Newbie to Piano and Playground -- Great Fun!

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Snoop Bobb
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 2:49 pm

Newbie to Piano and Playground -- Great Fun!

Post by Snoop Bobb » Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:08 pm

I subscribed to Playground Sessions, so that I could semi-learn to play piano while my 7yo daughter is taking conventional piano lessons. The software has been so much fun that I committed to the one-year subscription. I primarily use the software via the iPad app, and we use it with our Yamaha CSP-170 digital piano.

I just thought that I'd take a moment to vouch for the software, in case there's anyone out there who's similarly situated and wondering about it. It's been so cool to go from knowing absolutely nothing about the piano or music, to playing alongside songs that I've heard before. I also like how they teach the songs in manageable increments (baby steps..), and then reward you when you complete each step.

I do think it's curious that the interface on the iPad app isn't as comprehensive as it is on the PC app. E.g., as far as I can tell, you can't track your progress on the iPad app, so I've needed to do that on my PC. In turn, because it takes two devices to get the full basic functionality of the software, it would be nice if they'd authorize you to use the software on more than two devices. (I.e., as it stands, I can't really conveniently access the software through my iPhone, as my iPad and PC are using the two authorizations.) Those are minor issues for me in the big scheme of things, although I do hope that they're working on expanding the functionality of the iPad app.

andrewwegierski
Posts: 783
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 4:37 pm

Re: Newbie to Piano and Playground -- Great Fun!

Post by andrewwegierski » Wed Aug 15, 2018 11:26 am

Hi there,

I'm glad to hear about your positive experience with Playground so far! It's great to hear about learning from our users.

Yes, I understand your points about the iPad app. We are aware of how it's slightly behind the desktop version, and unfortunately, this is the case with many applications - the tablet versions tend to be a bit behind, just because of the nuances of programming and developing software on such a platform. This is NOT an excuse, just an explanation for why the situation is what it is. We are always striving to make the user experience better on all platforms!

Yes, users have to track their progress charts on the desktop app. However, you can easily activate and de-activate devices from My Account - Downloads / Installs on our website. I know this is inconvenient, but it's the best work around for right now. So if you wanted to add a 3rd device on to your account, de activate the desktop installation temporarily, then re-activate it when you want to see your progress charts. We're not allowed to allow more than 2 installs except in very rare circumstances - this is because it's company policy in order to protect ourselves from having many people use the app under only one account. Not saying that you or anyone else would do this - but we need to protect ourselves - just in case someone would.

On the topic of the iPhone, Playground isn't currently supported on phones. I'm not sure if we're ever going to go in that direction, because the phone is such a small device, and you can't really see the sheet music and benefit from all our interactive features on a cell phone.

We pushed a large iPad update back in May, and that was a huge accomplishment for our tech team. It was a long awaited update to many basic issues of functionality, and we now believe that it's a much better overall experience. Currently, our tech team is focusing on the Android app, as it's been released very recently. But that doesn't mean we are forgetting about the iPad app - we are developing a long term plan to combat some of those issues of functionality with it.

Best,
Andrew
Andrew Wegierski

Customer Support Representative
Music Arranger

support@playgroundsessions.com

benjeon
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2018 5:53 am

Re: Newbie to Piano and Playground -- Great Fun!

Post by benjeon » Tue Sep 25, 2018 5:56 am

Great first post here. I'm also a newbie. I am intersted to learn about Piano a lot. And I hope I have come to the great community which could be helpful for me.

Thanks to all!
Where words fail, music speaks
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