Learning to play an instrument for the first time can be challenging. There are tons of new things to learn, everything from proper posture and holds, to maintenance care for your instrument and how to read music. And although it may seem a bit overwhelming at first, understand that everyone feels that way in the beginning. The good news is that you’re not alone.
People have been mastering the art of playing music on instruments for centuries. The techniques and methods you’re learning are often the result of hundreds of years of applications and the knowledge of hundreds of artisan musicians.
However, nowadays, you have advantages that weren’t readily available in the past. Even 10 years ago, many of the software related teaching tools that are so beneficial to new students weren’t easy to access, but expanding mobility has changed that reality. Now, you can obtain a variety of low costs (or free) tools that will help you in your musician’s journey, delivering ways to help you master various fundamentals and enhance your learning.
These apps are perfect for beginner musicians. Ranging in price and operating system requirements, no matter your specific needs, there’s an app that can help you overcome any hurdle.
Music Theory: Scale Net by Unison Design LLC
This app is fantastic for new students. It teaches music theory in a visual way, using models that demonstrate how the basic concepts in music relate to each other, and the patterns that emerge. Developed by two professors, the game incorporates a large pool of resources so that all types of music genres are included. Learn simple key relationships (such as major and minor), as well as complex harmonics, ear training, and sight reading. Truly one of the best learning tools for beginner musicians, this free ipad and iphone app should be a standard part of your curriculum.
Note Trainer (Sight Reading) by Big Box Labs
This android app includes funs way to improve your sight reading skills. Developed for beginners, this app contains a variety of key signatures and helps students learn to quickly sight-read music. Although it centers training on piano, it contains interactive strategies for learning to sight-read both treble and bass clef, so it can be applied to other instruments. Available at the play store for $1.00, its companion app, Note Trainer Lite, is free if you’re willing to deal with in-app advertisements.
Learn Music Notes Free Trainer by New Age Pirates
This is another great app for learning to read music. Available for free on your android system, this is a very basic game designed to help new students recognize various treble and bass clef notes. Fun enough for younger children, this free app is worth the download.
MyEarTrainer - Ear Training by myrApps s.r.o.
To develop great intonation, there are a number of apps available. This free android one is particularly popular for the advanced techniques and loads of resources it employs. Users learn to identify chords, intervals, scales, melodies, and chord inversions. With built-in exercises and the ability to develop your own specific challenges, this app offers intuitive interaction that allows students to progress rapidly.
Music Theory for Beginners by Musicroom.com
This app provides an excellent introduction to music theory, deigned to enforce the overall concepts being taught. At $4.99 on your iphone or ipad, this app includes 22 specific lessons that teach reading, rhythm, and harmony, along with a variety of other basic theories, and utilizes fun, interactive features to ensure that the concepts are understood. A great way to develop your foundational music knowledge, this app is great for beginner musicians.
Music Studio by Alexander Gross
The perfect app for those who are interested in developing their composition skills. A bit more advanced than other teaching tools, this comprehensive app can help you arrange and compose original scores. The friendly user interface and tons of recording options let new musicians explore different areas of sound and expand their understanding about composition. However, it does require a small investment of $14.99 for your ipad or iphone.
Ensemble Composer by Lotuz Studio
If you are interested in developing composition skills early, but don’t necessarily want to spend anything yet, this android app is the perfect alternative. With functional import and export capabilities, the ability to support up to 15 instruments and flexible viewing and editing modes, this app is fantastic for anyone who loves music and wants to develop their arrangement skills. There’s also a feature that allows you to set your original score as your ringtone. Free on your android operating system.
There are many other apps that are designed to broaden the path for new musicians. You can perform your own search by logging on to appcrawlr to find specific apps that meet your OS requirements and your budget.
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