When Ray Chen was getting ready to compete in the 2009 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition, he realized that the required contemporary piece was going to pose a problem, not only for page turns, but more importantly for being able to effectively learn how his part fit with the piano part.

Ray put the following digital music reading system together:

• An HP TX2500Z Multi-Touch Tablet PC running Vista
• An AirTurn wireless page turner with a single Boss FS-5U pedal
• MusicReader for Windows

The HP TX2500Z features a 12.1 inch screen that can accept input from either the included digital pen or just a finger.  The screen automatically recognizes which is being used and will switch between pen and mouse mode automatically.  The pen mode is optimized for writing and drawing, while the mouse mode makes it easy to use your finger to select objects and to "click" by tapping the screen.  The HP TX2500Z can also be operated as a regular laptop by swiveling the screen around and features a full keyboard, DVD-R player, and full Wi-Fi capabilities.

Ray found his HP Tablet PC on eBay for around $700.  Prices for that and other refurbished models can range on eBay between $700-$800.  Here's the total price breakdown for Ray's music reading system:

• HP TX2500Z = $700
• AirTurn AT-104 with 1 Boss FS5U Pedal = $79.95
• MusicReader for Windows = $99

Total Cost = $878.95

For building a complete digital music system from scratch, this can be considered a mid-range price point.

If you already have a laptop and don't want to invest in a new computer, you can use just the AirTurn page turner and install the MusicReader program.  The AirTurn will work with most Mac and Windows computers right out of the box (and even some Linux machines, as we've heard from some of our customers!).  MusicReader can be installed on most Mac and Windows computers, and features some innovative page view modes that make laptops viable score reading tools for violinists.  MusicReader's half-page mode zooms the page without cutting off staves, making it actually easier to read than paper scores.  MusicReader can also rotate the screen to view the entire page in portrait mode, but keep in mind that most laptops cannot fully open their screens completely flat, so there will be a slight angle between the screen and keyboard.

Here is a price breakdown for a music reading system using your own laptop:

• AirTurn AT-104 with 1 Boss FS5U Pedal = $79.95
• MusicReader for Windows/Mac = $99

Total Cost = $178.95

An even less expensive option would be to use the Roland DP-2 pedal instead of the Boss FS-5U, which would bring the total cost of the system down to $163.95.

Laptops can be surprisingly effective as music readers.  Here is a picture of my laptop on an insTand with an AirTurn and a Boss FS-5U pedal:

When MusicReader is set to half-page reading mode, you can see how much larger the music appears compared to paper music:

We'll be doing a more in-depth look at the insTand as an accessory for violinists using laptops as music readers in a future article.

Lastly, for those violinists who want to invest in the very best options for digital music readers, you may want to consider either a high end slate tablet pc, such as those made by Fujitsu, Sahara, or Motion Computing.  These models do away with the physical keyboard and DVD/CD drives, making the computer much thinner and lighter than convertible tablet PC's like the HP TX2500Z.  Even without the keyboard or DVD/CD drives, these are full computers with excellent handwriting recognition capabilities and full compatibility with Windows programs.  Prices for these high end slate tablet pc's will range from $1999 to around $2400.

For information on filling your digital music reader with repertoire, be sure to visit the music score/sheet music links in our Resources page.

We'll take a look at more accessories for violinists with digital music reading systems in our upcoming articles, including scanners for converting paper scores into digital formats.  In the meantime, be sure to read the other articles in our Learn section, and by all means feel free to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it any questions you may have!