Modacity: Pro Music Practice Reviews

by Peddidle

All I’m trying to do is set up my first practice routine and I keep getting bombarded by pop-ups to rate Modacity and the practice timer keeps starting. First, if you want a fair rating, don’t try to make me rate Modacity within the first minute of using it. I assure you, the rating will be poor. If I could just choose not to rate it and be reminded the next time I opened Modacity , that would be reasonable; but the rating prompt comes up every time I open an item or edit something. So fine, have it your way—2 stars for being incredibly annoying. Also, enough with the auto-start timers. At least one of them seems pausible by tapping on it, but the one that sits in the bottom left starts as soon as I open the ‘page’ and doesn’t stop unless I tap Finish. What did I just finish? I hadn’t even started anything yet. I’ll be a practicing fiend before I even pick up my instrument at this rate. I can’t really comment yet on other features—awesome or awful—since I want to hurry and rate Modacity just to get rid of the stupid prompt.

by Brian73617

If you use Bluetooth headphones the audio becomes degraded for all your apps while it is open which makes it impossible to use while transcribing, learning a vocal piece, or any other music app you may use to practice with. This issue continues even when Modacity is open in the background so I had to remember to close it after every use otherwise when I went to go listen to music or a podcast the audio sounded like a walkie talkie.

I’ve stopped using it because the Bluetooth audio is so bad. I hope this issue gets resolved someday because it is a great idea and as a whole a wonderful practice tool. The audio issues have just made it unusable for my practice routine.

by Ben In San Diego

It’s ok. If I were preparing an audition, probably better than ok. There’s far better drones (TonalEnergy). But I get it keeping things simple and all under one roof. Price, again might be worth it for intense audition prep, otherwise way too much. But my main gripe is that at the end of the trial it automatically starts charging unless you specifically stop it. Age old magazine subscription dodge and I got snookered. Tried Modacity , wasn’t enamored, stopped using it and forgot about it. Until months later I noticed a bill. I know, it was me being scatterbrained. I could talk to the developer and likely get a friendly resolution, but they shouldn’t use these sales models in the first place. It leaves a bad taste and makes it less likely I’ll come back to Modacity in the future.

by Modacityuser

The $8.99/month pricing for the premium version of Modacity is a bit much, in my opinion. While it’s quite convenient to have a ton of practice tools in one app, I can get the same practice environment with my the TonalEnergy (metronome and tuner/drone) and a notebook for notes.

Modacity would make much more sense for a one-type payment; over $100/year for pretty basic features (including “unlimited notes”—just buy a notebook...) is neither particularly enticing nor sensical. Just my $.02. I encourage the developers to review the value of the premium subscription. The base app is useful, but the premium is certainly not worth the subscription amount.

by UmanzOmar

Modacity pretty much does it all. The GUI is also the best out of all the other apps.
One the first full day of using Modacity , it kept me focused and I had a planned practice session that actually helped me improve my flow.
4 stars because it can be improved a little.

1. Modacity crashes on my (2017 ios12) iPad when I create a new practice item while in a practice session. Everything gets saved but it’s just a pain.
***2. Would love if it included categories and subcategories. Ex... Lesson Books > Technic > ex 1
3. Would like to see a graph on the categories that have been worked on
Scales, Technical, repertoire, lessons
4. One last one would be the ability for Modacity to save a history of the bpm progress of the piece or exercise.

by Allbassnotes

this app has truly helped me change practice routine in all the best ways! The ability to organize playlists and practice items allows me to leverage my practice time. The improvements and mastery features then further help me figure out what really needs my attention.
My biggest success with this app was in March/February 2018. I was preparing to go on tour with a bluegrass group playing bass and singing harmony (with a little lead thrown in there), and I had 20+ songs to memorize. It was a truly daunting challenge, and I procrastinated. About 2 weeks from the departure date, I finally decided that it was time to learn these tunes. Using the playlist feature, it helped me see all of what I needed to do, and the mastery feature let me see what needed work. With about 1.5-2 hours of practice a day and some interleaving strategies, I solidly memorized those songs. I didn’t even have to worry about memory lapse on the tour! Using this app as a tool for effectiveness let me just have fun. Hope it helps others keep pickin’ and grinnin’!

by A + O Times Something

this app gives me the tools to track my work and do really deliberate practice. Everything I need is right there. Recording and playback, time logging by exercise, metronome, etc.

My only (very minor) improvements would be to allow a more pleasant drone such as a violin or cello rather than having an ugly pure tone, and to have a built-in tuner. But since tuning apps are a dime a dozen are so are drone tracks it’s not a problem.

If you’re a musician (or a language learner for that matter) get Modacity. It’s just the ticket.

by Steel Stirfry

As a jazz pianist and vocalist I’ve found Modacity *very* helpful in my study. The recording feature has helped me to really analyze my playing after each session. Before using Modacity I had trouble committing to timing my practices, but with the playlist feature I’ve been able to track how much I’m practicing each particular exercise. I highly recommend trying Modacity if you are a serious musician.

by JDJXJCNDN.

I have been using Modacity for two years now and it’s the best!! I like that I can see how many minutes I spend on each practice item every week (warm up, Solos, different instruments, etc). Seeing the charts and my weekly average helps me increase practice time at a safe rate. I have dealt with several chronic injuries so health is important! I was a beta tester and the creator listened to and implemented some of my feedback. Modacity is great for music majors or anyone who is serious about music!

by Nschnitzs

After seeing Modacity recommended on auditioncafe by Jason Heath, I immediately downloaded it. I love all of the reminders and ways you can really customize your ability to practice. This system really works great with my calendar that I’ve planned out what I’ll be practicing when to allow me to remind me and keep me focused!

I am in absolute LOVE with the interface and UX design- incredible. I do wish, however, that features were able to be unlocked with a one-time payment rather than having to pay monthly for the service. I like to just get it out of the way rather than have the feeling of a recurring payment dragging on me for only a couple of features that could be replaced with an app that I already have (like TonalEnergy for the met and drone).

I do absolutely love how Modacity makes me feel and I can’t wait to start practicing with it.

by Robson Fason

I found out about Modacity through various podcasts and the founder seems heavily committed to helping musicians get the most out of their practice time. Modacity reflects that. Features have been well thought out and help you stay focused and on track to accomplish your goals. Also, everything is tracked (time spent on each exercise, your rating of your practice segment, any notes you’ve taken on your practice segment). Would recommend this to any serious musician.

by BourkePR

I’ve been playing guitar for the better part of the last 40 years, but it was only recently that I decided to re-dedicate myself to the instrument, inject some discipline into my practicing and really elevate my playing. But I also realized that I had no real system for practicing effectively. this app is a game changer for me. All of the tools packed into Modacity help me organize my practice sessions, set goals and really push myself to exceed those goals. I finally have a method to help get me where I want to be as a musician. Genius app!

by Harpermg

Modacity is truly amazing. It allows you to structure your practice and it gives you the opportunity to review and contemplate how you did at the end of each rep and session. Studies show that being able to recall and write down what happened can lead to a higher retention in information overall. The support staff is wonderful. Always very communicative and responsive of any problems that may happen.

by Basicfruit

After I started using this app, I’ve become more organized, focused and efficient in my practice. I now break down the songs Im working on into smaller workable sections, which helps me know what i want to work on using the improve button.

Before this app I would just repeat the sections I wanted to work on over and over again. It wasn’t the worst thing, but i can now tell my performance wasn’t as good as it could have been. Really impressed with the progress this app has helped me make.

What’s missing? I’d love to be able to select more than one note in the drone simultaneously to create a chord. And while I appreciate the expert help feature, id love to be able to personally select who I'm sending my excerpt to. Even better if that person could be a tutor who could privately help me via chat.

Looking forward to future updates!

by Musicryguy

Really love using Modacity - the built in metronome and recording/playback features are super handy. The rating system is a nice surprise too.

Only thing it’s missing (for me) is there’s no way to take notes in Modacity . But I hear they’re adding that soon! Once that’s in Modacity , this will have completely replaced the multitude of various apps I’ve been using to achieve the same thing (notes, recording, metronome, practice log).

Oh and the deliberate practice feature has been really helpful! Definitely worth trying out 👍

by Coosa77

It is obvious that a lot of thought has gone into the design and execution of Modacity, which is tremendously useful for musicians who wish to improve their skills with focused, organized practice. Full of great features that you’d spend more for in separate apps, this one has integrated multiple useful features. And the customer service is astounding- the developers actually care about their users and continue to improve Modacity ’s functionality by seeking to understand how each of us uses it. Highly recommended.

by Aaron A Busch

I very rarely write reviews. But Modacity is one of the best I’ve ever had.

No matter if you’re a beginner or a professional performer, Modacity will drastically change your practice habits.

Before Modacity, my practice was disorganized and sporadic at best. Sometimes I’d keep track in a journal. Other times I’d lose my pencil and shrug off even touching the piano.

I’m now practicing (actively working on content) around 1-2 hours per day because this app has made it so easy to track and log songs, practice sessions, etc.

The price might be a bit high for subscription, but there’s not an app out there that can compete with this app right now. The free version has plenty to get by with, but I love being able to track exactly where my hours are going and how I’ve improved.

Looking forward to more features soon! (I would personally like the Italian tempos in the metronome app... tiny addition).

Hoping to see a theory/music knowledge part added in the feature, but that’s not really why I’d continue to use Modacity anyway.

by John D. Sims

I needed a way to track and manage my banjo practice. I started to build an Excel spreadsheet, but then my wife said “there must be an app that does that!” After researching several free and paid apps, this app seemed to be the best fit for me. It allows me to create tailored practice sessions that I can then record and review. The stats function shows me exactly how much time I’ve put to each session, rank my progress and prioritize future sessions. After 8 day of using the free version I was convinced that this app was improving my practice sessions, so I upgraded to the premium version to maximize its’ capabilities. this app is a great app to add discipline, focus and structure to your music practice. Even for banjo players!

by Plant Notes

There are lots of great music training apps out there. I particularly love and use forScore, Anytune pro, intonia, cello drones, and others. Modacity fits a niche I hadn’t realized was missing. It lets me easily organize and work through all of the small things I need to focus on for deliberate practice. For example, I have a playlist focused on open string tone exercises. It also enables me to make a sort of template for tracking each step for learning an etude (using notes within a piece). Finally, it relieves the stress of thinking about ‘time’ by incorporating it as an element of a given task or set. I find I’m less overwhelmed and more able to simply hone in on making small, measurable improvements in a session.

by Hkgweilo

In my 10 years of pro symphony playing, I have filled 12 large music practice diaries... mostly with time and date and just what I was practicing. They helped me plan and reflect on my practice, and I definitely credit my audition wins to better organization and focus. Modacity gives me all that (though I look forward to better note taking & time review), but it gives it to me in such an effortless way. I only have to type in what I’m practicing once, then it’s a button push away. I build a playlist like “recital” with all my recital pieces on it, set timers, and start practicing. The star ratings keep me honest - and so does the all central recording feature. Deliberate practice feature (“improve” button) is cool although I should probably use it more 😬