When I was seven years old, I went to two schools at once: secondary and musical - to the button accordion. Why exactly the button accordion - I don’t remember now. Probably for a change, since the older sister went to the piano, and the older brother to the classical guitar. At first it was interesting, participated in home and school concerts. But every day it became more and more boring. You yourself can imagine the state of a physically healthy child learning scales when friends are playing football outside the window. In general, a year later I told my parents that I was leaving the “musician” and moving on to the sports section. That's what they decided on.
I told this story because I still sincerely regret my decision to leave the music school. And it's not that I could become a great bayan player. No. It's just that I've retained my passion for music for the rest of my life.
A few years ago, to fill in the gaps in my education, I bought a simple Yamaha synthesizer and began to practice on my own. Fortunately, the Internet is full of educational literature, video applications and related programs. Later, having received an iPad and an electric guitar as a gift, I almost completely switched to guitar lessons, but I didn’t forget about the synthesizer and, if I came across a useful, in my opinion, application for learning to play the piano in the AppStore, I definitely installed and practiced.
In this review, I have included applications that may help beginner pianists, or rather those who want to become an aspiring pianist. Those who do not yet have a real instrument can start learning by mastering a virtual piano, therefore, to begin with, let's decide on its choice.
In my two years of using the iPad, I've gotten to know a lot of free and paid virtual pianos. If you are convinced that free cheese is only found in a mousetrap, then feel free to buy GarageBand (GarageBand review). In addition to the virtual piano, you will get a lot of additional benefits. Moreover, sooner or later, you may want to record your own composition, and Garage Band is an ideal option for this.
However, in terms of implementing a virtual piano for beginners, in my opinion, Garage Band has disadvantages: the inability to open the keyboard to full screen and set the width of the keys as you wish (there are only three installed widths to choose from). To whom these shortcomings seem significant, they can familiarize themselves with the following appendices.
2in1 Piano HD (free).
In my opinion, the best of the free virtual pianos. The main functions for beginners have been implemented: full-screen display of one or two keyboards; fast scrolling and changing the width of the keys. At the same time, the program has high-quality sound.
By the way, if you do not know musical notation, to study it, I recommend turning on the display mode of notes on the keyboard. (For information: usually in applications, do-re-mi familiar to us are denoted by letters of the Latin alphabet: do-C, re-D, mi-E, fa-F, salt-G, la-A, si-B or H The number indicates the number of the octave).
Another very useful feature of the program for beginner pianists is the availability of training lessons. There are only eight of them in the free version, but below I will talk about applications in which there are many more similar lessons.
Of the additional features, the following can be noted: another available instrument (Strings), ten background drum rhythms (Drum Beats), the ability to apply effects (Reverb and Echo). There is also the function of recording your compositions and voice from a microphone, but the possibility of saving is not implemented (during the next recording, the previous one will be permanently deleted).
Real Piano HD Pro (99 rubles).
In my opinion, one of the most beautiful, feature-rich and intuitive music apps. In addition to the basic functions for displaying and adjusting the keyboard, there is a virtual piano pedal, as well as modes for changing the volume of the sound depending on the location and strength of the key being pressed.
There are also additional virtual instruments: harp, classical guitar, bass guitar, miramba and music box.
The application has a nice feature of recording your own compositions and transferring them over the network. You can learn Happy Birthday (the composition is included in a set of three installed melodies) and send a musical birthday greeting, so to speak, a gift with your own hands.
Now let's talk about the cons. While playing with headphones, I noticed that when you press a single key quickly and abruptly, the sound fades out unnaturally abruptly. At the same time, in the overall composition, this effect is invisible. I'm attributing this problem to my old iPad2, because on iPhone5, in the same application, the sound is normal. In general, we can say that Real Piano HD is an excellent virtual piano.
FingerPiano Plus (free).
This program is more likely not a virtual instrument, but rather a training simulator in which you have to press the keys in accordance with the falling figures (stripes, balls, etc.). Unlike similar game applications where the figures move in a continuous stream (Piano Dust Buster review), FingerPiano Plus will patiently wait until you press the desired key, which allows you to more fully master the composition.
It is also worth noting that this is the best of the free applications in terms of the number of initially available ringtones.
Key features of FingerPiano Plus:
– 128 available classical and folk melodies + 220 paid melodies;
– 5 available virtual instruments + 128 paid instruments;
– listening to a melody, changing the tempo, fast rewinding and forward;
– Separate parts for left and right hands.
Disadvantages: built-in purchases, but you can do without them - the available melodies and instruments are quite enough. By the way, the annoying ads that endlessly accompany free apps are hidden in the pop-up menu - we also say thank you.
- before learning, listen and remember the melody;
- if the tempo of the melody is too fast for you - turn it down, then gradually increase it;
- set the maximum possible width of the keys for the selected composition (firstly, it is easier to hit the virtual keys, and secondly, it is easier to play the melody on real keys later);
- try to play only with the hand for which the part is intended, while using all the fingers of the hand;
- having trained to automatism, try to play a melody on another virtual piano, or even better, on a real instrument.
(66 rubles)
This app is the paid version of 2in1 Piano HD that we reviewed above and has the same basic features plus: 120 learning lessons, 50 virtual instruments and 100 drum rhythms.
Also, the application has added the function of saving recorded compositions, but again, not without a catch - you will not be able to send them over the network.
The music lessons include almost the same tunes found in the FingerPiano Plus app, plus additional songs for playing other instruments. With that said, I can recommend the application to those who want to get a virtual piano and a training simulator in one bottle.
(66 rubles).
The same chord can be played both on the guitar and on the piano. We will use this principle, moving on to the topic of accompaniment. In my previous iPad & Guitar review, I talked about the SongBook & Guitare tabs app, which provides lyrics with chords but with a guitar tie-in. In order to play these chords on the piano, the Easy Piano Chords program will come in handy.
The functionality of the program is very simple: choose the main note (root) and the type of chord - you get the construction of a chord, press any place on the keyboard - you get the sound of a chord. For information: in this program, major chords are indicated with a prefix to the note of the Latin letter "M", but, as a rule, this prefix is \u200b\u200bnot indicated for major chords. The disadvantages of the application include only the lack of an inverse function - determining the name of a chord by its construction.
If you decide to learn to accompany, I recommend the following exercises. Choose a simpler chord (for example, Am - A minor) and play it with your right hand: in different octaves, to different tempos and rhythms, brute force (arpeggio). In general, improvise and practice.
Then connect your left hand, which you will play an octave lower. The left hand does not have to play all the notes of the chord. It is enough to take the first note (A - la) or the first and last notes (A - la, E - mi). Practice again. Once you've memorized the chosen chord, move on to the next one. And so on.
As an example, I will play the Am chord in various ways, gradually adding notes with my left hand. For information: the audio example was recorded in the Garage Band.
Thus, by going through various options and improvising, you can find a simple accompaniment to almost any song. The main thing is to know the chords. There are a huge number of lyrics with chords on the Internet, use any search engine. I recommend starting with simple compositions in 4-5 chords, for example, from the songs of the Kino or Laskovy May groups (depending on your preferences). Once you've mastered the general principles of how to build and use chords, try picking up accompaniment by ear - very helpful for musical development.
(129 rubles).
This program (an analogue of the Guitar Pro application - review) is useful for those who have a real instrument - a piano or a synthesizer. The fact is that in TabToolkit you can turn on the piano keyboard display mode. When a song is played, the keys corresponding to the notes will be displayed in red. The compositions themselves (files in Guitar Pro format) can be found on the Internet, in particular, on the site gtp-tabs.ru. All you have to do is download the file, place your iPad on a music stand and learn. By the way, in the process of using the program, you can simultaneously master musical notation and learn chords.
First, you can learn the vocal part: it is simpler and performed with one hand. To prevent the accompaniment from interfering, turn off the sound of the guitar. If the playback tempo is too fast for you, decrease it: press the note sign in the lower menu and turn the “Speed” wheel. Separate fragments can be played in a circle (loop), for which click the circular arrow sign and define the repetition area. Once you have fully mastered the part, unmute the guitar, mute the vocals, and play along with the program.
Similarly, you can learn the guitar part on the piano. It is more difficult and is performed with two hands, but after mastering it, you will be able to sing along with your accompaniment.
Finally, I want to add that lovers of classical works, if they wish, will be able to find many compositions that are prepared in Guitar Pro format specifically for playing on the piano.
Conclusion:
Many people think that playing a musical instrument requires special education. For a professional performance - I agree. But for home performance and general development, I think you can master any instrument on your own. There would be a desire. I am sure that there are many enthusiasts among you who are passionate about music, and I hope that this review will help someone learn how to play their favorite piece. Good luck.
The iPhone or iPad can not only play music. Of course, you can listen all day long, but if you play a musical instrument, I want to recommend amazing apps that will make it easier and more fun to create music.
Below are the best:
Obviously, GarageBand comes first in my review, as it comes standard with new iPhones and iPads, and if you have a device that was activated or purchased after September 1, 2014, you can.
If you're interested in making music, GarageBand is a must have.
Ever wanted to play the guitar, bass or piano but didn't have the money to study? Or you are self-taught and now you want to get more professional training. Yousician is "your personal music teacher" and has over 1500 lessons and exercises for beginners and advanced musicians looking to brush up on their skills.
Using the microphone of your iPhone or iPad, Yousician listens to you as you play and provides guidance to help you progress and get better after each lesson.
No matter what level of musician you are, Yousician will help you get better. The application is distributed free of charge, but to get full features, you must subscribe for 1490 rubles per month.
If you are constantly downloading and printing sheet music, most likely your entire piano or music stand is littered with sheet music. There are many sheet music on the Internet and often they are free, but if you have an iPad, you should stop printing them.
forScore is a sheet music reader for iPad that is imported as PDF and stored in the e-library. The application can be connected to common storage services, which makes importing and exporting even easier.
forScore can also automatically turn pages, organize your library, and let you edit your music.
Tempo
No matter how good your internal clock is, you can benefit from using a metronome. There are many free metronomes out there, but many of them are in terms of timing or beats per minute, although the tempo seems to be perfect. Not only will you save time with this app, as you can save presets to setlists so you don't have to reprogram everything.
There are 35 different time signatures, including complex meters and time signatures. It is possible to change the accents or turn off the beats to create complex rhythms, the tempo range is 10-800.
There is a lite version, but you definitely won't find all the "sweet" features in it.
GuitarToolkit
If you are a guitarist looking for a good all-in-one app, try GuitarToolkit as it has a tuner, metronome and chords.
The best part is that the application supports not only 6-string guitars, but also 7- and 12-string guitars, in addition, the application can also work with 4-, 5-, and 6-string bass guitars, banjo, mandolin and ukulele .
Using the GuitarToolkit Chord Sheet, you can create and save chord progressions, and you can even create drum patterns to play along with accompaniment. There are also in-app purchases in the application, but in principle, the application's capabilities are enough without in-app purchases.
DM1
If you're not a drummer and need to make some digital beats, then try DM1, the app is considered one of the best drum machines for the iPad. You will be able to create rhythms without having the skills of a drummer, the application will automatically do the quantization for you.
The step sequencer is probably the best feature, as it is possible to turn off some parts of the beat by pressing it, potentially leading to another unexpected result. You can mix drum kits on the fly, add effects, and compose music from your rhythms, laying them out on the timeline. When you're done, you can export to Soundcloud and other cloud services, as well as social media, email, and the iTunes public folder.
If the DM1 digital drums aren't for you, or if you're looking for a more advanced assistant, be sure to check out the synthesizer app. This is an advanced digital synthesizer for the iPad and its price confirms it (2290 rubles), so think seriously before you buy.
Animoog takes sounds from Moog Synthesizer's huge library, the sounds are very high quality, and your music will sound like it's played on a real synthesizer. This is a very serious application for serious people. You can control polyphonic modulations, pitch, timbre, delay and more.
Some interesting and useful iOS apps for musicians…
Music Tutor - learn music notation for iPhone
The Music Tutor application from the developer JSplash Apps iPhone will become your personal music literacy teacher. The program will help you learn the basics of solfeggio and develop your ear. Music school students and anyone who lives in music, this program will be a great helper. With it, you can easily learn all the notes of the bass and treble clefs.
Despite the fact that the application is in English, it will not be difficult for any user to understand the simple interface. After all, the generally accepted names of notes are the same for all languages.
The Music Trainer consists of clear tasks that are completed within 5 minutes and are based on the correct definition of notes. To complete the task, you can use the standard notation of notes or the virtual keyboard. After completing the training, you will know the level of your musical abilities: the number of points scored depends on the accuracy of the notes. All tasks are accompanied by piano sounds, so you will develop not only musical literacy, but also your ear. The results, if you wish, will be uploaded to the leaderboard in the Game Center. An important function of the application is the ability to perform work on errors.
Music Tutor will be useful both for musicians who are just starting to get acquainted with musical notation, and for those who have been playing music for a long time.
Vio - psychedelic effects in music
Each musician devotes a lot of time to searching for unhackneyed chips that will make his compositions original and memorable. It's hard to come up with an unusual tune or find a new sound, but the Vio program will help turn even the banal "Dog Waltz" into a spectacular psychedelic track.
The application interface is presented in a minimalistic style typical of iOS 8. The program itself is extremely easy to manage. You simply record a melody or any other sound using a microphone, and the program converts the received signal and distorts its sound. The result is a very unusual track with a surround alien sound and a blur effect.
The song you sing into the iPhone microphone is processed using bird-correction, complemented by other accompaniment. This creates a wide range of sound effects. Sound distortion can be adjusted by moving the circle around the screen. The application offers 3 different types of distortion, but if they are not enough for the realization of musical solutions, you can purchase additional ones.
Another nice feature is that you can choose any visualization color, which is presented in the form of floating crystals.
As additional settings, the program allows you to change the tone and rhythm, as well as select the sound quality. The resulting composition can be sent to Soundcloud, Dropbox, or simply saved to your computer.
It's no exaggeration to call Garage Band the best music production app. After all, the possibilities it provides are truly endless. This program has the largest set of virtual musical instruments, so using it to create tracks is a delight for any composer. At the disposal of users are string instruments, all types of drums, acoustic and electronic guitars, pianos, percussion, as well as several types of synthesizers.
You can edit files on the stave, or using the virtual keyboard. Of course, this program in its functionality may be inferior to its counterparts for personal computers, but creative inspiration can visit at any time. Therefore, it is so important that the mini-studio is always at hand.
If you are new to music but dream of becoming a professional, then this application will also come in handy, because it allows you to download guitar and piano lessons. The most amazing thing is that Sting, Fall Out Boy, John Legend and many other famous performers act as teachers.
Thanks to the piano simulator, everyone will be able to learn musical notation and perform popular compositions, but there are simply no limits for improvisation.
Drum Beats+
The ear of some music lovers is much more pleasing to the energetic drum rhythms than the melodic tunes of the violin and piano trills. It is for such music lovers that the Drum Beats + application was created. This program contains both individual drum sounds and whole loops made in different styles. You can improvise, practice, and just play along with any song.
It's not easy to recreate low quality drum sounds electronically. However, all the drums of this application are as close as possible in sound to "live" instruments. And the ability to change the tempo of drum parts expands the boundaries for improvisation and creativity.
Metronome+ by Musicopoulos
No musician, no matter how talented, can do without a metronome.
This is especially true when learning a new piece. After all, without a clear rhythm, any performance will be slurred and sloppy. What functions should a metronome have? “It’s enough for him to tap out the right rhythm,” any musician will tell you. Therefore, among the huge number of metronomes on the App Store, Metronome + by Musicopoulos stands out for its simple functionality that copes perfectly with the most important tasks. A convenient and minimalistic interface will not distract from the main occupation. But at the same time, you can choose the most pleasant metronome sound for you, adjust the tempo, as well as the rhythmic pattern.
All the best! Learn, download, create and create!
Thoughts Positive! Red Nuts / A. Stroganov
There are already devices that take into account interval expansion. Before tuning, a preprogrammed interval extension is selected. larger for piano, smaller for grand piano. With the help of such a device, the tool can only be brought closer to the desired result. But this particular piano-specific tuning is not taken into account and therefore some of the factors are left out. Because of this, the piano will not sound optimal and it will still be necessary to determine the best stretch "by ear".
The classical tuner compares and adjusts the ratio of notes in a large number of intervals, but to do this properly, such a person must have a great deal of experience. The complexity of this method lies in the physical impossibility of setting all the intervals perfectly, moreover, the degree of purity is different for different intervals. If an interval sounds incorrect, then one of its constituent notes will be adjusted. But this same note is at the same time part of many other intervals, which must also be changed, due to the change of the first. All this presents us with a big puzzle that needs to be solved somehow.
Dirk's Piano Tuner (Piano Tuner) solves this problem for you. In Dirk`s Piano Tuner, all strings will be recorded, playing one at a time, only one string per note, the rest of the strings must be muted. Piano tuning and interval expansion determined by the computer based on the overtones of a given sound recording.To produce a recording, only one string from a note is played, and the adjacent ones are muted.After recording this "single string", the tuner has all the data necessary to calculate the optimal basic tuning of all strings.The tuner then calculates the purity of all possible intervals and aligns them. After that, the strings can now be tuned one by one as a result of the resulting notes in the tuner. Dirk's Piano Tuner (Piano Tuner) automatically recognizes the sounding string and shows its deviation from the required value. Muted strings - are tuned according to previously tuned strings in the same unison. After tuning all the strings, the piano will be tuned with the best interval stretch. Each note only needs to be tuned once and there is no longer a need to finish tuning by ear.