# ForScore Notation Viewing App



## JonFairhurst (Feb 10, 2016)

I just bought and downloaded ForScore ($9.99) for the iPad Pro. I like it!

I've been playing in a community orchestra, and over time my binder has gotten thicker and more and more unwieldy. I've had the iPad Pro for a few weeks and decided to try going electronic. Why didn't I do this earlier!?!

ForScore isn't just a PDF viewer. It lets you organize and search scores. You can also add a bookmark, so you don't pull up a composite score and flip 20 pages to find your part. The bookmark can include just your pages of interest.

You can also add annotations, which are especially nice with the Apple Pencil. So when the director says to add a slur here and staccato there, you can add it on. This works even for purchased, protected PDFs. I might just add some blank staff PDFs so I can quickly notate ideas. Yeah, there's no export or playback, but there's no need to write cleanly for handwriting recognition either. Just scribble, if you want.

The app works with Dropbox and other iCloud apps, plus email, etc. It turns pages fast and with good visual feedback and it makes full use of the high resolution screen.

Next, I need to get page turn pedals. Does anybody have experience with AirTurn PED, PageFlip, or other solutions? Cheap, reliable, and quiet with minimum battery hassle would be the main requirements.

I have yet to use this setup in a group rehearsal or performance, but I'm confident that it will do well. I'll report on how it goes...


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## resound (Feb 11, 2016)

You actually can export annotated PDFs. Just click on Share in the toolbox 

I have the AirTurn pedal and it works great with forScore. You can have the app do 1/2 page turns which is kind of nice when you have a ton of page turns.


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## bryla (Feb 11, 2016)

I too bought ForScore as the last member in my band 6 months ago. Love it! The boys both use AirTurn and PageFlip and it seems that AirTurn is best/most reliable. I decided to get me one of those based on their information anyway.


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## JonFairhurst (Feb 11, 2016)

Which AirTurn pedals do you have. Currently, they have the PED, Duo, and Quad. (In the NFL, PED means Performance Enhancing Drug. Maybe it enhances musical performances as well.) 

From what I've read, they originally had the BT-105, which was a rechargeable transmitter. Later, they added pedals which connected with external wires. Since then, they've updated to the BT-106 with two (Duo) and four (Quad) pedals, still with external wires. There is also the less expensive PED, which (unlike the Duo/Quad) has no pedal travel, has no external wires, and uses replaceable batteries rather than recharging.

Hopefully, the cheaper PED does the trick. FWIW, I practice when I can, rehearse with a community orchestra weekly, and we perform just a few times a year. So I don't expect to put a heavy load on it, won't be in a high-pressure, mission critical performance, and won't be in a dense field of stray electrons. Hopefully, the cheap solution is also a good solution.


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## resound (Feb 11, 2016)

I have the PED and it works great. The Duo and Quad have extra features which aren't really necessary if you just want to turn pages.


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## JonFairhurst (Feb 12, 2016)

Nice. 

Yesterday evening, I used ForScore on the iPad Pro and it was WAY AWESOME. It was great to not fumble with paper and the resolution and contrast looked great. I find that a music stand is a bit far for reading glasses and a bit close for my ever-less-pliant eyeball lenses. The backlit screen kicked paper's butt.

And frankly, I didn't have a problem anticipating things and turning pages. In time, I'll likely get the PED, but it doesn't seem as urgent as I had thought.

One nice feature with the Apple Pencil is that ForScore recognizes it and goes immediately into annotation mode. Very nice. 

The only issue is the ForScore doesn't seem to use good palm rejection, so you can' rest the heel of the hand on the screen when writing. I had to erase a few stray marks. And when reaching to the music stand, it's hard to write precisely without an anchor. I can live with it though. I think the solution is to magnify the screen so I can write BIG.


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