Learn to Play Piano on Your iPad
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What We Like Choose from more than 100 instrument sounds. Supports digital keyboards. Notes fall down from the top, or you can view traditional sheet music. What We Don't Like Comes with 20 songs; you need a subscription to get more. Sounds aren't realistic. Beginning development at the same time the Guitar Hero craze was ramping up, Synthesia was the piano equivalent of the popular music rhythm game. Unlike Piano Maestro and Yousician, which use a scrolling, game-like method from right to left, mimicking traditional sheet music, Synthesia scrolls the music down from the top, with each colored line eventually landing on the on-screen keyboard. There's a lot to be said about this method. Similar to reading sheet music, you learn to see the relationship between the notes and predict where they'll land based on the relation to the previous note. Synthesia can also slow down the music, so you can learn at a more relaxed pace. The Synthesia app comes with more than 20 free songs that you can try out with the app. After you unlock the app with the in-app purchase, you gain access to more than 130 additional songs, mostly classical and traditional. Add new songs by importing MIDI files. Synthesia is a great way to get started; you don't need to import MIDI files or purchase the expanded library to learn songs using the Synthesia method. Thousands of videos on YouTube are simply Synthesia versions of songs. This means you can set your iPad or iPhone on a music stand, launch the YouTube app, and search for the song you want to learn by adding "Synthesia" to the search string. The YouTube videos don't have the same controls to slow down the lesson, although some videos are uploaded at a slower rate, specifically for people who want to learn the song. YouTube won't let you hook in a MIDI keyboard and keep track of how well you performed the song, but access to so many songs more than makes up for this limitation. Download Synthesia 05 of 07
Learn to Play Piano on Your iPad
Believe it or not, your iPad is a great piano teacher
By Daniel Nations Daniel Nations Writer University of Texas at Arlington Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, and other publications. He is a developer who has published apps in the Apple App Store, Google Play marketplace and Amazon Appstore; he also has worked as a data analyst and DB administrator. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 11, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Apple iPad Macs The iPhone and iPad are wonderful teaching tools, but they really shine when it comes to learning how to play the piano. Dozens of apps are designed for this purpose, and most listen to what you play and detect whether you're pressing the right keys. Here are our picks for the seven best apps to get you started on your way to piano virtuosity. 01 of 07Use Your iPad as a Piano GarageBand
Apple What We Like Download free instruments from the Sound Library. Connect a MIDI keyboard for the full piano teacher experience. Piano lessons are built in. What We Don't Like App customization options are limited. Lacks many options for woodwind instruments. The number-one requirement to learn how to play the piano is access to a keyboard, and that's where GarageBand shines. This free download from Apple turns an iPhone or iPad into a digital audio workstation. In other words, it turns your device into a piano (or a guitar, drums, or another touch instrument). This trick works better with the larger screen of the iPad, but you'll be surprised by just how handy it can be on the iPhone. If you're just starting out and using the on-screen keyboard, you'll learn only the basics. A big part of learning an instrument is building up muscle memory so that your fingers know what to do, and that takes a real instrument. The good news is that GarageBand can connect a MIDI keyboard to your iOS device. A MIDI keyboard is an electronic keyboard that has MIDI IN and MIDI OUT ports. MIDI, which stands for musical instrument digital interface, communicates what is played on the instrument to a device such as an iPhone or iPad. This means you can connect a MIDI keyboard to your iPad and use GarageBand to produce the sounds. A lot of great MIDI keyboards are available, including keyboards with only 29 keys. These smaller keyboards can be great for practicing while away from home. Download GarageBand 02 of 07The Best Music App for Teaching Kids Piano Maestro
What We Like Organize exercises by level or genre. Great for young and adult learners. Progress reports let you know how you're doing. Hide songs or save favorite songs. What We Don't Like Can't search for songs. The app is free, but to get the most from it, you need a subscription. Can't print sheet music. Piano Maestro is an awesome way for adults to learn piano on the iPad or iPhone, but it is specifically awesome for kids. This piano-teaching app features video lessons that emphasize good technique through a Rock Band-like process for learning how to play the piano and how to read music. Kids will emerge able to sight-read music, which will help with any instrument they choose to learn in the future. The app is broken into a series of chapters that focus on a specific skill. These chapters start with playing middle C, slowly bring in new notes, and eventually add the left hand into the mix. The piano lessons are scored on a one- to three-star basis, so your child can go over a lesson multiple times to improve their score. Because the lessons flow into each other, Piano Maestro can become addictive, even for someone who already knows the basics. Piano Maestro uses the iOS device microphone to listen in on your playing, but it also supports a MIDI keyboard you connect to an iPad or iPhone. Go through the first lessons at no cost to get a feel for the app before you purchase a subscription, which starts at $9.99 per month. This app is also great for music educators, with many teacher-management features and a Facebook community where you can share ideas. Download Piano Maestro 03 of 07The Best Music App for Adults Yousician
What We Like Makes learning the piano a game. Progress trackers give real-time feedback. Videos provide visual examples of notes and chords. What We Don't Like The app doesn't always "hear" you play correctly. Subscriptions are pricey. Can get a bit crowded on smaller screens. Yousician is a fantastic way to learn piano, guitar, bass, or even ukulele. It follows a Rock Band-like process of gamifying learning. For piano, choose the more game-like feel of colored notes flowing across the screen, or the app can scroll sheet music, which helps you learn to sight read as you learn to play. If you're serious about learning music, the sheet music option may sound daunting, but you'll be better for it in the long run. If you just want to sit down at the piano and play songs, the more game-like colored notes are a good shortcut. One area where Yousician shines is determining your current skill level through a quick test. It may not pinpoint your skills perfectly, but it can find out where you're weakest and take you to the point in the lesson plan where you should begin. Beyond being geared more toward adults, one big difference between Yousician and Piano Maestro is the multiple paths you can take in Yousician. Instead of linear chapters, you can go down three paths: A classical path where you learn more about reading music and playing in the classical style.A knowledge path that focuses on music theory.A pop path that focuses on rock, blues, funk, and other styles of music. Download and try out Yousician for free, then after the free trial period, you'll be charged for a premium subscription. If you have no interest in guitar, bass, or any other instrument included in Yousician, try the Piano by Yousician standalone app. Download Yousician 04 of 07Best App for Learning Songs Synthesia
What We Like Choose from more than 100 instrument sounds. Supports digital keyboards. Notes fall down from the top, or you can view traditional sheet music. What We Don't Like Comes with 20 songs; you need a subscription to get more. Sounds aren't realistic. Beginning development at the same time the Guitar Hero craze was ramping up, Synthesia was the piano equivalent of the popular music rhythm game. Unlike Piano Maestro and Yousician, which use a scrolling, game-like method from right to left, mimicking traditional sheet music, Synthesia scrolls the music down from the top, with each colored line eventually landing on the on-screen keyboard. There's a lot to be said about this method. Similar to reading sheet music, you learn to see the relationship between the notes and predict where they'll land based on the relation to the previous note. Synthesia can also slow down the music, so you can learn at a more relaxed pace. The Synthesia app comes with more than 20 free songs that you can try out with the app. After you unlock the app with the in-app purchase, you gain access to more than 130 additional songs, mostly classical and traditional. Add new songs by importing MIDI files. Synthesia is a great way to get started; you don't need to import MIDI files or purchase the expanded library to learn songs using the Synthesia method. Thousands of videos on YouTube are simply Synthesia versions of songs. This means you can set your iPad or iPhone on a music stand, launch the YouTube app, and search for the song you want to learn by adding "Synthesia" to the search string. The YouTube videos don't have the same controls to slow down the lesson, although some videos are uploaded at a slower rate, specifically for people who want to learn the song. YouTube won't let you hook in a MIDI keyboard and keep track of how well you performed the song, but access to so many songs more than makes up for this limitation. Download Synthesia 05 of 07