Android App of the Day: Magic Piano
I never had the good fortune of learning how to play the piano when I was younger, and as I got older I was always jealous of those who could play. While playing Heart and Soul is the grand extent of my piano skills, I now have an addictive app to hold me over until I can afford to take some real lessons. With the Magic Piano app for Android I now have a fun game that I can play and share with the kids. This app not only shares the love of music but helps children improve fine motor skills, sense of rhythm and musicality. The app requires you to tap the screen at the correct tempo to recreate the melodies of popular songs both old and new. While this app won’t make you the next Mozart, you’re guaranteed to have a fun time playing it.
Pros:
- Get free songs every day
- Enjoy the best song catalog of any piano app
- Have fun playing the piano without lessons or a tutor
- Just touch the beams of light, and you control the notes, rhythm and tempo of each piece while Magic Piano serves as your guide
- Share your performances with friends via Google Plus, Email, Facebook, Twitter, or SMS
- New songs are added regularly
- Earn new songs by playing and by watching videos
Cons:
- While you can use your existing Smule account with Magic Piano on Android, the content of the apps differ substantially, and consequently songs and Smoola are not shared between iOS and Android
- Some Android devices are restricted due to reported bugs
How it works:
- Download the app
- Warm up by playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (optional)
- Tap the screen to play
- Single notes are green
- Chords are yellow
- App will tell you if you are playing too fast of too slow
- You get points on a 3 star rating based on accuracy and speed
- Tap share to send your song to social network of choice
- Choose to play again or choose new song from songbook
- Choose songs from 5 different categories including: my songs, free songs, new songs, greatest hits, all songs
- The app’s secondary mode, Solo/Freestyle, lets kids tap on a more traditional-looking piano keyboard with black and white keys
Conclusion:
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Magic Piano is not your traditional piano playing app. The app’s main mode has you tapping falling balls of light to recreate your favorite melodies. You have to estimate what the correct tempo is and a lot of it is learned through trial and error and watching how the points are awarded each time you play the same song again. The game is updated with new achievements and badges, which makes it feel like you always have something new to play for. So, whether it’s Bruno Mars or Bach that you’re interested in check out Magic Piano today and let us know what you think.
Magic Piano is available for free in the Google Play Store. Requires Android 2.2 and higher. Play Link
