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Music in LDS library app

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 9:17 am
by mparkin
I have a neat app on my phone that allows me to view sheet music etc. I believe that this is available through both android and IPhone services in this fashion. Why is the sheet music view not available in the LDS Library app? Just gained a new PC and cannot use the Android app on PC... unless I can and just don't know how.

Any future plans to include the music as seen on the Android music app into the LDS Library?

Thanks for feedback.

Re: Music in LDS library app

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 10:33 am
by aebrown
mparkin wrote:I have a neat app on my phone that allows me to view sheet music etc. I believe that this is available through both android and IPhone services in this fashion.
There are multiple apps for LDS music. There is the official LDS Music app, which is available for Android and iOS. I've also seen a number of unofficial apps.
mparkin wrote:Just gained a new PC and cannot use the Android app on PC... unless I can and just don't know how.
You can't run an Android app directly on a PC, but there are tools that allow you to run Android apps on a PC, such as Blue Stacks or the Android Runtime for Chrome.
mparkin wrote:Why is the sheet music view not available in the LDS Library app? ... Any future plans to include the music as seen on the Android music app into the LDS Library?
This is just my opinion, but generally mobile apps are smaller and more targeted to a specific purpose. So it is better to have a separate music app, since the way you play music and look up music has some important differences from the Gospel Library app. You're welcome to use the Feedback option within the Gospel Library app to make any suggestions.

Re: Music in LDS library app

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 10:44 pm
by sbradshaw
I believe that Gospel Library for Windows follows the paradigm of having sheet music within Gospel Library, whereas Android and iOS have a separate app (LDS Music). There are use cases for both, but this is how I see it:

Gospel Library is focused on gospel reading and gospel study. There are annotation tools, you can highlight, read, and cross-reference between scriptures, talks, and the text of hymns. When it comes to gospel study, there is little need for the sheet music, as it is non-highlighteable and non-cross-referenceable.

LDS Music, on the other hand, is a replacement for a hymnbook, and a music player. Ideally, bringing up a hymn should be as quick as pulling out the hymnbook from the bench in front of you, without navigating through menus and submenus of content.

Music content is different from other content in several ways. For example, playlists, or multiple audio files to choose from for each song (instrumental vs. vocal). I don't think these fit in as well with anything else in Gospel Library, without over-complicating Gospel Library. Having a separate app allows you to fully develop features that have to do with music.