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Best Music Apps Out There
With the change of technology and the adding of more technology in music these days, it is important to know what music applications are available to use.
Apps are useful because they allow the user to access things with the touch of a few buttons. They help you keep your resources in one place, and you can access them from virtually anywhere.
This post will outline the best music apps that I have found and that others have recommended that they like for Catholic music.
Quick Overview of Resources
This table will give you a quick rundown of the apps and quick features. Read on in the post get the details on all of them.
| Name of App | App | Website Resource | for Apple | for Android | Free | Paid |
| Comprehensive Catholic Hymnal | X | X | X | |||
| forScore | X | X | X | |||
| Music Notes | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Piascore | X | X | X | |||
| Deepdish GigBook | X | X | X | |||
| Song Select by CCLI | X | X | X | |||
| Hymnary | X | X | X | |||
| Spirit & Song Digital | X | X |
Apps for Catholic Musicians
1 – Comprehensive Catholic Hymnal
This FREE and versatile app was just updated in March 2020. They have 655 hymns and church songs on this app for you to listen to, use for practice, or to find new songs.
Some of the songs are just a recording of instrumentals, while others have vocals or a downloadable PDF. Some songs are a combination of two or more of these options.
Features:
- Alphabetical listings with the option to search
- Ability to create lists of your favorite hymns for later
- Includes common Catholic prayers
- The settings allow you to customize your user experience or contact the creators
- It is sometimes difficult to find exactly what you need when you need it unless you create a list
- Not every song includes an option with vocals, which is helpful for vocal practice.
- Only available for Android devices
This app is fantastic at providing lots of hymn resources and will continue to add more information and keep getting better.
2 – forScore
A lot of users really enjoy forScore, and I can see why. It allows a seamless experience for those wishing to access, edit, and also play or sing from the screen.
It gives you an extensive list of tools to use with the music and then gives you the full screen of the music when you need it, giving you the focus and clarity you need as a musician.
Features:
- ability to download, annotate, play, edit, create playlists, and so much more
- scales well for great visibility no matter what screen you are using it on
- Organizes automatically, and can be a hands-free resource
- Easy to find new pieces, download a PDF or play from the app.
- Only available for iPads and iPhone
- App price: $14.99 with optional in-app purchases
3 – MusicNotes
This music app is a great resource for any music teacher, choir director, or musician. I used it every year for my students when I needed solo pop songs for our annual “POP Concert”.
You can also use them online without the app, but I’m sure the app would be easier to keep organized than a webpage.
They are easy to use, you can find almost anything, and the downloads are really good quality. I even used them when finding wedding music!
Related: Cantors and Singing for Weddings
Features:
- MusicNotes helps you keep your paper trail to a minimum, especially if you download sheet music a lot!
- The world’s largest online sheet music resource
- Ability to create folders, list, and also print your music from any device
- Instant transposition (my favorite feature of theirs!)
- Can mark your music up in-app via some devices
- Available for both Android and Apple
- FREE with in-app purchases
4 – Piascore
Piascore actually offers several music apps within the website.
With the original app, you can browse digital scores easily. It is dubbed as practical, versatile, and convenient in some of its reviews.
The other featured apps are a tuner, metronome, and a piano+, all useful tools for a cantor, choir director, or choir member.
Features:
- Helps you tab and organize your favorite scores
- You can browse and get digital music easily
- Has more than one tool for you to use
- FREE with in-app purchases
- Available for Apple devices
5 – DeepDish GigBook
While not all music apps are equal, this one is also similar to the other listed above. It all depends on what works best for you. There are some great features of this app you might want to check out.
Features:
- Customize your songs into collections
- Ability to carry thousands of scores
- Add notes and data to any score you want, like handwritten or typed notes, and link scores to audio files easily
- View and share with others; built specifically for the performing musician
- Available for Apple devices
- App price: $9.99
Other Digital Alternatives to Hymnals
The major hymnal providers in the United States also have online and digital resources for you to access new music at your fingertips.
Check out a few of these options:
1 – Song Select by CCLI
Song Select is super helpful for those doing praise + worship often in your parishes. Or, if you have players that are using chords instead of sheet music.
Features:
- Connects to apps that you regularly use
- Offers lyrics, lead sheets, chord sheets, and vocal sheets
- Already publisher authorizes
- FREE with pricing plan options
- More of an online resource, not exactly an app
2 – Hymnary
Though the website seems a bit dated (at least in looks), you can find many many hymns and hymnals on this website.
Features:
- Organize, star, and save your favorites
- Purchase music that you want
- Lectionary section that helps you select music based on the Year and week in the liturgy
- PIeces of music contain records, and several types of scores, including Flexscore
- Has many traditional Catholic hymns
- Free to search/browse, music purchases cost extra
3 – Spirit & Song Digital
If you use Spirit & Song already, this is a no-brainer. Available through IRC Music, you can sign up with a FREE 60-day trial before paying the subscription price.
Features:
- Everything that the hymnal includes, plus access to just lyric copies, chords, and accompaniment parts and audio.
- FREE 60-Day Trial
- Download as many as you need, when you need them
- Psalms and Mass setting available, as well as Ritual texts
- Create lists and share
- Annual price based on parish size
Which One of These Music Apps Will You Try?
I sincerely hope that one of these music apps will be just what you are looking for to decrease the piles of paper, to keep your files organized, or to buy and save digitally.
Are you keeping your eye on one in particular? They all have great features, and many of them are similar. I would encourage you to read the app reviews before you download/purchase as a guide!
What music app have you found that you use and love?
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