Reviews of Play By Ear - Ear Training

By: SuperNonstop.com, Inc. App

List of user reviews and ratings for Play By Ear - Ear Training

Total ratings

4.40 (Rating count: 80)

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Review summary

Users praise Play By Ear for effective, customizable ear training and portability, with strong progress feedback and versatile exercise options. The top concerns are reliability of pitch detection and stability across iOS updates/devices, plus limited handling of lower octaves and bass clef. When functioning smoothly, it’s a powerful, self-contained training tool for various instruments.

Pros

Progress tracking and clear error feedback showing what you got right and wrong.
High customization and a user-friendly UI with many options.
Portable, standalone ear trainer you can use anywhere across instruments.
Wide range of exercise types (notes, riffs, chords) with reading-practice mode (turn sound off to read).
Randomized content and root notes provide good variety and challenge.

Cons

Pitch detection can be inaccurate, producing false errors and misreads (especially with chords or low notes) and can vary across instruments.
Stability/compatibility issues across iOS versions and devices (e.g., problems after updates, calibration reliability, issues on certain devices like iPhone 6+).
Limited support for lower octaves and bass clef (doesn't hear low notes well and no bass-clef option).

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User Reviews

Recent rating average: 4.60

All time rating average: 4.40

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4% (2)

Date	Author	Comment
2023-06-24	ID*****	I like this app a lot, and it fills a need, but it’s a little tough for beginners (or people learning a new instrument, like me). A couple of things would make it easier: 1. Provide a “repeat” option: play the phrase, wait, play it again, wait, then give answer. Gives the student two tries. (Could even give a three-tries option.) 2. Allow limiting the scale patterns to a selected set of scales/keys. Maybe the jazz licks one, too. You can fudge this with the random notes by selecting notes to fit a scale, which is what I’ve ended up doing, for now, but it would be nice to have something more melodic. I have not tried anything with chords, yet, because I’m using this with trumpet. Which gives me another suggestion: maybe you could provide profiles for multi-instrumentalists (it would only affect pitch recognition, I suppose, so might not be worth the effort).
I like this app a lot, and it fills a need, but it’s a little tough for beginners (or people learning a new instrument, like me). A couple of things would make it easier: 1. Provide a “repeat” option: play the phrase, wait, play it again, wait, then give answer. Gives the student two tries. (Could even give a three-tries option.) 2. Allow limiting the scale patterns to a selected set of scales/keys. Maybe the jazz licks one, too. You can fudge this with the random notes by selecting notes to fit a scale, which is what I’ve ended up doing, for now, but it would be nice to have something more melodic. I have not tried anything with chords, yet, because I’m using this with trumpet. Which gives me another suggestion: maybe you could provide profiles for multi-instrumentalists (it would only affect pitch recognition, I suppose, so might not be worth the effort).
2023-02-01	28*****	Fantastic app for ear training. I am a piano teacher and I am using it personally and giving it to my students. I have not found anything better.
Fantastic app for ear training. I am a piano teacher and I am using it personally and giving it to my students. I have not found anything better.
2021-01-13	St*****	Excellent. Random root notes good. Would like to test from the same root note sometimes.
Excellent. Random root notes good. Would like to test from the same root note sometimes.
2019-07-13	Ar*****	Use it
Use it
2019-02-03	Ry*****	This app has been a great addition to my ear training. After getting a good grasp on my intervals, this has been an awesome way to apply that knowledge without getting overwhelmed. I think every musician can benefit from doing some kind of training like this, and this app makes it possible to train without needing a partner to do call and response with - you can do it on your own from anywhere. In my opinion, two additional features would make it a perfect app. Neither are THAT crucial, but would help. 1) vary the rhythms of the randomly generated melodies, and 2) add a bass clef option. Even without those features, I’ll still continue to spend a few minutes a day with this app and I’m sure I will see benefits over time.
This app has been a great addition to my ear training. After getting a good grasp on my intervals, this has been an awesome way to apply that knowledge without getting overwhelmed. I think every musician can benefit from doing some kind of training like this, and this app makes it possible to train without needing a partner to do call and response with - you can do it on your own from anywhere. In my opinion, two additional features would make it a perfect app. Neither are THAT crucial, but would help. 1) vary the rhythms of the randomly generated melodies, and 2) add a bass clef option. Even without those features, I’ll still continue to spend a few minutes a day with this app and I’m sure I will see benefits over time.
2018-08-02	de*****	Lots of false errors. If you play the first note of a sequence too long, it will register that you played it for both notes of the interval. It is especially glitchy in chord recognition mode. You can’t play back a chord harmonically, it has to be arpeggiated, and then it often registers errors falsely, or it is listening for one note of the chord when you’ve already moved on to another. Your score ends up being frustratingly inaccurate. The program still feels pretty stiff to use. Also, I couldn’t find an option for randomizing ascending, descending, melodic and harmonic intervals, which would be more useful than only hearing one type of interval at a time.
Lots of false errors. If you play the first note of a sequence too long, it will register that you played it for both notes of the interval. It is especially glitchy in chord recognition mode. You can’t play back a chord harmonically, it has to be arpeggiated, and then it often registers errors falsely, or it is listening for one note of the chord when you’ve already moved on to another. Your score ends up being frustratingly inaccurate. The program still feels pretty stiff to use. Also, I couldn’t find an option for randomizing ascending, descending, melodic and harmonic intervals, which would be more useful than only hearing one type of interval at a time.
2016-11-16	To*****	Simple and well-functioning portable ear trainer. Holds you to accurate intonation. All apps should function this well.
Simple and well-functioning portable ear trainer. Holds you to accurate intonation. All apps should function this well.
2016-07-28	Ig*****	This app is extremely well designed and perfect for anyone looking to improve their aural skills. It accomplishes more than what other music theory websites like teoria or musictheory.net because it identifies your progress and your errors for you. You can physically see what you got right and wrong. I feel more prepared because of this app for music school!!
This app is extremely well designed and perfect for anyone looking to improve their aural skills. It accomplishes more than what other music theory websites like teoria or musictheory.net because it identifies your progress and your errors for you. You can physically see what you got right and wrong. I feel more prepared because of this app for music school!!
2016-05-26	Wy*****	This app is helping me with intervals. It also won't register a correct pitch if I chip it slightly on my horn. Easy to use too.
This app is helping me with intervals. It also won't register a correct pitch if I chip it slightly on my horn. Easy to use too.
2016-03-11	As*****	I hope this app never stops being developed. It's absolutely perfect!!
I hope this app never stops being developed. It's absolutely perfect!!