
Not sure where best to ask this, but given that this site & places like IMSLP are
wondrously generous sources of piano music, much of which we might like to read through but
are perhaps reluctant to print all of, does anyone here have suggestions about what kinds of
e-readers are good for pdfs, at the piano ? Specifically, if anyone has experience;
- are they tiring to the eyes while playing?
- is the size adequate?
- is page turning OK?
- can they network OK (i.e. use any old pdf from e.g. here, or perhaps publishers etc.)

My house is already too full of paper, and I'm toying with ways to avoid growing it too much
with music that I might not play too many times (bizarre Liszt "fantasias on.." , anyone?).
If others have experience or suggestions, I'd be delighted to hear.
Best wishes all,
James.
Timtin
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Re: Electronic music readers

Post by Timtin »

Interesting question. I too would be like to have access to such technology,
but, as always, price would be a limiting factor.
(I've often wondered about the feasibility of transparent music, placed just
above the keyboard, so that the eyes could view both simultaneously.)
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klavierelch
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Re: Electronic music readers

Post by klavierelch »

I am not at all an expert on this matter. But the "normal" E-Book-Readers on the market (like Kindle, Sony, iPad etc.) are ways too small to comfortably read scores and turning pages would also be not very comfortable.
What we need is a screen of at least double A4 format as an equivalent to a normal double page of a score. If I remember correct there once was a prototype of such a score reader, but for a price of several thousand Euros.
Ars opus est hominis, non opus artis homo.

John Owen, Epigrammata (1615)
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fredbucket
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Re: Electronic music readers

Post by fredbucket »

In practice, I find that my Dell 24inch monitor (1920x1200 pixels) comfortably handles a standard double page PDF file. Fitting it on my piano, however, is a totally different proposition :-)

A 27 or 30 inch monitor would be even better.

Regards
Fred
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Caprotti
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Re: Electronic music readers

Post by Caprotti »

I'm using this method since a couple of months, so I don't have to print anymore everything.

The only handicap is the change of pages, but I don't want to spend thousands of euros for an ad hoc software currently available, with the use of a pedal.

Using the mouse after a while you get easily accustomed ....
paolor
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Re: Electronic music readers

Post by paolor »

fredbucket wrote:In practice, I find that my Dell 24inch monitor (1920x1200 pixels) comfortably handles a standard double page PDF file. Fitting it on my piano, however, is a totally different proposition :-)

A 27 or 30 inch monitor would be even better.

Regards
Fred
I have a socalled "All in One" - that is the whole hardware is integrated in the (back of) the 22" screen, which is touch sensitive. This means a pdf can be looked at in full screen modus, 2 pages fitting comfortably, and touching the screen at any place outside the pdf (there is enough place left on both sides) turns to the next 2 pages. Turning back with the usual arrow keys. Wireless keyboard and mouse can also be used. And the harddisc of 1TB will probably fit whatever amount of scores will arrive in the future... I am using this equipment since last november and find it almost perfect - almost because 4hand scores in landscape format would indeed need a larger screen, say 27" or even 30".

I forgot to say that I am playing on a grand piano, for un upright I wouldn't really know how to fix the screen...

Bw, paolor
JamesGunning
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Re: Electronic music readers

Post by JamesGunning »

Thanks everyone for their ideas and suggestions. Very pleased to hear at least
one person has a near-satisfactory solution.

Now the question is, what shall I use for those 8h+2p works :-)
And this brings to mind maybe a better use for those "tasteful" (massive but thin)
modern TVs: one can read Mahler 8 at the piano at almost legible size...
Timtin
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Re: Electronic music readers

Post by Timtin »

Regarding music scores, with the various issues surrounding what is and what isn't still under
copyright, it seems to me that the future of secure music publishing lies with oversized eReaders.

However, this seemingly inevitable forward step has, to a large extent, been halted in its tracks
by the recent disclosure that the Kindle DX has been withdrawn, which seems regrettable.

It would be interesting to know the views of fellow Pianophiliacs on whether they would embrace
the idea of vast amounts of sheet music being available in this form, should dedicated eReaders
for sheet music become widely available elsewhere.

Could it be that the conservative nature of classical music and the advanced nature of eReaders
mean that the combination of the two things attracts so small a market as to make the whole
concept of products like the Kindle DX ultimately unviable commercially?
bingo
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Re: Electronic music readers

Post by bingo »

I am watching out for Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with a 14.6" screen, due in early 2022. i understand it will be in the roughly 3:2 aspect ratio rather than the 16:10 that many devices have which were optimised for cinematic content rather than A4/Letter pages. (EDIT: apparently it will be a video-viewing focused tablet with a 16:10 aspect ratio, which will not be big enough for 100% document viewing)

There is a Japanese e-reader designed for sheet music called GVIDO which is actually two 13.3 e-ink screens joined at a hinge: https://www.gvidomusic.com/

That might be the ideal device format - basically a foldable A3. A lot is happening in the e-ink space presently, including colour e-ink devices, which would be good for marked-up scores.
bingo
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Re: Electronic music readers

Post by bingo »

This looks like something I could throw money at to give me a large screen tablet to use at piano:

https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/Z ... ED-UX9702/

" ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED leads the world with its amazing 17.3” Foldable OLED (FOLED) touchscreen1 that folds down instantly to a compact 12.5” size, making it smaller than a sheet of photocopier paper for easy carrying"
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