Play real music on day one.
Motif Studio lights the next key, shows you which finger, and waits until you find it. Then it steps aside, a little at a time, until you're reading the music yourself.
Download on the App StoreFree to start. Play on the screen or plug in any MIDI keyboard. No subscription, ever.
On a computer? Search "Motif Studio" on the App Store from your iPhone or iPad.
- Built by a piano teacher
- Real sheet music from lesson one
- One purchase, yours forever
- No account, no ads, no tracking
How it works.
Step 1. Follow the light.
The next key lights up with a finger number on it. Play it. Nothing moves until you do, so there's no falling tile to miss and no song running away from you.
Step 2. Climb the tempo ladder.
Once the notes are under your fingers, the app walks the tempo up one rung at a time. A section counts as learned when you can play it at full speed. Not before.
Step 3. Watch the help fade.
The lit keys and finger numbers fall away as you stop needing them. What's left is you, a piano, and a page of music you can read.
What you'll be playing.
Which finger is which, your first notes on the staff, and your first short tune. No keyboard required.
Twinkle Twinkle from the page, both hands.
Your first real piece, and enough chords to play along with the band.
Canon in D. Sight-reading music you've never seen before.
Everything a lesson would cover, in the order a teacher would cover it.
Getting Started
From "which finger is which" to reading notes, in about fifteen minutes.
Sight-reading
Fresh music at your level, every time. You'll never see the same exercise twice, so you learn to read rather than memorize.
Rhythm
Tap the beat. No keyboard needed, so you can practice on the bus.
Theory
Short lessons on why the notes do what they do, with the staff right there on screen.
Chord Skills
Six levels, from your first two notes together to inversions in every key.
Metronome
Tempo, meter and tap tempo. The plain tool, always one tap away.
Play along with a band, like a real musician.
Read chord symbols and comp along with bass and drums that keep the groove while you play the changes. Paste in any progression, from a song you love or one you wrote, and learn it.
You choose whether each chord sits in root position or in the inversion closest to the last one, so your hand barely moves. The app listens for the notes, not for one perfect voicing. Play it your way.
Games that are secretly practice.
Every game in the Arcade is played from the staff. The more fun you're having, the more you're reading.
- Bullseye and Coin Run turn the song you're learning into a timing game.
- Lamplighter lights each lantern when you play the chord on the staff.
- Echo Caves plays a phrase and you play it back as it grows, one note at a time.
- Recital Night is the whole piece, one take, in front of an audience.
- The Tour moves you further down the road with every session.
- The Daily Gig is a short, fresh set to play each day.
Twinkle Twinkle to Beethoven's 5th.
Dozens of pieces, arranged in house from first week beginner to real repertoire. Twinkle Twinkle, Canon in D, Für Elise, Beethoven's 5th. A clear difficulty ladder, so there's always a sensible next step and never a wall.
Have a MIDI file of a song you want to learn? Bring it in. The app splits the melody and harmony between your hands for you.
Built for one person, or a whole house.
Up to six player profiles, each with its own progress and streak. Family Sharing included, so one purchase covers everyone. Nothing childish in it, and nothing that assumes you've played before, which means a parent and a nine year old can use the same app and neither one feels talked down to.
And nothing leaves the device. No account, no chat, no internet connection at all.
Progress you can believe.
A gentle streak with a built in grace day. Daily goals, achievements you actually earn, and a home screen widget that shows where you are.
Celebrations only when you've done something. Praise that costs nothing is worth nothing.
Private by design.
Everything stays on your device. No account, no tracking, no ads, no analytics. The app makes no network requests at all, and you can check.
Simple pricing.
Free to start. One purchase, once, if you want the rest.
The guided first lesson, beginner songs, sight-reading, note fluency, rhythm, the metronome, music theory, the Daily Gig, the whole Arcade, and your streak and goals.
The full song library, full length playback of songs you import, Play by Chords with the band, the six level Chord Skills curriculum, and up to six player profiles. Family Sharing included. No subscription, no renewal, no upsell.
iPhone and iPad. iOS 18 or later. Best with a MIDI keyboard, works without one.
Questions.
Do I need a keyboard?
No. Every mode works by tapping the on screen keys. It's much better with a real one, and any USB or Bluetooth MIDI keyboard works the moment you plug it in.
I'm a complete beginner. Will I be lost?
No. Getting Started takes you from "which finger is which" to reading notes on a staff in about fifteen minutes.
Do I need to read music already?
No. Teaching you to read is the whole point.
Is it for kids or adults?
Both. It was built by a teacher who teaches both. Nothing in it is childish, and nothing assumes you've played before.
Is there a subscription?
No. Free to start, one optional purchase unlocks everything permanently, and Family Sharing is included.
Does it send my practice anywhere?
No. There's no account and no network connection of any kind.
Which devices?
iPhone and iPad, iOS 18 or later.