Tenuto App Review: Best Music Theory App for Piano Teachers

What if you could make music theory concepts come to life for your students?  There’s an app for that.

I’m old enough to remember chalkboard staff lines and handwritten Xeroxed music theory worksheets.  Those days are dead.

Today I’m sharing one of my favorite tools for introducing and reviewing music theory concepts to my piano students.

I’ll go over some of the features I love, how much the app costs, and how to try it out for free.

Tenuto App

What is the Tenuto app?

The Tenuto app is a paid app for iPhone or iPad.  

It’s an interactive review tool programmed with 24 customizable music theory exercises.

Tenuto app allows piano teachers and students to work on a very specific area or a broad music theory topic.

Piano teachers can assign exercises completely customized to a student’s needs and track progress with custom links.

How much does the Tenuto app cost?

The Tenuto app costs $4.99 to download from the Apple App Store.

Sorry, Android users.  At this time, Tenuto app is not available for anything besides iPhone and iPad.

Check out the Tenuto app on the App Store.

What exercises does the Tenuto app offer?

Students can review music theory concepts in the following categories:

• Note Identification

• Key Signature Identification

• Interval Identification

• Scale Identification

• Chord Identification

• Note Construction

• Key Signature Construction

• Interval Construction

• Scale Construction

• Chord Construction

• Keyboard Reverse Identification

• Keyboard Note Identification

• Keyboard Interval Identification

• Keyboard Scale Identification

• Keyboard Chord Identification

• Fretboard Note Identification

• Fretboard Interval Identification

• Fretboard Scale Identification

• Fretboard Chord Identification

• Keyboard Ear Training

• Note Ear Training

• Interval Ear Training

• Scale Ear Training

• Chord Ear Training

Additionally, the following calculators are included: 

• Accidental Calculator

• Interval Calculator

• Chord Calculator

• Analysis Calculator

• Matrix Calculator

For a full list of the Tenuto app’s features, visit the developer website: https://www.musictheory.net/products/tenuto/features

What I love about the Tenuto app?

Wide Array of Exercises

Tenuto app is the most versatile and well-done interface I have found for reviewing music theory concepts.

I love that one app can provide identification exercises as well as ear training practice.

There is something for every student from notes to advanced chord progressions.

Customization Options

Even my first-year piano students can benefit from this app because we can customize an exercise to include only the notes they’ve learned so far.  

From clef, accidentals, to note range, you really can create an exercise so specific to your student’s point of struggle and help them conquer it!

Teacher Assignment Feature

In addition to customizing exercises, piano teachers can customize an exercise, create a permanent link to that customized exercise, and send the link to a student.

Once a student completes the exercise, you can check their progress report.

Cons of the Tenuto app

I really do love this app.  I use it on my iPad and laptop (more on that later) in the studio.  

However, as an Android phone user, I would love to see it become available for Android phone and tablet users.

At first, the cost was a setback.  But as soon as I learned of all the valuable tools and topic contained in this app, I was happy to pay the nominal fee.

Lastly, the Tenuto app contains only exercises.  So if you’re thinking, I wish I had a tool to teach these concepts initially, well, there’s an app for that, too!  It’s the sister app to Tenuto, and it’s called Theory Lessons.

Theory Lessons App

What is the Theory Lessons App?

The lovely folks who brought you the Tenuto app also created the Theory Lessons app.  

Theory Lessons teaches the music theory concepts listed below with text and visuals.

As a piano teacher, these sure beats doodling on scrap paper or a whiteboard to try to illustrate new theory concepts to a student!

Theory Lessons app is also only released for iPhone or iPad.

How much does the Theory Lessons app cost?

Theory Lessons app is less expensive than Tenuto app.  Theory Lessons costs $2.99 in the Apple App Store.

Check out Theory Lessons on the App Store.

What music theory concepts does the Theory Lessons app teach?

Theory Lessons offers 39 animated music theory lessons:

• The Staff, Clefs, and Ledger Lines

• Note Duration

• Measures and Time Signature

• Rest Duration

• Dots and Ties

• Steps and Accidentals

• Simple and Compound Meter

• Odd Meter

• The Major Scale

• The Minor Scales

• Scale Degrees

• Key Signatures

• Key Signature Calculation

• Generic Intervals

• Specific Intervals

• Writing Intervals

• Interval Inversion

• Introduction to Chords

• Triad Inversion

• Seventh Chords

• More Seventh Chords

• Seventh Chord Inversion

• Diatonic Triads

• Roman Numeral Analysis: Triads

• Diatonic Seventh Chords

• Roman Numeral Analysis: Seventh Chords

• Composing with Minor Scales

• Voicing Chords

• Analysis: O Canada

• Nonharmonic Tones

• Phrases and Cadences

• Circle Progressions

• Common Chord Progressions

• Triads in First Inversion

• Triads in Second Inversion

• Analysis: Auld Lang Syne

• Building Neapolitan Chords

• Using Neapolitan Chords

• Analysis: Moonlight Sonata

MusicTheory.net: Try Before You Buy

Likely if you’ve read this far, you are interested in either the Tenuto app or the Theory Lessons app.

If you’re hesitant to hit the “Buy” button, there is a way to try out the lessons and exercises offered on these apps!

On MusicTheory.net you can explore the animated lessons offered on the Theory Lessons app, as well as try out the exercises featured on the Tenuto app.

Check out MusicTheory.net.

Why buy these apps?

Why even buy the apps then, if all of the same information and exercises is available online?

First of all, buying either app supports the people who developed MusicTheory.net.

Secondly, having a mobile version of these exercises is extremely useful.  I often hand the iPad over to a student to work on an exercise while I’m working with their sibling.  Students can also use their own device at home for more practice.  

And finally, the app works offline which can come in handy in certain situations as well.

Is music theory homework dead?

So are we past the days of printing out worksheets?  Buying physical music theory books?

Not at all!  I find that using a combination of both digital and physical resources helps engrain these concepts best for my piano students.

If you’re a piano teacher, you might like to join my email list.  I send out music theory printables every month.  And, I’ll send you some music theory coloring pages just for signing up!