The iPad is a great tool for music creators and players but the sheer number of apps out there can make it hard for the best to surface. Here’s our list of the top 5 iPad apps for musicians - they vary from pdf readers to tuners, but what they all have in common is the fact that we actually use them in our everyday practise and rehearsals:

• ForScore
• Tonal Energy Tuner
• nKoda
• GarageBand
• Primephonic

ForScore

£19.99 - Offers In-App Purchases

The classic iPad sheet music reader. ForScore has been around for years and it shows through its subtle refinement. While not the cheapest option out there, we think it’s by far the most complete and easiest to use sheet music reader for iPad. It’s packed full of features for score editing, annotation with apple pencil and practise tools while maintaining a clean and easy to use interface. If you are planning to use your iPad in concerts then ForScore is a no brainer.

Tonal Energy Tuner

£3.99

Much more than a simple iPad tuner app, TE Tuner is a must for any quartet player. This handy tuning app combines tuning functionality, metronome and a highly customisable pitch wheel that gives you different temperament options and lets you set a key center for a chord. Perfect for settling intonation arguments between quartet players!

nKoda

£9.99/month or £99/year

Think of nKoda as Spotify for sheet music. For 9.99/month you get access to a music library of the latest scores and parts from dozens of the biggest music publishers. If your IMSLP library needs an upgrade the this is the app for you!

GarageBand

Free

Perhaps because it comes included with every iPad, this surprisingly powerful music production app is often overlooked. Even if you are not looking to create your own music, this app still has plenty of useful features for professional musicians including a pretty impressive instrument library, advanced piano functionality, professional sound recording capabilities and support for professional audio interfaces for high-quality recordings.

Primephonic

£9.99 - £14.99/month or £99.99 - £149.99/year

If you have always been a little disappointed by the lack of attention that Spotify or Apple Music pay to classical music lovers then look no further than Primephonic. This music subscription service lets you search by works or composer, boasts the largest classical catalogue available and streams high-res audio up to 24bit lossless. Excellent for researching works or just enjoying classical music.

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