Why would a Linux user want a sheet music app?
If you write scores in one program and read them in a PDF viewer, you still stop mid-piece to scroll or click.
SheetScroll reads what your notation program produces and listens while you play.
Which packages are there?
- x64: .deb and .rpm on the download page.
- Arm: AppImage, .deb and .rpm.
Pick the one that fits your system. A .deb installs on Debian and its relatives, an .rpm on Fedora and its relatives, and an AppImage is a single file you run without installing.
Each release folder has SHA256SUMS.txt and a signature, SHA256SUMS.txt.minisig, made with the project's minisign key. Download both, verify with minisign, then compare your file's SHA-256 with its line. The Support page has the key and the command.
What does it do on Linux?
- Opens your files: PDFs, photos, MusicXML, MuseScore, Guitar Pro, MIDI, ABC, MEI, Humdrum, chord charts and text tabs.
- Listens: through the microphone, or a digital piano over USB or Bluetooth MIDI.
- Turns the page: two beats before the end, never early. When two passages sound alike it holds the page and outlines the places it is choosing between.
- Syncs through a folder: in Settings > Sync, choose a folder that Syncthing, Dropbox or another app syncs. Everything it sends is end-to-end encrypted.
The library stays on the machine, and the app works offline.
How do I set up a Linux machine as a stand?
- Pair a Bluetooth page-turn pedal with your system's Bluetooth tools, then open a score. Most pedals send Page Down, Page Up, the arrow keys or Space.
- If your pedal sends other keys, set them in Settings > Pedals and keyboard.
- Connect a digital piano by USB and choose it in Settings > Listening.
- For an acoustic instrument, check that your system's sound settings use the microphone you want.
- Choose a view that fits the screen: one page, two pages, half-page or line by line.
What about privacy and the network?
There is no account and no tracking. Sound is analyzed on the machine as it arrives, and it is never recorded, stored or sent. Only sync, purchases and downloads use the internet, so a Linux laptop in a rehearsal room with no signal works as well as one on a desk.
Optional sync does not need a cloud service. Choose a folder that Syncthing, Dropbox or another app syncs, and make the same choice on your next device.
What does Pro cost, and how do I get it?
The reader is free forever. Pro adds listening and automatic turns for $5.99 a month, $29.99 a year (first 2 weeks free) or $79.99 once. On Linux, Pro bought on sheetscroll.com is a license key you enter in Settings > SheetScroll Pro > Enter License Key. A key works on up to three devices.
Questions
Which Linux packages are available?
The download page lists .deb and .rpm for x64, and AppImage, .deb and .rpm for Arm.
Can I sync a Linux library with another device?
Yes. In Settings > Sync, choose a folder that Syncthing, Dropbox or another app syncs. Everything sync sends is end-to-end encrypted.
How do I check that my download is genuine?
Each release has SHA256SUMS.txt and a minisign signature. The Support page explains how to verify them.
Does my page-turn pedal work?
Pair it with your system's Bluetooth tools. Most pedals work as they are; if yours sends other keys, set them in Settings > Pedals and keyboard.
Does it need an account or the internet?
No. There is no account, and reading and following run on your machine.
Related
- WindowsA sheet music reader for 64-bit Windows PCs (Intel, AMD, Arm), Surface too. It listens and turns the page, never early. Free reader; Pro by license key.
- MacA sheet music reader for Mac (macOS 12 or later, Apple silicon and Intel). It listens and turns the page, never early. Free reader; Pro by license key.
- Chromebooks and the webOpen SheetScroll in Chrome, Edge or Firefox with no install. It listens and turns the page, never early. Works in Chrome on a Chromebook. Free reader.
- PianistsA sheet music app for pianists: it listens through the mic or a digital piano over MIDI and turns the page two beats early, never early. Free reader.
- Bluetooth page turn pedalsHow a Bluetooth page-turn pedal works, how to pair it with iPad, Android, Windows or Mac, which mode to pick, and notes on AirTurn, PageFlip and Donner.
- Automatic page turnersEvery way to turn sheet music pages hands-free, from pedals to apps that listen, with the pros and cons of each and how a listening page turner decides.
- Opening music filesSheetScroll opens PDFs, photos, MusicXML, MuseScore, Guitar Pro, MIDI, ABC, chord charts and more. How to add them, and pair a scan with a digital copy.
- Digital pianos over MIDIConnect a digital piano by USB or Bluetooth MIDI and SheetScroll follows the notes themselves, with no microphone. Here is how to set it up.
- Page turning appsSheet music apps that turn pages by listening (SheetScroll, Newzik, Smartleggio) or by face and eye gestures (forScore, MobileSheets, SightTune).