If you’re trying to learn piano online, congratulations! The piano is a great instrument.
What’s more, you’ve probably heard of Flowkey. It’s an online learning program that will enable you to progress independently on the piano. According to its motto, you’ll learn to play the piano with songs you love. But is it really the best way to learn to play the piano?
As with any online piano course, it’ s important that the app is tailored to your needs. Everyone has their own preferred method of study, and even online apps have their own way of delivering information.
While there’s a huge advantage to having a teacher, piano apps (like Flowkey) also have unique benefits. The ability to design your own practice program is just one example. You can also customize lessons to suit your preferences and abilities. What’s more, you have a wide variety of musical options from which to choose the one you start with.
In this article, I’ll explain all about flowkey’s features and content, to help you draw your own conclusions! You can also find out more about their offers and features by visiting their website.
What is Flowkey?
Flowkey is a music education application that lets you learn to play the piano quickly and efficiently. It doesn’t offer a lot of “gamification” features like other piano apps, but it does offer easy, precise lessons with no distractions.
It also offers music theory lessons, but more on that later. Most importantly, flowkey is a well-organized and useful piano app, with useful features to help you learn faster.
It also tracks your playing and lets you know if you’re playing correctly. With this app, you can learn a whole range of songs on the piano, whatever your level ofexperience.
Advantages and disadvantages of Flowkey
Advantages of Flowkey
- Accessible to all, fun and well thought-out.
- Easy-to-learn tool, suitable for all users, whatever their current level.
- Interesting, highly diversified music repertoire with an excellent classification method.
- It really works! After just a few weeks, the results are obvious.
- Several songs offered free of charge and without subscription, to get an idea.
Disadvantages of Flowkey
- The cost of a paid subscription may discourage some, and there’s no trial package apart from the few songs offered free of charge.
- Not enough solo accompaniments, although this is currently being corrected.
How does the application work?
flowkey’s content is presented in the form of video lessons focusing on the process of learning music. There are many customization options, allowing you to modify the video to suit your abilities and needs.
The videos have been designed for different levels, and you can search for lessons and songs by difficulty. This makes it easier not to get overwhelmed, as the app doesn’t offer a linear program. Although there are no step-by-step instructions, it’s easy to navigate the app as its interface is simple and intuitive.
To use the “Flowkey” application, you need to install it on your smartphone or go to the site when using a computer. Theapp is compatible with digital pianos; simply connect your smartphone using the MIDI/USB cable!
Try Flowkey FREE
You can test flowkey free of charge for 7 days. Then click on the cogwheel on the right of the screen and select “Upgrade to flowkey Premium”.
The trial version of the application gives you access to eight songs and the first course exercises. All the application’s features are also accessible. This is an excellent opportunity to try out the application to see if it meets your needs, but it is not as powerful as the premium version.
When you register, you’ll have access to a library of over 1,500 songs, plus all the lessons. The cost of flowkey depends on the duration of your subscription
- 1 month: 19.99EUR/year
- 6 months: 13.99EUR/month (39.99EUR/year) 13.99EUR/month (39.99EUR)
- 12 months: 9.99EUR/month (119.99EUR) 9.99EUR/month (119.99EUR)
FLOWKEY features
Let’s take a look at Flowkey’s unique features and find out how the application works.
Video lessons
Before starting the learning process, you’ll be asked a few questions to determine your goals and musical experience. You can then browse the song library or enter the title of a particular track in the search field. In just a few minutes, you’ll be discovering the incredible features of the flowkey library.
After selecting a song, you’ll be able to watch a split-screen video that gives you a glimpse of the musician’s hands and the score. The video also highlights the keys you’ll need to play. It’s a great way to learn how to play notes, but if you’re not used to sheet music, it may take you a while to understand it just by looking at it.
Solfeggio
As I’ve already mentioned, when you launch the application, you have to answer a few questions. One of them asks whether you want to learn to play music or music theory. If you’re a complete novice, I’d encourage you to start with the theory lessons. These will help you learn notation, rhythm, scales and chords.
These lessons are not necessary if you simply want to learn to play music on the piano for fun. But if you want to master basic piano techniques, it’s essential to master the fundamentals of music theory.
Even if learning the notes doesn’t excite you at the moment, it’s certain that this knowledge will come in handy in the near future. You’ll be able to master all the songs, and even those in the video lessons will be much easier to manage.
However, flowkey’s theoretical lessons are merely basic and won’t be of any use to advanced players. Therefore, if you wish to continue improving your piano skills and musical ear, you should look for other teaching sources that provide a more in-depth theory of piano learning.
The different playing modes
When practicing, you can use two different modes: The “Wait” mode and the “Slow” mode.
In “Wait” mode, the application listens to what you’re playing via the device’s microphone. If you accidentally play a note, the application will wait for you to play the right note before continuing. This is a fantastic way to master notes, and you’ll be sure to master every element of the song.
If you select the slow mode, you can choose between a speed of 50% or 75%. This is exactly what a piano teacher would recommend. If you feel comfortable enough, you can continue playing at the original speed of the music. However, flowkey has no built-in metronome, so you need to be able to follow the cursor. That’s why it’s important to learn how to use a metronome in your theory lessons. However, the fact that the application can be customized is an excellent advantage.
What’s more, you can also choose to play each hand separately. You can also select the slow mode for one hand. Playing one hand at a time is standard procedure in piano schools, and there’s a very good reason for it. If you’re just starting to learn, I urge you to try this method. You’ll feel more at ease and be able to control your hands better during the final.
Another interesting feature is the ability to loop specific parts of the music. Simply mark the part you want to work on and the song will loop until you’re ready to move on to the next step.
These features will not only help you improve your performance, but also help you learn the songs as a piano teacher would. Don’t rush through your piano lessons by dividing the songs into parts, one hand at a time, at a slower pace.
The song library
With over 1500 songs to play, flowkey has one of the largest song libraries available in piano learning apps.
You can choose from 20 categories, including classical, jazz, rock, pop, Christmas… There are even niches such as video game music, music from films or series (such as Game of Thrones), etc. You’re sure to discover the music you’ve always wanted to play on your piano!
You can also search for pieces by difficulty level to discover the section best suited to your skills. There’s an easy Intermediate, Difficult and Expert section. If you choose a piece that’s too difficult for you, the program offers different options for the same piece. So you can choose the most basic version, then move on to the more advanced version when you’ve reached your level.
When you select an album, you are taken to a video showing the piano hands and the score. The keys are illuminated so you can see the time and method of playing. The flowkey lessons are designed to help you learn to play your favorite songs with ease on the piano. They may not provide much knowledge of music theory, but they deliver on their promise: you’ll learn to play the piano by playing the songs you love!
Who is Flowkey’s target market?
Flowkey offers tutorials and singing lessons for all levels of experience. Flowkey is an excellent learning tool for experienced players and beginners alike.
However, it is in learning to sing that it finds its best application. That’s why the previous sentence applies to those who have the same goals in mind. If you want to acquire a complete musical knowledge, you should consider other learning resources.
Although flowkey is an excellent choice for beginners, if you’ve never played the piano before, you may find it difficult to master the split screen that displays both the pianist’s hands and sheet music. That’s why I advise you to learn the theory of keys first.
However, if you’re an amateur who simply wants to learn songs quickly and effortlessly, you should try Flowkey. The program is perfect for intermediate players who want to expand their song repertoire.
Conclusion
All in all, Flowkey is a very effective application that will help you learn to play the piano thanks to its easy-to-understand, well-designed videos.
It comes with a vast collection of songs that are useful for anyone looking to expand their collection. The lessons are divided into categories according to difficulty, so you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for, whatever your level of experience.
What’s more, it boasts a host of customizable features, including slow and standby modes, as well as the ability to play with just one hand, making it an ideal (and perhaps the only) method for perfecting an instrument. It may not give you an in-depth knowledge of music theory or teach you more advanced techniques, but it can help you learn basic piano skills.
The company slogan says it all: you’ll learn piano by listening to songs you love. Take advantage of their free 7-day trial period!