PitchBop Pro

Antonis Tsikandilakis

About this app

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 [e-mail]

Ratings and reviews

I think this has the potential to be the best app I've seen to develop musicality and ear for a new or maybe even senior musician. There is still some bugs and inconsistencies and doesn't feel like it's being developed or updated anymore. But fingers crossed it will. Would be nice if one could split stat across different instruments. At the moment I bought the android version for my guitar and then bought piano version for os x (ios version) so i can practise and improve on both instruments.

I think the app is having a difficult time reaching my phone's sound card. It makes an unpleasant beeping sound when it starts up and it doesn't seem to pick up any of what I'm singing into it. This seems like a cool idea, and I'd love to give it a higher review! Edit: never mind! I was singing in the wrong octave! I didn't know it was sensitive to octave. Revised to a well-deserved five stars 🙂

This app has a lot of potential. It does not identify pitch accurately for my piano. It has some other bugs that are somewhat frustrating. That being said, this is a smart approach. If the higher levels could be actual jazz licks and phrases, this would be such a useful tool. Excited to see where this goes.

What's new

UI improvements
Intervals and pitch detection improvements