In every issue of AccessWorld, Editor-in-Chief Lee Huffman invites readers to write in with suggestions for future articles. Recently, we received just such a request. AccessWorld contributing authors Janet Ingber and Jamie Pauls, both of whom are board certified music therapists and professional musicians, were asked to collaborate on an article suggesting iOS apps for making music. From that request, came the article you are now reading. Ingber and Pauls have put together a list of some of their favorite music-making apps, both for the professional and the amateur musician. Feel free to send along suggestions for apps that were not covered in this article, but that you feel should have been.
Jamie's Picks
Talking Tuner by HotPaw Productions
Price: $0.99 / The Mac version of this app is free.
If you are a musician who does not happen to be blessed—or cursed, depending on your perspective— with perfect pitch, you may find that you need a bit of help making sure your instrument is in tune. You can certainly keep a pitch pipe or tuning fork handy, and you might be fortunate enough to be near a piano or keyboard that is in tune. Many times, however, you might find yourself needing to tune that guitar of yours in a hurry, with no tuning aids nearby. This is where Talking Tuner comes in handy. Simply download this 99-cent app to your iPhone, and away you go.
After opening the app, simply play a note, and you will hear VoiceOver tell you the name of the note and whether it is sharp or flat. One particularly nice feature of this app is that the self-voicing mode actually uses VoiceOver, rather than another voice on your iOS device. This means that you won't have two voices speaking to you at the same time. You can also examine the screen in order to find out additional information such as how loud the sound source was, and how loud the sound needs to be before Talking Tuner can detect it.
If you don't have perfect pitch, but you do have good relative pitch, this app works great for being able to find the starting note of a song if you happen to know what that note should be. Simply sing into the microphone of your iOS device, and Talking Tuner will tell you the note you sang, and how many hundredths of a semitone sharp or flat the note was.
For anyone who wants to be able to quickly tune an instrument, Talking Tuner is a simple app that does exactly what it claims to do. Be aware that background noise in your environment can make it more difficult to get an accurate reading with this app.
TempoPerfect by NCH Software
Price: Free
Available for other platforms from NCH, but accessibility was only tested on iOS.
Whether you are learning to play a piece of classical music or you simply want to make sure you are keeping a steady tempo as you practice your favorite blues tune, a metronome can be an invaluable tool in any musician's arsenal.
There are many metronome apps to choose from, and many of them are full-featured. Some include a tuner, and others let you tap a desired tempo rather than selecting it using a slider, but many of these apps are not as accessible with VoiceOver as they might be. One app that is totally accessible, however, is TempoPerfect by NCH Software. This app uses picker items to select tempos and beat groupings. Choose from 2 to 7 beats per measure. This app even allows for grouping such as 2 plus 3, 3 plus 2, 3 plus 4, and 4 plus 3 beat groupings. You can subdivide measures even further, so that you can, for example, hear eighth-note indications as well. If all you want is a simple click track, you can tell the app to only give you tempo indications with no accents on any beats at all. Tempo indications can be set from 10 beats per minute all the way up to 280. The app remembers your settings, even when you close it using the app switcher. It would be nice to be able to enter the desired tempo using an edit field, and to be able to manually tap the desired tempo. That being said, this app is as easy to use as it possibly could be, and the free price tag is hard to argue with.
InstaJam: Instant Drums/Beats by Board Crushers
Price: Free with in-app purchases
We all have a dream, right? Whether it's wanting to be a world-class boxer, the greatest baseball player of all time, or being a world-famous drummer, we all let our imaginations run wild once in a while, Occasionally, an app such as InstaJam can help us live that dream. Whether you are a serious musician who wants to try out some cool drum patterns, or someone who just wants to have a little fun, the virtual drum set that comes on this app will have you jamming in no time. Apparently, there are some "jaw-dropping graphics" associated with this app, but the good news for the visually impaired community is that you can simply start tapping out rhythms on your iOS device. The app is free, but you can purchase additional drum kits for 99 cents each. It is apparently possible to loop drum sounds so that they will repeat, but this aspect of the app was not tested for accessibility. For ease of use, and for the price, InstaJam is worth a look for anyone who needs to put a little rhythm into their music.
Janet's Picks
BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download)
For free music lessons on your iOS device, I recommend the BARD app from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. The National Library service has an entire department for music.
For example, if you are looking to learn a new instrument or improve your skills, consider searching for Bill Brown and the name of the instrument you want to play. Mr. Brown's audio instructional courses are not specifically geared to the blind, but he explains everything clearly and there are many instruments and skill levels from which to choose. These lessons can be downloaded straight to your iOS device.
The music section of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped can be contacted at 800-424-8567 or nlsm@loc.gov.
Learn That Song (Play Edition)
$1.99
iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
Requires iOS 8 or later
An excellent app for learning to sing or play all or part of a song is "Learn That Song." You can create loops of specific sections and change the tempo without distortion. The app is easy to use.
Once the app is installed, VoiceOver will call the app "Learn That (Play)." At the top of the screen is a "Songs" button. Next is a button labeled "About This App." Once the button is activated, it says the version number along with a list of other apps by the same developer. There are options to leave feedback, tell a friend, visit the app's website, or visit the developer's website. The "Done" button is in the upper left corner and will bring you back to the main screen.
Under "About This App" are the elapsed time and the remaining time of the song. VoiceOver will say that these times are adjustable, but it does not say how to adjust the time. Double tap and hold to adjust time.
Next is a "Re-Set Tempo" button which when activated sets the song to its original tempo. If nothing has been done with the tempo, the button will be dimmed.
Next are two buttons labeled "Faster" and "Slower." If nothing has been changed with the tempo, the button will say "100%." Double tapping on either button will increase or decrease the tempo. The button activated will now say the tempo change. For example, double tapping the Slower button one time will reduce the tempo to 80%.
The "Volume" button is the next control. By default, it is set to 100%. Flick down to decrease the volume and flick up to increase it. The next controls are buttons labeled "Previous song," Next song" and "Repeat." After these buttons is a "Back" button to move you back into the song.
The next set of buttons control looping a section of the song. The first button is "Mark loop in" and the second is "Mark loop out." The third is "Looping" followed by "Clear loop" and "Show external loop controls." The final controls are "Rewind," "Fast Forward," and "Play."
Activating the "Songs" button loads a new screen with five tabs at the bottom. They are "Recents," "Songs," "Albums," "Artists," and "Playlists." By default, the "Recents" tab is selected. If you have an Apple Music subscription, any playlists added to your library will be in the "Playlists" section. Only content on your device will show up in the Recents, Songs, Albums, and Artist tabs. You can also use Siri or search for a particular Apple Music song if it is not already on your device. The song should start playing after you select the song. If somehow you are not on the app's home screen, activate the "Done" button in the upper right corner. If you have gone out of the app to search for a song, re-open the app. In the app, below the "Songs" button will be the words "Now Playing" and the name of the song. Flicking right two times will bring you to where you can adjust the time. There are also Rewind and Fast Forward controls at the bottom of the screen. Double tap to move slowly or double tap and hold to move more rapidly through the song.
Once the beginning of the loop is located, pause the song and activate the "Mark loop in" button. VoiceOver will speak the time where the loop begins. By default, the loop ends at the end of the song. End at an earlier time by finding the point for the loop to end and activate the "Mark loop out" button. Once the beginning and end of the loop is selected, activate the "Looping" button. If the song doesn't start playing, activate the play button. The loop will start playing. It will keep repeating until "Looping" is unselected. Use the "Faster" and "Slower" buttons to adjust the tempo. Activate the "Reset Tempo" button to bring the song back to its original tempo.
If the "Show extended loop controls" button is activated, there will be additional options for creating and moving your loop. For example, activating the "Loop shift left" button will move the loop backwards in the song and the loop will end where the original loop started. Get back to the original loop by activating the "Loop shift right" button.
Unless the "Clear Loop" button is activated, the loop beginning and end points will still be available the next time the song is opened. If the "Play" button is pressed without selecting the "Looping" button, the song will play in its entirety. If the button is selected, only the loop will play.
This app makes it easy to learn specific parts of a song. It's much easier than rewinding or forwarding the song to get to the right part. The ability to slow down the song is also a very useful feature.
Tabs & Chords by Ultimate Guitar
Learn and play acoustic guitar, bass, and ukulele
Free. In-app purchases are available
Version 2.5.4
Requires iOS 8 or later
iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch and Android
When the app is installed, VoiceOver calls the app "Tabs."
To get chords for a specific song or if you just want to expand your repertoire, this app is a great place to start. When Tabs is opened for the first time, there is an option to take a tour. On the bottom of the screen is a picker for choosing the tour start page.
When the regular home page loads there is a search box labeled "Search in Tabs." Below this form are playlists. These are updated frequently. Some playlist examples are, "Party on with these singalong anthems," "Most recent chart toppers," "Songs for beginners with just a few basic chords," and "Classic hits which are suitable for kids." There is also an "Expand your chord vocabulary" option for songs that are more difficult. The Tab Packs button brings up a list of different genres. Double tapping on a genre will bring up a list of songs for that category.
Below the Tab Packs option is a "Now Playing" button. While a song is playing on your device, activating the button will bring up any versions of the song in the app's collection. This feature does work with Apple Music.
Below the playlists are several buttons including, "Account & Settings," "What's new," and Extras." At the bottom of the screen are four tabs: "Home," "Favorites," Lessons," and "Tools." You will need to make in-app purchases to get the lessons, tuner, metronome, and other tools that the app offers.
Activating the Account & Settings button brings up a new screen. The first option is to create an account or login. Creating an account will let you save songs in the Favorites tab. In addition, the songs can be synced with your other iOS devices. When the "Create Account" button is activated, there are three options: sign in with Facebook, sign in with Google Plus, or create an account with your email, user name and password. Next are two settings buttons. The first control is a button to select if you are left handed. The second is for a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) controller.
The "What's New" section has information about guitars, fun facts, teaching techniques and more. It is definitely worth checking out.
Since different people can submit the same song, there is usually more than one version. If a song is chosen from a playlist, only one version of the song will be in the list. Use the search box at the top of the Home page to discover all available versions. The Now Playing feature will list all versions. No matter how a song is located, double tap on the title and the song will open.
At the top left of the song's page is a "Back" button followed by the title and the artist's name. Next is the button to add the song to Favorites. An account must be set up to use this feature. If a song is added to Favorites, an Internet connection is not necessary to retrieve it. Next is a metronome button, but this feature is not available without the in-app purchase. Next is a formatting button that controls how the text fits on the screen. The next button is labeled "Your Options." This brings you back to all the app add-ons. The "Show Pro" version also requires an add-on. The "Music" button will start the actual song playing. The next button is labelled "Transpose" but it is not completely accessible. Flicking right, you will find the author of the document (not the composer of the actual song.) Next will be the difficulty level, tuning, and rating.
When reading the actual song, use the rotor with characters, words, and lines to read the song. In general, the chords are above each line of lyrics. At the bottom of the page is a section to rate the song there may be chord variations. There will be buttons to open each variation. They are very accessible with each finger and fret read by VoiceOver.
This is a well-labeled, clutter free app. There can be many versions of the same song; depending on ow many people submit the song. I usually try the version with the highest rating first. Using this app is significantly easier than finding chords on the Internet.
Dream Beats
Free
Requires iOS 8.3
iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
This is a basic and easy-to-use app for drum accompaniment. There are fifty beats from which to choose.
There is an Info button at the top left of the home screen, but activating it will not give you any critical information; it gives you information about downloading other things such as a guitar tuner. The Done button is in the upper right. The next control on the home screen after Info is a button labeled "Tap here to choose loop." Next are buttons labeled "Play," "Previous," and Next." The final control is a picker which is not labeled; it for choosing the loop's tempo.
When the "Tap here to choose loop" button is activated, a screen loads with 50 drum beat loops. Double tap on your selection and the drums will start playing. Activate the "Done" button in the upper right to get back to the home screen if you want to use its controls or just remain on the loops screen where you can change loops just by double tapping on the one you want.
This is a good app for backup for any instrument. You can practice songs or work on improvisation. There are some ads on the bottom of the screen, but they do not interfere with the app.
Conclusion
There are many additional apps that can be of use to musicians or people wanting to learn music. Unfortunately, not all of these apps are accessible. The ones listed in this article are good places to start. Happy music making!
Related articles:
- Apple Music: A First Look with Access in Mind by Janet Ingber
- A New Music Streaming Service: iTunes Radio is Here by Janet Ingber
More from this author:
- Stream It! Music, Movies, and More with Apple TV and VoiceOver, by Jonathan Mosen: A Book Review by Jamie Pauls
- Audio Hijack 3 Audio Recording Utility from Rogue Amoeba Has a New, Accessible Interface by Janet Ingber