I switched to digital scores on an iPad not long after I got my first iPad, like in 2011 I think. I used to just reach up and tap the screen to turn, but a few years after switching to iPad scores, I started using an AirTurn PED (which was buggy) and I later switched to a PageFlip. Now I have my second PageFlip, I don't have any complaints. And like @Seeker mentioned above, the times I do use a paper score, I find myself trying to turn the page with my foot!
L-M I often get distracted and end up wanting to open other apps or do something else. Do you have any tips on how to stay more focused while practicing with a tablet?
I have my iPad in airplane mode/wifi off so I don't get any notifications and that seems to be enough friction (usually). Also it's funny how it feels like a hassle to pull it off the music desk if I wanted to google something, so I generally don't get distracted by the tablet. I like to use a metronome app on my phone, but if I am feeling distractable, I put my phone in another room.
pseudonym58 I have found it too difficult to get used to using a Bluetooth pedal with my 12.9" iPad.
As I said above, I've been using a foot pedal for page turns for close to 10 years now, but I will say that it does carry a slight cognitive burden, in that I'll notice that sometimes a habitual mistake will coincide with a page turn. But I suspect that would be the same for me whether it was a hand-turn, facial gesture or whatever.
Sgisela I think one of the key things is positioning the pedal in a place that is very close to where you rest your left foot, so that the movement is small and doesn’t require a big change in your center of gravity.
This is super important! I have my PageFlip just to the left of the una corda pedal, and I'm very particular about where the PageFlip is. If I get up from the bench and sit back down again, one of the first things I do is turn a page with the bluetooth pedal to make sure my foot can find it without me looking. I barely have to move my foot at all to hit it.
I also never go backward, only forwards. If I have a score with a repeat or coda etc, I generally double up the pages and arrange them so I'm always going forward.
Gombessa Maybe you could do something similar with the page flip?
I'm pretty sure the resting block wouldn't work on my PageFlip because of how it's designed... I'll go grab a photo...
My PageFlip Firefly:
