“Which iPad should I buy?” Using an iPad for reading music. Harp Tuesday ep. 198
Are you thinking using an iPad for reading sheet music? In this episode I try to answer the question of which iPad you should get! I also give a review of my experience upgrading this year from an iPad Air 2, to a 12.9 inch iPad Pro, as well as using the Apple Pencil.
As far as using an iPad for reading music, the short answer is that any of the current iPad offerings (iPad 8th Gen, iPad Air 4th gen, or iPad Pro) are easily capable of doing so. The question comes down to screen size – if you want the 12.9 inch size (so nice!) you're forced to get an iPad Pro. If you think you'll be fine with the smaller screen size, then the iPad 8th Gen will be fine.
If you're trying to figure out what screen size you want, here are three PDFs I created. One shows the dimensions of the current set of iPads (as well as my old iPad Air 2), the other two show what a piece of music would look like, on the 12.9 and 10.2 size, respectively. (The music is my freely available arrangement of a Bach cantata – )
Comparison chart:
Bach 10.2 (base iPad)
Bach 12.9 (iPad Pro)
I love the forScore app for organizing, reading, and marking music:
iPad benchmark info:
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Cheers,
Josh Layne
#iPad #HarpTuesday #iPadforMusic
0:00 Intro – what iPad should I get?
1:06 comparing iPads
1:38 Processing power
3:06 How much storage do I need?
6:53 How big a screen do you need?
12:24 What iPad to get comes down to screen size
16:40 Review and what I use an iPad for
17:30 using an iPad for online lessons
20:48 using an iPad for performing
25:25 using for music publishing/prep
26:36 long term practice
30:06 ergonomic advantages
30:41 Landscape mode
31:12 The new gear fallacy?
33:51 So which iPad should I get?
Great review, Thank you Josh.
I simply Convert Powerpoint slides with PPT Mirror tool for any Generation of iPad and present them in a teleprompter on every browser and the tool is compatible with any bluetooth remote/pedal pageflip to switch the slides,
Super useful advice and thanks for these pages! Helps a lot to see the real physical size on the music stand.
I’ve been thinking about getting the iPad Pro 12.9 for a while now. I love printed music but a lot of the music these days is printed on 8.5 x 11 paper. I find that it is a lot easier for me to read sheet music when it is on the large 9×12. I think that the iPad Pro could help with that! I’ve also thought about getting a wide format printer. But I also really want an iPad Pro haha
The sheet music comparison is a really good metric, thanks for this detailed review!
Thank you for a great video.
The print outs you did were incredibly useful.
Looks like I’ll be saving up for the larger iPad Pro ?
As a pianist, I’ve been using an iPad & ForScore for years now, for music out of print, basically. For writing in a virtual score, I have never found the ease of simply picking up a pencil and writing what needs to be written. Paper is still the best for me.
Josh, thanks for a great video. This was as practical a tutorial as I’ve seen for any product, ever. The printed out sizes are brilliant!!! Your explanations were clear and concise. For me the cost of the iPad Pro is an issue; but I almost only use charts with lyrics and chords instead of scores. So, I’m waiting to see what the next gen iPad Air is like and then I’ll upgrade from a failing Air 2 to (probably) an Air 4 and get into the digital music domain. I have landed on using forScore and I appreciated that you were speaking from that perspective. Your comment at 31:13 about “new stuff” was helpful and oh, so true. 🙂 But, yes, new gear can simply have a cool factor which can actually have a certain inspirational value. Cheers, Cliff
Hey, thanks Cliff, really nice to hear 🙂
I’ve been on the fence about this. On one hand, I love how easy it is to just use real sheet music and write notes in it with a real pencil; and on the other hand, I also practice music that’s hundreds of pages in length for just single compositions that are hours long to play, and it’d be a lot more convenient to have all of it stored on a device instead of wasting all that paper.
Thank you so much for your help! Absolutely wonderful information. Especially the comparison charts. I’m a college performance major and I sincerely appreciate the helpful advice for my investment.
This was very useful information and will help me in decision making. In fact, great timing for the pre-Santa wish list. Thanks. ?
Thank you sooo much for this video, and mainly for the super useful PDFs comparing sizes. It helped me a lot. 😀 May you be very successful in everything you do! 😀
As a pianist and piano teacher currently wondering whether to brave buying one of these expensive things for my teaching and general organisation, this was absolutely invaluable information – thank you very much, Sir!
Fantastic review. I’m a pianist stuck with Android products. I saw a piano recital last week and he was using (what turned out to be) an iPad. NOT using a foot pedal drove my curiosity to find out more. I stopped using a turn pedal because it was noisy and constantly disappeared! The use of facial recognition intrigues me.
Music notation: I will continue to mark my paper score because it’s so easy. THEN I’ll scan it to ForScore.
Visibility: I have old eyes (because I’m old). The rods and cones in the eye wear out so that a strong light source is a requirement. Younger musicians may not need the iPad Pro. I will buy it because bigger is better for my eyes, plus I love the pencil. And let’s face it, I still love gadgets.
Now I’m off to hear you play harp.
Very useful and honest info here. Congrats! Right now working in an Ipad 1 it was dusting as garbage, the pandemic made me fill it with pdf but iPad Pro could be a xmas present for this fella writing.
I can’t help but have a big smile on my face whenever I watch your video.
Josh: Thanks for explaining this topic to a novice like me as if you were my kind brother-in-law.
Aww, thanks! 🙂
This is one of the best reviews I’ve seen regarding a musician’s perspective. Thank you!
@Germain Gomez he says it at the beginning of the video “forScore”
@Josh Layne I just got my iPad 8th gen today! I’m super happy about it!
What music sheet reader app do you use by the way?
Aww, thanks Germain, great to hear!
So, I was thinking the best answer here would be to get a used 1st gen iPad Pro 12.9 since the screen size is almost exactly an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet.
Does that make sense?
Really great video on a timely matter fir so many colleagues. The possibility of traveling with a slightly lighter, smaller 11” or 10.9 air is tempting. But weighing the pure reading options is terrific.
Thanks!
Really great video and answered so many questions I have regarding exactly which to choose and why for music reading purposes and teaching. Thanks!
Hi Josh, I went back and reviewed some of your harp Tuesday’s from way back. And that was really a great idea because I used them with my theory books and what a difference it made. I found the correct way to play stack notes and playing cross overs and cross unders with greater control. Your also very creative in photography. I just wanted to thank you for all of your hard work. This is why your my favourite harpist.
Aww, thanks Sandra!