IPad users can get instant access to any kind of sheet music with Sheet Music Direct for iPad, a cloud-based app released by the Hal Leonard Corporation that makes it easier for musicians to interact with their music.

As an extension of Hal Leonard's Sheet Music Direct Web site (www.sheetmusicdirect.us), the Sheet Music Direct app for iPad provides immediate, mobile access to over 100,000 of the world’s best songs. According to the manufacturer, the app is specifically tailored to the mobile experience, and offers many more features than anything else on the market.

When you use the app to download interactive songs, you can transpose and mix the songs to suit your instrument. Need the horn version of an arrangement for trumpet? No problem -- the app can transpose the sheet music for you. In addition to transposition, the app provides the tools for score playback and optional click tracks, as well as the ability to organize various set lists, and stay in tune and in time with the app's tuner and metronome.

Various viewing options are available, allowing you to select your preferred paper type, background color, and score orientation. The app is also integrated with Facebook, Twitter, and email, for all your social networking needs.

Sheet Music Direct for iPad 1 or iPad 2 (iOS 4.2.1 or later) is fully cloud-based. It syncs up all prior Sheet Music Direct song purchases and backs up your entire music library on the Sheet Music Direct site. The app is also compatible with Bluetooth hands-free page-turning devices, such as the PageFlip Cicada and AirTurn.

Hal Leonard's president Larry Morton said, “This is a real game-changer for the sheet music industry. Sheet Music Direct for iPad blows away everything out there with its wide range of features and ease of use. You can tell that this app was conceived of by true musicians, because it doesn’t just offer superfluous bells and whistles, but real tools that players will use – and love!”

Likewise, Joe Burzinski, VP of digital enterprise solutions for Hal Leonard, commented, “We’ve invested more than a year in developing not just this app, but all of the requisite digital asset management systems. This initiative marks the beginning of a expansive strategic move for Hal Leonard, as we update our business models for today’s mobile- and cloud-based market. Stay tuned: We’ll have more dramatic announcements coming soon.”

The Sheet Music Direct for iPad app is free and comes preloaded with 15 songs. Additional songs may be purchased directly from the in-app mobile store via an iTunes account. For more information, please visit sheetmusicdirect.us/ipad.