APP REVIEWS
Chordana Play
If you’re looking for a visual way to learn to play piano — particularly for those who want a brush up — the Chordana Play app from Casio could be for you.
The app shows a keyboard and provides a variety of songs to choose from.
As each song plays and the music scrolls by, you get a clear picture of where your fingers should be on the keyboard to play the piece in front of you.
Those of the left hand — normally the basic, underlying chords of a piece — light up in orange. The right-hand melodies are highlighted in blue. When applicable, the prompts to play each note appear in a way that lets you get the rhythm down, as well as the notes.
This app is best on a larger screen, such as a tablet, for those who want to play on the on-screen keyboard. Even then, it might be a tight squeeze for those with larger fingers. The app also can be connected to
Casio keyboards — the ideal way to learn the songs.
Still, even on a small device, it can be a good visualization of how notes, chords and keys all fit together.
Free, for iOS and Android.
Dots and Co.
Dots and Co. is a fun puzzle game that asks you to clear sets of colored dots from a grid by connecting those of the same color together — a task that’s not always as easy as it sounds.
As you progress through the game, things get a little more complicated as the game introduces different shapes into the mix, too.
Connecting shapes of the same color lets you unlock the powers of different companions, each having special abilities that seriously can help you. For example, connecting enough triangles on a grid will help you clear all the dots of the same color at once.
If you’ve played other games from this developer, which also makes Dots and Two Dots, you’ll find a lot that’s similar in this title. But there is enough variation to make it fun and worth picking up, particularly if you like the style of the other games.
It also has a mode for colorblind players who may not be able to distinguish between the app’s original colors.
Overall, it’s a fun puzzler and a nice twist on the Dots games that are already out there.
Free, for iOS and Android.