I am sure by now you all have heard of this cool little device that Apple released recently. You can easily do a quick search to find out all the opinions that the tech pundits seem to put out on a daily basis. One angle I haven’t read about is how this device can improve the lives of musicians. We all know that Apple changed everything with the iTunes store, but what about those of us who actually create music?
What has Steve Jobs done for us?
Well, I think the iPad (horrible name) is the best thing to come out of Apple for musicians ever. Yes, even better than the iPod.
Here are a few areas where I see a huge amount of potential in this device for both amateur and professional musicians.
Sheet Music Publishing
The biggest and most obvious area the iPad could be used is publishing sheet music. With the advent of the e-reader (Kindle and Nook), digital books are becoming more and more accepted. The issue with sheet music is that the screen has to be large enough so that you can see it while you are playing your instrument. There are some instructional music books on the Kindle, but it just doesn’t work. The iPad’s screen is in full color and large enough to set on a music stand and play from.
There needs to be a Netflix type program for sheet music on the iPad. What if for 20 bucks a month you had access to the top 5,000 guitar tabs available? They would be updated and changed each month but only available on your device. The legit guitar tab market has yet to be effectively monetized due to the logisitical and legal issues. Now is the time for this market to expand.
Making Practice Time More Efficient
How many times have you been practicing and became inspired to work on a certain piece and you didn’t have it with you? This has happened to me countless times and it becomes hard to carry all the essential books with you every time you go to practice.
What if you had access to all your music and videos while in your practice room?
Lets say you were working on the latest Satriani tune. There was a part you were stuck on, so you fire up your iPad, buy the tab and even see a short video of Satch playing it himself. Of course this would never replace formal one-on-one instruction, but for intermediate to advanced players it could be invaluable.
Right about now all the musicians born before 1981 are saying “ Why do you need all this fancy tech stuff to learn how to play?”
At one time, records, cassettes and radio (all used to help musicians become better) were considered “high-tech.” If everything we had today was available to you then, I guarantee you would be using them.
Live Performance
I have seen a few more progressive musicians use a computer in addition to their traditional rig of amps and effects. Although to me this is the least revolutionary item on this list, it is an important one.
We have all seen the cool music-making apps on the iPhone. I would love to see a version of GarageBand on the iPad. It doesn’t have to have nearly the functionality of the standard version, but it could be the best musical notepad ever. This could easily relay into using samples and loops from you device in live performance. It would be much easier to carry an iPad to a gig and it would mean more access to different sounds. If you are a traditionalist when it comes to tone, I doubt you would be even considering this anyway.
Educational Benefits
Arguably, everything on this list serves to better educate you as a musician. As a guitar teacher, having video, sheet music and audio files at the touch of a screen would make my life SO much easier.
Here is a scenario:
A student comes in wanting to learn the latest tune by band X, that of course you have never heard of. You fire up your iPad, you student signs into Hal Leonard’s sheet music store, you buy the tab and then begin to work on the tune right there. No more late nights transcribing and no illegal photocopies from the tab book at the guitar store.
You can then fire up YouTube and see exactly where the guitarist plays a certain lick or see what type of gear they use to get that tone.
Combine an iPad with a Fender GDec3 with some kind of wi-fi magic and the possibilities grow exponentially.
One iPad Per Student
Giving iPads to every middle school student will make them better students. Allowing them to learn about technology and research from a young age will make them better informed and it will give them a more global perspective of society.
This item isn’t so much specifically for musicians, but everyone should listen to more music and at least try to play an instrument, right?
If we factor textbooks into the cost of the device, the publishers could subsidize the cost and get their materials into the hands of a much larger student body. Each device will come pre-loaded with textbooks, apps and even special media that can be customized for each class. No more excuses for not taking notes in class.
In the end, this device will change the way we create, develop and consume music. Much like the iPod, there will be use cases developed for the iPad that we haven’t even considered. This is all bleeding edge stuff, but with the right vision we can use technology to not only make this a better place, but make us better people.
