Keyboard players and pianists now need only an iPad to play their favorite songs along to real band accompaniments.

As usual, technology is leading the way for hobby musicians who want to expand their playing experience with NoteStar: a brand new and free app that gives keyboardists the power to summon their own backing band at will.

Whilst the hobby guitarist can head off at will with their six-string in hand, the keyboard player is often more limited in their mobility, making casual jamming and band practice with others a chore. Now, with professionally recorded backing tracks and vocals synchronized to the hands-free sheet music on-screen, the band experience can instead be brought to the keyboards.

Another problem often faced by players who do manage to find transport over to practice, is the band politics and power dynamics of the jam room. From the struggle for supremacy between lead guitarists and singers, to unstoppable sax soloists and the bassist intent on pushing their own arrangement upon the ensemble, keyboardists either find themselves shunted to the margins looking for the quiet life or drafted into the role of group diplomat. Of course, if you take away the musicians, you take away the arguments, giving full control to the musician behind the keys, distraction free.

With playback options that include A-B looping, track muting, metronome toggle, adjustable tempo, and managable individual track levels and transposition control, the keyboard player can tailor the accompaniment to their needs and preferences. The app, as you’d expect, displays in both portrait and landscape orientations, and features resizable and scalable text and sheet music size for easy reading.

There are already 200 songs available to purchase through the app at £2.49 each. The catalogue features chart-topping hits and classic favorites, specially selected for keyboard players with 20 new tracks added each month.

NoteStar is available now for free on the Apple app store for all iPad owning keyboard players. Check out the demonstration video below:

As reported on the BBC News website, interactive technologies and games are becoming increasingly important outlets for autistic children and their families. Tailored to the needs of their focussed perception and tendencies for structure and repitition, apps such as FindMe give children with autism a pathway into activities and experiences they may otherwise struggle to cope with.

Similarly, music can offer children diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum a soothing and engagable medium away from the anxiety and stress of standard conversations and socialising.

As defined by Autism.org.uk, “autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them. It is a spectrum condition, which means that, while all people with autism share certain difficulties, their condition will affect them in different ways.”

For autistic children who struggle with social interaction, emotional awareness and speech, learning an instrument can be an incredibly liberating opportunity for self expression and non-verbal communication.

Music can create connections between the non-verbal parts of our brains. Combined with eye contact made whilst learning songs and exercises with a tutor or parent, some autistic children can begin to break down some of the intimidating social barriers ahead of them.

The reassuring structure and repetition that comes with practising and learning to play builds confidence and physical coordination.

Of course, every child’s position and severity on the autistic spectrum is different, as are their special and unique personalities. In more severe cases, just the sheer ability to make a sound or expressive outburst can be extremely powerful and fufilling for the child suddenly empowered by an instrument.

It is important to note however, that music isn’t right for every child with autism, just as it isn’t for everyone in general.

Due to a number of famous and well publicised cases, autistic children are at times expected to be savants, or tragically gifted musical geniuses cursed with some incredible, double-edged special talent. Whilst some people with autism do indeed show a remarkable aptitude for music and playing  instruments (often due to a hypersensitivity to external stimuli common with autism), it can be unhelpful to place such pressure and expectation on autistic children and their families.

Instead, music can be used purely for enjoyment, support and as a development aid. Socially for instance, and depending on confidence and ability, learning an instrument can potentially lead to playing with others in interactive jams, school bands and beyond!

Additionally, the psychological sense of accomplishment and reward from learning an instrument, especially for an autistic child, can set them up for other challenges and steps that may lie ahead in life.

Perhaps the key to harnessing all these benefits of music and musical instruments for autistic children is in their initial discovery and introduction to making music.

Although autism creates an urgent need for structure, routine and repetition, due to a ruthlessly focussed, narrow logic, little patience is spared for rules or concepts that require explaination or even the briefest exposition.

Demonstration and practical exercises are often best, requiring as little talking as possible. There are a number of sites and blogs full of ideas for introducing music to autistic children.

As many of the musicroom blog’s readers can attest, music is far more than just the enjoyable organisation of sounds and noises. For autistic children though, music can give them a voice!

Are you a parent of an autistic child learning to play an instrument? Perhaps you’ve had experience teaching a child or children with autism in the past? Please share your stories and experience in the comments box below.

Some helpful and related links

The National Autistic Society

Music For Autism

Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism

The Gadget Show, Channel 5′s preview of the best new technology on the market, is set to feature the iRig Mic on tonight’s show (September 9th).

Presenters Jason Bradbury and Suzi Perry will test out the audio equipment to create a brand new theme tune for the Gadget Show. They will play instruments and do their own mixing to come up with a selection of tracks that views can vote on to be the brand new theme music.

While the iRig Mic is great fun, it is also a useful tool for musicians on-the-go and for spoken recordings. It is the first handheld, quality condenser microphone for Apple’s operating system and can be used on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Created by IK Multimedia, features include real-time monitoring with a dual mini-jack and the ability to adjust the recording depending on the sound pressure.

It also comes with the VocaLive iPhone app, which can process live voice recordings and adds effects including pitch correction.

Meanwhile, guitar players and songwriters can access the Amplitube app and the iRig Recorder, which allows quick audio recording and processing.

When the device first launched, tech website engadget praised the equipment for being the only handheld accessory to use Apple iOS devices for sound recordings.

Music magazine Rolling Stone even recently named the iRig Mic as their top toy. Writer Scott Steinberg described the tool as handy for musicians and performance artists to use if they “suddenly get the urge to throw down”.

“Users can immediately record verses, ambient sounds or podcasts dynamically with the condenser microphone, which lets you lay down instrumentals or vocal tracks on-demand,” he wrote.

And as the device can be used with nearly any music app, he suggested that it could potentially allow for “impromptu karaoke sessions or portable jam sessions whenever the mood strikes”.

To see its full capabilities, the Gadget Show will be on at 20:00 tonight and will feature keyboard and synth expert Mark Jenkins.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony-winning adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s novel The Phantom of the Opera opened in the West End in 1986, and on Broadway in 1988. It became the longest-running musical in Broadway history after overtaking Cats in 2006. The musical is also running in Las Vegas, London, Budapest and South Africa.

Since its debut in London in 1986 it has become synonymous worldwide with musical theatre and has spawned its own 2004 film adaptation by Joel Schumacher, which starred Gerard Butler as the Phantom.

This new iPad app is the definitive Phantom of the Opera App for pianists and keyboard players alike.

The app contains piano solo sheet music for 12 famous songs from the musical from ‘All I Ask Of You’ to ‘The Music Of The Night’ as well as authentic backing tracks to play along to.

Complete song list:
All I Ask Of You
Angel Of Music
The Fairground
Journey To The Cemetery
Learn To Be Lonely
Masquerade
Prima Donna
The Music Of The Night
Phantom Of The Opera
The Point Of No Return
Think Of Me
Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

Price £5.49

See it on iTunes

Musicroom.com the largest online music retailer in Europe is seeing an additional boom in iPhone / iPad apps specifically aimed at budding musicians. Apps which feature digital sheet music versions of songs by such acts as The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton are showing increased sales as musicians take to learning their favorite songs from their iPhones or iPads.

In the past month Musicroom.com has released apps by two of the biggest acts in the world – Coldplay and Adele as well as a Music Theory app, which was tested by accomplished musicians and theorists, and is aimed at the younger end of the market.

New York based Director of Digital Publishing Tomas Wise commented, ‘sales of our sheet music based apps have far exceeded expectations- over half a million musicians have downloaded our apps and counting. Clearly, there is a huge demand for these products. We are confident sales will continue to grow as we accelerate our release schedule and improve our offering.’

Musicroom.com was the first company to release an official app by The Beatles on iTunes and now has over 40 apps available for download. There are many more guitar, ukulele and piano apps in the pipeline for release during the coming months.

Their Freestyle app which enables you to write and record your rap on the go has been a huge hit with rappers and MCs and has seen downloads hitting over 100,000 and has been Top 10 in the iTunes chart in over 40 countries.

Musicroom.com who have offices and music retail shops in the UK were amongst the first to launch apps into this market and had success with the guitar and drum tuition apps Killer Riffs and Killer Beats.

In this tech-savvy world, musicians of all levels can benefit from using modern technology to learn and improve their playing skills. In addition to apps, programs like Garage Band have enabled players to record themselves in the comfort of their own bedrooms and offices with professional results.

Many established stars like Snoop Dogg and Damon Albarn of Gorillaz have written and recorded songs on their iPads, and this is just the beginning… Click here to see the full range of Musicroom apps

Music Theory for Beginners for iPad is the ultimate resource for anyone trying to get to grips with music theory.

The App has been constructed and tested by accomplished musicians and theorists, and designed in a way that makes learning fun.

Split into 22 lessons that cover all the major theory topics from reading notes and rhythm to basic harmony, exclusive lessons provide you with all the information you need in order to take on the interactive quiz. The app includes several interactive controls that make learning to read and play music fun and easy!

Take on the quiz and get your achievement badge for each topic in turn. Once you’ve earned your badge for that topic, progress onto the next lesson until you’re a true theory master!

The App contains over 2,000 questions of varying difficulty to test your knowledge. Music Theory for Beginners is quite simply the most comprehensive music theory tool in the App Store.

For more fantastic music Apps, visit www.musicroom.com/iphone.

The hugely popular Little Black Songbook App series is back with a superb collection of acoustic numbers spanning the last five decades.

The App which is out today contains 25 well-known acoustic hits to help build up your repertoire of classic songs. Each song includes full lyrics & chords and features an enhanced chord library where you can view large chord diagrams to show you how the artists played each chord. The App also comes with a selection of backing tracks to give you the full band experience.

Complete song list:

Babylon – David Gray
Big Yellow Taxi- Joni Mitchell
Blowin’ In The Wind – Bob Dylan
Brown Eyed Girl- Van Morrison
California Dreamin’ – The Mamas & The Papas
Don’t Know Why – Norah Jones
Everybody’s Talkin’ – Nilsson
Father And Son – Cat Stevens
Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen
If You Leave Me Now – Chicago
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door – Bob Dylan
Layla (Unplugged) – Eric Clapton
Lovin’ You – Minnie Riperton
More Than Words – Extreme
Mrs. Robinson – Paul Simon
Not Fade Away – The Rolling Stones
Nothing Else Matters – Metallica
Redemption Song – Bob Marley
Romeo And Juliet – Dire Straits
The Closest Thing To Crazy – Katie Melua
Try A Little Tenderness – Otis Redding
Wild Wood – Paul Weller
Wild World – Cat Stevens
Wonderwall – Oasis
Yesterday – The Beatles

If you want to see all our apps, visit www.musicroom.com/iphone

The Ukulele has been enjoying a recent resurgence in popularity, the prominence of acts such as The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain and comedians like Frank Skinner has led to rocketing sales of the four-stringed instrument. Even Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder is due to release his own solo Ukulele album!

Well now it’s your turn, with the great new Ukulele Songbook for iPhone and iPad. Musicroom brings you the perfect songbook to build up your library of songs.

This brand new App includes over 40 all-time favourites for you to get strumming with. Each song includes full lyrics & chords and features an enhanced chord library where you can view large chord diagrams and photos of each chord shape.

This beautifully presented App contains 40 classic songs, including House Of The Rising Sun, Amazing Grace, Greensleeves and more. Ukulele Songbook als comes with some great other features such as a Ukulele tuning page and a short history of this unique instrument.

For more fantastic music Apps, visit www.musicroom.com/iphone or get the latest Apps news on the new Facebook page MusicRoom Apps.

What is the biggest selling rock album of all time?

Who had a pet chimp that drank whisky?

This Day in Music is a companion to the highly successful site Thisdayinmusic.com which is also available as a best selling book.

Your daily guide to the facts, the figures, the dates, the times and the places, and most of all the stars, that made rock and pop the most vibrant art form of the 20th and 21st centuries, this app contains over 5,000 music facts as well as hundreds of exclusive images, making it a must for any music fan.

The app comes with various great fun mini-games:

- ON THIS DAY
Major music happenings 365 days of the year.

- MUSIC QUIZ
A very addictive music quiz, with hundreds of questions which will test the brainiest of music buffs! Who were The Fir Trees? How did Metallica get their name?

- BIRTHDAY #1
See what song was #1 on the charts on the day you were born.

- WHICH STARS SHARE YOUR BIRTHDAY?
See which pop stars were born on the same day as you.

- MUSIC TRIVIA
Things you didn’t know, hundreds of music trivia facts to impress your friends!
Like: Did you know in 2006, a new water bear species, ‘Echiniscus madonnae’ a microscopic, water-dwelling, animal with eight legs was named after the singer Madonna?

This Day in Music has already been Top 10 on the iTunes music charts in over 30 countries! If you love music, make sure you pick up this must-have app today.

For more fantastic music Apps, visit www.musicroom.com/iphone or get the latest Apps news on the new Facebook page MusicRoom Apps.

Freestyle is a writing, recording and sharing mobile application for songwriters, MC’s and poets on the move. Be prepared whenever and wherever inspiration strikes.

Reengineered from the ground up, Freestyle records your vocal perfectly over the beat. Now with improved sharing features.

Never be lost for words with Freestyle’s enhanced notepad containing Schirmer’s Complete Rhyming Dictionary, an industry standard including over 96,000 rhymes.

Record your rhymes over a selection of exclusive beats included in the app, or Download the hottest beats from the labels you love. You can even record over tracks on your iPod. Share your recordings with the world by embedding them on any Social Media site, or emailing them to friends.

Get your ideas down fast. Craft the perfect rhyme. Show the world your skills. Or simply record a demo to work on when you’re back at the lab.

* Top 10 in the iTunes music charts in 43 countries!

“Great app! – Love it, Love it, and I Love it!!!”

For more fantastic music Apps, visit www.musicroom.com/iphone or get the latest Apps news on the new Facebook page MusicRoom Apps.

The Beatles music was recently made available on iTunes, and now the songbooks are available for iPhone too!

Four decades after their break-up, The Beatles remain the most critically acclaimed act in the history of popular music. The Beatles had more number one albums on the UK charts, and held down the top spot longer than any other musical act in the history of popular music.

The Little Black Songbook Of The Beatles includes complete lyrics and chords to over 160 Beatles classics, and not only this; each song has its own chord library where you can view enhanced details and play audio samples of all the chords used, making it quick and easy to learn every song.

The App features timeless Beatles songs from all their classic albums, ‘A Day In The Life’ from Sgt. Peppers, ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’ from Abbey Road, ‘Good Day Sunshine’ from Revolver, ‘Get Back’ from Let It Be, ‘Dear Prudence’ from The White Album and many more from the Fab Four’s 12 original albums released from 1963 – 1970.

As well as this, the App contains 30 professionally recorded backing tracks to play along to, including ‘Drive My Car’, ‘Eight Days A Week’, ‘Help!’, ‘Nowhere Man’, ‘Paperback Writer’, ‘Yesterday’, ‘Ticket To Ride’ and ‘I Saw Her Standing There’.

Also included are a few instructional video lessons to help you learn songs like ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’ and ‘Day Tripper’, plus the app has a built in tuner so you can play along with the backing tracks and video lessons.

The Little Black Songbook Of The Beatles is a brand new fully licensed App, and is a must-have for any fan of the Fab Four.

These app is also available in two great smaller volumes: Volume 1 and Volume 2.

For more fantastic music Apps, visit www.musicroom.com/iphone or get the latest Apps news on the new Facebook page MusicRoom Apps.

A Lite version of the popular quiz app Pop Phrase is now available for free on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPod – the ultimate visual quiz for music enthusiasts, it’s a race against the clock to guess the song title from the picture on screen!

See if you can name the tune in less than 45 seconds with this new App, the ultimate visual quiz for pop music lovers.

The concept is simple – a picture flashes up on screen, and your job is to decipher it and guess the song title.

It’s a race against the clock to guess the correct song title in time, the quicker you are the more points you get! If you get stuck all is not lost – press the ‘hint’ button to hear an audio sample of the song in question to help you guess the right answer.

The lite version of the game contains a selection of easy questions for you to answer. By getting the full game, you unlock hundreds of questions split into three difficulty levels so you won’t get bored easily! You can then post your score to the interactive leaderboard and see how your score compares to other players around the globe.

Think you’re a Pop Music wizz? Then this is the game for you!

The full version is available here.

For more fantastic music Apps, visit www.musicroom.com/iphone or get the latest Apps news on the new Facebook page MusicRoom Apps.

Now available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad – Blues Writer is the essential App for Blues lovers and musicians alike.

The Blues has been a major influence on countless major artists such as Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Fleetwood Mac.

Blues Writer is a writing, recording and sharing mobile application for songwriters, singers and musicians. The App is beautifully and thoughtfully designed to aid & assist the songwriting process.

Never be lost for words with the enhanced notepad containing Schirmer’s Complete Rhyming Dictionary, an industry standard including over 96,000 rhymes.

Once you’re ready, select from the 10 professionally recorded blues tracks included in the App, and record your song, live! You can then post your recording online and share it with friends, family and online community.

With its superb set of tools, the Blues Writer App – which is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad – is all you need to create stunning blues tracks in a flash.

Our new iPhone App can help users visit the site of the first Sex Pistols gig or retrace the steps of The Beatles in A Hard Day’s Night.

Rock Music Landmarks of London is the essential tourist guide for all music enthusiasts, allowing users to visit all the historically significant music venues that London has to offer, and hear the stories that go with them.

With exclusive narration by DJ ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris, you can listen to the musical stories of years gone by. For example, the day that Led Zeppelin set fire to a pile of money in The Speakeasy, or when Jimi Hendrix visited Ronnie Scott’s just hours before his untimely death..

With the enhanced map search feature, you can search for the nearest venues to you and let the App take you right to the doorstep.

With photographs of each landmark and the personalities that go with them, Rock Music Landmarks of London is a beautifully presented App that is optimised for iPhone 4 retina display.

A must-have tool for any visit to the capital, the Rock Music Landmarks of London App – which is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch – is £1.19 and can be accessed via Musicroom.com.