Barnyard Bluegrass

I’ve seen plenty of apps that explore music through piano keyboards but this is the first I’ve seen that uses bluegrass instruments. It’s a lovely change of pace! Barnyard Bluegrass has four areas for children to explore. Here’s a quick look at each one.

• Singing - In the Singing section children are treated to a concert of bluegrass music, performed by farm animals. As each song is performed the lyrics will appear at the top of the screen so children can sing along if they wish. They can switch between songs by tapping on different areas of the screen. That was part of the fun for me, discovering which object or animal triggered which song.
• Playing - This section of the app lets children play around with the different instruments. They can choose between the bass, guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle. Each instrument can be played note by note in both the major or minor scales.
• Pickin’ - Pickin’ might just be my favorite section. Here the animals have gathered together on the porch for a jam session. When children tap on an animal he will play for a moment and they can either listen or tap on the other animals to bring them into the jam. We enjoy bluegrass music so listening to the instruments play together was fun for us.
• Exploring - Exploring is where children learn about each instrument. They can read about the instrument’s characteristics and hear samples of the type of sound it makes.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Barnyard Bluegrass and I really like what I found. If you’re looking for a musical app that breaks away from the piano then this app definitely deserves a look.

I reviewed the original, iPad version of Barnyard Bluegrass. Whynoceros just released a Pocket Edition for the iPhone. The price is the same as the iPad version.

Price: $1.99

See the app in iTunes

Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later.

Seller: Whynoceros?

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.