Music makes the world go around, but do you actually know what it is? It’s one thing to say you enjoy music because you like listening to a lot of songs. It’s a whole different thing to really understand that music.
If you're just starting off learning music on your own, check out our list of best apps to learn music.
Music theory beginners are lucky. Learning music theory is a journey that can be lots of fun, and very useful. But it can be difficult when you're just starting out. Do yourself a favor and use one of these best music theory apps to learn and understand how music works on all levels.
- 6. Music Theory Illustrated
- 7. Theory Lessons
- 8. Tenuto
- 9. Music Tutor (Sight-reading)
- 10. Chord!
Newzik is a one app for all your sheet music needs. Newzik is designed to allows users to utilise the app by reading the scores, and following them digitally, without the need for printouts or multiple pages, at its most simplest form.
Newzik boasts an array of custom pens, symbols, and highlighters that lets you mark your sheets with inputs, notes, and more. Newzik employs an advanced optical music recognition (OMR) technology dubbed as Maestria to convert any PDF or paper score into interactive LiveScores that combine PDF, MusicXML, and MIDI formats.
An almost perfect app for musicians. And it doesn’t restrict itself to pros. It warmly welcomes newbies as well.
Cost: Free trial with limited access
Devices: iPhone, iPad
If we missed any of the Best Music Theory Apps, tell us about them!
Tomplay is a cross-platform app that allows users to play along with pre-recorded audio versions of a piece while following the sheet music. Tomplay’s interactive sheet music app includes a wealth of music for violin, viola, cello and more. Tomplay offers thousands of classical, pop and jazz sheet music with backing tracks. There are a wealth of features available, such as being able to choose your tempo, record yourself, annotate the sheet music and an automatic scroll feature.
The app works with a range of popular instruments like piano, violin, drums, guitar, and bass, and even includes options like the tuba, bassoon, and harp. The sheet scrolls automatically on your screen in time with the music, and you're free to choose your tempo, annotate your scores as you play, practice a passage on loop, and record yourself so you can better keep track of your progress.
Tomplay gives you access to more than 60,000 scores containing high-quality recordings to accompany you.
Cost: 14-day free trial then $10/month
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
ABRSM Theory Works app contains over 6,000 music theory questions designed to test your music theory knowledge. Available for both Android and iOS, this app brings music theory to life with fun and engaging challenges at Grades 1 to 5. The app is aimed towards any student that is looking to improve the theoretical understanding in preparation for music theory exams with ABRSM.
This app is best viewed on iPad and the explanations are helpful, aided by diagrams where suitable, and further exercises to practise. This app provides instant feedback and recognition for accurate answers, without necessarily having a music theory teacher, or to aid alongside this.
Cost: $4.99
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
EarMaster is a comprehensive Music Theory app you can use in plenty of ways. EarMaster provides an excellent range of teaching and listening questions to develop any music learner from beginner topics to much more developed aural awareness.
The app includes all you need to build up your music theory skills and become a better musician. This app is designed to build and develop your aural skills in rhythm and pitch identification. It takes you through from basic rhythmic and pitch understanding and simple interactive questions, to much more advances understanding of chord progressions, interval identification and sight-reading and sight-singing of far higher complexity, including jazz workshops and customised exercises.
Cost: Free with in-app purchases (individual bundles)
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows PC, Chromebook
5. Music Theory Pro
(iPhone, iPad)
Music Theory Pro is a complete ear training for music students and top-musicians who whats to get a serious master theory about chords, intervals, key signatures and note naming. Music Theory Pro is one of our favourite and most recommended music theory apps for the iPhone.
It’s an app to help you perfect your theory and ear training with games and lessons as well as a challenge mode where you can go head to head with your friends on your music theory knowledge.
Cost: $4.99
Devices: iPhone, iPad
Music Theory Illustrated is an iOS music guide app that shows notes, scales, modes, chords, and chord progressions to help musicians understand music theory further. The app teaches users how to make chord substitutions and more. It takes the musical concepts that a musician already knows and applies them to every key.
The app covers ten must-know topics that musicians deal with when creating or improvising music. This app simplifies all of that and guarantees better accuracy.
Cost: $2.99
Devices: iPhone, iPad
7. Theory Lessons
(iPhone, iPad)
Theory Lessons includes 39 animated lessons about notes, notes notation, chords, scales, degrees, intervals... and everything you need to learn like a professional musician. It has great images that really do a good job of explaining everything from note names and values to scales and time signatures.
Cost: Free with in-app purchases
Devices: iPhone, iPad
Tenuto app contains a collection of 15 customizable exercises designed to enhance your musicality on your iPhone and iPad, in addition to five different calculators that you can use to determine intervals, chords, accidentals, and loads more.If you’re serious about learning more music theory then you absolutely have to download this app. You can use it offline and on the iPad to learn and do their challenge mode where you can test yourself on different topics.
Cost: $4.99
Devices: iPhone, iPad
Music Pro is one of the best music theory app for teaching you how to decode standard notation. Learn to read sheet music and improve your sight-reading skills with Music Tutor app. Develop your speed and accuracy in reading sheet music by identifying music notes in timed sessions.
Cost: Free with in-app purchases
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
10. Chord!
(Android, iPhone, iPad)
Chord! helps you to learn music theory in a way that is refreshingly guitar-centric. It’s hands-down the best music theory app for practical guitar learning. There are tons of music theory apps that focus on the piano and use that as the filter through which all theory information passes.
Cost: Free with in-app purchases
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
Learning about music theory through these music theory apps can help you improve your talent.
Further Reading
