Product Review of Blob Chorus Ear Training

This game is used in many schools nationwide to teach learners how to identify pitch and music notes. Each blob in the recital sings a note; then, the king blob sings his note. The objective is to identify which blob sang the same note as the king blob. You can always increase the size of the choir if you think the game is too easy for you or your kid.
Website: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id484567131
What Users Love About the App
“I use this app in my music class and the students love it. I do have some exceptional students and they have a difficult time hearing some of the lower pitches. This game would be perfect if the tones were clearer and soprano and alto voices were included as an option. Also, some of the tones are 1/4 steps apart (a little out of tune) making the app difficult to match the pitch since it falls in between the cracks. Otherwise, this is a great app and has many merits.”
“I really like music and I play this app in school. I got this on my iPad since I like playing these kinds of games because they’re so fun.”
“My children’s chorus goes wild for this game, they ask to play it every week! It has really helped them improve their pitch matching. The only reason I didn’t give five stars is that I wish you could have some soprano and alto blobs, it would help to have them match pitch in their range.”
“I am a music teacher, and my students love this game! We have contests like a spelling bee to see who can find the right blob.”
“I am a music teacher and I LOVE this game. I wish all my students had iPads so they could play this game at home. It is such a cute concept and I love that you can change the difficulty level. I think the blobs (and exploding blobs) are a nice touch for the boys who think that music is too girly. I have to agree with the commenter who said it should include soprano voices. That is the one thing that would make this app PERFECT. My students need to match pitch in their own range.”
What Users Dislike About the App
“This is a great concept for a game/learning tool and could be very useful if a few things were changed. I agree with another reviewer who said the easier settings should use wider intervals that are easier to hear (4ths, 5ths, tritones, etc). Additionally, the vocal samples used make it very difficult to tell what pitch they’re actually singing. There’s a very wide, uncentered vibrato on many of them, which totally skews the pitch center, making it sound only about 40 cents away from a note that is probably meant to be a half-step away. If you used samples in a different tessitura, and with a clearer pitch center, this app would be 10X better. I would pay money for it then.”
“It seems like this would be obvious, but here goes: the easier levels should involve comparing VERY different pitches to make it easier. For example, the king blob sings C4. The other blogs sing C4, Bb4, and F3. It’s much easier for a new learner to pick the right pitch because the other options are so obviously far away from C4. Move the note options closer in pitch to the correct note as the game progresses to make it more difficult. Also, in general, this game should utilize more range. Untrained ears (children especially) have a hard time discerning notes that are out of their singing range. This game is a great idea, but it could use a little more tweaking to make it actually effective.”
“The concept is excellent. Our friend who has a 4-year-old loves it. We have kids who are 2 and 5, both very bright kids who love to play. The 5-year-old picked it up and learned to choose the “incorrect” answers and watch them get squashed. Our 2-year-old enjoyed watching him and started walking around saying “blah, blah, blah.” We won’t be using this app after all, maybe at some point down the road.”
“I agree with others that this is a great concept, but it is poorly executed. My piano students love it but even the best struggle with hearing the notes because the pitches are not steady. Please fix it so I can use it with my students again!”
“The sound isn’t working! I’ve tried the app on three different devices and the sound isn’t working on any. That’s the one feature this app actually needs!”