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Electronic sheet music and page turners

Ranked #1,148 in Music, #30,524 overall

Automatic page turning for musicians

My friends and I have dreamed about a product like this for years - now it exists. A New York Times article on the Borromeo String Quartet described them using laptop computers on stands with plug-in foot pedals - press the pedal and the page turns!! Electronic page turning: no more rushing to get the page turned without missing a few bars!

This lens originally featured one of the pioneers in this field, Footime. But I am actually using a much less expensive USB foot pedal I bought at eBay. I bought the cheapest kind - with only one pedal - I wish I'd spent a little more because I can only turn the pages forward using my pedal! Buy one with two clickable areas so you can back up as well.

In order to use this system you need to have your music in electronic form. You can scan it into your computer yourself or use a program like Sibelius to input the music manually, that's what I do. There is also a program that will scan music INTO Sibelius or Finale so you can make changes. If you use Adobe Reader pro you can put your own annotations (bowing marks, etc) into the music.

Since I first investigated electronic sheet music, many people have tried using their iPads or kindle DX tablets to read music. For me, these devices are overpriced and too small - a 10.1" screen (that's measured diagonally, remember) is too small for reading music. I've come up with another possible solution to the small screens (see below) but am basically waiting for a pdf reader which can display a full-sized sheet of paper (8.5x11) at full size.

The New York Times article about the Borromeo string quartet using Footime electronic page turners

Click the picture to read the whole article.

Borromeo string quartet using footime usb page turnersThe digital tide washing over society is lapping at the shores of classical music. The Borromeo players have embraced it in their daily musical lives like no other major chamber music group. They record nearly all of their concerts. They have forsaken paper musical parts in favor of MacBooks nestled on special music stands, paging forward and back with foot pedals...

Mr. Kitchen decided he wanted to read his music from a full score - all four lines of the quartet together - rather than from his individual part. That requires many more page turns and makes the use of printed scores impractical.

So, inspired by the example of a pianist friend, Mr. Kitchen scanned scores into his laptop, which he placed on a portable stand that came with a foot pedal attachable through a USB (Footime, about $80). He started using the system for rehearsing, and one day in December 2007, for the performance of an unfamiliar piece, his colleagues suggested he take it onstage.

Now the members obtain scores from Web sites offering free editions, like imslp.org, PDF files provided by composers who write music with programs like Sibelius, and their own scanning. They bought advanced versions of Adobe Acrobat that allow annotations... They use 15- or 17-inch MacBook Pros.

Tablet computers are too small for reading music - try a USB monitor

This one is plug-and-plan, inexpensive, and slim

AOC USB monitor with stupid stand in backI bought the AOC portable USB monitor to use for reading music. It's inexpensive, large enough (16" measured diagonally), lightweight and thin. That's all great. The incredibly stupid thing is that they put the USB port under the swing-out stand at the back of the monitor. This means that even though the monitor itself will sit happily on a music stand, you have to pull out the stand to plug in the USB cable and then it WON'T stay on a music stand. I'm going to get a robot-maker friend of mine to cut off the stand but in the mean time I have to put it on a table to use it. UPDATE: see next module for instructions on how to remove the stand from the secondary monitor.

How to remove stand from the AOC monitor so it sits flat on your music stand.

Tech support at AOC couldn't help but a friend did. The circular cap on the back of the monitor snaps off and under it is one bolt. Remove the bolt with a wrench and remove the whole stand, bingo!

How to use a second monitor like a huge tablet computer for music reading

This is my setup - the second monitor is connected through a USB port

How to use a second monitor for reading music from a music stand

This is an AOC monitor connected to my notebook computer. I set the computer and the outboard monitor, after some experimentation, to "duplicate display." Now you'll see the display on the laptop is sideways. I thought that would be a problem but it isn't - if you watch the second monitor while you use the trackpad, it all works just fine.

Preparing sheet music to be read from an electronic device

This seems like it would be hard, but it isn't. A USB foot pedal can advance a page in any program, you just have to tell it what keyboard strokes turn a page.

I have most of my music in Sibelius files and can just bring them up on the monitor as they are - and since they are already categorized the way I use them (by genres), it's much more convenient than having to re-input them.

If you don't use Sibelius or Finale, there are many sources for out-of-copyright (public domain) pdf sheet music on line and you can download it for free - or even use it straight off the website. This is what I do with the /www.todotango.com/Spanish/las_obras/Grabaciones.aspx?tl=alf&letra=A>Todo Tango website where there are hundreds of charts of tangos - I don't want to print them out until I've tried playing them.

Once your music is scanned into Sibelius, Finale, or a word or PDF document, use footime page turner to turn your pages

Works with Windows PC, Mac, or iPad

Electronic page turner used at the pianoHere somebody is using the laptop on the piano stand - you can see the footime page turner plugged into a USB port at the top.

Footime, the electronic foot-pedal powered page turner for musicians

Footime music page turner

You can see how simple this is. Plug the foot pedal into a USB drive on your laptop computer and you're ready: press the right ball to go forward and the left ball to go backward. I wonder if this product is being phased out - it looks very comfortable to use but doesn't have any more functionality than a garden-variety USB foot pedal and is more expensive.

Voisales has a good price for the footime page turner

They write:

Footime Foot Mouse for sheet music page turningEveryone knows that centuries-old and inevitable problem in music industry: in the middle of playing music instrument, players are often forced to stop playing in order to turn paper score sheets or ask others to turn the scores for them. (Facts: almost all music instruments need to be played with both hands and most music scores are pages long.)

This unnecessary and repetitive break affects players both technically and emotionally. It's like a good conversation being spoiled by an unwanted phone call. You know the feeling.

Few people have taken actions trying to find a solution, but failed for various reasons (awkward, complicated, pricey...), until now. It's disappointing that for a long time there was no easy and inexpensive way to fix this frustrating problem faced by millions of music players eveyday, across the world, and in Internet age.

"Come on! Where have all the inventors gone?" We hear you. Finally, FOOTIME page turner is coming to the rescue. It's simple (2-button pedal with a USB plug, plus metal base and LED lights), effective (1 tap, 1 page, like PowerPoint!), and affordable.

Turning score/tab has never been so easy and accurate. One tap, one page, like PowerPoint. Seamless and effortless! Simply tapping a button by foot, the right and bright page is there instantly for you to read. Easy, fast, quiet, and reliable. Never let you down!

If you are passionate about playing music, playing fluently should be very important to you. And it all starts from rehearsal. FOOTIME can make you a smooth player and a better player. Now, you can play music instrument comfortably and confidently. FOOTIME page turner is more than a pedal. It's your stepping-stone to peak performance!

Plus, take advantage of your computer. Go digital! Paperless and green. Save tons of scores in cyber space, which takes up no space and enables you to share scores projected on wall/screen with a group. Going digital is a trend (like iTunes). Welcome to Internet age! Are we on the same page?

Currently, they sell the Bili FOOTIME Page or Score Turner for $32.95.

Footime stands and electronic sheet music page turners...

... are sometimes available on eBay

Be sure to check whether the eBay price might not be more than you'd pay by going directly to the company...
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What do you think?

  • orandze Dec 1, 2011 @ 2:24 pm | delete
    That's so cool! I had never heard of such a thing. So simple, yet so unique
  • adamfrench Oct 1, 2011 @ 5:38 pm | delete
    Impressive lens, thumbs up
  • CruiseReady Jul 7, 2011 @ 6:19 am | delete
    What a great idea! Boy, I sure could have used this electronic page turner back in the days when I used to play.
  • AddaptAbilities Jul 3, 2011 @ 12:26 am | delete
    I love this idea, but my Macbook Pro doesn't unfold flat. If it did it would fit on my harpsichord music desk and I would be all over this.
  • sushilkin Apr 25, 2011 @ 4:51 am | delete
    Thanks for sharing nice lens! PRAY FOR JAPAN Please
  • sukkran Jan 16, 2011 @ 9:40 am | delete
    useful instrument for musicians. well presented lens
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ChapelHillFiddler

Musician in Chapel Hill with two bands: Mappamundi, a world music - klezmer - swing band, and the Pratie Heads, a Celtic - British Isles - early music... more »

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