# Random Roots - Music Trainer — user reviews > 35 indexed App Store user reviews of Random Roots by Anton Schwartz, rated 4.80/5 from 126 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/random-roots-music-trainer/id1330331589/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/random-roots-music-trainer/id1330331589.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 111 · 4★ 7 · 3★ 3 · 2★ 2 · 1★ 3 ## Newest reviews (12 of 35) ### 5/5 — Amazing! *2020-11-02, version 1.4.1* Wish there was an option to randomize scale degrees. ### 5/5 — An essential practice app! *2020-04-21, version 1.4.1* This has quickly become part of my practice routine. Love the user provided exercises. The features are many and enjoyment abounds :D ### 5/5 — Nice app but... *2020-02-23, version 1.4* Would be great if it showed the diagram/graphic of the chord for beginners. Beginners have to learn to remember what an E chord looks like versus a Em chord on guitar. Or what a full G chord looks like versus a Gm chord on guitar. ### 5/5 — Fantastic Practice Tool *2019-11-15, version 1.3.2* Well designed, intuitive, solid, flexible, easy to use. And fun! I found it quickly addictive, in the best way. Really accelerates the process of internalizing vocabulary and being able to play what you hear. Hard to put into words, but I find it breaks down some kind mental barrier surprisingly quickly. I look forward to my time with it. ### 5/5 — BEST MUSIC APP EVER *2019-10-03, version 1.3.1* Anton delivers a GREAT app, easy to learn every music app I use is just like reading a sheets of music. ### 5/5 — This is just the breakthrough I needed *2019-07-31, version 1.2.1* I’ve been learning and playing scales, arpeggios and cadences for years and I have them down cold ... until I get to the jam and can’t seem to remember any of them. Random Roots presents a completely different way hold that same information in your brain. So, for instance, it is forcing me to understand the relationships of the 3s and 7s in ii-V7-I in a way I haven’t done before. Instead of relying on fingering patterns on the fretboard, I’m actually considering what notes are appropriate over the upcoming chord. This is exactly the transformation I have been looking for. ### 5/5 — Essential part of my practice routine *2019-07-30, version 1.2.1* Random Roots is a hugely valuable practice tool. I use it every practice session, and I also use it for teaching. ### 5/5 — Wish I had this 25 years ago... *2019-07-08, version 1.2.1* I've been playing trumpet for 34 years, and the more time I spend with this app, the more I wish I had it back when I was a kid! Better late than never though... This app has helped me develop my musical fluency dramatically. The provided exercises are great. The developer's support is outstanding. Worth every penny! Thanks! ### 5/5 — Essential to learning buildings blocks *2019-05-01, version 1.1.2* As a 45 year old new to learning jazz and theory I’ve found Random Roots very helpful to programmatically learn the basics. It’s super easy to learn intervals like minor thirds by choosing tempo and setting a goal. Great cloud based set of free addons available too. Created by a professional jazz musician with background in computational intelligence. ### 5/5 — Fantastic!! *2018-12-26, version 1.0.2* Fantastic!! ### 5/5 — A class app by a monster player and superb educator... *2018-12-20, version 1.0.2* I’ve used Anton’s random roots exercise using his paper matrix and this new app takes that exercise to the next level. I’ve only scratched the surface using the many approaches you can use with this app and it’s thoughtful design. In the East Bay, CA, (and in Seattle), jazz lovers and students know and respect Anton for his monster playing and commitment to jazz education. And many of us are aware of his notable academic achievement and background at Stanford. With this new app, he’s synergistically combined a little bit of both to help us move along the musical learning continuum in a structured and fun way. I’m looking forward to using this app toward improving my playing and musical acumen with the goal of moving to the next level. ### 5/5 — Essential practice tool *2018-12-20, version 1.0.2* Years ago Anton had a handout that was a single sheet of paper showing a random grid of chord roots (e.g. Ab C# D B...). The instruction was to turn on the metronome and play the phrase that you were learning in each key without stopping. The idea was that by moving through keys in random order you practiced speeding up your reactions to new keys and you also avoided the pitfall of only being able to play the phrase ascending or descending in some order like chromatically/whole steps/thirds. (Of course practicing in non-random progressions is important too!) The Random Roots app brings the random progression idea to your iPhone or iPad. But beyond just practicing a phrase in a single key it can give you cadences in random keys i.e. 1 or 2 bar major or minor ii-V7s, Coltrane changes, etc. There are a bunch of exercises included by default, but you can also create your own. Check out the app website for an overview of the features or download the app and use it in free mode (you are limited to 6 keys until you pay). Checkout the context-sensitive “?” icons for help. There are a few subtle features (see Settings) that I find useful: Count off (new key) allows you to set an arbitrary number of beats to count off before each new key is played. I find this useful when I'm ramping up a new exercise. As I get better I set this to "none." Play Root: The root of each chord is played in time with the metronome as you move to each new key. Play during count off: If you are using Count off (new key) the root is played during the count off. I find this especially helpful to orient my ear to the new tonality. Weighting of keys: You can set a heavier/lighter weight on keys that you with which you need more or less practice. Super useful! Give me more Ab! Alternate root names: I love having the app throw Cb and A# at me. "Presets" allow you to limit your study of an exercise to just a few keys at the beginning and gradually increase the number of keys. Tip: When you are in settings most settings are exercise-specific, but the ones with the little globe icon are global to the app. You can get creative with how you use this app. (I'd love to hear cool new ideas.) Here's how I used it when working on Joy Spring: I duplicated the 1-bar major ii-V7 progression and only enabled the 6 keys corresponding to Joy Spring in F. I drilled my triplet exercise and Honeysuckle lick through until I hit my metronome goals. However every day I after the random practice I also played these exercises through the form of the tune -- for me this is crucial. I feel like the form flows easier after the random practice. Presently I'm working on this with Joy Spring in B. Here’s a non-standard exercise I've experimented with: Turn on “Play root,” “Play during count-off” and set “Count-off” to 4 beats. Start an exercise but don't look at the screen. Identify the root that you are hearing and then execute the phrase you are practicing. I suggested Anton vary the octave that the root is played in to make this exercise a bit more challenging. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Chords/harmony *2019-01-14, version 1.0.3* I could not find any chordal harmony to be heard. The app will play a note and play sequences of notes but it doesn’t play chords or progressions of chords. Here’s hoping something will be added. ### 2/5 — Cool utility but sub $ unwarranted *2025-01-07, version 1.4.2* This is a cool practice utility but I think requiring a subscription to “unlock” all 12 keys is an odd choice for a simplistic tool with limited updates and use cases. A one time fee up front seems more in line with what is offered. ### 3/5 — Crashes on launch until I reinstalled *2020-07-11, version 1.4.1* Enough said ### 3/5 — Amazing app, lousy contract terms *2020-06-10, version 1.4.1* 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. ### 3/5 — Subscription...not! *2019-08-05, version 1.2.1* You had me until the monthly/yearly subscription for the unlock. Great idea though! Looks like it could be very helpful. Just don't get the subscription thing.. Best wishes ### 4/5 — Great tool for ear training and learning your fret board *2023-02-24, version 1.4.2* 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. ### 4/5 — It’s very good, but *2023-01-28, version 1.4.2* Please, stop the subscription model. I’d pay $5 for this app, but I’m not subscribing. ### 4/5 — Very nice app *2020-08-18, version 1.4.1* Looking forward to using it more to aid my piano learning. ### 5/5 — Awesome Learning Tool *2026-05-02, version 1.4.2* I’m a woodwind player and have studied jazz theory. I’m using Random Roots to learn keyboard skills. It’s an extremely well-thought-out learning tool that I use to create my own exercises to learn piano chords. Note that it also comes with tons of pre-built exercises. You can set the tempo or use a Bluetooth foot pedal to advance the chordal roots manually. It allows you to select all 12 keys, or just the keys you want to work on, and keeps track of your progress. Easy to use, flexible, intuitive, and motivating. I’ve owned a piano keyboard for many years and with the help of this app, I am finally starting to learn how to play basic chords. Note that it’s not a piano teaching app, but a tool to help you drill scales, chords, or whatever you are working on at the moment. I don’t write reviews often, but I think this app deserves 5-stars! ### 5/5 — Excellent App! *2025-06-18, version 1.4.2* This is such a good app! It’s simple and easy to use but so incredibly versatile. Great for ear training and tonal dexterity. ## Most praised reviews (8 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Just what I’ve been after! *2024-04-28, version 1.4.2* Great app, a lot of thought has been put into it. Brilliant for practising jazz scales and will be good for getting students started on their major and minor scale practice. Great value for money, really impressed. ### 5/5 — Absolut Top zum Üben in allen Tonarten *2023-04-12, version 1.4.2* ***** ### 5/5 — Super Resource *2022-06-04, version 1.4.2* 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! ### 5/5 — Fantastic app! *2021-10-26, version 1.4.2* 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! ### 5/5 — Good but ... *2021-04-09, version 1.4.2* 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 ... ### 5/5 — Excellent trainer for Jazz piano chords *2021-02-09* I was desperately seeking an app that would help train my hands to memorise rootless piano chords and this turned out to be perfect. My progress had been very slow using flash card apps because there was no metronome setting or soundoff of the root. This app turned out to be perfect for what I needed once I figured out how to use it, which wasn’t very difficult. The randomness of displaying the root is not actually random, but very conducive to helping you identify the chords relative to each other. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for an app that helps train your jazz chords. I can see that I will be using this for more advance training of progressions and riffs. ### 5/5 — Awesome! *2020-12-18, version 1.4.1* Great practice tool! ### 5/5 — Been wanting something like this for a long time *2020-12-02, version 1.4.1* 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. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-01.*