EarWizard Review

Developer: Wizdom Music
Price: FREE ($2.99 to unlock full app)
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 5

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Immediately reminiscent of the classic memory game of Simon, EarWizard might not instantly seem overly educational. Presented with a screen of a few chords, the player must tap them in the correct order in order to create the tune. It's possible to ignore the noise emitted and focus on the letters, but that's really not the point. Instead, a series of repetitive exercises means that it all starts to click.

EarWizard builds up on that, leading to seven chords in a row to remember, meaning it's vital to recognize the chord rather than simply focus on the letter or even placement of the tiles. The app makes things a little harder too, thanks to occasionally moving the tiles around and also hiding the visual cue of each chord as it's played. It's all built up slowly, though, ensuring that the user has plenty of time to learn.

The free build of EarWizard only offers up the initial beginner's course of Major, but it does come with three chords to focus on. There's a choice of difficulty level, too. Really, though, those keen to learn more should expect to pay the $2.99 to unlock all the available content. EarWizard provides plenty as a taster though, so users will know exactly if this is the kind of learning method that works for them.

Learning the chords will still take plenty of practice, but EarWizard makes it fun which is the ideal way of ensuring that users persevere in understanding music.