This app is great, but I do have a few things that I want added. First of all, if we can manually select the highest and lowest notes in a range to play along with, that would be amazing! I use this to practice my four string bass and the E string doesn’t get enough love. I’d love to set the lowest note to an E and the highest to whatever I’m trying to learn. Second, if there could be a way to see the not being played depicted in major staff instead of just the key, that would be so so nice. That would add a whole aspect of sight reading as well as ear training.
Other than those two minor things, I love the app and it’s been a huge help.
Developer Response
Thanks for the comment! Do you know that you can adjust the range of the notes played, in settings? The app wasn't designed for the user to play in unison with the sounded note, so I'm not sure how that would help you. But perhaps you're using it in a new, creative way? In any case, you can't set the exact range of the roots sounded, but you can move the range up/down and make it larger/smaller if those help. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!Please, stop the subscription model. I’d pay $5 for this app, but I’m not subscribing.
Very useful and helpful, this app saves a lot of time. It provides practice options and ear training capability I don’t know how I could have managed otherwise. Far better than flash cards as you see, hear, and finger in real time. For me this is the most valuable single practice resource to learn the mechanics of music. If you need to work on chord tones, scale degrees, or learning in twelve keys, internalizing any of that, this is fantastic. Very thankful for this!
Anton's app is incredibly helpful, no matter what instrument you play. As someone who kept procrastinating and putting off this phase of my learning, I can say I am incredibly grateful an app like this exists. Incredibly user-friendly, with a ton of options for flexibility. If you are like me and maybe not sure where to start, Anton even includes some basic exercises to get the new user going. I started (painfully slowly, I might add!) with those and worked my way into making my own gradually harder exercises. Every day is a new challenge. It's been a rewarding and extremely humbling process. Well worth the money. Thanks Anton!
A well built tool for getting comfortable playing in all keys. But I think most potential purchasers of the app will fail to see its subtle yet profound utility. Perhaps more explanation would help.
Oh and please remove the random jumps to different octaves! It’s just really annoying.
PS: The new version of the app allows one to limit the range of pitches in such a way that the octave jumps are no longer there. I have updated my rating to 5 stars accordingly.
PSS: This app has been a big part of my ear training success. There are two things one needs to be able to truly play by ear: (1) The ability to automatically play in real-time what you hear in your minds ear; and (2) Good stuff in your minds ear. This tool has helped me accomplish 1. Wow wouldn’t be great if there was an app to develop 2! Nudge nudge ...
Developer Response
Thanks for the feedback, Musezak — I'm glad that Random Roots has been so helpful in your ear training! What you're referring to as random jumps is a behavior I added based on user feedback. When the roots were only played within a fixed octave, users would come to associate each particular key with a particular timbre/range of the note they would hear played. I added some slight variability in the range to counter that unwanted effect and make the learning less context-dependent. But, as you point out, it's now fully user-adjustable in the app. :)
As for helping you have good stuff in your mind's ear: I completely agree that that is essential! Luckily, I think that can be accomplished much more easily without an app than (1) can—namely, listen incessantly to great music. :) And sing along, internally or out loud. But if you have anything particular in mind, email me through the app!
Best wishes!Great practice tool!
I’ve been looking for a way to have something throw keys at me at random for a long time just to make sure I wouldn’t only be able to play something in a certain context. This app is great for that, and it’s amazingly flexible and well thought out by a musician for musicians.
Enough said
Developer Response
I'm sorry for that, SuperShoeDiva! Have things been working well since then? I hope you've been finding the app useful. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments… or if you've had any issues.This app is well designed and would be of benefit to anyone looking to hone their theory through practice; however the only way to unlock the full functionality is by signing up for monthly or annual auto renewal - a practice I cannot support.
Developers - if I’m mistaken, let me know and I’ll fix my review (five stars) and tell all my friends. This app is amazing and I very much want to support your work. Happy to subscribe for a year, it’s the auto renewal that’s the deal-breaker.
Developer Response
Thank you for your frank and level-headed feedback. I’m Anton, the developer, and I can relate to your frustrations. The auto-renewal is simply an Apple policy. But the subscription model was a conscious choice. It was my answer to the question of how to minimize the negative financial consequences to me as a musician, of developing an app that I felt needed to exist… and providing the supply of downloadable materials for it, etc. Unfortunately, it takes a great amount of time and, even with a thousand paid users, it provides me with only with the tiniest fraction of an income. If I compare it to my private music teaching, each annual paid subscription costs the user less than five minutes of a lesson, which I think is a pretty good deal for the user. Of that, Apple still takes a portion. Please forgive me sharing all this, but I want you to know that this is something I’ve given a lot of thought to.
It was a high priority of mine to minimize the app’s barrier to entry—which is why there’s an unlimited trial period and a negligible 1-month subscription price. I would LOVE to figure out a way to price the app differently and still be able to afford to work on it. If you have any ideas, I’m all ears - please contact me through the app or through antonjazz.com.
Thanks again for your input!This has quickly become part of my practice routine. Love the user provided exercises. The features are many and enjoyment abounds :D
Nutmeg Oliver
quartertonelow
Selmer Fudd
ChrisCaltag
Musezak
senotaur
Wombatista
SuperShoeDiva
steph.shar
tawntron
