Piano lessons with the ipad

[derekeh]

i recently purchased an iPad air 2 and I'm amazed at how much it is replacing my windows laptop. I know that programs like playground sessions are available for windows and Mac . Does something similar exist for the iPad? I would love to have a piano lesson app that could either connect to my keyboard somehow or listen to it so that it could make lessons more interactive. Anything like this out there?

 

[twerppoet]

There are quite a few iPad piano lesson (and simulator) apps out there. Several will work with a MIDI keyboard, though you'd have to buy a hardware MIDI to USB (or bluetooth) device to use it. (Make sure it's compatible first).

A search of the App Store will turn up a ridiculous number of them. Hopefully someone with better recommendations will wanter by, because I can't offer any specific advice. The only piano/keyboard app I currently have is Garage Band, and all I use it for is to play around with the instruments. And when I say play, I mean like a kid plays with a toy, not like a musician plays music.

 

[derekeh]

Are these apps to teach you to play? Because most I find just teach you to play specific songs.

 

[twerppoet]

Depends on the app, of course. Read the descriptions closely, and if in doubt try contacting the developer through their support page. It's what I would do if I was looking for a piano teaching app. That's all I can offer.

What I would also do is get a real keyboard instrument. No matter how good the touch screen is for somethings it's never going to help you acquire the muscle memory you need to play an instrument well. It also means you don't need the app to provide a keyboard, just the lessons; hopefully in some interactive way that is an improvement over a book.

 

[derekeh]

I have a piano and a keyboard. I travel a lot and spend 4 nights a week in a motel so I'm looking into something more portable. I hate to but I'm probably going down to a 61 key . I'm afraid 49 would be too small for most lessons.

 

[twerppoet]

Ah. You know what you are doing then.

Let us know if you find an app you like. I've seen some interesting keyboard/app projects on Kickstarter, but of course most of those will take some time to come to be, if they make their funding at all.