Maestro Hero

Support

Questions, problems or ideas: email support@grainlabs.io. Tell us your iPad model, iPadOS version and, if you use one, your keyboard's model.

Getting started

What do I need?: An iPad with iPadOS 18 or later. You can play on the iPad's screen; a keyboard is optional.
I don't read music. Is that a problem?: No. Notes fall onto the keys with their names on them, and they wait for you in wait mode. The first launch shows you where middle C is and starts you on one short bar.
How do I see the introduction again?: On Home, tap "Show the introduction again" at the bottom.

How does the app choose what I practice next?: After every loop it looks at each bar you played: wrong notes, hesitations and, in play-along mode, your timing. Then it says which bar to fix and what to do: drill it, slow down, play it again, speed up, switch hands, put the hands together, or move on. The big button on the card does that step for you; "Same loop again" keeps the loop you have.
What do wait mode and play-along mean?: In wait mode each note waits until you play it. In play-along mode the music keeps time and the app grades whether you were early, on time or late.
What counts as a mastered bar?: A bar played with both hands together at full speed, cleanly three times in a row, in wait mode (doing it in play-along counts too). Progress charts mastered bars by week.
Can I practice one hand at a time?: Yes: choose Left, Right or Both. When you practice one hand, the app plays the other hand for you.

Which keyboards work?: Most digital pianos and keyboards with a USB port that work with an iPad without a driver ("class compliant"). Connect with a USB cable and, if your iPad needs one, a USB-C or Lightning adapter. Bluetooth MIDI isn't supported.
The keyboard is connected but the app doesn't react.: Maestro Hero listens on MIDI channel 1, the keyboard's main voice. If your keyboard has a split or dual voice on, or sends on another channel, switch back to a single voice. Unplugging and plugging back in also helps; when a keyboard is unplugged mid-loop, practice pauses until it's back or you choose to continue on the glass.
My keyboard has only 61 keys (or 49).: Tell the app how many keys it has (the keys button next to the keyboard's name). It moves a hand up or down an octave when the piece needs more keys, and says so on screen.
The sound is late.: Use Calibrate on the practice screen so play-along timing allows for the delay. For the least delay, use the iPad's speakers or wired headphones; Bluetooth headphones add a delay the app can't remove.

What's free, and what does the unlock add?: The app is free to download. The opening of the Moonlight Sonata, Für Elise and every song you import are free to practice. One purchase (US$9.99 in the U.S.) unlocks the other 12 pieces for good. There's no subscription.
I bought the unlock but the pieces are still locked.: Open any locked piece and tap "Restore purchase", signed in with the Apple Account you bought it with. With Family Sharing, family members can use it too.

How do I import a song?: On Home, tap Import MIDI and choose a .mid file from Files. Check which hand plays each part, set where the first downbeat is, and save. Imported songs stay on your iPad and are never shared.
Which pieces come with the app?: 14 public-domain pieces, including Für Elise and the opening of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Both the music and the editions they were transcribed from are public domain.

Maestro Hero collects no data. It reaches Apple's App Store for the unlock, and nothing else. See the privacy policy.