The Best Sheet Music, Notation and Tab Readers for the iPad

The Best Sheet Music, Notation and Tab Readers for the iPad

iPad makes reading on a device while on the go interesting. With a wider screen and several apps at your disposal, you will never be bored. When it comes to music, there are music readers (apps)  that will make it feel like using a music paper sheet. You can literally flip through pages after pages without lifting a finger.

These music readers also support tablature for guitar, c-instrument notation. It also imports from the best apps make entering your own music a breeze either through specialized editors, scanning actual sheet music or both. You will find below the best 8 Sheet Music, Notation and Tab Readers for your iPad.

1) forScore

If you are primarily interested in simply displaying your music on your iPad and keeping it all organized, forScore is the perfect solution. It appears basic but has enough functionality to take over as your music library.

You can use forScore to display all types of written music from the traditional piano or c-instrument sheet music to just chords and lyrics. The app comes with a fair bit of classical music, and you can buy additional music packs.

But the true power is in importing your own music into forScore, which means you can scan your current sheet music collection and display it on the iPad’s screen in an organized fashion. And since the forScore app has a metronome that can scroll your music automatically, the app can make it even easier to play. This makes it one of the best apps on the App Store for musicians, whether performing or simply aspiring to perform. More »

2) OnSong: Sheet Music App

For those who value simplified music notation with just lyrics and chords, especially those looking to create their sheet music library from scratch, OnSong is the place to go.

The biggest strength of OnSong is the editor and markup language that can make writing up a song fairly easy. Each song starts out with some “metadata”, which are simply lines of text that contain the song’s title and information about the song. The bulk of the text is dedicated to the music itself, which is laid out in the standard intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus format.

OnSong includes a ‘Flow’ feature that allows you to arrange these sections in order without actually repeating the text.

Another cool feature of the markup language is how it deals with chords. Instead of marking the chord above the lyric, you notate it within the lyrics. You can then choose how you want the chords displayed. OnSong will even display editable chord charts to help you out when playing the song.

OnSong also includes performance tools such as a metronome, support for playing backing tracks, the ability to use a foot pedal to scroll through the music among other nice additions.

3) Notion

Notion falls into the category of music composition more so than simply being a library for your music. This powerful music notation software allows you to compose on your iPad, including a sample library that covers a wide range of instruments and the ability to mark up articulations for various instruments, such as notating a bend or a slide on the guitar.

While not as stage-friendly as forScore or OnSong, it is a perfect fit for those who want to get serious about writing music. The Notion can handle tasks like transposing into a different key, importing MIDI files, hand writing recognition for composing with a stylus and support for chord, tab, and full music notation.

4) Songster

Songster takes tablature to the next level, rising above websites like Ultimate Guitar by breaking down every single instrument in a song into its own tab. It also includes a playback feature that makes it easier to learn the part by playing it in time. This will keep you from jumping back and forth between the tab and listening to the music to get the feel just right.

Songster is available as an app, but the website provides the best value for those who aren’t interested in paying a monthly subscription fee.

You’ll be able to view tab and hear the playback without a subscription, although if you find yourself using Songster as the primary way to learn songs, you may want to switch to the app and pay the monthly fee for extra features like half-speed mode, loop mode, offline mode and the ability to use apps like Amplitube for a mobile practice studio while you learn the song.

5) GuitarTab

The user interface for GuitarTab is pretty basic but has a ton of content in its free section.

The library isn’t quite as extensive as the one found in Songster, but if you are simply looking for a way to kickstart learning that song, GuitarTab on the iPad is a great alternative to apps like Tabs and Chords or Tab Pro that force you into an expensive subscription service.

GuitarTab also offers in-app extensions that allow you to remove the ads, print the music, transpose to a different key among other neat features, but the ads aren’t as intrusive as most guitar-oriented websites and the basics of looking up and playing tab won’t cost you a dime.

 

6) MusicNotes

Are you thinking about buying sheet music? Most of the apps on this list are for creating a music library song-by-song, organizing your sheet music library and for performance. But what about simply buying a ton of music and learning to play it?

MusicNotes is the iBooks of sheet music. Not only does it store your music, but it will also help you learn it. You can play the music back and even slow down the beats per minute to help make learning it easier.

MusicNotes supports traditional sheet music, c-instrument or lyrics/chords music notation and tablature. The app comes with a half dozen songs as examples, but if you want to build your library, you will need to create an account on the ​MusicNotes website. Plus the website gives you a 30% cut.

7) Noteflight

Noteflight is a website dedicated to creating sharing music. It offers playback options with multiple instruments, the ability to import and export MusicXML and MIDI files and allows you to create and share up to ten songs under the free membership.

Better, it offers a ton of music that you can access without even creating an account or signing into the Noteflight website. A very piano-centric website, this ability to access free sheet music can be invaluable to those learning on their own.

For composers, Noteflight offers a premium subscription that allows unlimited songs, the ability to record live audio for playback, automatic transcription from MIDI files, and the ability to share your music with the world or a select group of people.

8) Genius Song Lyrics

Although Genius Song Lyrics isn’t really designed for vocalists, and the interface can be a little distracting, it does deliver on the one thing most essential for singers that want to belt out almost any song with almost no notice: lyrics.

And while an app like OnSong might be better for the gigging musician, Genius Song Lyrics will do for home use. It is that easy.

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