Unfortunately for those Synthesia supporters, there’s really no comparison between these two programs.
To sum it up, Synthesia helps you hit the right keys at the right time, with its Tetris like software, but that’s about it. When you analyze everything Playground Sessions can do, it’s a real no brainer I feel.
What You Get with Synthesia
Synthesia is more of a game than a full piano learning program.
For some people that’s great, as they want a fun way to learn piano. That being said, there are other apps like Yousician which are also fun, but are run with way better software.
Because it’s a game, you really don’t need any experience on the piano. No theory is needed, and you don’t need to read any sheet music.
Synthesia is run on your computer or iPad, and it’s compatible with both Windows and Mac. For Android devices, it’s best on larger screens with Android 3.1 or later. You can find the app for your iPad here.
When the software is running, you will see falling notes that resemble Tetris pieces falling on the keys. They hit the keys which need to be played. So you watch the keys and follow along.
It comes with a lot of songs, and more can be bought within their store. If you have an electronic keyboard, you can connect it to your device and play along.
It’s a fun tool, however there are better options that are available right now.
What Makes Playground Sessions Better
Playground Sessions does everything Synthesia does, and much more.
Synthesia is a game, where Playground Sessions is a complete piano learning program.
What's nice about Playground Sessions is that it's new, with updated software and technology.
This is a combination of fun learning games, but it also has real learning components built in as well. So unlike other apps which help you create music by learning a game (follow the on-screen actions), Playground Sessions allows you to really learn the fundamentals of the piano, and have fun at the same time.
It's fun, but it's also very thorough.
There are video tutorials, modern songs, scoring and tracking, social integrations and more. Bottom line, it's way more advanced that Synthesia.
I recommend you read more about Playground Sessions and review some of the common questions here.
