Which (cheap) tablet for score reading?

[nicknack]

One for the musos out there.

I have a significant birthday coming up and thought I'd treat myself to an electronic device for reading music scores. Horn parts in a function band for instance. Better than lots of bits of paper. I already have an old iPad and an android thing which are both 10". They're too small for the distance I would like them to be at. It seems that most android stuff is the wrong shape - not efficient for displaying A4.

Budget is probably <£400, so secondhand is probably the way to go. All it needs to do is run a decent music display app so it doesn't need to be high spec. Just the bigger the better.

Anyone got any suggestions?

HP Elite or Microsoft Surface have been suggested elsewhere. Any thoughts?

[Wowbagger]

I use an iPad A4 size with Forscore. It works well and if you need to you can use a bluetooth pedal as a page turner - possibly unnecessary for a wind player but useful for pianists. Just checked. But they are not cheap, even refurbished.

[PaulF]

I tried various cheap tablets but in the end went back to an iPad as it had the best combination of size and clarity.

Software-wise I use PiaScore (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/piascore-hd/id406141702). Basically you load the score as PDFs and can them arrange as setlists, it also allows you to annotate the scores if you need to.

You can turn the page by blinking at it but I use a foot pedal. I settled on the Donner one, relatively cheap but does the job, after a couple of failed experiments. The iRig Blueturn lasted less than a year before it failed and an eBay special with 2 foot switches like on a guitar effects pedal I sold because the click was too loud. Depending where you use it that may not be an issue - I'm not of a standard to play in public - but the noise was annoying at home. Having said that I suffer for my art so I see no reason why others shouldn't too.
 

[philip]

I'm not a musician but I know a cello player and she uses a tablet with an e-ink display. She has told me in the past that it is better than a standard tablet display.

[nicknack]

I'm not a musician but I know a cello player and she uses a tablet with an e-ink display. She has told me in the past that it is better than a standard tablet display.

It's an idea but she probably doesn't gig on a dark stage when an extra light would be required. I'm trying to reduce the clutter. 

[PaulF]

I actually think this is a really interesting topic, believe it or not.

However, that doesn't hinder a creative mind: take a pair of Elton John's glasses, add some modern SatNav laser windscreen display technology, Mission Impossible style, and you could have the song pop up in your vision without needing a tablet. Like PaulF, you could probably change songs by blinking.

Probably simpler to get the technology to play your parts for you whilst you sit at the bar with a cold drink listening to “yourself”

[nicknack]

Well, after much deliberation, I've ordered an iPad 12.9 2nd gen for £299. We shall see.