Music tutor is a clever sight reading app that tests your knowledge of traditional written music notes on the staff. It’s available on the IOS App Store and google play so will work on both apple and android products. It asks you to identify notes in timed sessions.

It’s produced from Jsplash studios who offer other music apps such as a metronome and a tuner (amongst others). The app is free although contains ads, which are a little annoying. There is an option to remove the ads for £1.99 (on IOS from which I have based my review).

When opening the app, you are presented with a start button, a link to invite friends and an options button to adjust the settings. There is also a reference section that display notes in the treble, bass and alto clefs.

When first opening the app, head to options and make some adjustments.  You can choose to practice the treble clef (those notes generally played by the right hand) or the bass clef (those notes played with the left hand). There is also an option for the less common Alto clef. There is also the option of having two or more clefs at once which increases the difficulty.

You can adjust the timings of the sessions to 1, 5, 10 minutes or infinity. The app also plays the music note, so this can help with your aural skills. This can be turned off in the options or by muting your phone.

The difficulty settings are also adjusted in the options. There are pointers that increase of decrease the range of notes in each clef. The bigger the range, the more difficult the challenge will be.

Finally there is an option to turn on/off sharp and flat notes.  This is useful if you are a beginner and do not want this distraction.

I selected just the bass and treble clef in the settings as these are my focus.

Heading back to the menu click start and you are presented with the musical staff. You will see a treble clef or bass clef displayed and a note which you must identify with the letters at the bottom. To the top right is a timer counted down your chosen time.  You can also see your score and accuracy at the top of the screen.

There is also an option to switch between music notes and piano keys which increases the difficulty, in my opinion. This is an added dimension and very useful to improve you knowledge of notes on the piano keyboard.

I like this app.  It’s mobile, so you can work on your knowledge when you are away from your keyboard.  The social element may be fun for some when competing with your friends. Keeping an eye on your stats is useful, so you can see your progression and development.  The reference section is useful for study.  The app shows you your mistakes which also beneficial.

As a learning aid, this is a clever app, which is simple to use and has comprehensive cover of sheet music. It is reasonably priced if you prefer not to be swamped with ads in the free version.