HarpNinja

Thanks to fellow student Hank Stefaniak for the following review...

"Disclaimer: I was asked to review this app and to pass on my comments regarding its features and usefulness. If I felt it was not worthwhile, I would not bother commenting at all.

Although the description says the target is beginner, intermediate, I found that at my level (almost five years), there was still a lot I could get from this app. I particularly liked the attitude of the developer when I contacted him for clarification and found some of the upcoming features to be exciting. There is an OSX, PC and an iOS version. At $14.99 (iOS) and $20.(PC & OSX) it seems expensive compared to other apps, but there is so much here with the described future updates, that I believe it’s worth checking out to see if it would be worthwhile for your use. The web site “ harpninja.com “ is a good place to start exploring. There is a demo version (full bore) available for PC and OSX that is good for 14 days

It is divided in to three sections: Circle Dojo, Tuning Dojo and Melody Dojo. The Circle of Fifths section initially looks like so many others but there are some cool features. It is interactive and very quick and easy to check positions (beyond 1, 2, 3), keys and major, minor and diminished chords. The graphics are excellent on my iPad.

In the Tuning section there is a graphic showing a harmonica with all the bends and if you select it in the settings, the overblows and overdraws. You set the graphic to the harmonica key and the key of the scale or chords you want. The graphic changes to show the appropriate notes of the scale or chord. When you play your harp it highlights the note and indicates tuning (sharp or flat as well as volume). You can also change the display to show intervals in place of the note names. Another feature is the ability to select the type of tuning of the harmonica (natural minor, country, powerbender etc.) as well as the type of scale/chords. Selecting a tune type (which position you want to play in) and a song (fairly basic list of songs depending on position chosen) then moves you to the graphic of the harmonica where the note is played, hole highlighted and if you choose the pause mode, it waits for you to play the correct note before it moves on to the next. There is a setting to choose speed of play. The Tuning Dojo has a recording/playback feature that was useful especially in an upgrade.

In the Melody section you are asked to choose a Tune Type (beginner, 1st position, 2nd, 3rd or 4th) and then based on type, a selection of songs is presented. You then select the desired key for the harp you are using and the key of the song. If it is ‘inappropriate’ a message comes up - “Harmonica missing notes for this key”. The graphic here looks like ‘falling bars’ that are coded by colour and symbol for blow, draw, bend and if selected OB or OD. Like the Tuning section, the pause feature caused it to wait until you play the right note.

The help section is pretty straight forward and where needed, there is also a direct link to the web site which provides much more information.

The most exciting thing that I saw was in the Tuning section where I could play a song, phrase, riff and it would show me the notes I played by name (or interval) in the location played (eg. 2 or 3+). I could record what I played and when I played it back, I could then write down the notes as it played back the tune. What is really of interest to me is that when I asked, Paul (developer) indicated he was working on having the app record the tune and then show the tabs. He also indicated many other features he was looking to include in future upgrades. An upgrade version will include chromatic. I am anxious to get that one as I definitely fall in to the appropriate category of beginner/intermediate there.

Hope this helps with any interest you may have in this app."