PitchBop Pro 4+

Antonis Tsikandilakis

Designed for iPad

    • 3.8 • 18 Ratings
    • $6.99

Screenshots

Description

PitchBop is a melodic ear training app designed to help you improve the connection between your ear and your instrument by directly linking the level of skill to the accuracy of your performance.


WHAT PITCHBOP DOES DIFFERENTLY

Unlike most ear training apps where you answer by tapping on a screen without addressing the rhythmic aspect of what you hear, PitchBop offers a performance-like scenario where you listen and actually play your instrument or use your voice.

Using the 'Call and Response' model, Dr. Bop, the resident jazz cat of PitchBop, plays a short phrase for you to listen to and allows you the same amount of time to repeat the phrase back to him to evaluate the accuracy of your performance.


HOW PITCHBOP WORKS

Behind the simple interface, there is a complex algorithm based on AI which creates endless melodies and adjusts the difficulty according to your progress.

Using the 'Call and Response' model, Dr. Bop plays a short phrase for you to listen to and allows you the same amount of time to repeat the phrase back to him to evaluate the accuracy of your performance. Once the session is complete, you receive feedback on how well you did, and the difficulty level is set based on your performance so you can focus on playing without needing to worry about adjusting the settings.


APP FEATURES

+ Pitch Complexity

PitchBop creates calls with varying levels of pitch complexity on a scale of 1 to 9. Use this slider to set the complexity level.

+ Rhythmic Complexity

Use this slider to set the rhythmic complexity level between 1 and 9.

+ Choose Your Instrument

Tap the instrument name to see a list of instrument choices, then tap the name of your instrument to automatically set your available range. PitchBop can be used with a wide variety of instruments, including your voice.

+ Metronome Settings

Set the metronome volume and choose if you want it to give you all four beats, one and three, two and four, or whichever combination of beats you prefer.

+ Profile Tab

Visit the Profile Tab to study your progress. This information is only stored for Dr. Bop’s Game, however, not for Practice Mode.

Additional details can be found by tapping the up and down arrows next to “Scale” to select the various scale and harmony types PitchBop uses for the calls and it will report the success rate and the Pitch and Rhythmic Complexity in your most recent “Call-and-Response” session.

+ Practice Mode settings

Pitch Complexity
Rhythmic Complexity
Tempo
Scale
Range
Always start on root on/off
Number of calls per session
Swing/Even
Chromatic notes on/off



ADDITIONAL GAME DETAILS BEFORE YOU START

1. Pay attention to the octave

Your response must be in the same octave as Dr.Bop’s Call in order for it to be registered accurately. If it isn’t, even if the note is correct, you will see a lower score due to the incorrect octave.

Example: For level 1 (when both sliders are all the way to the left) the starting note for the piano is C4 (the middle C). For the guitar, it is C4 as well (first fret on the B string or 5th fret on the G string)



2. Pay attention to the rhythm

While the app may be called PitchBop, rhythm is still a big part of the game. Users should make sure to pay attention to the rhythm and try to be as accurate as they can in matching it. Responses played out of rhythm will lower your score.

If the Calls feel a little too challenging, you can move the sliders all the way to the left and try starting from there. If this still feels like more than you’re comfortable with for now, you also have the option to go to the “more” tab and adjust the range to be as narrow as an octave.


3. Bluetooth and external devices

Due to the diverse and often unpredictable nature of external devices, PitchBop is designed to use the device’s microphone and speaker.
Bluetooth compatibility, however, will be addressed in a future update.

For any other questions please contact us at support@pitchbop.com

What’s New

Version 2.3

Rhythm detection algorithm calibration.
Instant feedback messages removed.

Ratings and Reviews

3.8 out of 5
18 Ratings

18 Ratings

XC077 ,

What I was looking for

I described what I wanted, to a music group, and this what I got. Surprised and a little frustrated that what I had been looking for on my own, had never come up in all my searches. Happy to have found it. A couple of concerns: occasionally notes sounds bad/truncated(clanky). Is this on purpose? The second is not knowing *how* far off I am when I get it wrong. I think a meter of some kind or a waveform overlay/ comparison. I’d also prefer to correct my mistakes before moving on.

s.e.moore ,

Best ear training app, want more!

This app fills an important gap in my ear training that has translated to musically useful results in a very short time! The big difference between this and other ear training programs/recordings I've tried is the focus on imitation rather than interval identification. Interval identification may be important for some musical tasks, but when you're playing live you don't have time to label every interval that comes along.

I love that the rhythmic side of the melodies is given the emphasis it deserves- and how the metronome divides the beat in different ways as you progress.

I also love that the app automatically progresses to the next level based on your performance. This enables me to play PitchBop hands-free with my voice while working on other tasks.

I still have a way to go before I'll have total mastery of the most difficult exercises, but once I reach that point, I'd love to hear some other features:

1. Longer melodies
2. Melodies that pivot from one scale to another.
3. A chord tone mode, possibly over short chord sequences, which could progress in difficulty from 3rds/7ths of chords to chromaticism with addition of other chord tones, scale and nonscale chord tones.

Or I could just go transcribe those things from jazz tunes myself, empowered by what I've learned from your already excellent app! :)

Cinghiale2 ,

Good start, but needs work

Great idea so I wish I liked it more. But I find myself constantly wondering why it liked some responses and not others. This really needs some feedback to tell you which note it didn’t like and why (too late, too early, wrong pitch???). Sometimes when I thought I nailed it it I would get a zero score and other times when I messed up I would get 2/2. It seems to like if you rush the beat or if you correct a note better than getting it right away.

Also, plug your phone in. This app uses your battery fast.

App Privacy

The developer, Antonis Tsikandilakis, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy.

Data Not Collected

The developer does not collect any data from this app.

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Supports

  • Family Sharing

    Up to six family members can use this app with Family Sharing enabled.

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