Cheap tablet/ereader for sheet music

This topic was created, as requested, for all Linux OS powered mobile devices other than Android.

Moderators: MattKingUSA, khz

Post Reply
User avatar
raboof
Established Member
Posts: 1855
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 11:58 am
Location: Deventer, NL
Has thanked: 50 times
Been thanked: 74 times
Contact:

Cheap tablet/ereader for sheet music

Post by raboof »

I'm considering getting a cheap tablet/ereader for sheet music - that could potentially be more convenient than lugging around folders of paper.

This is just a bit of fun, so I'm looking to spend up to 100 bucks on it. Second-hand/refurbished is fine. Ideally a big display, though it doesn't need to be high-resolution.

Any suggestions, either hardware- or software-wise? I guess most cheaper Android tablets will be stuck at old Android versions. Are there any hacker-friendly devices that I could run 'regular' Linux on? Any recommendations for sheet-music-wrangling software?

A quick google revealed https://www.pine64.org/pinetab/ which looks very promising!
User avatar
milo
Established Member
Posts: 1242
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 2:55 am
Location: Southern Utah, USA
Has thanked: 275 times
Been thanked: 218 times
Contact:

Re: Cheap tablet/ereader for sheet music

Post by milo »

Software-wise I think your best bet on a tablet is to use a pdf reader. If your music is not in pdf format then convert it on your desktop/laptop and transfer it over. There are Android apps that do music notation, but you are likely to get your data stuck in their format or in their app with no portability to other devices or apps.

Don't have a recommendation for hardware. My only tablet is a Philips portable DVD player/tablet combo that I bought at Walmart on a road trip a few years ago for about $90. It is crazy slow and has a small screen with a bulky form factor. Definitely not recommended. :)
rghvdberg
Established Member
Posts: 1067
Joined: Mon May 12, 2014 7:11 am
Has thanked: 15 times
Been thanked: 36 times

Re: Cheap tablet/ereader for sheet music

Post by rghvdberg »

I use a regular android tablet, 10 inch. I might one day invest in a.bigger sized tablet.

By far the best app is MovileSheets Pro.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... esheetspro
There's a gratis version too, with limits the number of sheets to 7 I think.

I use it with an USB page turner because I have to play pieces with multiple pages.

I got so used to it that when I play from paper sheets I keep pressing the page turner pedal and than are baffled why the (paper) sheets won't turn

Any USB page turner will do, but those things can be rather expensive.
Musicteacher
Established Member
Posts: 194
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:54 am
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 4 times

Re: Cheap tablet/ereader for sheet music

Post by Musicteacher »

Hi,
this is not completely on-topic, but I own a convertible notebook and tried to use it for sheet-music.

I found that the evince pdf reader is good for that, because it supports touch navigation, whereas okular doesn't.

So with evince in fullscreen, I can just swipe over the page to turn it. Me being a piano player who needs his feet for the piano-pedals, this is not bad.

If you get yourself the pinetab (which is not out yet, very interesting device), evince should just work, too.
colonel_panic
Established Member
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2017 6:16 am
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Cheap tablet/ereader for sheet music

Post by colonel_panic »

Pre COVID unpleasantness, I used to occasionally visit ukulele clubs. Everyone has chord sheets. I noticed that when people replaced their songbooks with tablets they became less able (or maybe less willing) to share the music with the person next to them. People started sitting on their own more.

An unintended consequence of the tablet was people became a bit less social.

A shame really. And of course it's all gone now.
User avatar
raboof
Established Member
Posts: 1855
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 11:58 am
Location: Deventer, NL
Has thanked: 50 times
Been thanked: 74 times
Contact:

Re: Cheap tablet/ereader for sheet music

Post by raboof »

colonel_panic wrote: Thu Feb 18, 2021 9:01 am Pre COVID unpleasantness, I used to occasionally visit ukulele clubs. Everyone has chord sheets. I noticed that when people replaced their songbooks with tablets they became less able (or maybe less willing) to share the music with the person next to them. People started sitting on their own more.

An unintended consequence of the tablet was people became a bit less social.

A shame really. And of course it's all gone now.
That is a really interesting observation - indeed we seem to have a tendency to 'disappear into' our devices in a way that we don't with paper, which I agree is the opposite of what we'd want.

I wonder why: is it just because the devices are smaller so you have to be close to them to comfortable read them? Perhaps the viewing angles of cheaper screens aren't great? Unfortunately large sheets of epaper are still expensive I think... or perhaps it's the 'user interface' of paper is more universal than the various interfaces of devices, so you want people to stay away from them because you don't want them to mess that up?
colonel_panic
Established Member
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2017 6:16 am
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Cheap tablet/ereader for sheet music

Post by colonel_panic »

My personal theory is that for some people, their electronic devices become a little "bubble" which makes them a bit more insular. All these notifications vying for your attention, and of course the algorithms have worked out exactly what you're interested in, so the little messages in the top of your screen are more interesting than the person sat next to you.

There has to be a better way of designing these things.
User avatar
raboof
Established Member
Posts: 1855
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 11:58 am
Location: Deventer, NL
Has thanked: 50 times
Been thanked: 74 times
Contact:

Re: Cheap tablet/ereader for sheet music

Post by raboof »

colonel_panic wrote: Thu Feb 18, 2021 9:27 am My personal theory is that for some people, their electronic devices become a little "bubble" which makes them a bit more insular. All these notifications vying for your attention, and of course the algorithms have worked out exactly what you're interested in, so the little messages in the top of your screen are more interesting than the person sat next to you.

There has to be a better way of designing these things.
Definitely! I think a tablet/ereader for sheetmusic should simply not have those ;)
klasstaffan
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Feb 26, 2021 8:18 pm

Re: Cheap tablet/ereader for sheet music

Post by klasstaffan »

Apple’s most recent iPad Pro comes with a noticeable difference: far less padding. This means that the screen takes up nearly the entire device, making your sheet music bigger and better than ever before! You can get the newest iPad Pro in two sizes: 11 inches and 12.9 inches. Though this is one of the more expensive options on the list, this iPad can do everything a computer can do, making it one of the most high-tech tablets out there!
User avatar
d.healey
Established Member
Posts: 610
Joined: Fri Sep 22, 2017 8:33 pm
Has thanked: 274 times
Been thanked: 100 times

Re: Cheap tablet/ereader for sheet music

Post by d.healey »

I like the Onyx Boox ereaders, they do a few large screen ones but are beyond your budget unfortunately - https://onyxboox.com/product#lineup-5

I have a PineTab running Mobian. It's a very capable tablet, battery life is pretty good, and the optional keyboard is good quality. And of course with it being a GNU/Linux device it can run Musescore. The hard part is getting hold of one because they've been out of stock for ages, but check the Pine64 forums, you might be able to get a second-hand one, that's how I got mine.
IMG_20210227_132901.jpg
IMG_20210227_132901.jpg (211.23 KiB) Viewed 12341 times
IMG_20210227_132834.jpg
IMG_20210227_132834.jpg (202.06 KiB) Viewed 12341 times
David Healey
YouTube - Free HISE scripting and sample library dev tutorials
Libre Wave - Freedom respecting instruments and effects.
Post Reply