We’re happy to announce the immediate availability of our latest update to forScore, version 3.4. This update includes tons of refinements and fixes, and adds a few important features that we think will make a big splash. We’ve added the ability to share and print bookmarks, improved tap and swipe detection, included Spanish localization, and we’ve made it easier to flip between scores by using optional two- and three-finger taps instead of returning to the menu each time.
We’ve also been told by Apple that our app must now be rated 17+ since it includes a web browser (which means our app has to be rated based on the content of the entire Internet.) Unfortunately, this may cause problems for any educational institutions that use our app and also rely on parental controls—if you’re one of them, then we encourage you to contact us through our support page so we can discuss some alternatives.
The world of app development changes every day, and while we can’t ever predict what Apple will say or how our app will fit into their many guidelines, we can and do promise to continue to make forScore even better with each revision. We know that this version of forScore is the best yet, and we’re excited to keep working hard every day to make it even better. Version 3.4 is available immediately on the App Store.
Today we’re proud to introduce the latest update to forScore, version 3.3. This update improves upon some of our most popular features like half-page turns and the recently added piano keyboard, and continues our efforts to bring forScore to customers around the world by adding support for German and refining our existing translations (thanks to the tireless efforts of our amazing volunteers!)
forScore 3.3 is available immediately on the App Store for just $4.99 (USD) or totally free for existing users, and you can find the full list of changes below:
• Allows half-page turns between files
• Dramatically improves piano keyboard responsiveness
• Highlights the current score in its source list or setlist
• Adds support for German and improves other translations
• Fixes an issue with rotation after using Darkroom
• Includes other minor bug fixes
We’re very excited to announce the immediate availability of forScore 3.2, an update that’s packed so full of improvements that we can only cover a few of the biggest highlights here:
We’ve begun localizing our app, starting with Dutch, French, and Chinese. We’ll be adding support for other languages as quickly as we can, so check out this page if you’d like to help. We’ve widened the menus and changed the way the sort/search bars work to make room for these translations, and we’ve made a lot of other minor adjustments to overall legibility and accessibility.
We’ve also added a piano keyboard so you can work through tricky measures on the go, we’ve simplified our settings panel, and we’ve added a sepia tone option for the main score view. There’s a lot more, too, so be sure to check out the full list on the App Store where forScore 3.2 is available right now for just $4.99, or absolutely free for existing users.
If you’ve been thinking of getting an AirTurn page turner, now is the perfect opportunity to do so. For Black Friday, AirTurn is offering $10 off any purchase of $100 or more, and free USPS shipping with the “BLACKFRIDAY” coupon code. For international shoppers, get $15 off any purchase of $100 or more using the “BLACKFRIDAY2” coupon code.
These coupon codes are valid from now until Monday, November 28th, and they can be used with our own ongoing promotion, giving you a free copy of forScore with a qualifying purchase of the BT-105. Find out more on our promo page, and happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks to AirTurn for letting us know about a recent performance by violinist Giora Schmidt using the BT-105 and forScore! There’s a video interview with him on AirTurn’s website, and there’s an article on Ariama for those who are interested.
What he describes as “the most difficult work in the violin repertoire that I’ve ever played,” Schmidt premiered Franz Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor (transcribed for solo violin) for the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth. It’s a piece that was written for ten fingers, and played by four, so there were technical challenges that called for an unconventional approach to reading music. For Giora, that approach was to use an iPad, forScore, and the BT-105. Here’s a particularly salient quote from the Ariama.com interview:
“What was brought on by necessity – either walk onstage with a page turner or use ten music stands to tape the 35 pages of sheet music across – has now completely changed how I read, annotate and perform with music.”
It’s really an incredible performance, as you can see below, and we’re honored to have helped make it possible. He’s a fantastic musician, a real advocate for this kind of technology, and we hope to be seeing a lot more from him very soon!
It’s something we’ve been waiting a long time for, and now we’re finally ready: forScore is packing its swimsuit and sunblock (or galoshes and umbrella, depending on where you live) and heading your way. Or, in less colorful terminology, we’re localizing our app and translating it for all of our patient customers who speak languages other than English.
To accomplish this monumental task, we need your help! If you speak English and a second language fluently, and you’d be willing to volunteer a little bit of your time, get in touch with us so we can give you the details. You can do as much or as little as you like, and we’ll be cross-referencing your results with a few other translators whenever possible, so there’s no pressure. As for the rest of you, well, we’ll be sure to send you a postcard!
Today we’re happy to announce the release of our newest iPhone and iPod Touch app, Beat Keeper, which brings forScore’s incredible metronome to the small screen.
It features the same gorgeous design and intuitive controls, an all-new visualizer, and the ability to create presets for your most common settings. It even works in silent mode, putting an end to noisy interruptions.
While most of forScore’s features are interdependent, some of them really shine on their own: they don’t need a large screen, and they’re great for musicians who only own an iPhone or iPod Touch. They also fund their own development, rather than diverting resources that would otherwise be used for fixing bugs and ensuring stability. We think you’ll love the results. [iTunes]
With the release of iOS 5 right around the corner, many of you are likely wondering if it’s safe to update or if you should hold off for a little while. We’re happy to report that as of today, with version 3.1.3, we’re ready. We’ve done a lot of work to prepare for this release, and although there’s no way we can know for certain that we’ve caught every change, we don’t anticipate any major problems. If you rely on forScore—or any app for that matter—you’ll need to decide when the time is right to upgrade, but we think it’s going to be a seamless transition.
There is one important difference with the latest version, however, that results from policy changes on Apple’s behalf: we’ve had to remove our automatic backup feature entirely. It’s an unfortunate change, since we firmly believe that this feature does nothing but benefit our customers (even if it breaks a few rules in the process.) In the end, however, we have no choice but to adapt and move on. We work hard to make forScore the best it can be, and we’re looking forward to the future and all of the great iOS updates we’ll get to yell, sweat, and eventually cheer through. We hope you like it.
San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music, a non-profit organization that “aims to make chamber music a vital part of the cultural life of the San Francisco Bay Area,” will be hosting their fourth annual Chamber Music Day—a free day of live music in San Francisco. We’re excited to be sponsoring the event, and encourage our readers in the area to check it out. Chamber Music Day is October 16th, at de Young Museum from 10AM until 5:30PM. [SFFCM]
We’re very excited to announce the immediate availability of forScore 3.2, an update that’s packed so full of improvements that we can only cover a few of the biggest highlights here:
