What is the best piano simulator for Android?
Piano simulator apps aim to provide tools and lessons for learning piano on a mobile device. These apps can offer realistic sounds, sheet music, tutorials, and practice tools that make it possible to learn and practice piano skills from a smartphone or tablet.
Early versions of piano simulator apps first emerged in the late 2000s as mobile phone technology enabled touchscreens and increasingly sophisticated processors. Over the past decade, piano learning apps have grown more advanced in their sound quality and lesson features.
Characteristics of a high-quality piano simulator app include realistic piano sounds, a large library of songs and lessons, customization options, and intuitive controls/layout. Accuracy of the sound and responsiveness of the keys are especially important for mimicking the feel of playing on an acoustic piano.
Methodology
To evaluate the best piano simulator apps, key criteria like realism, sound quality, available songs, pricing, ratings, availability on Android, and user interface were considered. Only apps available in the Google Play Store for Android devices were included in the evaluation, of which there were over 20 top contenders.
Realism
When it comes to the realism of piano simulator apps, factors like responsiveness, dynamics, and the quality of the piano sound engine play a big role. According to reviews, Piano by Gismart stands out with its “great realistic sounds” and “very responsive soft piano touch.” The dynamics allow for expressive playing, adapting to the force used on the virtual keys.
Comparatively, Real Piano also gets high marks for realism but some users felt the dynamics could be improved. As one reviewer said, “Sounds quite realistic but volume control needs work.”
Overall, piano simulator apps strive for an authentic sound and feel but may fall short of matching an actual acoustic piano. As advances continue in mobile technology and audio sampling though, the realism gap should narrow over time.
Available Songs and Lessons
The selection of songs, lessons, and tutorials varies between apps. Flowkey provides over 2,500 songs ranging from beginner to advanced levels including over 400 tutorial lessons and using notation sheet music (https://bestmusiccourses.com/best-5-piano-learning-apps-reviewed-and-compared/). Simply Piano focuses more on beginner repertoire with a library of over 500 songs, primarily using graphics-based sheet music.
The lesson development and quality also differs. Flowkey provides more advanced step-by-step lessons for technique and theory while Simply Piano emphasizes accessibility for beginners (https://americansongwriter.com/best-piano-learning-apps/). Some apps like Skoove AI-generate custom exercises to hone technique. Adding new songs is generally not supported although Simply Piano occasionally releases new content.
Customization
One of the best Android piano simulator apps for providing customization options is Piano Designer 1. With Piano Designer, you can customize the sound by choosing from realistic piano models like grand pianos, upright pianos, electric pianos, and more. There are also effects like reverb and chorus to further tailor the sound to your liking.
You can fine tune the sound with parameters like damper resonance, string resonance, key-off sound, and hammer noise. There’s even an audio recorder feature so you can record your playing and share it with others.
Some other nice customization features include a two player mode to play piano duets and a left hand mode for practicing left hand parts hands separately. Overall, Piano Designer stands out with its depth of sound customization and effects so you can mimic different real pianos and shape the sound to your taste.
Price Comparison
Here is a table comparing the prices of the full versions of top piano simulator apps for Android:
| App | Price |
|---|---|
| Perfect Piano | $7.99 |
| Piano by Gismart | Free with in-app purchases |
Perfect Piano offers a 7-day trial of all online songs and sound effects for $0.99, or unlimited access for $7.99 per year. Piano by Gismart is free but has in-app purchases for additional instruments and features. The pricing seems reasonable based on the quality, realism, and depth of features each app provides.
Perfect Piano’s full version is competitively priced given the large library of quality songs and lessons, while Piano by Gismart offers a good free option with the ability to unlock more features affordably.
Top 5 Recommendations
Based on expert reviews and user ratings, here are the top 5 best piano simulator apps for Android:
| App | Features | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skoove | Fun lessons combined with AI-powered feedback, 5,000+ lessons, songs, courses and teachers | 4.7 | Free trial, then $19.99/month |
| Simply Piano | Step-by-step video lessons, real piano sound, thousands of songs and sheet music, good for beginners | 4.8 | Free, premium from $9.99/month |
| Yousician | Interactive feedback and real-time analysis, thousands of songs, lessons for multiple instruments | 4.7 | Free version, premium from $19.99/month |
| Piano Academy | Detailed video lessons, large song library, progress tracking | 4.6 | Free version, premium from $4.99/month |
| Playground Sessions | Real teacher video lessons, feedback on technique, thousands of songs, good for beginners | 4.8 | Free trial, then from $9.99/month |
Skoove is an excellent all-around option with AI-powered feedback on technique, a huge lesson library and qualified teachers. Simply Piano is also very popular, especially for beginners, with fun video lessons and a large song catalog.
Yousician offers similar interactivity but has a bigger focus on multiple instruments beyond piano. Piano Academy provides very detailed lessons and progress tracking. Playground Sessions is also beginner-friendly with video lessons from actual teachers.
Most apps offer free trials or basic free versions, with full access starting from $5-20 per month. So it’s easy to try out a few to see which learning style suits you best.
The Best Overall
After comparing the top piano simulator apps, Perfect Piano stands out as the best overall piano simulator for Android.
Its key strengths are the highly realistic sound quality using real piano samples, ability to play wide range of sounds like grand piano, electric piano, organ, etc. and a music library of 50+ songs to help beginners learn. Perfect Piano also features customizable keys and backgrounds for personalization.
Unlike most other piano apps, Perfect Piano is completely free to download and use, which makes it a great value for an advanced piano simulator.
The app is 140MB in size and supports Android 5.0 and up. So it can be used on most modern Android devices. Overall, Perfect Piano provides the most piano playing value in a free app.
Considerations
Besides the main evaluation criteria outlined above, there are some other factors to keep in mind when selecting a piano learning app for Android:
Skill level is important. Apps like Simply Piano work well for beginners, while more advanced players may prefer Piano Marvel’s extensive song library and notation-based lessons. The complexity of the user interface and learning curve should align with your current piano ability.
Think about what music genre interests you. Apps like JoyTunes focus on popular hits, while others like Pianist HD specialize in classical. This can help narrow options.
Screen size limitations may influence app choice. For example, Piano Marvel works across devices but is optimized for tablets. Small phone screens could hinder learning.
Consider getting a keyboard or taking in-person lessons to supplement your app learning. As noted by Leila Viss, apps alone often don’t provide enough guidance for proper technique.
To get the most out of your chosen app: take it slow, repeat beginner songs until they are mastered, use lesson features for structure, and set goals for what you want to achieve.
Conclusion
In summary, the key features to look for in a high quality piano simulator app include realistic sound quality, a large library of songs and lessons, and customizability options like varying skill levels. The top apps that stand out are Piano by Gismart as the best overall option with excellent realism, Simply Piano for the most songs and courses, and JoyTunes Piano Maestro as the most customizable. While there are some limitations compared to an acoustic piano, simulation apps provide an affordable and convenient way for beginners to start learning piano fundamentals and songs from home.
Overall, piano learning apps are a great stepping stone into the world of piano, allowing you to gain basic skills and musical understanding. With quality options now available, it’s easier than ever to try out piano and see if you enjoy it enough to eventually advance to formal lessons and an acoustic instrument.