Sheet Music: Paper vs Digital?
"Whichever sheet music option you choose, whether it be paper or digital, remember that our ultimate goal is to bring glory to God, and help lead the congregation in true worship with minimal distraction."
Have you ever wondered whether you should use paper or digital sheet music?
For myself, and some church piano players do the same, I have a selection of paper sheet music that I can easily grab. However, this is also stored on a computer in digital PDF format, so I can reprint or modify the music whenever I need to.
Having said this, I am actually in the process of transferring my music folder to an iPad, instead of using a physical folder, as I’ve seen there are many benefits in doing this.
If you have always played from paper sheet music, and you don’t plan on changing, that’s all good - there's no need to consider digital or using an iPad, and you can feel free to skip this post.
However, if you want to find out more about this, or you have been considering using a tablet device of some sort, keep reading.
I'm going to highlight some of the pros and cons of paper vs digital; and by digital, I don’t just mean PDF’s as many people like myself use paper format music, stored as PDF’s on a computer. In this post, digital means the use of digital music on a digital device like an iPad or tablet of some sort.
So, what are some of the pros and cons of paper music then?
The pros would be…
It’s quick to access (only if it’s organized well)
It’s easy to write on to make changes
It won’t turn off mid-song
If you use a hymnal or songbook - it’s all in one place (this is for more traditional music where only hymnals are used but it can also apply to collections of music like Hymns of Grace)
It’s easier to print and give copies to other musicians if you play in a group (not all the group members may have digital devices)
Some of the cons then…
It’s not quick to access if you don’t have it with you
It takes up a lot of space to store and transport (particularly if you have a lot of music)
It takes more time to select and organise than digital music (finding the songs, placing them in a folder, etc...)
If you lose your folder, you lose your music
Let’s now look at some of the pros of digital music stored on a digital device...
It’s accessible not just on that device, but any device (if you have cloud storage)
Depending on your software and music format, you can quickly change keys and layouts of the music
It’s easy to write on to make changes (if you have a digital pen)
There’s no storage limitation
It takes up less space
It’s quicker to organise set lists
If you have the right software, your whole music team can follow the music with one person controlling the page turns
It’s clearer to read in low light, and for people with bad vision. You can also make the music larger if required (you can do this with paper but it’s more work)
Page turns are smoother because you “tap” instead of “turn” (and you can also do this with a footswitch if you want to)
Some of the cons then...
It could malfunction mid-song (though it’s very unlikely)
If it stops working, you have no access to your music
Unless you are familiar with the device, you might push the wrong button and lose your sheet of music
Limited screen space, unless you are buying a larger tablet which is more expensive
So there’s some pros and cons for you on each option, and I hope that helps you with any decision making. You can also do your own research, though, as I have only just begun to explore the different digital and software options out there - I'm sure there's plenty more!
I personally use forScore to store and read my music from on an iPad, and it definitely has lots of great functions. There is also an amazing app called OnSong - I’ve only used it a little but it has many different functions, including the option of changing keys, using footswitches to control the page turns, lots of syncing options for when you're playing with other musicians, and there’s even a function to sync lyric videos also.
While both do need to be purchased, you may find it worthwhile checking them out - I've certainly found them very helpful!
Whichever sheet music option you choose, whether it be paper or digital, remember that our ultimate goal is to bring glory to God, and help lead the congregation in true worship with minimal distraction.
[Return to The Church Piano Player Website]
This blog post was written by pastor and pianist Kris Baines, from The Church Piano Player. Kris lives in the UK with his family, having recently moved back from New Zealand where he worked as a pastor for the past 26 years (also leading worship/worship teams). Kris has also spent over 35 years writing, recording, and performing music and is now bringing all that combined experience together to help equip church piano/keyboard players.
Check out the church piano player website for more information on online courses by Kris Baines.
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