Ballyland Code 3 vs FretBuzz Chords

“Ballyland Code 3: Pick Up” is a fun, educational app that introduces young students to Coding and Computational thinking on an iPad, including those who are blind or visually impaired. The app is a sequel to two previous Ballyland Code apps and offers a new coding challenge. Challenge 3 again involves a digital game grid with rows and columns, in which this time you need to code Wheelie, the car from Ballyland, to move around and pick up the frog, flower and coin. These three targets will be in a different position for each level of the Challenge. Coding the shortest route to pick them all up will test computational thinking and ‘mental mapping’ skills. A great learn-to-code app for all! Visit the Sonokids website sonokids.org for more information. Specifications: • Easy/Moderate level; • Audio Based Coding™: built-in speech, accessible coding interface, audio description, fun and meaningful sound effects, audio and visual (animated) on-screen coding output, mini audio-play; • No reading skills required; • No need to type code; • Unique accessibility for learners who are blind or visually impaired; • Finger gestures: Finger drag, Flick left and right with one finger, Flick down and up with one finger, Double tap, Three finger flick left; • “Black Curtain” option so everyone plays by ear; • Designed with feedback from children, parents and teachers; • Option to use Ballyland 3D printable tactile grid, moveable characters and objects for learning support (visit the website); • Use at home and school. Learning outcomes: • Computational thinking and basic Coding concepts and skills, such as breaking problem down in steps, sequencing, using coding commands; • Listening, Locating, Memory, ‘Mental Mapping’; • Orientation, spatial awareness on touch screen; • Navigating rows and columns in a digital grid (important for math!).

FretBuzz is an application for learning jazz guitar chords and their inversions. It covers: - Triads - Diatonic Triads - Spread Triads - Quartals: Three note chords by fourths, p4 p4, p4 #4, #4 p4. - Four Note Diatonic Quartals - Shells (Freddie Green Chords) - Drop 2 Chords - Diatonic Drop 2 Chords - Drop 3 Chords - Diatonic Drop 3 Chords - Drop 2 & 4 Chords - Rootless Voicings (Bill Evan's A and B Form piano voicings adapted for guitar.) All possible inversions of a chord is covered. Triads have three inversions, seventh chords have four inversions, etc. All possible string combinations of a chord is covered. Triads can be played on string sets 6-5-4, 5-4-3, 4-3-2 and 3-2-1. Drop 3 chords can be played on string sets 6-4-3-2 and 5-3-2-1, etc. This is not a "One Million Three Hundred And Sixty Six Chords For Guitar" application. And also this application does not have any open string chords. Rather this application covers the basic building blocks of jazz guitar chord vocabulary. Two chord diagrams are shown for each chord. The above chord diagram shows the chord notes while the below diagram shows the degrees within the chord. This way you can form an understanding of the structure of each chord you practice and you can use this understanding to create other chords. The play button plays the inversions in succession - in a loop with a metronome beat - and switches the tabs/inversions accordingly so that you can practice along the app. In this mode you do not have to change the tabs/inversions manually. You can also set the tempo of the play along. The tempo can be adjusted as low as 40 bpm, especially useful when learning new chords/shapes. Tapping on a chord diagram plays the entire chord. Tapping on a degree/chord note plays the individual degree/note. I made this so that I can practice when I am away from my guitar, and also for making sure I am not playing wrong notes when practicing. There is also a mini tutorial on how to create altered chords from basic chord shapes. You can resize the chord diagrams for your device. There is also a left handed option in the settings.