# What software do you use for sheet music (or similar) on gigs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 26, 2024, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-software-do-you-use-for-sheet-music-or-similar-on-gigs/996710 "2024-01-26T23:32:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-software-do-you-use-for-sheet-music-or-similar-on-gigs/996710/1 "2024-01-26T23:32:56Z")
I’ve been using Deep Dish Gigbook, but it’s old and clunky and I’m thinking something newer must be better. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2024, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-software-do-you-use-for-sheet-music-or-similar-on-gigs/996710/2 "2024-01-26T23:55:20Z")
I just learn the songs. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-software-do-you-use-for-sheet-music-or-similar-on-gigs/996710/3 "2024-01-27T00:11:27Z")
😆 Some of us are getting old enough to have memory issues and need a bit of technological help. ---
**Author:** ![Hoops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoops/32/6408_2.png) [@Hoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoops)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-software-do-you-use-for-sheet-music-or-similar-on-gigs/996710/4 "2024-01-27T00:14:26Z")
[https://forscore.co/](https://forscore.co/) I know several musicians who use this, including several Broadway guys. Here’s a great breakdown of apps like this (though it is a few years out of date): > **[The best score-reading apps for classical musicians](https://www.classical-music.com/articles/the-best-score-reading-apps-for-classical-musicians)** > > What are the best apps for reading music on a tablet? Should you ditch your sheet music and embrace tablet technology? Concert pianist Lucy Parham tests the latest score-reading apps ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-software-do-you-use-for-sheet-music-or-similar-on-gigs/996710/5 "2024-01-27T05:23:33Z")
MobileSheets it has some interesting library organization features. I like the annotation feature. Allows me to mark up the sheet music. I haven’t used the organization feature. Just imported my pdf’s and used them. I probably should organize by artist. They have a trial version. > > > MobileSheets is a sheet music viewer with powerful tools for musicians... ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-software-do-you-use-for-sheet-music-or-similar-on-gigs/996710/6 "2024-01-27T14:45:38Z")
> [@Jaycat.again](#): > > I just learn the songs. Me too. It’s not a hill I will die on, but I feel it looks rather unprofessional for someone playing popular music in a band to have a music stand in front of them. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-software-do-you-use-for-sheet-music-or-similar-on-gigs/996710/7 "2024-01-27T15:58:06Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > I feel it looks rather unprofessional for someone playing popular music in a band to have a music stand in front of them. …or it can look very professional - as in a stand-in musician who’s sight reading. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-software-do-you-use-for-sheet-music-or-similar-on-gigs/996710/8 "2024-01-27T16:07:31Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > > [@Jaycat.again](#): > > > > I just learn the songs. > > Me too. It’s not a hill I will die on, but I feel it looks rather unprofessional for someone playing popular music in a band to have a music stand in front of them. Hehehe, I normally don’t use sheet music either. Though when the surf band I was in covered The Plugz’ “Reel Ten”, I’d write the changes down on my set list so I could review it before we played it. I couldn’t get that one to stick in my head long term. The second half is odd and meander-y. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-software-do-you-use-for-sheet-music-or-similar-on-gigs/996710/9 "2024-01-27T16:20:53Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > …or it can look very professional - as in a stand-in musician who’s sight reading. I wouldn’t disagree. There are situations where it is necessary and appropriate. Such as an accompanist who has to work with unfamiliar material that is presented to them by a singer or soloist. I was thinking more of a situation where a band is playing their normal repertoire. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2024, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-software-do-you-use-for-sheet-music-or-similar-on-gigs/996710/10 "2024-01-27T23:37:37Z")
How would you feel if you went to a play and the actors were reading from scripts? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2024, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-software-do-you-use-for-sheet-music-or-similar-on-gigs/996710/11 "2024-01-28T01:07:37Z")
I don’t think it’s a big deal. If you’re a rock band or whatever, maybe that’d be odd. But like a professional wedding or even band? Not unusual. I’ve been to weddings (as a photographer) where I’ve seen the receipts and bands getting paid $10k-$15k, half the musicians at least are using sheet music in one form or another.