Leave a Review flowkey
Ok, been working with it about two weeks now
It does a lot but doesn’t really do what I want and need.
First of all, it only works with an internet connection so if you expect to take this to a studio somewhere and use it off line, you will be disappointed.
Secondly, the courses are good, but uneven with no directed progression. There is no way to gauge your current skill level and start from there.
Third, I wish there was an option to show the whole score of a piece. You either practice it their way or not at all.
The keyboard showing the notes is fine, but it would be nice to have more suggested fingering notations on the musical score.
And an option to name the notes on the score, rather than having to divert your attention to the keyboard above the score.
Fourth. I am really only interested in classical. There should be significantly more easy to intermediate pieces in the program. Most of this stuff is public domain, so why not?
I wanted to make a commitment so I bought a years worth. Now I am regretting it. I didn't spend enough time during the Trail period figuring out that it wasn’t really for me.Show lessIsabcomment
Updated Review
It’s disappointing that you can’t use both the streaming lights and the wait mode at the same time on a song on the Yamaha CSP-150. That would have made this app amazing. Instead, it was disappointing. I have to keep using the Yamaha Smart Pianist app until then.
Update...I got it to work now. Works with streaming lights and wait mode at same time only if the piano is not accessing the microphone. Great email tech support. The only thing that would help make this a 5 star app is if I could play the background music while playing the piano like with the Yamaha smart pianist app. The only issue with the smart pianist app, and why I’m looking at this app, is that the smart pianist app only has 50 pop songs.Show lesscoolpapap
If you’re looking for “the app to learn piano” -Congrats! You just found it. Yeyyy
(...and now feel free to go ahead and share some $$ to good hardworking people who made this beauty. They deserve it and I’m sure you gonna love it! 😉)
Last year, for the reasons which I still don’t exactly know, I suddenly decided that I want to learn to play piano. Somehow I kidda figured that ”nothing difficult here and I don’t need a teacher”, so I went researching web.
Few months later “the theory basics” were mostly covered, but next then next logically following question came up “Well, that’s all great, now I know it and what do I suppose to do with all of that now??”
So the point I’m trying to make here is: If I wouldn’t accidentally found this app I’d probably still be “mastering to play scales” or just simply gave up on all of this “piano nonsense” and would have missed the whole FUN I’m having now.Show lessbold.dreamer
My savior
Ok, I never write reviews... like ever, but this app deserves it. I am completely new to piano, never have taken a lesson in my life and while I have been trying, I couldn’t play with two hands to save my life, that is until I found this app. Even though I have only played through a little bit of the beginner songs, I CAN FINALLY PLAY WITH TWO HANDS!!!!! I have tried everything, besides a teacher because I like to learn by myself, and this app is the only thing so far that has helped me to play simultaneously with two hands, and actually play the piano well. It allows you to go at your own pace and slow songs down, and while it’s a little pricy, heck, I might even buy a subscription. So to all my newbies who also have no idea how to play and are loosing hope, this app helped me, and although you can only access a few songs before buying a subscription, I recommend it for the short time you can use it before it blocks off.Show lessmouse642
Could be much better
The wait mode functionality on this app is quite frustrating. This is the mode in which the song waits until you hit the right key before moving on. Without MIDI functionality on your keyboard you are stuck with it trying to recognize sounds through your phone mic. There is no keyboard calibration setup or anything to let the app know what sound corresponds to what key on your keyboard. So if your piano is slightly out of tune or if you have a cheap electronic keyboard like myself, it has a hard time picking up certain notes. This severely disrupts my flow during a song when I have to repeat a key until it finally recognizes, or it randomly skips notes sometimes. As a beginner i find the sections that are hardest to learn are the ones were I have to repeat notes because it cannot properly recognize them.
Also if I search a song that I would like to play, i can’t add it to “my songs” to save it for later. It appears that you can only save songs to your list if you so happen to come across it going through the songs tab and clicking through categories and scrolling forever trying to find the song you want to save. Very inconvenient.
Much to be desired after paying $100 for this app....Show lessZagmongor
Developer Response
Thanks so much for your honest feedback. I'm really sorry to hear that the note detection isn't working well with your keyboard. Sometimes, it helps to change the piano voice on your keyboard. Most keyboards have several different piano sounds, so that's definitely worth a try. I can imagine how cumbersome practicing can be if you have to hit the keys several times. When you are on an iPad, you can mark songs as a favourite in the search by clicking on the cover art. The audio preview will start and in the low right-hand corner of the app, you'll see the heart icon to mark it as a favourite. On smartphones, we don't have this option yet (due to the limited space). However, I will make sure that this will be discussed again with the development team since I can totally understand why it would be convenient to have on smartphones as well. If there is anything else we can help you with, please feel free to write us an email to support@flowkey.com or send a message via our in-app messenger.Bad Audio Recognition
I purchased a 1 month membership for Flowkey, and at this point I don’t feel it was worth it due to the poor note recognition/clumsy software. I get false reads/misreads fairly regularly, so whether it be I’m jamming the correct key until it hears me and I can proceed with the song, or it proceeds through a part I’m playing incorrectly (or not at all), it’s always frustrating and I don’t feel like I’m getting much out of it. This is particularly prevalent in two-handed learning. I know it’s a software issue because Yousician, which does virtually the same thing, proceeds almost flawlessly every time under identical circumstances. This is probably because it has an actual calibration menu, unlike Flowkey—maybe Flowkey expects you to be playing on an actual piano, whereas I’m on a smaller electric keyboard. It’s too bad, as Flowkey does feel like the more formally instructive option, but I must say I’m disappointed.Show lesskentahallis
Not what I had hoped for
So let me begin by saying I have been taking piano lesson from a teacher for 3yrs and this app is not something I would consider dumping my teacher for. The scrolling songs are interesting but to difficult to keep up with to learn the songs. If you are new to piano you will probably not catch on. I can read notes and play piano pretty well and I had trouble. The catch for me was they don’t allow you to download the songs and print them out. You have to go to another website and pay 6 dollars per song more if you want an actual copy of the song. A hard copy of the songs is important for learning the song so you can go at your own speed and not the speed the site sets for you. Even at a 50% speed can be to fast for a beginner. This is not a site I will continue to use. I will look elsewhere.Show lesscolleen0523
A different way to learn the piano.
I have playing piano off and on for over 30 years and Flowkey is the best and most inspiring teacher I've ever had. I've learned more new songs in the last 6 months than in all those other years. Exceptional piano playing meets intelligent app design. The song selection and piano styles have me playing and learning in ways I would never have with a single teacher. The ability to slow down and repeat any amount of a song is invaluable. As is learning the proper fingering with an unobstructed view of the pianist hands. It can also be a great tool for site reading. I can't say enough about the absolutely beautiful piano playing on this app. Pure unadulterated piano that can simply be listened to and enjoyed as some of the best piano renderings you can find. Bravo to the Flowkey pianist..Show lessAidanster
Great for Beginners
Update
I purchased 3 more months. It's holiday time and I can actually play many of the intermediate level songs. I am so pleased with my progress. Flowkey just added even more holiday music. I am so thrilled by the choices of songs and levels. This app is great for practicing piano. I play at least 5 times a week.
Original review
I purchased this app for 3 months. I am 60 and never played piano. I am now at intermediate level and can play many pieces with both hands. The lessons are well planned and effective. The choice of music is very good with popular songs, classics, and classical. There are also many holiday songs to play.
I enjoy practicing everyday by playing various songs I have identified as favorites. These songs are saved so I can find them easily.
Flowkey allows for choosing the speed to play the song or using flow mode, a mode that waits for the correct note. I like learning songs in that mode. It allows me to develop proficiency before attempting to play in time.
I would recommend this app to adults who would like to learn piano. It would be fine for young kids with support from a knowledgeable adult.Show lessSmm-37
Great app but I need more MIDI options
Overall I like Flowkey a lot more than other apps like Simply Piano. It has a better interface and better lessons in my opinion. I also love the fact that it has a MIDI interface since the keyboard I currently own is a MIDI only controller. The only problem with this is that the app doesn’t play back any audio of the notes I’m playing. I assume this is because most people using the app would be playing a normal keyboard or piano. But since my keyboard is just a controller, it doesn’t have any speakers on it so I can only hear the audio through whatever device I’m connected to. The options menu on this app is pretty limited, and as far as I can tell, there’s no way to change this. I realize that I’m probably in a minority situation, but since there doesn’t seem to be a work around for this yet, I’m stuck using Simply Piano if I want to hear what I’m playing. But since I still prefer everything else about this app, I’m hoping that this option will be added.Show lessAWal Visuals
