Traditionally, musicians have always used sheet music to aid them when they are performing.
The sheets, which might seem confusing to the average person, are one of the most important tools a musician uses while performing.
Nowadays, musicians are able to use e-readers with E Ink screens to view their sheet music.
With the sheet music being digital, musicians are able to edit, delete, and add to the sheet as they please.
Hence the Best E-Reader for Music Sheets are a big aid to musicians all over.
Note : E-Readers for music are a little different from tablets for musicians in general for recording, mixing, mastering purposes
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FAQs on E-Readers for Sheet Music & Digital Chords
Can you get sheet music on a Kindle?
Certainly, you can get sheet music on a Kindle.
In order to do so, all you need to do is go to the online Kindle Store and purchase the sheet music.
What tablet do musicians use?
Musicians typically use tablets such as the Apple iPad or Lenovo Yoga Tablet, to access their sheet music.
How do I use sheet music on iPad?
To use sheet music on iPad, you click the ‘Open in Sheet Music’ button on the Kindle app.
The sheet music will open in an app called ‘Sheet Music+’.
You can then play the piece of music by tapping your finger on one of the staves.
What is the best sheet music app?
Sheet Music+ is the best sheet music app.
The Sheet Music+ app is ideal for musicians of all levels and abilities, from beginner to advanced.
The Sheet Music+ app makes learning or playing music easier with its many features.
These features include just intonation, transposition, tap note and repeat, slow-motion playback, interactive chords & scales diagrams.
Comparison of E-Readers for Music Sheet Reading
| PRODUCT | DETAILS | |
|---|---|---|
TOP PICK |
Freehand MusicPad Pro
|
|
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Likebook Alita
|
|
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BOOX Max3
|
|
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MobiScribe
|
List of the Best E-Reader for Musicians to Read Sheet Music
1. Apple iPad Pro
2. GVIDO Sheet Music Player – Best Overall Sheet Music Tablet
3. LikeBook Alita – Top Rated E-Ink Music Tablet
4. Onyx Book MAX2 Pro – Ideal Electronic Sheet Music Device for Beginners
5. MobiScribe – Affordable Sheet Music Reader
So let’s get into the details of each recommended e-reader.
5 Best E-Reader for Music Sheets
While there are many e-readers available in the market, we have compiled a list of 5 essential e-readers to read sheet music easily.
1. Apple iPad Pro
The Apple iPad Pro is a great device to have if you want to read sheet music and it’s not one of the expensive options that are on the market.
It’s also lightweight and easy to use, so you can easily carry it around with you wherever. It has a long battery life which means that you don’t have to charge is as often. The screen on the iPad Pro has crystal-clear quality, making reading sheet music easy and enjoyable.
In addition, it’s possible to use the Apple Pencil stylus to help you in the music scoring process.
2. GVIDO Sheet Music Player – Best Overall Sheet Music Tablet
Paying tribute by basing the name of the device on the founder of the modern musical staff notation, Guido d’Arezzo, the GVIDO Sheet Music Player is a very high-quality device.
Built in Japan by the same creators of the Sony Digital Paper, the GVIDO Sheet Music Player has two 13.3-inch E Ink Carta screens.
These are connected together by a hinge, allowing the device to be opened and close exactly like a how a normal book would be.
With the use of a stylus, notes can be taken and sheet music can be edited due to the presence of a WACOM layer. Each of the device’s two screens have a resolution of 1200 x 1600.
The GVIDO Sheet Music Player has a base storage of 8 GB, which is by itself a lot of storage space.
This, however, can be further increased to 32 GB, with the use of an SD card. The device also allows for users to access Wi-Fi and connect to the internet.
With this, users of the device can download sheet music from the GVIDO store.
The sheet music store in this device has thousands of different sheets available in a PDF format and can be easily accessed on the device itself.
The device also has Bluetooth functionality, allowing for you to connect the device with peripherals and other devices sold by the company.
Another very interesting feature of the device is the presence of two infrared keys, which allow users to be able to turn pages on the device without even having to touch it.
The device also comes with a foot pedal that can be bought by users as well, allowing for them to turn pages simply by pressing down and not having to use their hands at all, something which is very useful when your hands are occupied in the middle of performance.
All of these features come with a high price tag, with the GVIDO Sheet Music Player itself costing $1600, and the foot pedal being worth $300.
This device is one of the best in the market, however, and its high price is more or less justified by all the features that it provides to users.
3. LikeBook Alita – Top Rated E-Ink Music Tablet
The LikeBook Alita has two different models. The first features a single whereas the second has two screens.
The latter is more suitable for musicians but the former is also a very good option.
Featuring E-Ink Mobius technology, the screen of the device is very lightweight at only 550 grams and his also flexible.
The resolution of the screens on the LikeBook is 2220 x 1650, with a PPI of 207. This is the same as that of a normal piece of A4 paper.
The specifications of the device are also of very high-quality, featuring a Quad-Core CPU and a RAM of 2 GB.
The internal storage of the device is also very high, being able to store a maximum of 32 GB of data. It also has Bluetooth functionality and has a 4100mAh battery that is able to last for up to 4 weeks of total use.
Similar to the GVIDO Music Sheet Player, this device is can be used with the AirTurn DUO 200, which serves as a foot pedal, and allows users to turn pages simply by pressing down on it.
This is worth an additional $99, which is a lot cheaper than the GVIDO foot pedal. It can also be used with the iRig Blue Turn foot pedal, which is even cheaper at $69.
4. Onyx Book MAX2 Pro – Ideal Electronic Sheet Music Device for Beginners
The Onyx Book MAX2 Pro is another great option for musicians and pianists looking for an E-Reader.
This device has a 13.3-inch E-ink Carta and Mobius Screen. Similar to the PADMU PAD 2, the presence of the Mobius screen gives the device added flexibility along with a lighter than expected weight.
Onyx Book MAX2 Pro also has a PPI of 207, which is also similar to the PADMU PAD 2. Having a WACOM layer allows for users to make notes, draw, and edit sheets on the device, either through the use of a stylus or through five-point multi-touch technology.
The specifications of the MAX2 Pro include a Quad Core CPU with a frequency of 1.6 GHz.
The device also has a 4 GB RAM and an internal storage of 64 GB, which is twice as much as that of both the GVIDO and PADMU PAD 2 devices.
The device also has Wi-Fi access as well as Bluetooth functionality, allowing users to connect devices such as headphones and speakers to it, as well as any foot pedal.
It also has a MicroUSB 2.0 port, which can be used for data transfer to and from the device such as PDF files containing sheet music.
The device is powered by a 4100mAh battery, giving it a very long battery life.
Notable, another massive feature of the device is that it is able to run an Android 6.0 operating system, along with complete Google Play support.
The addition of Google play is huge, as it will allow users to run many different apps that musicians can use to help them create better music.
One of the biggest drawbacks of this device is that it only possesses a single screen, which can be a major issue for performing musicians.
To offset this, however, the device allows users to connect a secondary monitor to it (which could also be a laptop) through the use of a MicroUSB 2.0 port.
This device features a lot more features than the GVIDO and PADMU PRO 2, and still only costs around $859, but could also be a turn off for users who want a device with two screens without having to connect it to peripherals.
However, if you’re comfortable with using an E-Reader with a single screen, then this should definitely be the choice for you.
5. MobiScribe – Affordable Sheet Music Reader
The last entry on our list, the MobiScribe is a device that is slightly different from the other devices mentioned on our list but is definitely one that should be under your consideration when deciding to buy an E-Reader.
Focusing mainly on the most simplistic of features, it has a 13.3-inch screen accompanied with a stylus, allowing users to make notes, annotations, and highlights. The WACOM supported screen allows for these to be made with great accuracy.
Users can also import their own sheet music collections and edit them as they wish on the device.
The screen has a resolution of 1600 x 1200, and the device has an internal memory of 4 GB which can be expanded up to 32 GB with the use of an SD card.
It has an iMX 6 SoloLite CPU with only 512 MB RAM, and a 1270mAh lithium-ion battery.
It does not possess Bluetooth functionality, nor does it have high grade specifications like the previously mentioned E-readers on our list.
These lack of features, however, allow for it to have its biggest advantage, and the reason for putting it on our list, which is its price.
So, if what you want is an E-Reader that might not have the greatest of features but is also one of the most budget-friendly options available, then this should be your pick.
Conclusion
If you’re comfortable with it, then there is no harm in using traditional paper sheet music when you’re performing.
It still fulfills the principal task of displaying what musical notes need to be played by a performer.
However, sticking to the traditional paper sheet music would be depriving yourself of the many convenient features that e-readers are able to provide.
While they are a lot more expensive, they can certainly aid you a lot more than paper sheet music in fulfilling your true goal, which is to play good music, either to yourself or to an audience.