Play Tunes Effortlessly With Magic Piano
Magic Piano (Free) by Smule makes playing a digital piano easy and fun. If you have ever shopped the app store for a piano app, you have noticed that there are dozens to choose from. Magic Piano has some unique features that make it unique amongst its competition.
I have experimented with my share of music apps. Some of my favorites to date have been ThumbJam, PianoAngel and, of course, GarageBand. I was wondering if Magic Piano would be able to compare to these great apps.
Smule always does a great job at making music accessible and attainable for the masses. They simplify digital instruments and yet keep them sounding good and easy enough to master in a short time. They also allow for live, global sharing which allows listen to someone else play a song live or broadcast one yourself.
Magic Piano keeps the keyboard and sounds interesting and a bit wacky. Play freestyle by running your finger up and down a black screen. As you play, green dots and the portions of the keyboard you are playing will light up. It's fun, but, if you are looking to produce a controlled performance, it is a challenge. The keys are very small.
There is also a circular keyboard to choose from. This allows for more octaves to be displayed (since this is always a challenge for piano apps on the iPhone). This, too, is fun but again is difficult to control and comes out sounding more like you are running your finger up and down the keys.
The most popular mode is the guided play mode. Choose a song title and you will see green dots floating down the screen guiding you when and where to hit the appropriate keys to play the selected song. Add your own little style to it for more fun. Broadcast yourself and hear others play.
If you enjoy the guided play enough, you have the choice to purchase more songs within the app. Smule is serious about loading their library with the classics as well as hot, contemporary songs. They are adding a handful of new songs every week. Presently the Mini Smoola Pack of songs is priced at $1.99 and the Pro Smoola Pack is priced at $19.99.
Magic Piano claims it is fun for professional and non-experienced musicians alike. I do not agree with this. Though I am not a professional musician, I am experienced enough to find the app a bit trivial. I prefer music apps that are a bit more advanced. However, if you never got serious about learning the piano and want an app that will not frustrate you but allow you to make music in no time, Magic Piano is the app for you.
