Overview
TappyTunes is the alternative music app for all of those who don’t know how to play piano or guitar or anything else for that matter. You choose a song from a list, then simply tap on the screen to hear it. Every tap plays the next note.
Features
There are over 70 songs featured, though nothing remotely new or copyrighted. If you’re looking to tap some Flaming Lips - forget about it. You’ll only find public domain songs. Not that that’s a bad thing. Beethoven rocks. Songs are broken up into categories such as children’s, classical, holiday, patriotic and more. Odds are, there’s something for everyone.
Because scientists have determined that blank screens are “boring” and “totally lame,” the developer has taken precautions. Images, like music notes and bells and flags, and stars, etc, appear when you tap the screen. The images follow your finger and will grow larger the longer you hold your finger on the screen. Sometimes… they’ll even twirl. Yeah! Twirl!
Breakdown
The Good:
I’m not going to sit here and lie to you. I did have some fun with this app. Not a lot, though. It wasn’t like, “Weeeee! I’m at Disneyland!” fun. Nope. It wasn’t even like, “I’m saying Sham-Wow every time!” fun. Look, here’s the thing- I really like Fur Elise. Okay? And it’s in there. It’s one of the few songs I can play on the piano, and it was kind of cool to be able to “play” it so easily with TappyTunes. Even though that’s not really playing it. It’s just tapping in a rhythm.
The songs sound good too. They’re not just cheap midis. Some even have multiple instruments making up the song. Take ‘Carol of the Bells,’ for instance. The main song is played on what sounds like a xylophone (though I might be completely wrong because I know nothing about music), while a bell dings for certain notes. It’s pretty sounding.
The Bad:
I beg to differ with the developer who claims that their app “requires no musical skills.” In order to hear a song correctly, you must have at least a little musical knowledge. You have to know the rhythm of the song, otherwise it will just sound like ass. If you don’t know the song- it might not sound good.
Is this app really the answer for the musically challenged? Wouldn’t it be better to encourage those people to learn an instrument and play these songs for real? Don’t pamper them- don’t pat them on the back and say, “look, don’t worry, it’s okay to suck.” I’ve actually wanted to bust out my keyboard and start playing the piano again. And maybe I will… right after I learn the guitar…
Verdict
I can’t really say that TappyTunes is much more than a pleasant time waster. I doubt you’ll impress too many friends with your phony musical chops, but I don’t know, maybe you have a lot of lame friends. Would I pay 1.99 for this? No. Should you? Only you can decide. I mean, this app is what it is. And it just so happens to be something that I didn’t really dig.
