Player Piano Plus: No elephants were harmed making this app

Player Piano Plus: No elephants were harmed making this app

 Horton can rest easy knowing that he won’t be brutally poached and butchered for his majestic ivory tucks. That’s a relief. Who would like after the Whos?



Why is Horton safe? He’s obsolete…as far his tusks are concerned. And as far as Player Piano Plus is concerned too. Why tickle a dead jumbo’s ivories when you can play the piano to your heart’s content on the iPad?

 So, what’s the run down?



First, choose your keyboard size.

 Although if you go for 24 keys you’d better be a midget or have a serious case of ‘spider fingers’. At 24 those ivories were just too small to tickle with my sausage phalanges.

 But now that you have your basic, comfy keyboard, it’s time to customize your virtual ivories.

 If you’re a bit rusty on the old knowing-which-key-is-which caper then there are handy non marking sticky labels that you can apply.

 The letter is the note and the number is the octave (scale) that you’re on. One being the lowest (far left on the piano).



Terrific. Keyboard is ready. Let’s download some tunes to play.

 ‘O come All Ye Faithful’? Edwin…it’s March, dude. What’s with the eggnog and carol theme?



This…

 …is what’s with the eggnog.



Eleven Christmas songs for the seasonally challenged. A little shortsighted I think, Player Piano Plus crew. A whole app just for a few Xmas tunes?



Here’s hoping the selection improves dramatically over the next little while. It’s too good an app to waste like that.



On with the show, maestro. Yes, it’s time to start banging at keys.



With some help from my key highlighter, of course.

 And my trusty finger number…er.

 Hey, I’m no Liberace…I’m a beginner. I need all the help I can get!



Speaking of which…

 …I wish all app instructions were this ‘at-a-glance’ easy.



So now I’m plunking away, thumping any musicality out of O Come…I’ve got an accompanying piano playing with me to keep me on track, and I have the lovely voice of Ayla Brown to bring this whole Xmas speakeasy experience to life.

 Stonking good fun. Naturally, you can turn all of this extra stuff off and play au naturale, but I’ve always preferred jamming over lonely practice sessions.



Me and Ayla are makin’ some bootiful moosik togeva…



Bring on the Billy Joel, the Beatles, and the Queen, Ayla. I’m ready.

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