Submitted by quixotekid: What program are you using to view your score on the iPad?
I have a decent collection of PDF scores and parts scanned from my own library, grabbed from IMSLP and submitted to me by composers. Since I almost always prefer Apple’s UI to those of other app makers I usually use iBooks to read PDFs on my iPad – I drop the individual scores I need to prepare [at least the ones that aren’t rentals] into iTunes and sync them to the iPad for viewing in iBooks.
The one drawback of accessing PDF scores in iBooks – particularly for use in rehearsal – is that the software’s landscape orientation allows only for a one-page view rather than switching to a two-page side-by-side layout as it does with purchased books. I hope Apple adds two-page landscape functionality for PDF files at some point but in the meantime I’ve also been experimenting with a much more powerful and flexible PDF app, Goodreader. In addition to offering a variety of file tools [most of which aren’t really necessary for score reading] Goodreader also has the added bonus of being able to access the web from within the app and can also sync with cloud services like Dropbox. [This is handy for me as my entire score/parts archive is stored on Dropbox.]
Finally, there’s an app built around the IMSLP database called Padrucci, but aside from offering direct access to that collection of music it does not seem to add any functionality to the existing PDF capabilities of iBooks.
Anyone have any other good score reading options for the iPad? Share them here or in the post comments and I’ll try to pass them along.
Update: A WCFSO musician left a note on Facebook recommending forScore. I’ve been trying it out and it does offer an interesting set of features, including web/cloud access. No two-page landscape layout, though.
