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Learn to play music like a pro with these apps
Mon, 18th Dec 2017
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Learning to play a new instrument is often a costly and frustrating endeavour, however, it's simultaneously an immensely rewarding experience.

Modern technology can help make this learning experience more entertaining as well, for both adults and kids.

Here are three apps that may help you learn the basics of music:

Chord!

With Chord!, users can write a song by simply dragging and dropping chords, transpose it in any key, compute the fingerings with any tuning and generate a beautiful print-ready PDF.

Users can also import their existing songs in text format.

The app allows users to link audio tracks from their music library and play them at the same time while adjusting their pitch and/or speed.

Unlike other chord charts app, the app doesn't rely on a database of charts, instead, it computes and analyses all the possible fingerings.

Users can use one of the hundred tunings shipped with the app, or they can add their own ones, for any instrument, with or without a capo.

The app uses custom algorithms to generate charts, easily input complex harmonic structures, extract chords from fingerings, determine fingers positions, compute keys of scales, generate chords from scales and find scales that go well with some chords.

Piano Dust Buster

Users can choose to use their own acoustic piano, or an on-screen virtual one, to play their favourite songs whether those songs are classical or pop.

The app is activated by an acoustic piano/keyboard, or by touch.

This means that there are no wires or adapters needed, the app just listens to your piano and you learn how to play.

It has two playing modes to choose from for both players who know how to read music or those who do not. In the first mode, players help Granny dust off the piano by playing the correct note when the germs hit the rhythm line while collecting points and bonuses.

In "Concert Mode" there is always a competition to compete in and a lot of free content to play.

Players can win medals, level up and unlock more songs from the JoyTunes library.

Monkey Drum

This app aims to make music fun and easy.

Users can set up realistic instruments to create rhythms and then watch as little jungle animals copy those tunes.

The creatures generally have funny reactions as you feed them bananas, spin them, or bop them on the head.

When users make them happy they reward players with a special song.

Players can create real music just by drawing and watch as the creatures play the creation.

Get creative and re-mix songs with different instruments, or accessorise characters with hats and sunglasses.

This game is geared to a younger audience, however, that doesn't mean that adults can't enjoy it too.