Here’s a summary of the best practice apps for brass instruments:
- Tonestro
- Instuner
- Metronome
- Soundcheck
- Take7
- Quality tone
- Clear tune
- Tonal energy
- Tunable
Opportunities for musicians in the information age are greater than they have ever been before. Sheet music can be found, ordered, and downloaded in a matter of minutes; all genres of music are available via streaming services; and, with the advent of the smartphone, a plethora of apps are available for use in musical practice and education.
Several music apps are used often by the students and brass instrumentalists in our daily rehearsals, and we thought it would be helpful to share them with you and explain why we like them. The following apps are useful for developing one’s musical ear, timing, intonation, and personal style.
1. Tonestro
Ranking first on list of the best practice apps for brass instruments is the Tonestro.A quick download of this program will have you playing the trumpet or the saxophone in no time.
It serves the same purpose as a musical instructor, providing instruction and criticism on both pitch and meter. Everything you need to learn music is included: a tuner, a metronome, fingering charts, music theory lessons, and practice activities.
Tonestro is a multi-instrumental music education platform that teaches brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments such as trumpet, clarinet, flute, saxophone, trombone, French horn, tuba, recorder, and euphonium.
All styles of music are included in its extensive collection of sheet music. Competing against other musicians every week is a great way to hone your talents and advance your mastery to new heights.
2. InsTuner
Next on our list of the best practice apps for brass instruments. Always make sure that your instrument is tuned properly. Again, players of woodwind and brass instruments should probably carry a tuner with them at all times.
Similar to a metronome, this free and straightforward app; InsTuner will enable you to check your tuning wherever you are and whenever you want. This program has chromatic tuning as well as a tone generator, so it’s difficult to make a mistake when using it.
3. The Metronome, Soundbrenner
A metronome, the instrument that measures time at a selected tempo by producing an audible tick, is indispensable for every musician learning a piece.
This intuitive tool can help you play with greater accuracy by allowing you to select a different time signature, select a subdivision, and even add accents.
The Multiplayer Synchronisation feature allows you to synchronize up to five other metronomes, making it excellent for group practice situations, while the Rhythm Saver feature allows you to create and save your rhythms for daily practice. You can equally download this app on playstore
4. SOUNDCHECK/MATCH MY SOUND
This is akin to a program being developed by several UK publishers at the moment. An Android version of the software is currently in the works but is currently only compatible with iOS and desktop computers.
The concept is that you can use a wide variety of instruments to jam out to your favorite tunes.
Numerous books exist, such as the well-known “Really Easy Piano” and “Absolute Beginners” series. The software provides play-along tracks and rates your performance based on your adherence to the beat and your overall musicality.
Content is included with the books, making it a useful supplement for students who might benefit from additional review in between classes.
5. Take7
It’s quite useful to listen to recordings you’ve made of your performance. The Take7 app allows users to record their performances while listening to high-quality backing tracks and/or being guided by a metronome click.
When you listen back to your recordings, you can hear the exact sounds you’re making and get a sense of what adjustments need to be made to your technique.
Of course, if you want to go far as a musician, you need to be able to read music. It’s okay if you don’t know how to interpret every kind of notation straight away. To get started, you need to know the fundamentals; from there, you can select appropriate pieces to practice and gradually improve.
It can be difficult to figure out where you went wrong when practicing alone. Take7 will assist you by analyzing your performance and providing visual feedback on any incorrect rhythmic patterns or intonation issues (such as “false” or “off-key” notes). Then, to help you hone your skills, Take7 will lead you through practice loops, or iterations of the same section of the song.
Knowing how to play the trumpet well takes a lot of practice and dedication, but the rewards are worth it when you hear the music you’ve created. Those who are serious about improving their musical skills will find Take7 to be an invaluable resource. The time it takes to become proficient and create music of exceptional quality can be greatly reduced with the help of this app.
6. Quality Tone
This application will teach you how to play every note in every key with perfect intonation and dynamic range every time. It is a tried-and-true method for helping brass musicians of all skill levels play with greater consistency and accuracy, and achieve a more beautiful sound.
This software is superior to traditional method books because it allows you to focus on only the skills you need to improve, and because it allows for rapid iteration. Each session’s minimum and maximum note range can be adjusted, and 13 various dynamic and articulation options can be activated or deactivated.
Thus, you can zero in on specific areas you feel need work and dedicate your time and energy there. You can slow things down with a series of extended tone variations, focus on gentle high note attacks, stretch your extreme high range as a lead trumpet player, work on your stopped horn technique, or whatever else you choose to work on. Quality Tone is an app that can be customized to fit your preferences.
7. Cleartune
Cleartune is a tuner and tone generator application, that can be purchased for $3.99 on iOS and the same price on Android (even on your phone).
It also has a wide range of pitch and temperament options, as well as user-defined defaults, making it useful for musicians who frequently move between, say, modern and baroque instruments. Several reviewers commented on how user-friendly it was for first-time pupils.
8. TonalEnergy
The TonalEnergy Chromatic Tuner and Metronome app (iOS only, $3.99) combines a tuner and a tone generator with a metronome feature.
The TonalEnergy app can detect a wide range of pitches, has controllable “difficulty” settings (how near to the pitch you have to be for your note to be regarded in tune), and a record feature for when you’re using the tuner or metronome.
Several users have commented on how much they appreciate the green happy face that displays when you are in tune, even though the UI could be cleaner and more intuitive. If we’re having trouble getting a note to sound just perfect, a tiny boost of confidence can go a long way.
9. Tunable
Finally on our list of the best practice apps for brass instruments is another program that does double duty, Tunable (iOS $2.99; Android $1.90) combines a tuner, tone generator, metronome, and recording features into one sleek package.
Similar to TonalEnergy, it provides a range of temperament options and a difficulty slider that goes from easy (within 10 cents of the pitch) to hard (within 2 cents of the pitch).
It allows you to alter the amount of vibrato used, and it displays your pitch-holding ability via color (albeit sadly not a cheerful face). When you play a note that isn’t in tune, the screen flashes red; when you play a note that is in tune and stays in tune, the screen turns green. Oddly gratifying.
In terms of dynamic range, a tuba player has observed that, unlike Cleartune, Tunable can discern notes down to the instrument’s lowest register.
