One of the things that drew me to this website while I was scouring the internet for Violin Note Reading Exercises was fiddlerman.com's inclusion of various games to help with sight reading, fingering, etc. This was the forum that I felt best suited the app topic I wanted to throw at everyone, as it pertains to learning tools, so here goes. The apps I am discussing are available in the android market. Though they may be available for the iPhone, also, I have an android, myself, so I am not sure. Also, these are free apps (or the free versions of them, and just as good). Just wanted to share a couple of tools that are helping me as I start down my violin road. I know that actually Mac's or PC's may have better and far more useful tools for these things, but on the road, or when you only have your phone, these are a fun way to compliment your learning while on the go

Pitch Perfect - You press a button to hear the pitch of the note. There is a full notes list, a full keys list, a quick-pitch list for often used and easy usage of pitches, and a Songs list, which allows you to put the initial pitch down for any song you would like to have it handy for vocals, instruments, etc. Fun little app, and good to listen to various pitches. Have someone test you to see if you can name the note and key.

Maestro - A fun little editing app that includes a metronome, pitch pipe, and a notation editor. The editor is very user friendly and allows you to play back what you have put in, which is great for if you are trying to figure out a song and want to hear back the music you are notating. You can adjust the speed, as well. I am enjoying it.

Music Tutor Sight Read (lite) - There is a full version available that isn't overly expensive, and that offers you more customization abilities to test yourself with, but the free lite version is plenty good for what it offers. It lets you set the time for each test, which is nice. Then you get two options: staff read or staff right. The tests last for as long as the time you have set. Staff write will give you the name of a note (G4, E5, etc). You use the staff on screen to touch where that note would go. Staff read shows you a staff note with A B C D E F G along the bottom of the screen, and you touch whichever note the staff note corresponds to. Very useful little training app. 

DaTuner - Not so much a teaching tool as it is an awesome tuner, it tunes with a HZ scale, shows you the decibel level as the note is hit and as it dies down, and flashes a HUGE letter in the middle of the screen that starts off orange and turns green once the note has been tuned properly. Simple and painless. 

There ya go. Not a lot of them, and only brief descriptions, but I hope someone finds it useful.

Until next time,
Adderob