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Show HN: My iOS app to practice sight reading (10 years in the App Store)
Hello HN, this has been my personal project for quite some time now. It has been a slowly evolving project over the years and its core function is for users to expose themselves to progressively more difficult lessons of music notes.
NOTE: It is free and there are no ads. There is an in app purchase but most of the app doesn't require it.
- karol 2y agoAmazing!
- MarcelOlsz 2y agoHow's it compare to SightReadingFactory? Can I use it for trumpet?
- rooster117 2y agoI know what sight reading factory is but I haven't personally used it. In the app you can isolate the Treble staff for practice/lessons so it would work for practice with what you read on trumpet (I believe)
- Gmage 2y ago[flagged]
- jkmcf 2y agoWhat a wonderful logo! I'll see if my daughter is interested, but I'd love a guitar version (hint, hint).
- rooster117 2y agoI appreciate it! I'd love to add new instruments. I actually have a version which is violin only but it is pretty stale at this point.
- shermantanktop 2y agoCheck out Tenuto for similar types of learning modes, and that has guitar/fretboard support for some modes.
- devonsolomon 2y agoI learned on this. It’s near perfect. Nothing to say but thank you!
- rooster117 2y agoAwesome to hear!
- ppetty 2y agoThat’s awesome! I’m not a musician but just impressed by an app with great focus that stands the test of time. Makes me wonder why Apple doesn’t have an area for exactly this type of app; the opposite of Latest Apps.
- walterbell 2y agoCommunity could maintain an index. awesome-ios-apps-timeless
- kibibu 2y agoMight be my pessimistic mood this morning, but I'm curious whether these "awesome x" indices are actually community-owned or whether its code for "one passionate person sifting through a bunch of garbage until they burn out"
- walterbell 2y agoHopefully the next volunteer extends the work of their predecessor, instead of starting from scratch. In theory, reputation signals from 'awesome' lists and HN threads could inform search engines, LLMs and app market analytics.
- mortar 2y agoThanks, just downloaded it to try and purchased instantly - great app! Have been “playing” Für Elise for so many years on piano, but forgot how to read sheet music years ago and didn’t quite know how to get back into it. Thought Synthesia would help but struggle at certain parts so the repetition and score based learning will help a lot.
- rooster117 2y agoIt'll probably come back to you fast. My app is best to learn the note (letter/octave) of what's on the staff and mixed with practice on a real piano should get you back to reading
- shermantanktop 2y agoI am cursed with enough musical memory that if I learn a piece from sheet music, my sight reading literally turns off and I play from some combination of muscle memory and ear. That might sound like a humblebrag, but it's not -it's quite frustrating to "work on reading" and then realize I'm not actually getting better at reading. When I come back to the material later, the short-term musical memory has usually faded and I'm starting over. That's what comes from playing simpler rock stuff by ear/memory for many years and then moving to large amounts of material which can't be done only by ear. My solution is to have a large amount of unfamiliar material and just open to a random page and start working things out.
- spunker540 2y agoThis may sound crazy but my sight reading improved a lot after I took an ear training class that required me to work in arbitrary clefs. I always knew treble and bass from playing piano, and had really memorized the note positions in each. When I was suddenly forced to work in tenor, alto, soprano, baritone clefs, I could no longer rely on memorization of note positions. I had to pivot to “reading intervals”. A fifth looks the same in any clef, so if you know the current note, and the next note is a fifth above, you know the next note too, clef be damned.
- 2y ago
- hackerdood 2y agoChiming in to say I downloaded this what feels like ages ago and occasionally come back to it when I’m away from my keyboard for too long, so thank you for this amazing app!
- rooster117 2y agoLove to hear it. Thanks for the years of usage!
- benoliver999 2y agoBeen using this for years now, it's precisely what I needed given that I came to bass clef late in life
- rooster117 2y agoLove to hear it
- aterp 2y agoAnyone have recs for good Android equivalents?
- rooster117 2y agoI get a lot of requests for an Android version. I've never had time but I hope there is something good out there
- punnerud 2y agoNot an answer to your question but I have 8 iPhone app on AppStore, and many more on my phone not published. Made an Android app, but it’s hard to publish to Google Play compared. Stopped almost at the end in the approval process, because I felt like this platform must really hate developers. Or is it just me? When I see the stats on paying Android users compared to iPhone, I feel I always will start on iOS and only maybe make to Android if it’s successful somewhere else first.
- busymom0 2y agoI made a similar app for both iPhone and Android called Note Flash. Works with microphone and MIDI: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pranapps.noteflash2&hl=en_CA https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pranapps.n... https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/note-flash-music-sight-reading/id1285315687 https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/note-flash-music-sight-reading...
- IncreasePosts 2y agoNeeds to be updated for a modern version of Android:(
- busymom0 2y agoLet me update it to the latest SDK this weekend. If you email me (in my profile), I can reply to you when update is available.
- rs186 2y agoI have been using https://www.sightreadingfactory.com https://www.sightreadingfactory.com. It is available as a website and works differently from these apps
- sneak 2y ago[flagged]
- Etheryte 2y agoI can understand this sentiment in other contexts, but here? I'm not sure. They're exfiltrating how bad I can play sheet music? I'm not really sure if I see the problem?
- mh- 2y agoIt's also just app usage data NOT linked to identity, per their App Store page. Suggesting the developer is lying about this is a serious accusation, so I'd hope the parent commenter has some proof they'd like to share. Otherwise this is just another casualty in the headfirst slide into negativity on HN lately.
- sneak 2y agoIt is immaterial whether or not such surveillance is linked to identity or not. Would you be okay with a video of you showering being published without your consent if your face were blurred out?
- sneak 2y agoThe problem is nonconsensual surveillance. It is immaterial what activity you are engaged in that is being surveilled.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- Almondsetat 2y agoSight reading is equal parts being quick to parse the score and being quick to understand the piece harmonically/rythmically. This is why random exercises or simple songs don't really cut it. Also, it's all about compromise. When sight reading a serious piece you will almost never be expected or be capable of playing every note. You have to understand what's important and what's feasible, and to do that on the fly you need tons of musical experience.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- coliveira 2y agoYes, sight reading is a misnomer because at some level it is almost impossible to sight read a complex piece. It is not like reading a book where you will be able to read the words correctly as long as you're literate. What you can say is that you're familiar with simple/medium complexity rhythms so you can play them as you read.
- turtlebits 2y agoNot sure i agree with that. I can sight read through just about any piece, albeit not at full speed. If I make a mistake, I keep going. Jazz is definitely the hardest, due to rhythm and complex chords. As a piano player that primarily sight reads, I end playing a lot of music, so maybe it is partly memorizing patterns.
- shermantanktop 2y agoJazz is...different. The Real Book is full of mistakes by some Berklee students in the 1970s. Standards as played on the bandstand are very different than what is on the records. The records are all different from each other. The melody is simplified or shortened or embellished, and the chords? Forget it, you'll find out that the piano player likes to play a dominant instead of minor only when you're actually playing the tune. Ask a pro how to think about the harmony of a standard, and they'll explain how they think about the harmony of the variant they prefer.
- pil0u 2y agoThis is incredible because it exactly matches my needs. I started learning the piano 3 years ago as an adult, I love it, but my biggest difficulty is reading scores. I do want to practice but also I'm very lazy, I tried to find a tool to help but never found yours before. Tiny question before I purchase to unlock the microphone feature (which is really what makes sense for me): does the app understands do ré mi via microphone? Thanks for your work.
- rooster117 2y agoThe mic works on the standard 440 tuning and converts the input to its midi representation. Trying to understand your question but the mic doesn't really care about the do, re, me but rather that it's the right frequency for the displayed note on the staff. The mic feature is something I'm actively working on improving as it's decent now but not perfect. If you have an instrument with a way to connect to the phone through midi it's the best experience but if you have acoustic then the mic or just the on screen keyboard is the good.
- pil0u 2y agoHa, I thought I could "sing" the notes, like reading them out loud (which is what my mentor suggests me to work on)
- rooster117 2y agoYou may be able to sing to it but since it's assuming the instrument to be in tune (piano) it may be slightly off and still register since it's estimating which note is most correct.
- dhosek 2y agoJoining a good choir can do a lot to really build your ear in this respect. Generating a note from within your body does so much more to build your ear than generating a note by hitting a key or plucking a string (wind instruments are kind of a middle ground in this respect).
- 2y ago
- LVB 2y agoExcellent timing, as I was just looking at some apps to help get back into after 20 years away. I’ve noticed that a number of them, including yours, do include microphone input. That’s great since I only have an upright, but I wondered how well it actually works, especially with more complex drills, or if I should look at getting an affordable midi keyboard for the app-supported practice sessions?
- rooster117 2y agoWell it’s an area I’m working to improve. It works well for me but everyone’s acoustic instrument and device is a little different. I’d say it isn’t worth getting a new keyboard to use midi for this purpose. Acoustic pianos are awesome and using my app (or others) on the go to drill in note recognition to supplement your physical practice is a great combination.
- dsabanin 2y agoI’ve been using your app for years, you’ve done a great job with it! Thank you!
- rooster117 2y agoAwesome to hear you've been using it for so long!
- block_dagger 2y agoI've been using Simply Piano for a while, but will give this a try. Noticed a typo: "Notes is your is your tool..." in the app store description.
- rooster117 2y agothanks haha
- TheJoeMan 2y agoUnsolicited advice but I think you’re too timid with the IAP! It’s a superb app and there is no shame in asking for the upgrade. I tapped the button labeled “mic (premium required)” fully expecting the paywall, and it had a prompt to ask if it was okay to show the paywall… it’s not a hard paywall, there’s a visible X icon, nobody’s going to be mad if it pops up. If you want to go a step further, you have only 1 one-time-purchase, what if you tap the mic icon, and a popover modal has the required disclosure text and the “purchase” button right there? The Slopes app did this to significant effect I believe - reduce friction.
- rooster117 2y agoI completely agree I'm being too timid. With that said it was 100% free for many years and I always had in my mind that I would get it to a certain level before being more aggressive. Because I never really had as much time on this project as I would have liked I also never felt it was ready to try to ramp up monetization. Also I've really enjoyed providing a high value resource to music students and I'll always keep more of it free than is common. I've also always avoided any form of popup or banner advertisement mostly because I don't like them.
- alariccole 2y agoCommendable. I’m starting out on my second attempt at a learning app in my life, and I feel the same.
- graveltongue 2y agoHuge fan, awesome work, I use it all the time!
- rooster117 2y agoGlad to hear it!
- Tewboo 2y agoImpressive to see an app dedicated to sight reading stick around for 10 years. Must be doing something right!
- rooster117 2y agoI mostly just solved my own problem for a lot of those years and it was always a bonus that others used it.
- swixed 2y agoI tried the app and I honestly am pretty disappointed. I know the app is for note training but the rhythms are completely broken. In Ode to Joy and Minuet, there are notes that should be dotted but are not. And in Practice modes there is also no consistency; some measures have 4 beats, others 6. I'd consider removing the measure bars entirely and/or making all notes have the same duration if note pitch is the only goal.
- rooster117 2y agoYeah these are things I'm working on. The lack of dotted notes and rests are a weakness in doing any real songs which is why that section is a little lacking. I'm testing a new way to build lessons altogether which will be a big improvement over random. Anyway thanks for the feedback. I know there is a lot to go
- DesaiAshu 2y agoI've been using this for a year, it's really great. Thanks for making it!
- rooster117 2y agoglad you like it!
- tianshuo 2y agoHi, I've been using notequest before and this really hits a string for my needs. There are some places that could be improved. 1. There is lacking logic in the notes, there should be some kind of pattern that an LLM could create that sounds better. For example for left hand usually there could be eg. walking bass/ chord progressions etc, instead of just random notes. If you need ideas and help on that, you can contact me at (myhackernewsname_at_gmail_dot_com) I am willing to help 2. Now the game is like, press the notes as fast as you can, instead, a musician needs to practice, pressing the note at the right time, which means you can make a metronome + press the notes on time mode, which is even more useful than the present version.
- rooster117 2y agoGreat feedback. I’m working on a new way to generate lessons. It’s better but even when it’s out it’ll mostly just be a structure I’ll be able to build on. I agree on the metronome and it’s high on my list of TODO’s. I think it would be very helpful.
- kvbe 2y agoWhat basic midi/piano do you use these days to start learning using an app like this?
- rooster117 2y agoI'd say the best thing to do would be to get a keyboard you enjoyed and make sure it was compatible with iOS. The quality of instrument will hopefully keep you interested for all of the learning/playing.
- xnickb 2y agoThere is a typo in the description "is your is your"
- rooster117 2y agoThanks. I am my own QA and I’m not good at it
- roydivision 2y agoGuitar player here. App looks great, but shame it's only for piano. I used a different app that does pretty much the same thing and really benefited from it, the improvement was noticeable after each session. If you add guitar support it will be an immediate download for me.
- rupi 2y agoAnother vote for guitar. Will love to get this for guitar.
- Ylpertnodi 2y ago...guitar....and
- phitt 2y agodo you mind share which app you are using?
- dockerd 2y agoWhy not use Tab notation for guitar?
- aqme28 2y agoThere are some settings where it's good for a guitar player to be able to sight read. If you're playing for random bands, or playing classical, it can be a big help.
- stnmtn 2y agoTab notation doesn't provide full time signature information, if you're picking up a piece of music which you've never heard played before In tablature, imagine one string's line shows ---10-----7--8------11----13. How long do you hold each note? Clearly 7 to 8 is quick, but how quick? Sheet music gives you this exact information.
- shermantanktop 2y ago
- xlii 2y agoYet another HN moment for me: I use it, and as I bought/downloaded like 50 or more - I think it is the best out there. Given that I might have you „on the feedback phoneline” I have thoughts, I’d like to share: - It might not be true, but it seems that notes are picked at random so sometimes I feel there’s disharmony which somewhat distracts me - in age of LLMs maybe it would be plausible to ask for generation of more harmonic sounding sequences? - I don’t practice sight reading often but when I do I usually practice longer than 1-3 minutes - clicking through lessons to get to the next one is distracting - I’d enjoy endless auto-progress (that is - keep progress structure so no free training but just auto start next one) - I’d like to have minimalistic practice mode (I.e. follow progression but without any aids at all) - I repeat lessons but my brain flips lazy mode when it sees helpers. I’d like to thank you for making this app accessible in terms of price though. However I have resources and want to support developers I believe in which includes you and your application. I’d suggest „coffee subscription” - I.e. completely optional no-features added but visible and I’d be glad to enable and forget about it. In fun-fact context: I have some uncommon traits and my educational needs are different from general population (I cannot do repetitions and I have multisensory aphantasia - can’t hear sounds in my head - so can’t memorize them) and your app so far helped building passive eye-muscle link which I find fascinating on its own.
- rooster117 2y agoThis is all really great feedback and it's great to hear you've used my app! A couple of things: 1. I'm currently testing a new way of generating practices with some patterns and elements that make it feel more musical. I'd love to have you test the beta if you're interested. You can just email me in the settings screen. 2. I updated the lessons visual aids by only showing the hint on the staff itself for what was new to that lesson. It was previously overkill to do all notes if it was just adding a couple to the range. The visual aid of notes on the keyboard may also be too far but I think it's helpful or maybe I can fade them out eventually. 3. I hear this and something I should address. Years ago I originally made extremely long lessons but I'd get feedback asking me to make lessons that had an end. I could very easily make the lesson length configurable. 4. I really appreciate the coffee subscription idea. Maybe I can consider adding that and be explicit that it doesn't provide anything other than support of me. It's great to hear the app practice has helped with your eye. Maybe it's the repetitive back and forth of the reading?
- Gmage 2y ago[flagged]
- Gmage 2y ago[flagged]
- palla89 2y agoI'm trying it and I love it! can I ask you a question? I'm not playing piano since at least 15 years, but why are you using C,D,E,etc instead of the real notes? I found an option to enable do,re,mi,etc but it's only applying on the piano notes instead of the middle screen "note" to play Am I missing something?
- amszmidt 2y ago> instead of real notes? C, D, ... are real notes? Some countries do Solfège, some don't.
- palla89 2y agoTIL this, thank you! I'm italian and only knew about the do re mi fa sol la si do :D From ChatGPT: The choice between using letter names (C, D, E, etc.) and solfege (do, re, mi, etc.) largely comes down to tradition and purpose: • Historical Convention: In Western music, the letter system has been the standard for centuries. It provides a clear, concise way to notate specific pitches on a staff, which is especially useful for instruments like the piano or guitar. • Clarity in Notation: Letters denote fixed pitches, making it easier to communicate musical ideas in written form. This helps performers quickly identify which keys or notes to play without additional context. • Educational Focus: Solfege is typically used as a tool for vocal training and ear development. It emphasizes the relationship between pitches (intervals) and is often taught using a movable system (where “do” represents the tonic of any given scale) or a fixed system (where “do” is always C). This system helps singers internalize pitch relationships and improve sight-singing. • Different Purposes: Essentially, the letter system is more suited to the precision required in written music scores, while solfege is more about developing a musician’s internal sense of pitch and harmony. In short, both systems have their place in music, with letters serving as the backbone of Western musical notation and solfege acting as an invaluable educational tool.
- gustanas 2y agoI'm not in the target audience, but as an iOS dev myself, I have to say—your app is an ASO wet dream: - Nice logo - Clear, engaging screenshots - Solid title/subtitle with relevant keywords - Amazing reviews and ratings Really well done!
- rooster117 2y agoI appreciate it
- mvdtnz 2y agoWhat's ASO?
- allenu 2y agoApp Store Optimization, sort of the SEO for the App Store.
- onkkos 2y agoI would love to see a video of someone reviewing the app to understand a little bit more.
- rooster117 2y agoI agree. I need a YouTube presence for this app in general
- swyx 2y agocongrats! what made you decide to Show HN now?
- rooster117 2y agoHonestly I've always felt it wasn't done enough. It still isn't done enough against what I'd want but obviously I was years late on when I should have shown it haha
- im_a_walrus 2y ago[dead]
- appsDev 2y agoI was looking for this actually lol! Downloaded it will try it out soon! :)
- SpaghettiBoi 2y ago[dead]
- anythingworks 2y agothis is so great! out of curiosity how long did it take to develop this app? what was the process like?
- rooster117 2y agoThe original version only took a few days but it was really basic. I don’t really know how to measure how long this took because it was such a slow process over the years. It’s gotta be many hundreds of hours or even more at this point. I’ve refactored major systems a couple of times over the years. If I lost my code and had to rewrite the same app it would take a couple months I assume.
- arkano 2y agoThank you, I love this app.
- pseudosaid 2y agoPlease add the ability to import midi into the songs section. I would prefer to use this app to learn new music than my current solution. Great app!
- rooster117 2y agoIt's one of my "North Star" goals but there is a lot of work between now and then. A middle stage may be the ability to record songs on the app which can be saved for later.
- mmacvicarprett 2y agoI am a paying user! the app is really good, it helped me as an adult starting piano 2 years ago. Main feature request would be to generate the notes from a score, focusing in the intervals, ranges and patterns the score uses. Doing random notes feels weird, it helps with quick recognition but feels very different to what my head wants to do while playing.
- rooster117 2y agoGreat to hear you have been using it for that time! I’m actively working on this. If you would like to try out some changes you can contact me through the app (settings) and I can send you a beta
- cmstoken 2y agoLooks great! Bookmarked so I can play around with it later.
- sergiomattei 2y agoThank you! I use this app every day to practice. Never thought you’d be on HN!