After years of wallowing and fretting, I finally allowed myself to buy a Bluetooth page turner pedal. When they were first brought to my attention, each pedal was a significant investment close to $200. Nowadays, they are much cheaper. The one I bought, the Yueyinpu Wireless Foot Pedal (aka “Amazon’s Choice”), cost me around $50 and arrived on Monday afternoon.
The device itself is really simple. Essentially it is a wireless keyboard with two buttons in the shape of pedals. I tested it out with forScore on my iPad right when it arrived. Immediately, using the pedal made playing piano more stressful. I had trouble remembering the exact location it was placed and had to look down in order to hit it correctly. I also had some trouble gauging the exact amount of pressure needed to turn a single page.
After several days, I got more accustomed to things. I still can’t click it reliably enough to use it in a live performance, but that’s no biggie.
When I bought the Yueyinpu, I also had the idea of using it for reading. My arms aren’t as weak as before, but reaching up to turn the pages of my iPad can still be tiring. Anyhow, my initial tests did not go well. Hitting the screen of the iPad (or using the left-right arrows of my Logitech keyboard) felt easier than clicking the pedal; the pedal also got in the way of things at the messy kitchen table (aka my usual reading spot).
All things considered, Yueyinpu was probably not a worthwhile purchase. However, it is a neat little gadget to have. During my longer piano sessions, I’ll be sure to turn it on.
PS: current preferred position for page turner pedal is under the left foot, slightly turned.
