Learn to Play with a Piano App

Learning to play the piano is something many dream of but either haven’t had the time or motivation to get started. Other hurdles on their way to learning piano could be the price of in-person piano lessons or maybe they just haven’t found a good method of learning.

Fortunately, learning to play piano (or any other instrument for that matter) is easier and more accessible today than ever before, all thanks to technology. Online piano lessons and apps designed to learn piano are gaining popularity among both the young and old, complete beginners and more advanced players.

If you’re looking to include an interactive mobile or desktop application as a part of your piano-learning experience, read on. We’ll tell you why learning piano with the help of an app is a great and motivating way to master the instrument, both for beginners and advanced pianists.

Are piano apps an effective tool for learning music theory?

Can piano apps replace lessons with actual music teachers? And are piano apps helpful for learning music theory? After all, a skilled pianist needs to understand music theory at least a bit.

In addition to just playing along to songs or following online piano lessons from a piano app’s library, apps can be useful for learning music theory as well. If the app has been designed in a way that enables you to use it for learning, music-learning apps can be valuable tools to expand your musical vocabulary and knowledge of scales, chords, and other concepts.

For example, the Knowledge path in Yousician lets you do all this as well as practice reading sheet music.

Play piano with or without sheet music

Being able to read sheet music is a useful skill to have for any pianist. However, learning sheet music may take some time, and the process can suck the fun out of the learning process for many, especially at the beginner level. On top of that, you should be able to have fun playing even when you don’t know how to read sheet music.

A good piano app can offer both: playing the piano with sheet music or some other simpler way. Yousician piano allows you to choose between three different notation styles: Enhanced, Colored, and Sheet. The Enhanced notation is good for learning the essentials of playing the piano and utilizes colors to help you navigate the keyboard. This style of notation is great for learning piano chords and where different notes are located on the piano keyboard.

The Colored notation style is a great alternative for beginner pianists as they’re still getting the hang of sheet music. Once you’re already familiar with reading sheet music and comfortable playing along to a song using it, you can choose the Sheet notation.

Play your favorite songs

What would playing the piano be without good songs to play? A piano app with an extensive library of popular songs and backing tracks is one aspect to consider. The song library should also have the songs, genres, and artists you enjoy. The difficulty of the songs should also cater to all skill levels, including beginners. Look for an app with easy songs to play on the piano if you’re still learning how to play.

If you’re having trouble learning a song or just a specific part of the song, some piano apps offer great tools for this. Learn songs easier by slowing them down. A metronome is a useful tool for this as well. You can also focus on a certain part of the song, such as the chorus, in case you find it particularly challenging. Focus on the difficult parts and repeat them until you nail every note and chord perfectly.

Make sure to check out Yousician’s full library of songs for the piano. Be on the lookout for new songs as well.

Piano app vs. in-person piano lessons

Piano lessons with real music teachers are a great way to learn. However, in-person lessons have their downsides. First, piano lessons can be very expensive, whereas a piano app often comes with a fixed monthly or annual subscription. In some cases, using or trying the app doesn’t cost a thing. Make sure to check if the app of your choice offers a free version or a short trial.

Piano lessons with an experienced teacher can be especially valuable for kids and other younger pianists. However, most players can get far on their own with the help of an interactive piano app and online piano lessons.

In addition to being a much more affordable option, online lessons with an app allow you to learn piano at your own convenience. Choose the time and place according to your own schedule. With the help of an app, you don’t have to leave your home to take piano lessons.

Thanks to the price and convenience of online piano lessons, the threshold to start playing the piano is much smaller compared to lessons in person. All you need is a piano or a keyboard and a device to run the app.

Piano app vs. learning with YouTube

When in-person piano lessons aren’t possible for one reason or another, many head over to YouTube for resources to learn piano. YouTube is a great source for videos and guides but lacks some things that a good piano app can offer.

First of all, unlike an app designed for learning piano, YouTube videos are missing the interactive element. They don’t listen to you play and can’t give feedback on your playing. Although YouTube is full of content related to playing the piano, the amount of it can be overwhelming. The quality of the videos isn’t guaranteed either.

One good thing about YouTube piano lessons is that they don’t cost any money. However, you’ll have to make up for this somehow. This is why the videos come with ads and quite often the people making videos are either trying to promote their services or additional content is behind a paywall. A trusty piano app with a fixed monthly or annual subscription can be a more convenient solution.

Play with acoustic and electric piano

A good piano app allows you to play with both traditional acoustic pianos and digital pianos or keyboards. The best ones allow you to choose between different instruments as well as piano set-ups for using the app.

Most likely the app uses the microphone of your device to pick up the sounds of your piano. However, how well this works depends on the quality of the device’s microphone as well as the app itself. Some piano apps like Yousician allow you to plug in your MIDI keyboard as well.

In case you are on the lookout for good beginner keyboards, check out our keyboard buying guide for some tips and recommendations.

Choosing a piano app

If you’re convinced that online piano lessons and piano apps are a great way to learn, how should you choose the right one for you? Consider the following:

• Price: How much does using the app cost? Is there a monthly or annual fee? Can you get a free trial and does the app offer a free version for you to try?
• Songs: What kind of songs does the app include? Are many genres and artists represented in the app’s song library?
• Convenience: Does the app allow you to play whenever and wherever you want, or is using it tied to a time and place?
• Real-time feedback: Does the app include only video lessons or is there an interactive element to it? If the app listens to your playing, does it provide instant feedback or rate your playing?
• Device support: What kind of devices does the app support? Is it mobile-only or can the service be used on a computer as well? What operating systems does the app support?
• Target audience: Who is the app made for? Is it geared towards children and beginner pianists or can more advanced players enjoy it as well?
• Other instruments: Is the app for the piano only or can you use it to learn and play other instruments such as the guitar, bass, and ukulele? Does the app support singing?

Learn and play piano with Yousician

The real-time feedback, extensive library of songs, and support for both digital and traditional pianos make Yousician one of the best piano apps out there. Make Yousician your personal piano teacher and start learning today. Play songs from multiple genres and different artists all while improving your piano skills and learning music theory.

You can use Yousician on your desktop computer or download it on your mobile device. Yousician supports both iOS and Android devices. You can use Yousician for free or get our extensive Premium+ plan with unlimited access to thousands of lessons and all the songs. Try Yousician for free today, the best piano app for learning at home. Read more about Yousician for piano.

Are you a teacher and would like to include a music-learning app as part of your students’ lessons? In that case, read more about Yousician for teachers and engage your students in the classroom setting or remotely.