App Profile: Henle Library

zzzChimmy

Rating: 3/5

I have been using this app for one semester now, it is fine and I like the idea of good edition music becomes electronically. Also appreciate different fingerings from several wonderful violinists, there are some great suggestions sometimes. The first thing can be improved is the sections when adding written notations in the app. By that I mean a white area would appear when using the apple pencil, and the upper and lower part besides that are gray. It seems like the creator was trying to organize it in different layers, and the problem is that when the pen or eraser tool is used in another layer, it is not working, therefore cannot erase what is not in this layer. I am not seeing the reason why such hassle is needed, just create several layers for the entire page would be better I think. The other thing that has been bothering me is the sensitivity of the app. It seems like there is a hard time for it to identify whether it is the palm or the tip of apple pencil was touching it. I am not sure if it is my iPad's problem, but it occurs pretty often and reached a point where I was frustrated by that and want to delete the app. Not sure how you can fix it but it would be really helpful if there is a way to change that.

stucklog

Rating: 3/5

The concept is fantastic. The implementation is only halfway there. Just started using it and already finding little annoyances that pile up with the result that it tend to get in my way as I play. The score annotation, for example: whenever I make a small highlight of a single note (sometimes to identify the melody so I know to sound those notes a bit louder) the app draws an additional highlight dot as I lift the pen or my finger from the screen. This obscures the note far too much and is just otherwise ugly. Another necessary improvement is the ability to have multiple copies of the same score for different annotations (practice vs performance) OR to allow multiple layers of annotation to display at once and then assign layer groups to quickly select which layers are displayed. I really want this app to be improved, as it is such a fantastic concept that musicians really need. It’s such a shame that something like this doesn’t enhance my playing but rather gets in the way because of little oversights in design.

BlkjaxSEA

Rating: 4/5

Will start by saying in a sea of music publishers, Henle stands out. Their printed editions are coveted by musicians worldwide. Their attention to the smallest visual details creates an elevated experience when reading their scores. Their design-forward, musician-centered approach creates premium products that are a joy to use. Musicians like me get genuinely excited when they see a Henle score. Like most musicians these days, most of my music collection is digitized. So when I saw they had a digital app, my immediate response was "Take my money, please!" So why 4 stars? The scores themselves are stellar, and live up to expectations. The process of purchasing them is not. Instead of a 1:1 transaction (you purchase the score for a set price), you purchase a bank of 200, 500, or 1000 credits. There is no 1:1 relationship between credits and score prices. For example, the complete Hadyn string quartets costs 1980 credits. Which means I would have to make two 1000 credit transactions and leave 20 credits on the table. This process is clunky and unnecessarily complicated.