In this Melodics review, we’re going to dive into the software training app that claims it can teach you how to play piano or drums better than traditional online lessons.
We’ll go over how much it costs, what you get, what the learning experience is like and whether it’s worth your time and money.
Melodics wasn’t our top pick for piano lessons online, so be sure to check out all our rankings.
Let’s get into it and answer the question “Is Melodics Worth It?”
Review Table of Contents

Rating:
7.2/10 Stars Overall
Key Decision Making Factors
- Ease of Use – 8/10 – easy to setup and use, very easy to navigate and lesson tracker works perfectly
- Comprehensiveness – 6/10 – not a comprehensive or traditional piano lesson program. better thought of as a practice tool
- Lesson Quality – 7/10 – very fun lessons, great lesson flow, well designed and progressively more challenging
- Affordability – 7/10 – not the most affordable, but in line with standard industry pricing. Yearly option is a good value.
- Standout Features – 8/10 – app design and gamification – it’s the most “fun,” feels most like a video game, engaging
Recommendation:
Should You Subscribe: In short, YES we absolutely recommend trying out Melodics – especially if you’re a music producer. It will make you a better player.
But is Melodics worth it as a traditional piano lesson for learning how to play in a traditional way? No, we don’t think it is. And it’s definitely not the best for learning how to play piano by ear.
I think Flowkey is a better option (or even Playground Sessions) for learning the basics of piano and how to play songs, while HearAndPlay makes a better program to teach you how to play piano by ear.
BUT… Having said that, if you use the software right – and consistently – you can improve your ability to play – especially with rhythm and timing. Use it and you’ll keep getting better. There’s no doubt in my mind. I’d really recommend ALL piano/drum students try it out – especially since there’s a free trial with 20 lessons that you can play without charge.
In a nutshell, Melodics is one of the best practice tools out, but it’s not the best piano lesson overall.
All About Melodics
The Melodics method of training is a really interesting approach to learning an instrument – it’s interactive learning using an app that tracks your playing.
And I’m a huge fan of it – if it’s done right. So naturally, I do think this is a great app. But it’s not for everyone.
The main thing to be aware of is that it requires a MIDI piano (or digital piano with midi/usb capability) or MIDI drum pads/electronic drum kit. Most digital pianos have USB functionality so you can use it as a MIDI piano, but other interactive apps actually just use your computer/phone microphone to listen for your playing, instead of detecting notes via MIDI.
More About the App
Melodics started as a revolutionary practice app for beat makers wanting to improve their finger drumming. And it worked great. Soon enough, they expanded to include piano lessons and because the drum side was so good, the piano side was also naturally a great thing.
But we have to be honest, if you’re trying to be a classical piano virtuoso, this app likely isn’t the best choice to learn what you need to know. It’s also not a complete replacement for traditional piano lessons. If you want to know the theory behind being able to make music on the piano, then you should also consider taking something like HearAndPlay’s piano course.
Here you have more of a training tool – something to help you become a better player. It’s much more focused on improving your technique, your timing and your ability to understand what goes into making your own music on both piano and drums. It’s the perfect complement/supplement, in our opinion, to a regular online piano lesson. But it can’t be a 1-to-1 substitute for it.
It’s like a video game (think of guitar hero) but with more concrete, guided lessons and goals. The idea isn’t to just play around, but to actually learn to play. But the key to a good program is to make sure it stays fun, engaging and addictive while not just being an actual video game with no tangible, real-world benefits.
And to be honest, Melodics DOES a good job at that. If you use it consistently, you’ll no doubt improve your rhythm and technique whether you’re using it for piano training or drum training. You have a heavy focus on developing GOOD PIANO (and drum) PLAYING HABITS – which a lot of online training programs lack. So it’s a pretty great thing to have alongside your regular piano practice/study.
It’s got a great looking interface and makes the practice fun. The music used for lessons is great and it keeps you engaged by making your practice a game – with stats, levels and more.
So keep that in mind, when you’re deciding on what to use to learn piano. There’s no doubt, you’ll learn the main piano chords and various really great songs. But it’s not a complete piano education in itself.
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Melodics Price:
- $29.99 / month
- $149.88 / year
Software Overview
- Practice/training tool for piano players and drummers
- Downloadable desktop app (no mobile/web app)
- Completely gamified practice tool – scores, levels, rewards, etc.
- Lessons based on popular styles of music with some special collaborations with artists
- Requires MIDI controller (piano/drums/drum pads) to use
- Continually updated with new lesson/content
The Good
- Engaging, fun way to learn to play your instrument better
- Practice finger drumming, full drum kit or piano all with one subscription
- Feels like a video game – keeps things engaging
- Well designed, “pretty” graphical user interface
- Easy to follow, hand-held approach from beginner to mastery
- The best way to improve your rhythm/timing and coordination
- Keeps track of progress and gives feedback on your technique/skill across lessons
- 20 free lessons with trial account – sign up free
- New lessons added weekly
The Bad
- Subscription price is relatively high for monthly membership.
- Required MIDI/USB piano or digital piano (or electronic drum kit/midi drum pads)
- Not a lot of “theory” knowledge is taught in a traditional way
- Lack of popular songs to learn
Who This Program is Best For:
- Anyone who wants to “play piano” NOW – without going through tons of boring “fundamentals/theory” lessons
- People who want a hands on training program that gives you feedback and tracks your progress
- People who already have MIDI controllers to use (piano/drums/drum pads)
- People who know the basics of playing drums/piano, but want better TECHNIQUE
- People who want to improve coordination and ability to keep time/rhythm better while playing
TRY OUT MELODICS 20 FREE LESSONS
How it Stacks Up to Competitors
Although Melodics was one of the first practice tools of it’s kind, it’s not the only option out there to learn how to play piano. So how does it compare to other options (like Piano Marvel) out there?
Melodics vs Flowkey
Flowkey is a GREAT option to learn how to play piano. It’s similar to Melodics, but it’s definitely not the same. As mentioned earlier it is best as a practice/training app. I don’t think it’s the best choice for learning piano music. Flowkey, on the other hand, is a more traditional piano lesson program (with theory lessons) that happens to have an interactive component to it.
You learn the fundamentals of piano, while playing along with the app. Flowkey also has functionality where you DON’T need to have a MIDI piano to use it. You can use any piano and it will listen for your playing via your computer/phone microphone. It’s pretty great, and Flowkey is actually our #1 pick for best piano lesson overall.
Melodics vs Playground Sessions
Playground Sessions is actually more similar to Flowkey. Again, Melodics works best as a practice tool, while Playground Sessions is trying to be a more traditional form of piano lessons. You learn theory, you learn songs, you learn to sight read, etc.
It’s something you’d use if you want classical piano training. However, we don’t think Playground Sessions is as good as Flowkey. The way the app works and the song selection is so much better with Flowkey. Playground Sessions does a great job as well, but it’s just not as good, in my opinion.
Melodics vs Drumeo
Comparing these two picks is a bit difficult because they offer two different things. Drumeo is a set of traditional drum lessons that are video based.
Drumeo is also a much more all around learning platform with a really vibrant community of users and lots of user interaction on the site. If you want to learn drums, especially if using a traditional acoustic drum set (or even an electronic drum set), Drumeo is the better option.
If you’re comparing the apps as a practice tool, though, the Melodics app comes out on top. If you have an electronic drum kit and want to improve your rhythm and timing (rather than learning how to play), then the Melodics software can be very helpful.
What’s Included and How it All Works
When you first sign up for you’ll be able to play the introductory lessons for free.
There’s no “reading” or “studying” you need to do before diving into the playing.
The games will teach you the note names, finger positioning and more, so you can dive right it.
All in all, there is a TON of lesson variety with. There are over 50 courses and more than 800 individual lessons to play through.

Plus the library of lessons is updated weekly. AND there’s something called “playground” mode where you can just play around with the lessons, practicing whatever you need, as much as you need.
The lessons range from something for absolute beginners who don’t even know piano notes or scales, up to intermediate and advanced players.
If you think this is an app strictly for beginners, I dare you to try playing one of the later lessons and see how well you can do.
After you go through the basics/fundamentals lessons, you’re taken onto different paths with various styles of music you can learn.
Types of Lessons
The best part about using the app was that it really does resemble a game like Guitar Hero – where you’re able to play popular songs right off the jump.
Here’s a rundown of some of the genre’s of music you’ll be learning to play:
- pop
- rock
- hip hop
- dubstep
- funk
- reggae
- trap
- ambient
- chill
- afrobeat
- deep house
And there’s many more, since the community is growing and new lessons are added weekly.
Product Design and How it Affects Use
Melodics is a downloadable desktop application that uses MIDI technology to connect to a keyboard/drum pads and track your playing. Unfortunately, unlike products such as Flowkey, the app is not able to listen for notes from regular pianos or drum pads/sets. So right there it limits who is able to use the app.
I wouldn’t recommend buying a MIDI keyboard just to use this app. But if you’ve already got one, or you digital piano has a USB connection on it, then this is a useful tool for you.
The app itself is really well designed – it looks great with eye catching visuals. The lessons themselves are also structured and designed in a way that is easy to follow and engaging. Becuase it’s using MIDI, there is no latency in the tracking and you get precise feedback on your timing, rhythm and coordination. It is a really great tool to help improve in those areas.
Finally, the gamification of the practice process (basically, turning practice into a fun video game) is a huge plus. Having levels and scores and nice graphics makes you want to practice more than just playing random scales or grooves. You have the tendency to become competitive about it, trying to beat your own scores.
And so all-in-all, it’s a very well designed and thought out product and is a great tool for any musician.
My Personal Experience Using Melodics
I’ve used it and found it to be easy and kinda fun too. That’s because it’ll throw you right into playing – no wasting any time. Not a lot of “theory reading/learning,” but because you’re playing actual music you’re still learning the theory behind playing the instrument
The best thing about this app is that it literally takes you by the hand, and shows you how to play with correct finger/hand movements – for piano, drum pads and drums. I see it as an accelerated approach to playing better, rather than a traditional set of lessons. Interactive learning is a better way to learn.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re looking for a really great practice tool for either piano, drums or finger drumming then yes Melodics is absolutely worth it. It’s good for you if you’ve got electronic drums, a drum pad or digital piano as it will need to connect to your computer. It will definitely help improve your playing and rhythm. It’s not worth it if you’re looking for a traditional education in piano or drums that includes a lot of music theory.
Melodics is an app on your computer (laptop or desktop) that connects to a MIDI enabled instrument – either keyboard/piano, drum pads or an electronic drum kit. It contains lessons that are styled like video games that takes you through a piece of music and records your note hits and gives you feedback on your rhythm, timing and accuracy. The “games” feature real music to help make your practice more enjoyable. It’s more of a practice tool than a set of lessons, and really helps improve your playing and technique.
Yes, the app really does help you improve your technique as a piano player, drummer or finger drummer. Most of the improvement happens in relation to your timing and accuracy. It’s not a set of lessons to teach you about how music works or how to make your own music. It’s a practice tool that will improve your ability to play your instrument with better rhythm/timing and accuracy.
The Final Verdict
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this piano/drum practice aid – it works really well to improve your playing technique. But it’s not a traditional piano lesson. There are better options for that.
Try out the 20 free lessons to see if you like them. Use it for a while and learn some songs before deciding if the price is worth it for you.
If you use it to practice daily, even if it’s for 5 minutes, you will absolutely improve your playing. I bet you’ll notice a big improvement in your “feel” and “timing” when playing piano or drums.
Next up, you might be interested in reading our full, in-depth PianoForAll review.
All in all, I love Melodics. Practicing to a metronome is boring. Practicing songs with a video game experience is fun. Nuff said. Even Berklee thinks so…
Thanks for checking out our Melodics review – it’s definitely worth trying out if you want to improve your technique.