Learning how to play a musical instrument is one of the toughest jobs of them all, and it’s nothing like coding or becoming a pro at MS Office.
It requires painstaking dedication and practice. It also requires you to train your entire body in a certain way to get comfortable with the instrument. However, it has become a bit easier with the help of a few mobile apps.
If you’re an up and coming musician, then you’ll love these apps to learn musical instruments.
Skillshare
Skillshare is a one-stop-shop to learn all types of skills — from coding to Blockchain.
The app features classes on how to play different musical instruments, the theory of music, and learning to play by ear. It’s all there in glorious high definition.
The app also allows you to save a few classes of your choice. However, you will have to pay for a subscription to use the app. It costs $10 a month or $100 a year.
It might seem pricey, but it’s worth it. For a year you can learn any instrument you want and be unimpaired by the wait for the next class. Also, Skillshare has an interactive section to talk to the instructor so you can post any questions you have. It’s one of the best apps to learn musical instruments.
Skillshare is available on both Android and iOS.
Lynda.com
Lynda.com is, like skillshare, a great portal to learn skills.
It also has great classes that you can access for a monthly or yearly subscription to learn all sorts of instruments.
The service is priced similarly to Skillshare at $10 per month.
The app also has options for you to interact with music teachers and ask them questions. This allows you to hone your skills while learning from the best.
Lynda.com is available on both Android and iOS.
Yousician
Yousician is great for beginners. Not only does it have tutorials to help you play guitar and piano and other instruments, but it also picks up audio. It can tell you where you’re going wrong and registers the right notes and chords to keep you on track.
Yousician is a paid app though. You have to pay up $10 per month or $120 per year. You can learn up to four instruments at once including Guitar, Piano, Bass, Ukulele, etc. If you bundle up those instruments then you will have to pay $180 per year though. While Yousician is pricey, you will get some solid practice out of it. It’s one of the best apps to learn guitar.
Yousician is available on both Android and iOS.
Simply Piano by JoyTunes
Simply Piano is one of the best apps to learn the piano. It’s got a clean interface which teaches you how to learn the piano fast. It has a huge library of songs and lessons that you can use to master any chord, note or progression.
The app also holds your hand through the entire process so that you’re not confused about what to do. The song list is also updated so that you can learn newer and newer songs without feeling old. It doesn’t just have symphonies and old classical light music as its instruction manual.
Simply Piano is available on both Android and iOS.
HarpNinja Diatonic Harmonica
HarpNinja is one of the few apps that you can download to learn the Harmonica. It doesn’t teach you anything else, but it’s not supposed to. It was made by a fellow harmonica player himself so he’s put a lot of thought into it.
It includes instructions for music theory and tuning for the harmonica. It can sync to your mobile phone or tablet or whatever you use. It also has a user interface that is designed for interaction and can fit on both small screens and desktops.
HarpNinja is available for both Android and iOS.
Modacity
Modacity was created by a musician that now plays in the San Francisco Symphony. Hence, he knows his stuff. It includes a recording and playback function which allows you to hear how bad (or good) you are. There is a metrodrone tool which allows you to drone and click at the same time. It has good access to subdivisions and even a tempo tap feature.
There is also a multi-functional timer that records the time that you spent on elements of practice. It also has stats that you can use to track how much you’ve practiced. There is also an option to take notes during a practice item. It’s a comprehensive app to learn music on your own.
Modacity is available on iOS.
iReal Pro
iReal Pro is a collection of musical scores and harts which you can use to learn music. It can play three instrument backing tracks and allows you to play along with it. Hence, you can play in a virtual band if you want. There are 35 song styles available as well including jazz, Latin and pop.
The interface is great and user-friendly. The left side of the app is a library that contains songs you can choose. The right panel contains lists of songs in the selected playlist. The far-right corner has the chords and arrangements of the selected songs.
Hence, just like a music player, you can select which song you want to practice and play. This makes it one of the best apps to learn musical instruments.
iReal Pro is available on iOS, Android, and Mac.
Reframe
Reframe is a very specific app for learning the saxophone, and it comes bundled with Anytune+. It removes certain instruments from a track so you can isolate the saxophone. This way you can learn to play along with the backing track. Hence, you won’t have a problem playing the accompaniment or the background to any song.
The app not only has a colorful interface, but it’s also very easy to operate. You can crop out different sections of a music file like you’re cropping out something from an image. This is not only a great app for learning to play the saxophone but a great app for a band member. All members can isolate their sections and play what they need to.
Reframe is available on iOS.
Anytune Pro+
Anytune Pro+ is great for anyone trying to play songs by ear. It’s the app that can manipulate pitch and tempo for any song and thus help you recognize notes and chords. The interface is very user-friendly too. It’s very easy to adjust the pitch of the songs and to speed up or slow down the tempo.
The best part about Anytune Pro+ is that it offers infinite markers. Hence, you can mark a solo section, a verse, or a chorus. There is even an option for you to loop between markers over and over. Hence, you can play a certain section over and over until you’ve mastered it.
Anytune Pro+ is available on iOS.
With any one of the apps, you’ll be on your way to learning a musical instrument. Good luck!
Learn How To Promote Your Music
Learning how to promote yourself, your brand, and your music is almost as important as learning how to play. If you’re only playing for your friends and family then you’re not going to get very far in the music industry.
Give your Spotify artist profile a boost with some Song Plays or Monthly Listeners.