iPads for lyrics and chord charts

roundthebend

I know this is a divisive subject. I usually do OK to learn songs by heart but I like having a prompt available. Certainly for rehearsals.

I don't have a tablet currently, so will need to buy one. I don't need it for anything else so would like to keep costs down, yet need space for 50+ songs.
It might be nice to have a footswitch to scroll through the sections of a song, or to switch to the next one.

What size screen should I get? What spec - is a 9th gen iPad good enough?

Are there any cheaper options (Android) worth considering?

WeZ84

I'm using an 8 year old iPad Air and it is working fine for me with the BandHelper app.
Others in my band are using cheap android tablets too - BandHelper was the only app we could find that worked on both iOS and android although there is an annual subscription charge (About $25)

ElectricXII

Our singer uses a bog standard iPad as an aide memoire at gigs. We keep telling him to learn the f*cking lyrics, as we've all had to learn the chords, solos and drumfills, etc.

mrkb

ElectricXII said:

Our singer uses a bog standard iPad as an aide memoire at gigs. We keep telling him to learn the f*cking lyrics, as we've all had to learn the chords, solos and drumfills, etc.

But you play the same chords for every verse, would you be happy if the singer sang the same verse each time? Bloody guitarists.... and as for the drums, its just kick, snare, kick, kick , snare all the way through!

Roland

If you’re just using it for this then a refurbished iPad would be sufficient. Do t forget that you’ll need a stand or a holder which attaches to your mic stand

ElectricXII

But you play the same chords for every verse, would you be happy if the singer sang the same verse each time? B

He often does! :-))

TheBigDipper

I use OnSong on iOS. It used to be a one-off cost (which is the version I have) and they've now changed to a subscription model which has features I'm not interested in, so I haven't upgraded. Any standard iPad should be fine, but not an iPad mini unless your eyesight is perfect. OnSong (and many others like it) will scroll up/down/next/prev using a bluetooth pedal that can mimic a keyboard.

blobb

Ms Blobb, being blind, uses her iPad with autocue software which scrolls the large font text at a pre set speed.

Snags

mrkb said:

ElectricXII said:

Our singer uses a bog standard iPad as an aide memoire at gigs. We keep telling him to learn the f*cking lyrics, as we've all had to learn the chords, solos and drumfills, etc.

But you play the same chords for every verse, would you be happy if the singer sang the same verse each time? Bloody guitarists.... and as for the drums, its just kick, snare, kick, kick , snare all the way through!

It's the singers job to know the words! And lots of songs aren't absolutely straight pattern repeats for other instruments. So fuck 'em, if you're in a band that gets paid to perform, learn the bastard songs.

Having a prompt, fair enough (sometimes), but relying on it for everything ... nah .

All IMHO etc.

Whistler

roundthebend said:

It might be nice to have a footswitch to scroll through the sections of a song, or to switch to the next one.

I use an Airturn BT200S-6. The 6 stands for the number of buttons; the 4 button version will be the one for you. Using it to let me use OnSong hands-free on 2017 lowest spec standard size iPad, I set my buttons up so: Previous song; Next song; Page down; Page up; Metronome on/off; Play audio (start/stop).

To stop it becoming an eyesore on stage I have my iPad just below waist level, as shown here (you can find it blocking almost the middle of the 4x10 bass cab):

TheMadMick

Frankly, most any tablet you can read easily will do. Save your files as .pdf's and most anything will work. I'm using a 10" low life Android based tablet and it works for me.

Bluntly, I prefer to use paper. At least that way you can write on it to record local changes. However, that's not very professional but cheap! I then get to read the music (dots) which I have mostly conquered after about 20m years!

shufflebeat

I have several iPads which I have used in the past for digital mixers but they eventually lose touch with updates so get relegated to lyrics, chords, setlists and media players.

My cheapest option is a little Acer tablet. For lyrics I use OpenSong (Android) or Songbook Pro (Android and iOS). Both are free, SBP has a paid version which is fantastic value.

Some of the people I work with are Android, others are iOS so there's a bit of juggling to be done via email/Google Drive but it's not difficult.

For chords I use iReal Pro (Android and iOS) which is amazing, made by musos for musos.

All my devices can connect to my Donner Bluetooth page turner which does everything I need for appx £53. I've provided five other people with this little unit and all work seamlessly, particularly with OpenSong.

For a gig tonight I sent three players iReal files by email and printed one off for a guy who doesn't use a tablet. All happy, music was fine.

Blueingreen

I'm also looking for a suitable tablet.  I've been experimenting with Piascore to organise sheet-music, which is free and easy to use and I've been really impressed with it. 

But I've been using an iPad mini at home.  Two pages of sheet music side by side on landscape is pretty tiny and I'd really prefer a bigger screen before attempting to use it on an actual gig.

I'm reluctant to spend much because it will only be used for this purpose and it will be used rarely because it's for a band that gigs a few times a year tops.  Piascore needs OS 13 or newer so it looks like I'm in the market for a used iPad Air 2 or similar. 

RocknRollDave

Interested in alternatives to iPad, too, as I can’t afford one.

Acer, as mentioned above, appear to make tablets which are around the £100 mark, which is more like it for me.

Any suggestions on a current model by them that will handle lyrics and is large enough for someone whose eyesight isn’t what it was?