Simply Piano
A phone-listening piano learning app that takes you from complete beginner to playing full songs.
Simply Piano keeps it simple: prop your phone on your piano, and the app listens to every note you play via the microphone. It advances when you're right and pauses for you to retry when you're wrong. Designed like a game, the entire learning flow enables absolute beginners to play a complete song within just a few weeks.
Key Features & Use Cases
Lessons start from recognizing keys and finger numbering, gradually progressing to two-handed playing, chords, and pedals, interspersed with popular pop and classical tracks for practice. The core feature is real-time audio recognition—no MIDI cables required. It uses your phone's microphone to recognize notes from any acoustic or digital piano. The app is part of a broader family that includes Simply Guitar and Simply Sing. With tens of millions of downloads globally, it is one of the most popular products in its category, operating on a subscription model with a free trial.
It's ideal for zero-basis adult beginners and parents looking to help their children practice at home. Many parents enroll their children in piano lessons, but retention past the first three months is often low, mostly due to initial dryness. Apps like this turn "did I improve today?" into visible scores, which genuinely helps maintain motivation. To be fair, you will hit a ceiling at the intermediate level, at which point finding a human teacher is still necessary.
Key Features
- Real-time microphone audio recognition with no MIDI cable required
- Step-by-step curriculum from absolute beginner to two-handed coordination
- Extensive song library featuring pop and classical tracks
- Gamified progress tracking and achievement feedback
- Part of a broader family covering guitar, singing, and other instruments
Pros
- No extra hardware needed—just a phone and a piano to get started
- Well-designed curriculum pacing minimizes frustration for beginners
- Great for building a daily practice habit
Cons
- Lacks depth for intermediate and advanced levels; requires transitioning to human instruction
- Microphone recognition can be affected by ambient noise and piano tuning
- Subscription costs can add up over the long term
Use Cases
- Adults learning piano from scratch on their own
- Assisting and monitoring children's after-school piano practice
- Rediscovering childhood piano skills
- Building a consistent daily practice routine
Editor's Note
Any app that can get an adult to sit down after work and play for ten minutes has already won over countless beautifully designed educational programs that nobody ever opens.
FAQ
Can I use it without a piano?
The app includes a built-in virtual keyboard for emergencies, but actual touch sensitivity is crucial for learning piano. You'll want at least a 61-key electronic keyboard, and an 88-key weighted keyboard is recommended long-term; otherwise, your finger strength training will be compromised.
At what level will I hit a plateau?
Around the intermediate stage—when you need to tackle tone color, delicate pedal control, and phrasing. These are nuances a microphone cannot evaluate. By the time you reach that stage and hire a teacher, you'll already have the basics down, making lessons much more efficient.