Music Theory

Test your music theory skills.

A unique trainer ★★★★★

Finally! A rhythm trainer that works both your hands. This app is great for piano players and students practicing their rhythm sight reading. Other apps just make you tap with one finger.

by JCCha73

Extraordinary! ★★★★★

This is a truly remarkable rhythm training and rhythm sight reading application that is unlike any other. With this app you can accurately find out how well you are able to keep time, or make a game of keeping time by comparing your "rhythm test" score to a friend's test score, using the same rhythm (if you are up to that challenge).

This is a mature app with many options and configurations. The interface is simple and well thought-out, so everything behaves like your fingers expect. The graphics are smooth, easy on the eyes, and well executed.

There are essentially two modes: a playback mode, and a record mode, which equate to rhythm skill practice and testing. In the playback mode the computer plays what are presumably algorithmically-generated rhythms, and renders correct musical notation of each rhythm, animated with a time bar that sweeps across the screen during playback. You can listen (and watch) a rhythm as many times as you like, so you can really get a pattern down before testing yourself. To really expand the possibilities you can choose what rhythm elements to include or exclude when the app builds the next rhythm.

When you enter the "test" mode you get three chances to beat your score. As you play, by tapping an area of the screen, small diamonds appear where each note you play starts and ends. Since the computer is sub-millisecond accurate, you will be hard pressed to score 100% on most of the tests, but you get a school-themed scorecard that makes it fun to see what grade you earned for your rhythmic performance. You can also choose what rhythm elements you want to practice (i.e. triplets, eighth notes, etc.), and set it up so you can practice with one or two hands. Good luck getting more than 80% on the two-handed tests!

If you want to improve your skills as a percussionist, or if you want to improve your rhythmic sight reading skills as any kind of musician, you should seriously consider this app.

by Russell Upsomgrub

Test your rhythmic abilities. Skill level can range from extremely easy, to nearly impossible.

Music Theory Rhythms
Download on the App Store

With a wide range of preferences, this test can be a simple test of half and whole notes on one pitch, to very challenging with nine different note values and corresponding rests on two separate groups of three different pitches each.

Select one or two hands - written lines of rhythms. Select from one to three pads for each hand. Pads represent pitches notated above, below, and on the line.

You can select any combination of note values you want included in the test: whole, half, quarter, eighth, dotted half, dotted quarter, triplet half, triplet quarter, and triplet eighth notes. You can include or exclude rests for the selected note values as well.

Introduce pitches to the test, select from one to three pads (pitches) notated above, below, and on the line. This is an easy way to step up the difficulty level while still testing the same note values.

Currently the test doesn't use bar lines. The goal is to isolate testing of note values and their relationships to one another without the addition of arbitrary bar lines. Grouping note values into measures is the step after mastering their relationships to each other. Triplet values will always be grouped into musical figures. There won't be an isolated triplet note without other notes to complete the figure. Likewise, there won't be incomplete beats when including eighth notes.

The test length can range from 4 to 32 beats. The tempo range is approximately 30 to 120 bpm. An excellent way to increase the difficulty of the tests is as simple as increasing the length of the rhythms or a slight increase of the tempo.

You can listen to the rhythm as many times you want before you try playing it yourself. You can adjust the tempo between each listen or attempt as well.

Record up to three attempt's markings on the rhythm display.

You can attempt the same rhythm as many times as you want. To retry the same rhythm, when you press 'Next Rhythm' you may be asked to save or discard your grading results. If you discard the results, it'll wipe the display of the grading marks and you'll be all setup to work on the same rhythm again. You also have the option of getting a new rhythm with the same parameters or setting new parameters for a new rhythm. If you save the results, when you then press 'Next Rhythm' you can choose a new rhythm with the same parameters or repeat the same rhythm.

Every time you save your results, for example after your first of three attempts, you can choose a new rhythm with the same parameters or use the same rhythm again.

Set the number of 'Tries' from 1 to 3. ** I plan to remove this setting for Rhythms because being able to repeat the rhythm as many times as you want between recorded grades (a requested feature), contradicts this setting's original intention of forcing 'one chance only.'

After each attempt you have the option of saving the result or trying again (if you've set the 'Tries' preference to 2 or 3). You only get to save the last attempt, not the best. After the set number of tries, you must select 'Next Rhythm', this will reset the grading marks and you'll be set to; try the same rhythm again, create a new rhythm with the same parameters, or setup new parameters for a new rhythm. You can attempt the same rhythm as many times as you want.

Percussionists

Set the test to exclude grading note durations. This can also help with beginners by allowing you to focus the test on just rhythmic accuracy before taking points away for wrong sustains.

Grades

Quickly see, filter by name, and edit this list of all saved scores.

You are able to delete selected scores, or all the scores at once.

Teachers may want to limit the access to the grades list, so it can be easily locked and unlocked within the app by using a password that is set in the iPad's Settings app. Just type the password as the student's name and the grades tab unlocks.

The recorded grades include the student's name, date and time the quiz was taken, all relevant quiz settings (note values included, etc.), and score (percentage and letter grade).

You can enter a name either in the module itself, or in the setup preferences. Just tap on the name and enter the new name.

Screenshots

Music Theory Rhythms Screenshot 1 Music Theory Rhythms Screenshot 2 Music Theory Rhythms Screenshot 3 Music Theory Rhythms Screenshot 4 Music Theory Rhythms Screenshot 5
Music Theory Notes

Music Theory Notes

Ear training by notation or piano keyboard.

Music Theory Keys

Music Theory Keys

All major, minor, and the seven mode key signatures.

Music Theory Intervals

Music Theory Intervals

All simple and compound intervals by sight or sound.

Music Theory Chords

Music Theory Chords

All types of triads and seventh chords by sight or sound.