Optimum display of digital notes

eScore

The founders of "ePartitur" are working entirely in the digital world. Thanks to Ulrich Halfter, Lukas Heinig, Alexander Krauß and Josephin Hartmann, musicians from different genres will have it easy in future. In the truest sense of the word, because lugging around sheet music will soon be a thing of the past. The four are working on a new app that displays the sheet music digitally on mobile devices. Alexander Krauß and Lukas Heinig have a lot to say - about the new app and, of course, about Chemnitz.

How did you come up with the idea for "digital sheet music"?
Lukas Heinig: Firstly, digitalisation is advancing in all areas. It's simply a question of how we deal with it. There's a difference between lugging two suitcases of sheet music around with me every day at music school and still only having a quarter of my sheet music with me, and storing it conveniently on my tablet - it's simply more practical.

You are now in the process of developing an app for digital sheet music - what should the app be able to do?
Alexander Krauß: There are four important components of the app: Firstly, the app can be used to display and edit sheet music on all different tablet sizes. Secondly, we offer an exciting sheet music library with sheet music in the new format. Thirdly, a planning tool for student and lesson management (for music teachers) And fourthly, we want an application for bands. Performances can be prepared there. But the core is the technology. The optimal display of sheet music in different sizes. We're not just making an app, but also a hardware component. A kind of foot switch or pedal with which I can turn the "music pages" independently.
Lukas Heinig: The app enables us to display the digital sheet music in the best possible way. So far, I have a pdf file that I can only enlarge or reduce as a whole. But the readability suffers as a result. Our solution eliminates this. There are fewer bars at a glance, but the sheet music is legible. And you can "turn the page" using the pedal.

If the app is designed to optimise the display of sheet music, how do you get the sheet music into the app?
Lukas Heinig: We are currently in talks with publishers on this very topic. This is where a solution comes into play via so-called "digital rights management" - a process that controls the use of digital media. In other words, what already exists for eBooks. Licences can be purchased from publishers - either as a single licence or as a multiple licence. With a multiple licence, the music teacher can then distribute the digital sheet music to their pupils. This has several advantages: It brings the whole sheet music business back into legality. For the student, it has the advantage that they don't have to buy a whole booklet, but rather individual works. For the publishers, it has the advantage that they get back the revenue that was lost through illegal servers.
Alexander Krauß: In order for the sheet music to be usable in the app, the publishers have to make it available in some form. And the form of the sheet music currently varies greatly between publishers. Some publishers are already very advanced and already publish digital sheet music. But there are also some that still work in a very antiquated way. So we can speak of a change and we are in step with the times.

The connection between the app as software and the foot pedal as hardware is something special in this combination, isn't it?
Alexander Krauß: It definitely sets us apart on the market. We want to be a provider that offers a complete solution. As a musician, I don't have to buy the components together and coordinate them with each other. Instead, I buy a solution that works. The goal is to play without interruption, so to speak. We want to ensure that musicians no longer have to take a break because they are turning pages. And that can actually only be done with the foot. The idea is to use the foot to continue turning pages in a self-determined way. And that works via the hardware component. A wooden foot switch that is connected to the tablet via a Bluetooth interface.

Another advantage of the app is that all saved sheet music can also be played back. "This makes the music teacher's work much easier. With advanced pupils, I have to have at least ten pieces available, which I as a teacher have to bring up all the time," says Heinig. Transposing, i.e. playing the pieces higher or lower, is also very easy with the app.

What is the timeline for your project?
Alexander Krauß: We want to release a first version by the end of the year. It doesn't necessarily have to be the first big hit. It will probably be a small component at first, which we can then build on bit by bit. To prepare for this, we are in direct dialogue with musicians to find out what their needs are.
Lukas Heinig: First of all, of course, it's about the centrepiece of the app and that's the music display. That has to be the first thing. And then we can add the various specifications for different users. That's the next step.

ePartitur consists of four contributors. How did you come together for the project?
Lukas Heinig: Ulrich Halfter, the developer of the app, used to be a music student of mine. He wrote his thesis on the subject for his degree. And that's how we got on board together. Then we realised that the topic had a future and we approached various people.
Alexander Krauß: Ulrich and I studied here at the TU Chemnitz. So we had a connection there. Then we needed someone for marketing - and then the core competences were already fulfilled. Ulrich Halfter develops the software for the app, the actual innovation of the whole project. Alexander Krauß develops the hardware and designed the foot switch. Josephin Hartmann is responsible for marketing and PR.

Is Chemnitz a particularly musical city?
Alexander Krauß: If you walk through Chemnitz with your eyes open, then definitely. You can go to concerts, you can see street musicians. It always depends on what you're interested in.
Lukas Heinig: In Chemnitz, it's actually like it always is in Chemnitz: it's only interesting at second glance. If I compare it to other cities, then in Chemnitz it's always the second glance. But at second glance, there is an incredible amount to discover in Chemnitz. After all, we have an A-list orchestra. Not every city has that. There are a lot of people in the subculture who you can always go to.
We once cancelled a holiday at short notice, so we spent our holiday in Chemnitz. We could do something every evening. There was always something on offer. Of course, you have to look for something. It's not always served up on a silver platter. In this respect, Chemnitz is a musical city. There are good music schools. There is a lot to discover musically. There is an excellent jazz club - what more could you want?
Alexander Krauß: What helps us, of course, is the history of the city of Chemnitz in the 1920s. It was an up-and-coming metropolis where things were created. Of course, I have trade and consumption in Leipzig and representation in Dresden. But the question is where the stuff comes from. And we are clearly in the right place.

Do you have to encourage the people of Chemnitz?
Lukas Heinig: A lot has happened in Chemnitz, in people's minds. Of course, you have to encourage people to continue on this path. An image change starts in people's minds and that's where you have to start.