10 Apps Like Chrome Music Lab for Kids and Classrooms
Ten apps like Chrome Music Lab for kids and teachers, from Incredibox and Bandimal to Blob Opera and BeepBox, with prices, devices and account needs.
Learn
Music, explained plainly
Pick something you want to try. Start with a guide, then make a little music.
Start here
Find a guide
64 guides
10 Chord Progression Apps for iPhone That Play the Chords
10 iPhone apps that play chord progressions out loud: generators like Suggester 2, backing bands like iReal Pro, and chord pads like GarageBand's.
10 GarageBand Alternatives for iPhone, From Simple to Serious
10 GarageBand alternatives for iPhone, from quick sketchpads like Ableton Note to full DAWs like Cubasis 3, with what each costs and what you get free.
8 Best FM Synth Apps for iPhone (DX7 Clones and Easy Ones)
Eight FM synth apps for iPhone with US prices: DX7 clones KQ Dixie 26 and M2DX, free King of FM and FM Essential, and two easier picks for beginners.
9 Omnichord Alternatives That Cost Less (Hardware and Apps)
Nine Omnichord alternatives that cost less than a new OM-108: the $174.99 Minichord, a used QChord, HiChord, Roland J-6, an autoharp and 3 iPhone apps.
6 Types of Electric Piano Sounds: Rhodes, Wurlitzer, DX7 and More
The six types of electric piano sound, from Rhodes and Wurlitzer to the DX7, CP-70, Pianet and Clavinet: how each works and how to tell them apart by ear.
FM Synthesis Explained Simply: Ratios, Bells and Basses
FM synthesis explained simply: carrier and modulator, what ratio and amount do, why FM sounds like bells and glass, plus a five-minute first patch.
How to Make a Bell Sound on a Synth (the FM Way)
How to make a bell sound on any FM synth: two sine waves, a 1:3.5 or 1:1.4 ratio, zero sustain, and FM that fades out before the volume does.
How to practice with a metronome
Start at a comfortable tempo, count the beat and practice one short passage. A simple metronome routine with a 60 BPM example.
How to use a chromatic tuner
Read the note, check the cents, and adjust one string at a time. A practical guide to tuning with an iPhone chromatic tuner.
10 Sad Chord Progressions, and Why They Work
Ten sad chord progressions in minor and major keys, from Am F C G and the Andalusian cadence to the minor iv, with tempos, guitar shapes and why they work.
11 Music Making Apps for Beginners That Are Actually Easy
11 music making apps for beginners, ranked easiest first, from Incredibox and Chrome Music Lab to GarageBand and BandLab, with prices and platforms.
12 Best Songwriting Apps for iPhone, From Idea to Demo
12 best songwriting apps for iPhone, sorted by step: Voice Memos for ideas, Suggester 2 for chords, Rhymer's Block for lyrics and GarageBand for demos.
12 Music Making Apps for Kids, Checked for Ads and Accounts
12 music making apps and sites for kids, each checked for ads, accounts, chat and in-app purchases, with the age it suits and what it costs.
12 Scales That Sound Egyptian, Spanish, Spooky or Dreamy
Phrygian dominant is the scale that sounds Egyptian. See it and 11 more for Spanish, Japanese, spooky or dreamy music, with notes and a chord for each.
14 Best Free Music Making Apps for iPhone (No Subscription)
14 free iPhone music apps you can use without a subscription, from GarageBand and BandLab to free synths, plus which 'free' apps hide a weekly plan.
15 Best Synth Apps for iPhone (Free and Paid)
15 synth apps that run on iPhone: free picks like GarageBand and Synth One J6, one-time buys like the Minimoog Model D, and which synths are iPad-only.
6 Easiest Instruments to Play Chords, Ranked for Beginners
The easiest instrument to play chords on has chord buttons. Six instruments ranked by time to a first song, with 2026 prices and C, G, Am, F shapes.
7 Best Synths for Kids, From First Toys to a Real First Synth
The best synths for kids by age: Blipblox SK2 and Dato DUO from age 3, pocket synths under $100, the Yamaha reface CS for 8 and up, and an iPhone app.
7 HiChord Alternatives: Chord Synths and iPhone Apps Compared
Seven HiChord alternatives compared on price, size and speaker: the $174.99 Minichord, Roland J-6, Orchid, Omnichord OM-108 and three iPhone chord apps.
7 Omnichord Apps for iPhone, Compared Side by Side
Seven Omnichord-style apps for iPhone compared on chord buttons, strum plates, sound and price, with three free picks and a GarageBand workaround.
8 Best Chord Synths for Songwriters and Beginners
The best chord synths compared on price, speaker and strum: the $174.99 Minichord, $320 HiChord, $649 Orchid, Omnichord OM-108, Roland J-6 and more.
8 Best Looper Apps for iPhone (Loop Pedal Apps Compared)
Loopy Pro, Quantiloop, GarageBand and five more looper apps for iPhone, compared on price, tracks and foot control, with a first-loop walkthrough.
8 Dreamy Chord Progressions for Floaty, Nostalgic Songs
Eight dreamy chord progressions in C major and A minor, from maj7 and add9 loops to the Royal Road and a Lydian lift, with voicings and pad settings.
9 Types of Synth Sounds: Bass, Lead, Pad, Pluck and More
Bass, lead, pad, pluck, keys, bell, arp, drone and FX: the nine types of synth sounds, what each does in a song, and starting settings for each.
ADSR Explained: Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release (With Settings)
What attack, decay, sustain and release do on a synth, why sustain is a level and release a time, plus ADSR settings for bass, pads and plucks.
AirPods Latency in GarageBand: Why It Lags and How to Fix It
Why AirPods lag in GarageBand, what a 2019 test measured (144 to 274 ms), and the fixes: the speaker, a wired adapter, quantizing and nudging late takes.
Can You Make Music Without Knowing Music Theory? Yes, Here's How
Yes, you can make music with no theory. Loop C, G, Am and F, hum over it, let scale-locked pads keep you in key, then learn five pieces of theory later.
Chords That Sound Good Together: 8 Easy Sets for Beginners
Eight easy sets of chords that sound good together, in C, G, D and F major and A, E and D minor, with piano notes and guitar and ukulele shapes.
Filter Cutoff and Resonance Explained: How Synth Filters Work
What filter cutoff and resonance do on a synth, how low-pass, high-pass and band-pass differ, what drive adds, and five filter moves to try.
FM vs Subtractive vs Wavetable vs Additive Synthesis
FM vs subtractive vs wavetable vs additive synthesis, with real settings to try: why FM makes bell tones a filter can't, and which type to learn first.
How Does a Synthesizer Work? Every Knob Explained
How a synthesizer makes sound, knob by knob: oscillator, filter, amp, the envelopes and LFO that move them, and effects, with starter settings to try.
How to Find Chords for a Melody You Already Have
Find chords for a melody: work out the key, match each bar's main note to one of three chords that hold it, test by ear. Twinkle Twinkle as the example.
How to Find Chords in a Key: The 7-Chord Pattern for Any Key
Stack a chord on each scale note and every major key gives the same seven chords, I ii iii IV V vi vii°. The minor-key method and all 24 keys in a table.
How to Make a Pluck Synth Sound on Any Synth, in 5 Steps
Make a pluck synth in 5 steps: a 1 ms attack, 300 ms decay, zero sustain and a fast filter envelope on a saw wave. Plus house, harp and marimba settings.
How to Make a Synth Bass: Sub, Saw, FM, Acid and 808
How to make a synth bass on any synth, with starting settings for a clean sine sub, a filtered saw, an FM slap bass, a 303-style acid line and an 808.
How to Make a Synth Sound Bigger: Detune, Chorus and Space
Why a synth sounds thin, and six fixes with starting settings: detune, chorus, unison, octave layers, drive and reverb. Plus when bigger backfires.
How to Make Beats on iPhone for Free: Your First Beat
How to make beats on iPhone for free: set a tempo, program a 16-step drum pattern in GarageBand, then add a bassline and a hook in A minor.
How to Make Music on iPhone (No Experience Needed)
Make your first song on iPhone in one evening: free GarageBand, C, G, Am and F at 90 BPM, a 4-bar loop built in layers, then export and share it.
How to Pick a Key for a Song (and What Key Most Songs Use)
Fit a song key to your vocal range in four steps, with a worked C to A major example, plus the keys pop, rock and country songs use most.
How to Read Chord Symbols: Every Letter, Number and Circle
How to read chord symbols: what m, M, 7, maj7, 9, add9, sus, the circle, the triangle and the slash mean, with the notes in every chord.
How to Start Making Music With No Experience: Your First Week
A seven-day plan to start making music with no experience: 15 minutes a day on a free phone app, in C major, ending with a finished 75-second track.
How to Turn a Loop Into a Full Song (Escape the 8-Bar Loop)
Turn a 4- or 8-bar loop into a full song: write a chorus from the same chords, map which layers play in each section, then add an intro and an ending.
How to Turn a Voice Memo Into a Song, Without AI
Turn a voice memo into a song by ear: find its key, put chords under the tune, write the missing verse or chorus, and record a demo on iPhone.
How to Use the Circle of Fifths for Songwriting
Use the circle of fifths for songwriting: read the six main chords of any key, chain ii V I changes that pull home, find relative minors and change key.
How to Write a Chord Progression in 5 Steps
Write a chord progression in five steps: pick a key, start on I, move away, lead home with V and loop it. Then six ways to make a plain loop your own.
How to Write a Melody for Lyrics You've Already Written
How to write a melody for lyrics: set stressed syllables on strong beats, sing each line the way you'd say it, then add chords. Worked example in C major.
How to Write a Melody Over Chords (No Reading Music Needed)
Write a melody over chords: put chord tones on beats 1 and 3 and step between them. A worked C, Am, F, G example, plus 7 tricks for catchy tunes.
How to Write a Song With Kids: A Simple Step-by-Step
A step-by-step for parents and teachers: pick a small topic, collect the child's words, write the chorus over C, F and G, then record it the same day.
How to Write a Song Without an Instrument, Using Just Your Phone
Write a song without playing an instrument: hum the tune into your phone, find its key with a tuner, tap the seven chords that fit, then add a chorus.
Is BandLab Safe for Kids? A Parent's Guide, Plus Alternatives
Is BandLab safe for kids? Its 13+ age limit, private teen accounts and chat ban explained for parents, plus no-account music apps for under-13s.
Is GarageBand Hard to Learn? What iPhone Beginners Should Know
GarageBand on iPhone is quick to play and slow to learn as a studio. Why the 8-bar song section trips beginners, and which 3 features to learn first.
Maj7 vs 7 Chords: Why Cmaj7 and C7 Sound So Different
Cmaj7 is C E G B and C7 is C E G Bb. How to read maj7 vs 7 in chord symbols, why one floats while the other pulls to F, and where each fits in a key.
Sus2 vs Sus4 Chords (and Add9): What's the Difference?
Sus2 swaps a chord's third for the 2nd (Csus2 is C D G) and sus4 for the 4th (Csus4 is C F G). How each one sounds, resolves, and differs from add9.
Synth Waveforms Explained: Sine, Triangle, Saw, Square, Pulse
What sine, triangle, sawtooth, square and pulse waves sound like, which harmonics each one carries, and which to pick for bass, leads and pads.
The 1-5-6-4 Chord Progression: Why So Many Hits Use It
The 1 5 6 4 chord progression is I-V-vi-IV, or C G Am F in C major. Why it works, the hits built on it, its vi-IV-I-V twin and all 12 keys.
The 12 Most Common Chord Progressions (and Songs That Use Them)
The 12 most common chord progressions in pop, rock, blues and jazz, in Roman numerals and easy keys, with songs from 'Stand by Me' to 'Despacito'.
The 7 Music Modes by Mood, Brightest to Darkest
The 7 music modes ranked by mood, from dreamy Lydian to uneasy Locrian, with each mode's notes on C, a song that uses it and a two-chord vamp to try.
What Does an LFO Do in a Synth? Vibrato, Tremolo and Wobble
What an LFO does in a synth: vibrato on pitch, tremolo on volume, wobble on the filter. Rate zones, tempo-sync math and a 140 BPM wobble bass recipe.
What Is an Omnichord? Suzuki's Electronic Autoharp, Explained
An Omnichord is Suzuki's electronic autoharp from 1981. How its chord buttons and strum plate work, each model up to the OM-108, and songs that use it.
What Notes Sound Good Together? A Beginner's No-Clash Guide
What notes sound good together and why some clash: all 12 intervals ranked by ear, the every-other-key rule on piano, and a scale with no half steps.
Why Does Minor Sound Sad? What Makes Music Happy or Sad
Minor lowers one note, the third, by a half step. Why that sounds sad, why tempo can matter even more, and whether D minor is really the saddest key.
Why Does the Pentatonic Scale Sound Good? (No Wrong Notes)
The pentatonic scale drops F and B, the two notes that make half steps and a tritone, so C D E G A (or the black keys) sound good in any order.
Why Is the Omnichord So Expensive? (And Is It Worth It?)
Used Omnichords list for $550 to $900 and a new OM-108 costs $769 to $999.99. Why the prices climbed, and who should buy one.
No guides match yet. Try a shorter search or choose all topics.