How to Confidently Perform from a Tablet
So you just got a tablet and you’re scared to use it for performances. I totally get it: there are so many variables and things that could seemingly go wrong when you perform from a tablet.
Today I’m going over some of the most common fears I hear from fellow musicians who are worried about performing from a tablet.
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Table of Contents
What if the battery dies?
One of the biggest concerns I often hear from students and fellow performers is about the battery. What if the battery dies mid-performance?
I recommend stress testing your tablet. If you have an unreliable tablet, maybe you shouldn’t risk performing on it. You might want to investigate getting the battery replaced, and of course make sure you’re on the latest software update.
If your tablet has a healthy battery, then just be sure to charge it, your pedal, and any other accessories before you get to your performance. Always carry chargers for all your accessories, and if you’re really worried, find a place to charge them backstage.
What if the screen goes to sleep or dims?
Most devices automatically dim the screen after a few seconds to a few minutes after you’ve last pressed the screen or a button. You definitely don’t want this to happen while you’re playing!
Check the settings in your sheet music app. Most of these apps have a setting you can enable that keeps the screen from dimming. This means that the screen will stay on indefinitely: until the battery dies! (Ask me how I know!)
Here’s a quick tutorial to enable this setting if you use Forscore:
What if the page doesn’t turn?
Whether you’re using a foot pedal, a face gesture, or swiping, the fear of a missed turn is very real, especially in fast passages or detailed scores!
But this can happen with paper sheet music too: maybe you’re performing outside and the wind takes your paper sheet music. Maybe two pages stick together. Maybe your stand partner forgets to turn the page. There’s always a risk with page turns, no matter what form your sheet music is in.
You’ll notice a theme in today’s post: practice, practice, practice everything you need to do on your tablet, just as you do on your instrument!
Practice how you’ll turn your pages, and see what works the best. Is there any risk of messing up? If so, think through ways you can avoid it.
If you’re using Forscore, you can try half page turns so that you can always see what’s up ahead. That way, if you’re a little late in turning a page, you’re mostly covered! Here’s a short tutorial:
What if the app crashes or freezes?
Even the most reliable apps and tablets glitch or freeze occasionally, and I completely understand how scary that can be!
Glitches happen to everyone. Practice using your tablet enough to see if you encounter any glitches. If you do, make sure you update your apps and your tablet regularly.
Some updates fix common glitches, while others unfortunately can cause glitches. There’s always a bit of a risk, but you’re usually better off using the most recent version of apps and operating systems.
What if I tap the wrong thing?
Opening the wrong piece, swiping to the wrong page, or accidentally activating a menu can break concentration.
Forscore has a dedicated Performance Mode you can enter whenever you’d like that gets rid of all distractions within the app, and pressing the screen only turns pages. Check out my tutorial on this mode:
What if the stage lights make the screen hard to see?
Think back on your time as a performer. You’ve probably performed in all different types of situations and settings. The great things about playing music off a tablet is that the screen itself is lit, which means you should be able to read your music in almost all environments!
However, sometimes stage lights will reflect on the screen and make it very difficult to read. If this is a big fear of yours or if it happens to you often, try a matte screen protector like the Paperlike screen protector. It won’t reflect the lights, and your tablet screen will look and feel more like paper.
Worried about your screen changing the brightness mid-performance? Turn off auto-brightness in your settings, and set your brightness manually to something that feels comfortable in your setting. With auto brightness turned off and with your screen set to always stay on in your sheet music app, you shouldn’t experience any unexpected changes!
What if my tablet breaks?
Dropping your tablet, knocking it off the stand, or having it hit by a colleague’s bow, stand, or arm feels like a catastrophe waiting to happen.
But… what if your instrument breaks? What if someone spills something on your paper sheet music? Again, there’s always a risk. Treat your tablet like you treat your instrument, and all should go well.
What if I forget the charger or my accessories?
It feels like paper sheet music is always ready to go, but tablets come with accessories and considerations that are easy to forget.
I recommend packing a gig bag that’s always ready to go with accessories that are easy to forget like chargers. You may need to buy extra, but the point is to always have them packed so you don’t even need to think about it.
Leave room in the bag for your gear like the tablet, pen, pedal, and anything else you use regularly but want to bring.
Also, most tablets use common chargers like USB-C. If you forget a charger and need one, it’s very likely one of your peers will have the one you need!
What if I can’t annotate quickly?
I know some of you are worried about adding annotations quickly enough in a fast-paced environment.
It takes a bit of time to get fast and efficient at writing on a tablet, but again: practice! The more you annotate your scores on your tablet, the faster you’ll get at it. Soon enough, you’ll get into a flow and learn where everything you might want to use is located.
If you feel like your annotating is still too slow, maybe you could create stamps of your most common markings (maybe bowings, eyeglasses, etc.). Then you could choose your stamp, place it on the score, and you’re done.
Here’s a quick tutorial on stamps and annotating in Forscore:
What if people judge me?
Doing something “different” is often looked down on in classical music, much to my dismay. However, tablets are becoming more and more common in classical music settings, as well as performances in all genres!
As long as you’re professional and respectful, using a tablet likely won’t be an issue. If you’re concerned whether or not it’s okay to play off a tablet for a concert or with a new group, just ask someone!
If nothing else, think of yourself as a trendsetter. I bought my iPad after seeing other musicians using theirs. I loved how convenient and exciting it seemed, and I was right! Using an iPad for my sheet music is so convenient and really fun.
What if my pedal makes noise?
Some pedals make small noises, and it can feel a little risky, especially for performances with quiet moments.
Practice using your pedal at home in a quiet environment. How much noise does it make? Does it make noise if you press it in any specific type of way?
Play around with it and see if you need to make any modifications to where you sit the pedal or how you press it. If you’re unhappy with the pedal, maybe that means you should try a new one.
My personal favorite pedal, the Donner Page Turner, is virtually silent. There are some flashing buttons on it that show what mode you’re in, so for dark performances I like to tape a dark piece or paper over the lights. However, I’ve been testing out a different foot pedal that is very loud. Every time I press it, it makes a loud clicking sound. I know I’ll never use this pedal for performances for that reason!
What if I can’t find the files I need?
Another worry I often hear from other musicians is, “what if I can’t find the right files?” Digital organization can feel entirely different from organizing your paper sheet music.
Double check everything at home before going to your gig, rehearsal, or performance. Have you read through all the email threads and downloaded the latest copies of the music? If you’re in doubt, download everything again to your Files app (not just your sheet music app), so that if anything happens, you know you have a backup right there on your tablet.
When you’re working on multiple pieces, maybe for rehearsals or a performance, I highly recommend making a setlist. Then all your sheet music is in order and in one location, and you don’t need to search through your library to find your next piece mid-performance. Here’s how to make a setlist in Forscore:
An alternative to setlists would be tabs. Open each piece you’re working on in a new tab, and you can easily switch between them!
What if notifications pop up while performing?
Even if you put your tablet on Do Not Disturb, notifications will sometimes still pop up on the screen. That can be so distracting while playing! I’ve also even heard a horror story of a musician who received a Facetime call mid-performance and couldn’t see their sheet music for a solid 10 seconds because incoming Facetime calls take up the entire screen!
My secret? Put your tablet in Airplane mode. This will block your tablet from connecting to the internet, meaning you won’t receive any notifications that come through the internet. Here’s how to do that on an iPad:
If you’re using an iPad, I also recommend creating a focus mode just for performing/rehearsing/playing. You can block all notifications from appearing, and customize a wide array of settings to make your iPad more convenient for performing.
I hope today’s post helps dispel your fears and helps you confidently perform from a tablet. If you have any questions or fears that I didn’t go over today, please feel free to comment so I can help you and maybe even make a part 2!
Thank you for reading today’s post, and I’m looking forward to sharing my annual Etsy holiday gift guide next week!
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