Not too long ago, I was approached by one of my musician buddies asking me if I wanted to fill in on some gigs with his cover band. I was so appreciative of being an honorary member of this band that I immediately said, “yes!” Shortly thereafter, I received an email of the set list, which included roughly 78 songs. Most gigs for this cover band included a set time of three to four hours and was played at the local pub on the weekend until closing time. Depending on the crowd and their drunken behavior, this usually depicted what songs were going to be played. The best part of this commitment was that the gig was in less than two months. How on earth was I going to learn all these songs in less than two months?!
Well, if you know me well, you know that I love a challenge, and this was a musical challenge I was ready to take on. I am one to easily forget lyrics, so how was I going to go about remembering lyrics AND chords. While racking my brain, I recalled see a Smashing Pumpkin’s Tribute band in which the lead singer had his iPad attached to his mic stand. I contacted him, interested in knowing how he was utilizing his tablet for gigs. That is when I was introduced to my saving grace: OnSong. Now that we live in a digital era, it was time to say good bye to music stands and three ring binders of scribbles and notes. For only $14.99, I purchased this app and it has revolutionized my musical life change. One can easily add chords, lyrics, change the key with a push of a button, sync a track from your library so you can play along, organize your chords into set lists, and share with other musicians using the same program. It is the best money I have spent on an app yet.
So now came my next problem: how am I going to be able to turn pages and scroll through lyrics while I’m playing guitar and be suave about it that the audience does not notice? That is when I invested in the BT-105 Two Pedal Board Kit. This pedal works through Bluetooth, and allowed me to turn and scroll through pages with my foot. The right pedal turns the pages forward while the left pedal goes backwards. Unfortunately, this pedal was not very cheap, and did set me back $120.00.
Give a product time, and of course a new and improved one will come out soon. Just this past February, AirTurn introduced their new pedal controller: AirTurn PED Hands-free controller. The AirTurn PED is the latest pedal controller from AirTurn, and still works with any Bluetooth equipped Mac, PC, iPad or Android Tablet. It is much thinner than the BT-105, and is also easir to pack up with your gear. The left-hand side of the pedal scrolls your music up and down, while the right-hand side pedal turns pages. The bottom of the pedal also has padding on the bottom to help prevent it from skidding around on the floor. The best part about this pedal is its current retail value is almost half the price of the one I bought going for $69.00.
The perfect and complimentary accessory to go with your AirTurn PED is the goSTAND. It is the easiest way to go about holding your tablet, whether it is for practice or for a gig. In my experience, I have found the holders you can buy for your tablet that fit on the mic stand do not always fit properly. With the goSTAND, it is purposely meant for your tablet. It is very compactible, and again just as light-weight as the AirTurn PED. Its height is adjustable and works well for either seated or standing musicians. There is also a collapsible boom and side mount available to further enhance your gear. This product retails for $59.00.
What are you waiting for? Don’t you have some rocking out to do? Do not miss out on this awesome gear and enjoy being a musician in the technological world!