Tablets are pretty fantastic aren't they! I currently have a Google Nexus 7, and it is the perfect size for taking to gigs and using it in a gig related capacity. There are so many things tablets can do, but what about for us guitar players and gigging musicians? Well, I have put together a list of 10 things that I think make a tablet indispensible for the gigging musician and guitarist, that is without looking at guitar apps1) TuitionSo we all have lots of time sitting around waiting at gigs before we go on, sitting wondering what to do. So it could be a great time to do a bit of practice and learning. Thankfully, there are no end of little tutorial applications available for tablets, everything from learning scales and chords, to full on theory apps! Personally, I particularly enjoy watching youtube tutorials or dvd tutorials I have copied to mp4 on my tablet, I can place the tablet where I want it, get comfortable and learn.2) Jamming (warming up)It is always pertinent to warm up before a gig, why not copy over a few tracks onto the device and then jam along, without having to switch on computers etc etcBut what other things for the gigging musician?3) SetlistsHow could would it be if everyone in the band had their set lists on their tablet, all controlled by a master document, saved on something like Google Drive, or something which auto updates. Then, if you decided to make a change, then this could be sent to everyone! Failing that, they do look really cool if you have want to have your set list on the screen!4) Sheet musicChords and crib notes...for those one or two songs you are quite sure about :) Seems like the perfect application!!5) Click tracksIf you or your band play to a click track, then something like this could be invaluable. You can set up your whole set worth of tempos and setlist and bang you are ready to go. If a song changes order, it is quite simple to swipe to the relevant one!6 ) Contacts, Contracts and documentsMight seem obvious, but it is so much easier to read a spreadsheet of relevant contacts details relevant to a gig, rather than scrolling through an address book, on a large screen. It is also possible to have a pdf of the gig contract on the tablet that you can show the relevant people (should you need to!), also you can have pdf's of any relevant insurance or PAT testing documents on the screen to show the one person who wants to see them!7) Manuals I would suggest downloading all the manuals and equipment guides for all of the gear you use in pdf form - then if got a problem at the gig, whip out the manual and rectify the situation!8) Performance recorderThis might sound like a bit of a strange one, but as a learning and improvement tool, it is always useful to record gigs to find out where you are making mistakes and any issues with your technique. The built in video camera means you could point the tablet at you and record you whole performance, watch it back later and look for where you can make improvements! (TIP : make sure you set the input level very low, as stages can be very noisy!)9) SPL monitor and Spectrum AnalyserSometimes it can be quite useful to know what kind of SPL (roughly as any tablet device won't be fully acoustically calibrated) your band is knocking out, particularly is you come across the bane of any bands life....'the sound limiter'. It might not be able to help you prevent the thing from kicking in and powering down all your gear, but it should give you a rough indication of how loud you are, and with a spectrum analyser you should be able to also see where most of the energy is coming in the frequency domain.10) Recording the funny things that happen (and then sharing them on social media!)Gigging can be a funny old business, with a tablet you can record, video, notate all the funny goings on, pre, during and post gig....and then share them on facebook or twitter! Rock and roll!What are your uses for your tablet?PeaceNeil