Best Android app for sheet music set reading

[Tom]

Ok, as per usual there is a veritable plethora of apps on the play store for reading sheet music and/or pdfs, all of which claim to be the best and just what you need to make you the next Dick Contino or Ksenija Siderova.

I do not look forward to the grueling task of downloading them one after another weeding out the wheat from the chaff.

Can you help? Can we help our erstwhile members?

This thread is specifically for Android. Please start one for Windows, iOS, Linux if you want.

Here are the requirements:

1. Either free, paid, or subscription, no problem.

2. Must work with sheet music in pdf format, not proprietary.

4. Must display the music cleanly, and full screen. Preferably with some control over the formatting.

5. Must support Bluetooth foot pedal page turns.

Does not need “fancy” details like playback, annotation, face gestures, calling up a program in Roland or arranger, change the oil on your car, etc.

Basically, display the music well, have controls for forward and back from a setlist. Non repeating random from the set list is preferred. Some way to deal with multi page songs.

Preferably the set list is a folder of pdf files. If necessary, the songs could be combined into one file. Although not ideal, ok if it provides other benefits.

Could be a dedicated sheet music app or plain pdf reader app.

So, what do you use, and/or recommend? Thanks!!!!!!

 

[JerryPH]

Not an android user, so I cannot really help all that much... sorry Tom.

 

[Tom]

Not an android user, so I cannot really help all that much... sorry Tom.

No prob! Your help is always appreciated!

 

[colinm]

Good luck with that Tom, I am still looking for ipad version.
I thought the starting point would be “scan”, but ipad just asked for a qr code.

 

[saundersbp]

Ok, as per usual there is a veritable plethora of apps on the play store for reading sheet music and/or pdfs, all of which claim to be the best and just what you need to make you the next Dick Contino or Ksenija Siderova.

I do not look forward to the grueling task of downloading them one after another weeding out the wheat from the chaff.

Can you help? Can we help our erstwhile members?

Hi Tom,

Mobile Sheets is the standard for android. Many
players on numerous instruments swear by It: solid, reliable and efficient without unnecessary daft features!

 

[Pipemajor]

Hi Tom,

Mobile Sheets is the standard for android. Many
players on numerous instruments swear by It: solid, reliable and efficient without unnecessary daft features!

I can second that although I don't think it can show random. (I may be wrong)

 

[wirralaccordion]

Not sure what you want here Tom, over and above a simple pdf of sheet music, despite your numbered requirements. Perhaps you can give an example of one of the "plethora of apps on Play Store", however good or bad that particular one may be. Many thanks.

 

[Tom]

Thank guys, I will check out Mobile Sheets.

 

[Tom]

Not sure what you want here Tom, over and above a simple pdf of sheet music, despite your numbered requirements. Perhaps you can give an example of one of the "plethora of apps on Play Store", however good or bad that particular one may be. Many thanks.

One that I checked out is ScorePdf. It actually looks pretty good. I will continue on with it unless Mobile Sheets is better or another one crops up.

 

[Tom]

Loaded MobileSheets free version to compare to ScorePdf.

MobileSheets looks pretty good. I have to figure out how to streamline it though. Takes five (!) clicks to go from one song in a setlist to another (non adjacent) one, back to the clean view. Would be nice if one click opened the setlist, and a second click selected a song and displayed only it. Maybe there’s a way but I can’t find it….

Figured it out. You can set it so a tap to the top “returns you to the library.” A tap on a song opens it clean. Weird.

Can only get down to 4 clicks in ScorePdf.

 

[wirralaccordion]

Ah, I get it ( I think ). So instead of using printed sheet music pages in a ring binder on a music stand and having to turn them over, eg from page 2 to 3, the sheets are individually digitised and viewed on a tablet screen and "turned" with a finger swipe.
Isn't that what nkoda does?
Personally, I would find the tablet screen too small and you still need a music stand anyway.
A friend of mine is a very good pipe organist and I have seen him stick up to 8 A4 sheets in front of him. I guess it would only work for about 5 mins playing though but it seems to work for him.
Perhaps I still don't get it?
Of course, the best players don't need the music. I have never seen a piano concert pianist playing a whole 3 movement piano concerto and needing the music!

 

[Tom]

Ah, I get it ( I think ). So instead of using printed sheet music pages in a ring binder on a music stand and having to turn them over, eg from page 2 to 3, the sheets are individually digitised and viewed on a tablet screen and "turned" with a finger swipe.
Isn't that what nkoda does?
Personally, I would find the tablet screen too small and you still need a music stand anyway.
A friend of mine is a very good pipe organist and I have seen him stick up to 8 A4 sheets in front of him. I guess it would only work for about 5 mins playing though but it seems to work for him.
Perhaps I still don't get it?
Of course, the best players don't need the music. I have never seen a piano concert pianist playing a whole 3 movement piano concerto and needing the music!

Yes, you’ve got it! Some of us have a hard time memorizing enough music to play 2 - 3 hours, some of us don’t. It’s hard for me, plus I don’t want to play the same things each time, so more memory needed. Maybe some day I will have everything memorized? I don’t know. I am certainly not one of the best players.

There are distinct advantages to the tablet, as far as I can see, but I am just beginning. Yes, you still need some kind of stand but you don’t have to worry about your pages and book flying around in the wind. Plus it’s a lot easier to add and subtract songs and change the order.

And easier to skip around. Let’s see, where is “Finiculi” anyway, did I pair it with “Amore Mio” or “That’s Amore”?

And if you make changes, you don’t have to reprint each time. I typically never get the first version of my arrangements “perfect,” and waste paper and time.

Because a tablet as big as a typical 8.5 x 11 sheet is impractical (for me) the music is a bit smaller, but my eyes so far are good (enough). Staring at a screen we know is bad, but for a 2 - 3 hour gig maybe not so bad. But I can always use the paper in practicing.

Of course a disadvantage is that you have to be more careful if you need to take a break to rest your mind or buy a sandwich. You may return to find no tablet but two more accordions.

The proof, as they say, will be in the pudding.

 

[Tom]

Ah, I get it ( I think ). So instead of using printed sheet music pages in a ring binder on a music stand and having to turn them over, eg from page 2 to 3, the sheets are individually digitised and viewed on a tablet screen and "turned" with a finger swipe.
Isn't that what nkoda does?
Personally, I would find the tablet screen too small and you still need a music stand anyway.
A friend of mine is a very good pipe organist and I have seen him stick up to 8 A4 sheets in front of him. I guess it would only work for about 5 mins playing though but it seems to work for him.
Perhaps I still don't get it?
Of course, the best players don't need the music. I have never seen a piano concert pianist playing a whole 3 movement piano concerto and needing the music!

Nkoda looks interesting but I can’t see that you can add your own scores. Plus I don’t like subscription model software. I don’t mind paying once for software I like but subscription? Not if I can help it!

 

[Tom]

I can second that although I don't think it can show random. (I may be wrong)

You can get a kind of random by hitting a spot in the slider bar. But not a “non repeating” random. From there you can go forward or backwards. ScorePdf doesn’t seem to allow tapping to go back, although you can hit the back arrow in the slider bar. MobileSheets seems to be the winner so far. I’m sure there are other candidates but one can only stand researching these things so much…..

 

[JerryPH]

Ah, I get it ( I think ). So instead of using printed sheet music pages in a ring binder on a music stand and having to turn them over, eg from page 2 to 3, the sheets are individually digitised and viewed on a tablet screen and "turned" with a finger swipe.

It's a little more than that... previous or next page turns and/or the previous or next song are not done with a finger swipe, that's inconvenient at best on most music, it's done with the press of a button on a wireless foot pedal.

There are many tablets nowadays that are big enough to display a standard 8.5X11 inch page that won't blow away at the slightest hint of a breeze. There is also the convenience that with a small adapter, one can output the screen to any sized screen (I use a 24" monitor that I wasn't using and have used a 60" screen in the past for many purposes as well as to display music).

There is also a big advantage to being able to find a specific song within seconds instead of searching through several binders (convenient when responding to requests quickly if a song is not memorized), to being able to create categories and play lists.

I have lists of exercise books, playlists based on country, style of music, sets for different needs or specific gigs. I've now created a list that is specific to goals... daily, weekly and monthly goals that change and adapt as I start that process. It's more than just showing music on a screen, it is a tool that can increase productivity, aid in learning and adds a lot of fun to the process (I won't do more than mention that my system can also control my FR-8X and BK-7m with the flip of a turn of the page to a new song, saving time in between songs).

It's all about organization, ease of use, speed and convenience.

I’m sure there are other candidates but one can only stand researching these things so much…..

In all honesty, I depended on the opinions of 3 people, looked at 3 apps, made a choice and never looked back. Though I like to research the heck out of things normally, software testing is something that I don't find pleasant enough to do at any great length as well.

 

[wirralaccordion]

From the above post

It's a little more than that... previous or next page turns and/or the previous or next song are not done with a finger swipe, that's inconvenient at best on most music, it's done with the press of a button on a wireless foot pedal.

Oh dear. It looks like even if there is free software available there's a considerable cost involved to make the most of it! How much would you expect to have to pay for a wirelesss foot pedal Jerry?
BTW I'm looking forward to joining your tutorials!

 

[Tom]

From the above post

It's a little more than that... previous or next page turns and/or the previous or next song are not done with a finger swipe, that's inconvenient at best on most music, it's done with the press of a button on a wireless foot pedal.

Oh dear. It looks like even if there is free software available there's a considerable cost involved to make the most of it! How much would you expect to have to pay for a wirelesss foot pedal Jerry?
BTW I'm looking forward to joining your tutorials!

Well, ScorePdf free version would definitely work fine, but Mobile Sheets is $16. Less than a case of Canadian beer!!!!

 

[Rosie C]

A friend of mine is a very good pipe organist and I have seen him stick up to 8 A4 sheets in front of him. I guess it would only work for about 5 mins playing though but it seems to work for him.

I've seen a keyboard player do it with 2x A4 tablets, configured so the right hand one automatically displayed the page after what the left hand was showing. The page flip of both controlled by a bluetooth foot pedal. Very impressive, but also in the same ball park as what my last car cost to buy!

 

[Tom]

I've seen a keyboard player do it with 2x A4 tablets, configured so the right hand one automatically displayed the page after what the left hand was showing. The page flip of both controlled by a bluetooth foot pedal. Very impressive, but also in the same ball park as what my last car cost to buy!

I took your advice and got the 11” size.

 

[JerryPH]

Well, ScorePdf free version would definitely work fine, but Mobile Sheets is $16. Less than a case of Canadian beer!!!!

Hmmm... we unfortunately pay a bit more than that... lol