The iPhone and iPad are great teaching tools, but they really shine when it comes to learning to play the piano. Dozens of apps have been designed for this purpose, and most listen to what you’re playing and detect whether you’re hitting the right keys. Here are our picks for the seven best apps to get you on the road to piano virtuosity.
Play piano on iPad! Lesson 1: Beethoven!
The most important requirement for learning 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 some other touch instrument). This trick works better with the iPad’s larger screen, but you’d be surprised how useful it can be on an iPhone.
If you’re just starting out and using the on-screen keyboard, you’re only learning the basics. A big part of learning an instrument is building muscle memory so your fingers know what to do, and for that you need 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 with 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 that you can connect a MIDI keyboard to your iPad and use GarageBand to produce the sounds.
