In MobileSheets as an alternative to making a button to jump back you can just program it to display the pages in the required order - in you example pressing the pedal when you are at page 5 the first time will bring you to page 2, and when you are at page 3 the second time the pedal will bring you to page 5. No need to touch the screen.
Note that this approach is different from copying the pages or printing out the whole thing twice - you are displaying the same page twice including any annotations.
I have been singing professionally (in choirs) for approaching two decades, and composing (not professionally, but oh well ) for three. I’ve used an android e-ink tablet for the last three. There are deffinite advantages for both.
Knowing on short notice where to find page numbers on a tablet is different, so having them especially prominent makes sense. (They’re always on the outter corners of a paper score, but not knowing whether you’re on recto or verso takes an extra second to track things down).
I like to keep everything centered wrt headers and page numbers. Repeats are still handy for not having to duplicate markings on repeats. It’s also important to realize that there are at least two usable sizes for tablets (approximating the iPad and iPad Pro) and that keep ing staff rastral sizes reasonable makes a difference, especially for music intended for ensembles, whether choral or instrumental, that have a preponderance of older members.
Tiny staves on a regular iPad for a college singer works, but not so much in many other circumstances. Paper also still wins on reliability. It won’t crash in the middle of a performance, and neither will you spill coffee on one at the time.
My motivation was not having to carry around multiple books and a hymnal for a church gig, and it’s been great to have everything accessible at any time, but truly, sometimes paper is just better.
Mobilesheets might also be a good solution for iPad users who need to turn pages with face gestures, and don’t like the subscription model for it on Forscore. This feature is included in the one time fee for Mobilesheets.
I’d like to add one more (specialized) opinion to writing for tablets because I think it’s a little individual and depending on the instruments/part, too. I’m a brass player, so I mostly have a lot of breaks where I can turn my music. As a trumpet player I don’t even need a pedal at all, but considering the rests, the other brass players don’t need one either.
Page turning may be a little easier/faster than using paper if you use a convenient app to do it, but since very most people only use one tablet at a time, you should care about every single page turn (in printed music, you can always take two pages for granted and don’t really have to care for the end of left pages).
But you still have another option on tablets: You may scroll. Yes, ForScore does not allow (not the only reason not to use it) and some people may not like it because you may have less visual orientation. But nearly every PDF reader is fine with it (Files app is good enough if you have well prepared PDFs and MobileSheets allows it, too, even in combination with page turning btw). For scrolling players, page turns are completely irrelevant, but bigger white spaces (or loosely spaced systems) are annoying/take useless time.
So basically for my brass section writings I just keep the setting of justification at a higher value than the default and I get a “practical edition” in most cases. For shorter sections, I’ll of course use repetition signs to keep it short. These repetitions should not render longer than a page (or begin/end with multibar rests to allow a relaxed turn), but if they save me from turning pages, I definitely prefer them over copypasted material (also because they help understanding the musical form).
AAre there any conductors among you who use a tablet? I always use paper scores in A3 size for my concert bands. I’m afraid that won’t work for my large scores…
As a trumpet player myself I find the half page turns very useful in foreScore and also the ability to position the half page turns in different places so they coincide with bar rests etc
“Use a tablet” is the key phrase here! If you use A3 size scores when you are conducting, you will need a tablet that has that size view screen. The next consideration is whether it would be distracting to the audience or performing group. Then there’s a consideration on how easy - or difficult - it would be to turn pages. There is the additional question of the power supply, additional wires to get caught up in, and issues related to technical difficulties or failures. Paper doesn’t go blank in the middle of a performance!
Yes, paper-white (e-ink) can be less distracting and page turning automation can ease or remove some of the obstacles. But - if you are looking to replace a paper score - a tablet of the appropriate size could be expensive.
I would love for the technology to be affordable, foolproof, and readily available (without formatting hassles, etc.) but I think we’re not there yet — maybe soon….
— Jim
If you want to replace paper literally you need either one A2 tablet (likely not available or unaffordable) or two A3 tablets since you are used to double-page spreads.
I cannot imagine to conduct “Der Rosenkavalier” from a 13" iPad.
Seriously, the issue of conductors using tablets is interesting. The size is one hurdle, and then there are the numbers: are there enough folks who need that large a screen to make it feasible?
Back when I was considering this for my own band, I’d designed a music stand with all the cables in the center post, the power supply at the bottom for added stability, and a large touchscreen monitor affixed to the top. And by large, I mean 28" inches diagonally or above. The goal was to see two 9X12 (or larger) pages at once. There was also a little shelf beneath for the laptop (or phone with some screens) running the whole thing.
I gave up because I couldn’t get the rig under $1,000, and my board would have never gone for anything over that amount.
As for dealing with the audience, there are “privacy screen” options, but not sure at that size.
) for three. I’ve used an android e-ink tablet for the last three. There are deffinite advantages for both.
