PianoAnyway
iPhone & iPad (including Pro) · clear answers
On Play, tap Melody. Type the tune in 1–7 or Do-Re-Mi (put | between bars), or tap Play it in and play it on the keys with the click, or tap a demo song. You get one left-hand chord card per bar, and the blue keys show where your left hand goes.
The chords come from general rules, so not every card will be right. Tap a chord after or on a card to hear another choice; tap the numbers on a card to fix a wrong note.
That first note is a pickup. After you play it in, the app asks which beat the first note is on, and marks one as suggested when it is sure. Tap a beat to hear it. The pickup plays in the count-in instead of taking its own card.
Inside a song, a phrase can also start just before the bar line, like the word “I” in Amazing Grace. Cards follow the bars on the sheet, so that note sits at the end of the card before it. That is normal.
Not sure how many beats your song has? Just play it in with the default 4. From about 6 bars on, the app notices a 3-beat song and offers Switch to 3 beats: tap it and the cards are cut again in 3, with the pickup moved too. If it guessed wrong, tap No, keep 4. You can also set Beats under Tempo, tone, drums before you start.
Five old tunes whose melodies are in the public domain: Twinkle Twinkle, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Ode to Joy, Amazing Grace and Jingle Bells. On an empty path, tap Melody to see them; one tap turns the tune into left-hand cards, ready to save under the song’s name. They are for trying the app, not a song library.
Tap Undo on the bar at the bottom of the screen (it stays about 12 seconds). Undo also brings your song back after pasting chords, typing a melody, or loading another path over it: cards, key, beats, tempo and name. After Clear, tap Bring back the cards.
Save the song first. On Paths, tap ↗ on it and choose AirDrop, Messages or Mail. On the other iPhone or iPad, open the file and choose PianoAnyway: the whole song opens ready to play (cards, key, tempo and beats). The other device needs PianoAnyway installed.
The other iPad does not show up in AirDrop? On the receiving device: Settings → General → AirDrop → Everyone for 10 Minutes. Keep Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and the screen unlocked, close to your phone.
On Play, open All cards, then Print / share all keyboards. You get one picture with every card’s keyboard, two per row, to print or save. It is a picture to read; to send a song someone can play, use Paths → ↗.
Chord charts with letters printed above the words (C, Am, G7, F/A…), including section names and a key in the title. It cannot read staff notation or numbered notation yet. Check the chords after scanning; for a melody, use Melody instead.
PianoAnyway is made for the touch screen of iPhone and iPad. A Mac has no touch screen, and a mouse plays only one note at a time, so you cannot play chords on the screen. For now the app is not offered on the Mac. If it comes to Mac later, you would play with a USB MIDI keyboard, or use the Mac to type melodies, look at cards, listen and print keyboards.
Usually yes — as long as you have not deleted the app. Paths, jams, and settings stay on your device. App Store updates normally keep them.
There is no cloud backup yet. Deleting the app clears all local saves on that device. Reinstalling will not bring them back.
Paths, jams, and the trial clock are also kept in an on-device backup file inside the app. If iOS clears web storage under space pressure, those saves come back the next time you open the app. Still use Export paths if you want a file you can keep or move to another device.
| Name | What it keeps | Share as |
|---|---|---|
| My paths | Chord path + key + tempo + drums (not an audio file) | Whole song to another device (Paths → ↗); keyboard picture from All cards |
| Jam | A performance you can replay in the app | Audio file via system Share |
Both live on your device. Save a path from Build; find it on the Paths tab. Record a Jam on Play or Build, then save to the Jam library. When you tap Share, iOS opens the usual sheet (Messages, Mail, Files, AirDrop…) — we do not upload that file for you.
Jam is not a microphone. It remembers the notes you played on the on-screen keyboard, a connected MIDI piano, and path cards, then plays them back with the app piano sound. It does not capture the piano’s own speakers or the room.
No automatic cloud sync. To move one song, use Paths → ↗ (AirDrop, Messages). To move everything, use More → Backup, or Export paths on the Paths tab, then Import on the other device.
One purchase per Apple account covers your household with Family Sharing. We do not add a separate “max 3 devices” lock.
Free to download on the App Store. You get 7 full days to try everything — the same features as after purchase.
After the trial, a one-time purchase unlocks the app permanently (not a subscription). Family Sharing lets one household buy once.
In the app (More), you see how many trial days are left so day 8 is not a surprise. After you buy, paths and jams stay on your device.
No. Your 7-day full trial is tied to this device. Deleting and reinstalling PianoAnyway does not start a new trial on the same iPhone or iPad.
No. On Play → What am I playing?, hold 2–3 notes on the on-screen keys — or on a connected MIDI piano. The app names the chord either way. You do not need a piano to try this.
Holding three notes is easiest on iPad. On iPhone, turn it sideways for wider keys.
Yes. Paste or build your Path, then use the blue keys on screen as hand guides while you play on your acoustic piano. Gold edges show notes that usually work in this key.
If your piano has USB or Bluetooth MIDI, you can also connect it so the app follows along. Either way, you can practice paths and transpose with PianoAnyway.
Heavy kick on small speakers is common. Try headphones, or lower drum volume in More → Sound.
Yes. Pairing uses Apple’s Bluetooth MIDI window inside PianoAnyway. If the piano appears as Not Connected, that is only a scan — tap that row, wait for Connected, then the checkmark. The checkmark only closes the window; it does not connect.
Bluetooth MIDI does not appear under iPhone Settings → Bluetooth. Always pair from the app button. A cable is usually a little more stable and a little lower latency; Bluetooth is for when you do not want a cable.
No microphone, and not the piano’s speakers. MIDI only sends which keys you pressed. Rec remembers notes from the on-screen keyboard, a connected MIDI piano, and path cards, then plays them back with the app piano.
To capture this piano’s own tone you would need a microphone or an audio cable. We do not do that. The iPad microphone is not used.
After you stop Rec, the jam list shows two lines. Cards appear only if Play was running. You played lists the notes from the on-screen keyboard and the MIDI piano. Replay is the app piano — not this piano’s speakers.
Want a steady beat? Tick Metronome (under Tempo, tone, drums) and you hear clicks while you record; the clicks are not in the recording. Silence before your first note is trimmed. Rec is free play, so it does not make cards: for left-hand cards use Melody → Play it in.
The strip is not a tiny 88-key piano — about two octaves. The note names are right; a very low or high chord is shifted into view.
Blue = notes for this card. Purple = what you are playing. Green = a note you play that is also blue. On Build, green/purple do not auto-advance (that happens on Play).
Gold edges = notes that usually work in this key — safe to explore with your other hand (especially in Guide mode).
On Play and Build, your path is a row of cards. The lit card is the one in focus.
Many songs loop about 4 cards (like 1–5–6–4). More cards are fine to explore; fewer can sound more like one song.
Build is where you stack cards and Save a named path. Play loops the cards and can auto-advance when you hit the blue keys (unless Guide mode is on).
On Circle, tap a chord in the wheel. The keyboard below shows blue keys for that chord — tap them to play it yourself.
Use the KEY dial to change key. The wheel and keyboard follow. Good for exploring keys and chord shapes — not for saving a full song path (use Build for that).
Tap 30s (top bar) for a short guided loop. Guide mode on Play starts with about 4 cards — a common song length. No score, no rush.
① Press blue keys first (left-hand foundation for this card). ② Explore gold-edge keys with your other hand. ③ Tap the next card when you are ready — auto-advance is off in Guide mode.
Outside Guide, Play loops the cards on your path. Rec saves what you played (app piano sound, not a mic).
The app stays installed. Play, Build, Paths, Circle, and Practice lock until you buy once (not a subscription). More stays open so you can buy, Restore Purchases, read Help, and export your paths.
We do not delete your paths or jams when the trial ends. Buy or Restore to keep playing them in the app; export if you want a backup file first.
One purchase unlocks the app on that Apple account. Family Sharing lets the household use it — we do not add a separate device cap. Restore Purchases is on More (new phone, reinstall, or a family member). If a parent must approve the buy (Ask to Buy), the app waits and unlocks after approval — it is not a failed payment. A refund or revocation locks the app again; Restore after a valid purchase brings it back.
Play, MIDI, and saves live in the app. This site is for intro, Help, and Privacy.
No. PianoAnyway is a tool for accompanying, transpose, and making sound first — not a graded lesson subscription or falling-notes game.
Whether you already know some music or you are just starting to explore, adults and kids can share the same bench — play at your own pace, and use paths as sparks for arranging or song ideas.
No licensed song library. Templates are common progression shapes (like 1–5–6m–4), not an official chart for a specific hit.
Cards and keys show a big label (Primary: 123, Do-Re-Mi or ABC) and, if you like, a small one underneath (Also show). Any pair works and is remembered. Paste a letter chart and read it as numbers: that is the bridge when ABC alone is not enough.
No. Blue keys are a guide, not an exam. A few chord tones are enough. Gold edges are safer notes to explore. If the stretch feels wide, try 15 / 13 / 135 or an inversion.
Light mini-games for your ear — hear a chord or pick by feel. Not a ranked exam, and nothing is uploaded. Playback uses the same Play variations (Layout / Feel / Inversion) as Play.
Play variations — Layout, Feel, and Inversion — are all global: the same path, Build blocks, Circle chords, and Practice games follow them on purpose. Layout = hand shape on each card. Feel = Block / Broken / Waltz…. Inversion = which note is lowest. If everything suddenly plays one-by-one, set Feel → Block. If the bass note feels wrong, set Inversion → Root. This is different from the Feel tags on cards (Home / tension).
Export your backup first. Paths and jams live on this device only.
Open More → Backup (Files / iCloud Drive). Tap Export backup — one JSON file with your paths and jam takes. In the iOS share sheet, pick Files or iCloud Drive. Use Import backup to restore. This is manual — not automatic cloud sync.
Export before you delete the app or switch phones. The Paths tab Export paths still works for a paths-only file.
Open More → Singer range → Key. Pick a voice comfort zone and about how high the song feels. The app suggests raising or lowering Key. Tap Apply Key shift when you agree — path degrees stay the same; only Key moves.
This is a comfort helper, not a vocal coach. You can still turn the Key dial by hand anytime.
Connect a MIDI piano with a sustain pedal. Open More and turn on Pedal flips path chord. Each press of the sustain pedal advances to the next card on your path. Turn it off if you only want normal sustain.
Needs a real MIDI pedal signal — on-screen keys do not act as a pedal.
No. Paths and jams stay on your device. Full text: Privacy.
Please email [email protected] — include device model, OS version, app version, and what happened.