PianoKite with the Roland FP-10
The Roland FP-10 is the piano PianoKite is developed and tested with, so it's the best-supported setup there is. It has Bluetooth MIDI built in: no cables, no adapters. Every key you press, and how hard you press it, reaches the app wirelessly.
What the FP-10 has
- Bluetooth MIDI (Bluetooth Low Energy). This is what the app uses.
- USB to Host (USB-B port), an alternative wired connection.
- No Bluetooth audio: the FP-10 can't play your phone's sound through its speakers. That doesn't matter for PianoKite, which can send the notes it plays to the piano as MIDI, so the piano's own sound engine plays them.
Connecting
- Don't pair the FP-10 in Android's Bluetooth settings. If you already did, choose Forget there first.
- Turn the piano on and make sure its Bluetooth is switched on (Roland's owner's manual shows how to switch it on and off).
- In PianoKite, tap Connect piano, wait for FP-10 to appear and tap Connect.
- Play a few keys. They light up on the screen.
If it doesn't appear, close any other app that may be connected to the piano (only one app can use its Bluetooth MIDI at a time) and turn the piano off and on. The connection guide has more troubleshooting.
Sound: piano or phone
When the app plays something (the hand you're not practising, a demo), a toggle in the top bar chooses whether it sounds through the phone or is sent to the FP-10. Through the piano, everything comes from one instrument, which sounds best and keeps the timing tight. With the phone's sound and headphones, the piano's own speakers only play what you play.
Why it works well for learning
- MIDI is exact: the app knows each key, the moment you pressed it and the velocity, so Wait mode and the timing scores are precise.
- Velocity lets the review comment on touch, how evenly you play.
- No microphone is involved, so the room can be noisy and you can play the app's sound out loud.
Not sure where to start? Try the beginner pieces or a famous tune in an easy version, like Für Elise or Canon in D.