I have to admit that I can be a bit of a Luddite sometimes. It's not that I can't use technology; quite the opposite. But I often find that the learning curve on a lot of tech toys is somewhat exhausting and, of course, I have concerns about the impact on human workers. Paper sheet music requires more workers than a digital copy in terms of actual printing and physical distribution and I like having people in my community actively working instead of going bankrupt looking for work. But change comes to us all whether we like it or not. 

I knew that tablets were taking over musicians lives in various ways. I had already seen several big names using them on stage in the 2000's. Later, while playing with the Toon Town Big Band, I saw several musicians using tablets for their sheet music too. After all, it's way easier to pop a flat bit of metal and plastic into a bag than to lug around a 3" binder full of sheet music to rehearsals and gigs! I saw two problems though: the initial scanning of the paper copies to digital and the size of the device. It's the latter I'll touch on here.

When it came time for me to branch out as a solo artist, organizing my music was clearly going to become an issue. I had already been using my mom's old Surface computer/tablet for ukulele jams and with my ukulele students when searching songs. It was on it's last legs…last bytes?…by the time I started busking in 2024. After hearing that support for that particular model would stop by fall of 2025, I knew I had to find something else.

After looking at my finances very carefully, I decided that it was time to put some money down. But on what device? Firstly, I am NOT an Apple user. Didn't like them in the 1980's Oregon Trail days and never bothered to try their products since. So, who to look at? The idea of another Surface seemed good since I found it quite handy while teaching but they are quite expensive and out of my budget.

Having a computer geek in the family can be both a blessing and a curse. My personal tech support kept pushing me to go for the Google Pixel tablet since they are the name behind Android and therefore have a more solid device, software wise. I knew it wouldn't work though and the moment I saw one in the store solidified it in my mind - an 11" screen is too small for sheet music! I needed something bigger.

This led me to two choices: the Samsung Galaxy FE+ with a 13.1" screen or the Lenovo P12 with the 12.7" screen. The Samsung was double the price of the Lenovo but in terms of tablets, Samsung typically has better support and security. Larger or smaller. Better quality at a higher price or go on the lower end for cost savings. I thought the tie breaker would happen when I got to see both up close and in my hands but alas, the store didn't have a Lenovo on display. So, went for the slightly bigger and far pricier Samsung.

It's been a couple of months now and I definitely have no complaints. I used it with no problems busking at the Saskatoon Farmers Market. I recently picked up an after market keyboard/case from AliExpress that will be handy when toting it around to my student's houses. Now, I just need to find a some gigs this summer to help pay it off!