Let's try Flowkey
Music applications are among smart phones from the moment they were created. Making music anywhere and at any time is the dream of many. But what if you don't have musical knowledge? Well, there are also tools to learn. Flowkey is one of them, designed to teach piano lessons whenever and however you want It also goes directly to the practical, teaching you positions of both hands with current and classical songs, and waiting for you to press the correct key to continue with the lesson.
And it is a method that is reminiscent of video game music games, where you only advance when the correct key is played. Flowkey takes advantage of the microphone of our mobile to recognize the note that must be played at all times. He then goes on to show the next part of the score to continue the lesson until we hit the right key. And and so on until you learn the melody, or the accompaniment, or even both But it's not the only Flowkey method. It also allows you to slow down the rhythm of the songs and slow them down to practice each section until you get the notes, the changes and the correct rhythm.
In our own experience we have not even used a piano or an electronic keyboard. We have taken advantage of a digital version available on the Internet. And we have dared directly with the famous City of Stars from the musical La La Land. With little knowledge of musical theory and practically no knowledge of piano we have been able to replicate the melody after a few practices.First by memorizing which keys on the computer keyboard corresponded to those of the piano and to the melody (added difficulty by not using a real piano), and then gaining agility and internalizing the rhythm of the song.
It is enough to give permissions to Flowkey to control the microphone of the mobile. Then, just place the device near the sound source: near the strings of a piano, or near a keyboard speaker. We have tested it near the speakers of the computer monitor. And ready. To follow the score and repeat the exercises until mastering the melody. Practice, practice and more practice.
Of course, Flowkey for Android does not only include this learning method. It also has its courses to get started in the world of pianoFrom sheet music reading to the theory of harmonies, arpeggios and note metrics. All this well ordered by levels for those who need to update or understand the basics of music. The only problem with these courses is that they are in English Both the videos and the texts. The format is very agile and comfortable, perfect for viewing on your mobile on the way home before practicing, for example. But it has the handicap of not being adapted to those who do not master Shakespeare's language. By the way, these courses have practical exercises in them, so learning is much more intense than watching simple illustrative videos.
Now, all this is not offered for free. By registering as users we have access to 8 songs where we can be guided by the melody and the accompaniment without limitations. An introduction to the Flowkey method and its extra possibilities. It is also possible to enter the theoretical courses of your choice.But in order to access the more than 1,000 songs and all the content, you have to subscribe to the paid service. There are several options for this: from 20 euros per month, up to a whole year for about 10 euros per month You can even have unlimited access forever for a single payment of 300 euros.
Regarding the songs we can choose between several levels of difficulty The good thing is that we find all kinds of genres available. From current pop songs, to movie soundtracks and even video games. Of course, we don't forget Beethoven's own classical repertoires. The variety and quantity are really wide and for all tastes.
