BBC Music Magazine

The only way is app!

“I’ve decided that the time has come for me to plunge into the world of score-reading apps”

I admit I’m a bit of a technophobe. Yes, I have a smartphone and an underused iPad mini, and I’m a little too addicted to Netflix. But when it comes to my professional life, I’m more analogue than digital.

Which is why, up until now, I’ve been sceptical about using a tablet for reading scores during both practice and performance. I’m a busy concert pianist and teacher, and have had little time for deciphering each of the many apps. I’ve also been terrified that a tablet might crash or run out of charge midway through a concert. But technology moves quickly and the time has finally come for me to overcome these fears and plunge headlong into the brave new world of score-reading apps.

For my trial, Apple kindly lent me an iPad Air. There are, of course, other tablets available, and most of these apps will

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