The traditional method of learning to play the piano is an expensive, complicated and time-consuming process. What’s more, there’s no surety you will indeed learn how to play the piano or even enjoy the attempt.
Check out how you can leverage technology and use computer programs or smartphone apps to learn the piano by yourself.
5 Best iOS & Android Apps for Learning Piano Ranked By Pianists
FlowKey
Learning how to play the piano is neither easy nor cheap only if you ignore a smart solution like FlowKey. This is an app that teaches you how to play different songs and compositions on your piano.
No more theoretical instructions. Instead, learn with interactive courses and replicate hand movements seen on the screen to play the piano.
Features
- Three different skill levels built into the app—beginner, intermediate and advanced—with complete freedom to choose your preferred level.
- Visual and technical instructions on a split screen to help you see the song being played on the piano along with information about the piano chords and lyrics.
- Detailed lessons covering the basics including posture, finger placement and one-hand playing before moving on to more complex lessons and tougher songs.
- This app is compatible with acoustic devices like pianos as well as digital keyboards and electric pianos and runs on Windows/Mac and Android/iOS devices.
Specifications
- Free and Premium plans with access to basic lessons, eight free songs and support assistance included in the Free package.
- Song library consists of video instructions for playing more than 1,000 songs.
- Option to search for specific songs or browse tracks based on genres.
- Choice of Wait, Slow and Fast modes for all users.
Yousician
Playing or listening to a beautiful piano track is always fun and entertaining. Sadly, learning to play good piano is rarely very fun. Yousician does a good job creating a game-like vibe to learning the piano.
Identify your existing level, practice on songs and tracks to move up levels and access more features as you become more and more proficient at playing the piano.
Features
- Detailed piano-learning syllabus includes mini-games, video tutorials, practice songs and piano exercise to hone your skills and boost your confidence.
- Go beyond just learning songs and use a gamification-centric user interface to unlock bigger and more complex tracks as you actually improve your playing skills and pass through each successive level.
- Become a real expert by learning how to read piano notations, identify piano chords along with video guides for playing your favorite songs.
- Practice mode allows you to slow down or speed up tracks to ensure consistent practice even without a personal instructions from a human tutor.
Specifications
- Free package offering a demo of the features with full access for guitar, piano, bass guitar, ukulele and singing courses offered to Premium users.
- Song library consists of video and notations’ instructions for thousands of tracks and songs.
- Available on Android, iOS, Mac and Windows platforms.
Simply Piano
One of the most popular educational apps in the US, the award-winning app Simply Piano truly lives up to its name and makes piano learning truly simple.
Like other apps, this solution too shows you how to play, hears your effort and provides feedback to help you play better. However, what sets SimplyPiano apart is its simple user interface, comprehensive lessons and instructions on the technical aspects of playing the piano.
Features
- A million tracks to play and experiment with means it’s simply impossible not to learn how to play the piano with SimplyPiano.
- Wide range of genres and categories to help you master your skills on your favorite set of tracks or genre of music.
- Practice modes allow you to slow down tracks to get each individual note and chord perfect. Time-based workouts help you sharpen your fast-playing skills as well.
- Designed for complete novices wanting to learn to play the piano as well as experts looking to use technology to simplify their practice routines.
Specifications
- Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad only.
- Free app with ten in-app purchase options including Full Access.
- Create and track up to five profiles on a single device.
Synthesia
Synthesia works on one simple principle—playing the piano is the easiest and smartest way to learn how to play the piano.
Playing scales, reading sheets and other theoretical exercises can wait. Instead, just follow the lighted keyboard support and finger number hints to start playing and start learning.
Features
- Play any of the 150 songs available to subscribers or select as many other MIDI files as you want until you master the art of playing the piano.
- Practice one hand at a time, focus on your weaker hand or simply play with both hands depending on your skill level and personal preference.
- Memorizing chords becomes easier since your next key lights up on the screen. Combine this with the option to enable musical notations to master this tricky task as well.
Specifications
- Free to try and premium users can access the unlocked app.
- Compatible with PC, Mac, iOS, Android and even Chromebook.
- Includes a series of How-to guides to help you use all the features of this app.
Melodics
Is learning to play the piano all about reading notations and identifying chords? With Melodics, you can look forward to making your own path by exploring various musical styles and genres.
Melodics keeps it simple by encouraging you to practice for just five minutes every day. Surprisingly, that’s all it takes, according to hundreds and thousands of happy users, to learn how to play the piano.
Features
- Instant text and graph-based feedback on your playing skills including your timing and accuracy of keys and notes.
- Practice, Wait and auto BPM modes to help you customize your practice sessions to suit your abilities and playing preferences.
- Set daily practice goals and track your progress across various time periods to assess how you have grown as a self-trained piano player.
Specifications
- Compatible with Windows 7 or newer and OSX. iPad-access available only for paid subscribers.
- 60 lessons for five performance minutes per day available to all users for free.
- More than 500 lessons spread over 20 genres available for subscribers.
- Works with all MIDI capable instruments.
- No other device, controller or instrument required.
All the apps/programs described above help you learn the piano by yourself. But, the similarity ends there. From compatibility with different OS to use of gamification techniques, there are many unique factors you must consider to find the right app for you. So, choose wisely and have a happy piano learning experience.
