5 Apps to Help Students Learn to Play the Piano

The rapid technological change has influenced all aspects of our lives, including the way we master new skills. Today, we have access to piano-learning apps that allows us to grow our music skills at our own pace. Some people are still skeptical about online music learning. But in fact, well-designed online piano lessons can be as effective as traditional classes. In 2021, students can become excellent piano players by attending lessons from the comfort of their homes. Here is a list of the best piano apps that works perfectly for educational purpose.

Skoove

Skoove is one of the most popular apps for learning piano, with over one million users worldwide. It offers more than 400+ interactive lessons for learning pop songs and classical pieces. Also, it provides students with an opportunity to improvise and compose their own melodies.

Skoove is a great choice for all students regardless of their skill level. Beginners can watch hand videos that explain how to position hands on the keyboard and learn piano techniques. Experienced piano players can take advantage of play-by-ear teaching – they can learn to play any song by ear.

This app is powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), and it’s capable of recognizing the notes student plays. It means that Skoove users can get real-time personal feedback just like if they were practicing offline in front of a real piano teacher.  The system points out the mistakes and helps students understand how they can improve their technique.

  • Best for: Everyone from beginners to advanced players
  • Pricing plans: From $9.99 to 19.99 per month
  • Free lessons available: 25 piano lessons
  • Available at: PC, Android, Mac, iPad, and iPhone

Simply Piano

Simply Piano is a mobile app that comes with 25 courses for different music levels as well as personalized exercises, sheet music, and warm-ups. Beginners can use this app to learn piano chords and develop their sight-reading technique. Advanced piano players can use Simply Piano to learn to play all genres of music, from rock and pop songs to classic pieces and jazz improvisation.

This app is compatible with any piano or keyboard. Simply Piano uses your device’s microphone to listen to which notes you’re playing and automatically detect your mistakes.

According to student reviews, this mobile app helps to master new skills in a fast and effective way. Many users say that Simply Piano’s courses are more interesting and useful than traditional classes they attended offline.

  • Best for: Everyone from beginners to advanced players
  • Pricing plans: From $12.49 to 24.99 per month, depending on the chosen package
  • Free lessons available: 7 days free trial
  • Available at: iOS, Android

OnlinePianist

OnlinePianist was designed to help pianists improve their skills by learning their favorite songs. This platform has the most extensive collection of virtual piano tutorials. All students, regardless of their music preferences, can find the songs they truly love and immerse themselves in piano practice.

The lack of enthusiasm is one of the main reasons why students fail to master new skills,” says Margaret Mitchell, an educator and research paper writer. “Pretty often, teachers force students to learn the subjects/topics they have no interest in. Eventually, it affects in-class engagement, and young learners drop the practice.”

The key advantage of OnlinePianist is that students, not teachers, choose what they will learn next. It allows to maintain enthusiasm and enables pianists to progress rapidly. New tutorials are added to the app on a regular basis, so OnlinePianist users never get bored – they always have new songs to learn.

  • Best for: Pianists who have already mastered the basics and want to improve their skills
  • Pricing plans: From $4.99 to 9.99 per month, depending on the chosen package
  • Free lessons available: 7 days free trial
  • Available at: iOS, Android

Playground Sessions

Playground Sessions app offers the same features as Skoove does, plus lessons from world-class teachers. Students can learn from Grammy winners Quincy Jones and Harry Connick and other experts in the field. The quality of teaching is high, and that’s an undeniable advantage of this app.

Playground makes piano practice fun and engaging. The app provides not only real-time feedback but also progress charts, scores, and levels. When students see how fast they progress in their learning, it motivates them to be more dedicated and practice more often.

  • Best for: Everyone, including those students who have never played piano before
  • Pricing plans: From $9.99 to $17.99 per month. Lifetime membership costs $289.99.
  • Free lessons available: 7 days free trial
  • Available at: PC, Mac, iOS

Yousician

Yousician is an app that students can use to learn piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, and singing. The main advantage of this educational platform is that it’s available in multiple languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese (simplified or traditional). So if you are not an English native speaker, Yousician is the best app for you.

This app works in the same way as most piano learning apps do. It “listens” to your play using your device’s microphone. So you don’t need to buy any additional cords or cables to use this app at home.

The main goal of Yousician is to guide students as they learn notes and melodies by showing them what notes they play right and what notes they play wrong. The app offers 10,000+ songs and interactive lessons, and it definitely is worth its money.

  • Best for: Everyone, including those who also play guitar, bass, and ukulele.
  • Pricing plans: From $9.99 to $29.99 per month.
  • Free lessons available: 7 days free trial
  • Available at: PC, Mac, iOS

Must See – Pianolytics

Pianolytics is a web-based app that provides in-depth analytics and insights for piano teachers and students. It helps users track and measure their progress, set goals, and provides personalized feedback on their playing. The app features a comprehensive performance analysis system that provides detailed information on playing speed, accuracy, and dynamics, allowing users to quickly identify areas of strength and weakness. Pianolytics is user-friendly and can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, making it an ideal tool for both teachers and students who want to improve their piano playing skills.

Wrapping up

Modern piano learning apps are effective, and they can help students achieve great results within a short period of time. The main benefits of these apps are that they allow students to learn the songs they like and grow their skills at their own pace.

If you are looking for new ways to make your piano learning experience more entertaining, choose one of the apps from this list, and you will not be mistaken.