How many times have you sat down to practice piano and had no idea how to use your practice time?
Or find that your practice sessions fly by and you don’t have time for everything you want to work on?
If you want the best way to keep your practice intentional, I might have just the thing for you.
More than a practice journal, Modacity is a music practice app that helps you plan your sessions, keeps you on task, and guides you toward more deliberate practice habits.
This post explains how I use Modacity in my practice routine.
I’ve used the app for over 5 years and couldn’t imagine a session without it.
If you’re curious about how you can use Modacity to make a positive change in your practice, keep reading because I’ve got all the info you need!
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I take no credit for the images appearing on this page. Specific photos are courtesy of Canva. Although I am a nurse practitioner, I am not YOUR medical provider. The information in this post is for informational purposes only. It does NOT replace individualized health information from a qualified medical professional. Please see a qualified medical professional for individualized assistance with your health and wellness. I do utilize AI for certain aspects of content creation; however, the main ideas are all my own.
- What is Modacity?
- Getting Started with Modacity – Setting Up Your Practice Library
- How to Plan a Practice Session in Modacity
- Use Modacity to Practice with Intention
- Log Your Practice
- Record Yourself and Listen Back
- My Tips for Getting the Most Out of Modacity
- Is Modacity Worth Using for Piano Practice?
- Final Thoughts
What is Modacity?
The Modacity system is built around deliberate practice.
Modacity doesn’t teach you notes, rhythms, or other basics of playing a particular instrument like other programs such as Skoove or Flowkey.
Instead, think of it as an interactive practice journal.
It’s designed to help musicians of all genres and isn’t specifically for pianists.
But it has many in-app features that work exceptionally well for pianists of all skill levels, including built-in recording, a metronome, practice timers, and practice suggestions to help you reach your specific goals.
Getting Started with Modacity – Setting Up Your Practice Library
One of the first steps in setting up your new account is to compile your practice library.
Adding Repertoire
Create a new practice item for each piece you’re actively playing.
You can even add scales, arpeggios, or other warm-up pieces.
Include only those pieces you’re currently working on rather than every piece you’ve ever played in the past.
Adding Practice Notes
When you click an individual piece, you can add specific practice notes.
This is a helpful place to include those specific things on which you’d like to practice.
I like to make notes after I practice so I have a clear next step for my next session.
Examples might include:
- Memorize measures 1-5
- Clean up rhythm in left hand measures 10-15
- Clear contrast between dynamics in middle section
Be as specific as possible for more efficient practice.
How to Plan a Practice Session in Modacity
Once you have your practice library set up, you can compile individual practice lists which include the individual practice items you’d like to work on during that session.
From the main screen, you can create a new practice list and add the pieces you want to practice during any session.
You can even set a practice timer for each particular item on the list, so if your time is limited or you tend to spend too long on one thing, the timer keeps you moving.
For example, you can set up the following:
- Warm-up routine/scales — 5 minutes
- Technique practice — 5 minutes
- Beethoven — measures 1–16, RH alone — 5 minutes
- Beethoven — measures 1–16, HT slowly — 5 minutes
- Sight-reading — 5 minutes
Planning the next day’s session helps you identify exactly what you need to focus on during your limited practice time and keeps you from mindless repetition.
Even short sessions can be incredibly valuable when you use your time wisely.
Use Modacity to Practice with Intention
There are two ways to practice more intentionally in the Modacity app.
Set a Practice Timer
You can set a timer for each practice item on your list.
Giving yourself a time limit for an individual passage or technical challenge helps you stay on task. Our brains generally learn better in smaller chunks of information. Setting clear limits can actually improve your learning.
If you spend all your limited practice time on one song and wonder where the time went, this tip is for you!
Deliberate Practice Mode
Modacity additionally has a mode specifically for deliberate practice.
I’ve been exploring the concept of deliberate practice more deeply in my recent Beyond the Notes series.
Deliberate practice is a core concept in the book Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool.
But this amazing app puts an entire deliberate practice system at your fingertips.
You can access deliberate practice mode from any individual practice item.
Click on the deliberate practice tool, and it will prompt you to determine which specific area you’d like to improve, such as:
- Dynamics
- Notes
- Rhythm
- Consistency
- Tone
- Emotion
- Phrasing
- Technique
- Enjoyment
- Ease
You can also add your own practice aspect.
Click any of the categories above, and the app will prompt you with a few strategies to improve that area.
As an example, click on “Phrasing,” and the app will ask you to pick among the following:
- Bring out the melody.
- Clarify high and low points.
- Sing and conduct
- Exaggerate phrasing
- Focus on ending well.
Or add your own strategy.
After you select a strategy, the app takes you to another screen where you can record yourself using it.
Listen back to see whether you improved. The app will then ask whether you achieved your goal and, if not, let you try again.
This feature is one of the app’s best.
I love being able to incorporate feedback directly into my practice.
If you’re curious to learn more about how feedback supports effective practice, check out my recent Beyond the Notes post.
Log Your Practice
Tracking practice statistics is yet another of Modacity’s most useful features.
It tracks how many days in a row you’ve practiced, how many minutes you’ve spent practicing, and how many improvements you’ve made over time.
Your stats appear on the main practice screen and are the first thing you see when you open the app.
It’s an incredibly motivating feature that keeps me coming back day after day.
You can also rate each practice item from one to five stars.
I find this particularly helpful for tracking my progress on individual pieces. It can be easy to feel as though you’re not making progress when you’re working on a challenging passage. A record of previous sessions helps you see how far you’ve come.
Remember, the goal isn’t a perfect practice streak or racking up as many minutes as possible. It’s to build a consistent practice habit that keeps you coming back.
Record Yourself and Listen Back
One of my favorite things about Modacity is being able to record yourself directly in the app.
Recording is a central component of deliberate practice mode, but you can also record directly within any practice item.
In deliberate practice mode, the recording feature encourages you to record short snippets of music, listen back, and see whether you achieved a specific goal.
But you can also record an entire piece and save it to the library.
I love going back and listening to pieces I’ve recorded before.
It’s also motivating to record a piece when you first start working on it, then compare it to how it sounds after several weeks or months of hard work.
Listening to before-and-after recordings highlights all the progress you’ve made!
For more on why recording yourself is so crucial to improving, check out my previous post on the topic.
My Tips for Getting the Most Out of Modacity
After using Modacity for more than five years, here are a few things I’d recommend if you’re just getting started.
1. Keep your practice lists manageable.
You don’t need to include everything you could possibly practice in every session. Choose a few priorities based on your available time and current goals.
2. Be specific about what you want to improve.
Instead of simply adding a piece to your practice list, identify a specific passage or musical element that needs attention. The clearer you define your goal, the easier it is to focus your efforts.
3. Don’t be afraid of short practice sessions.
Even five or ten minutes can be worthwhile if you approach them with intention. A short, focused session is better than skipping practice altogether because you don’t have an hour available.
4. Use deliberate practice mode.
It’s easy to focus exclusively on hitting the right notes and rhythms. But music involves so much more than that. Use Modacity’s deliberate practice prompts to explore dynamics, phrasing, tone, emotion, and enjoyment, too.
5. Treat your statistics as information, not a judgment.
Your practice streak and accumulated minutes can be motivating, but they don’t fully measure your progress as a musician. Some days you’ll make a breakthrough; other days you’ll struggle with the same passage you’ve been working on for weeks. Both are part of learning.
Is Modacity Worth Using for Piano Practice?
If you’re looking for the Swiss Army knife of piano practice, Modacity is the app you need!
It’s particularly useful for independent learners, adult pianists returning to the instrument, and any serious musician juggling multiple pieces or competing demands on their practice time.
I especially appreciate that it encourages you to think about how you’re practicing, not just how long you’re sitting at the piano.
What makes Modacity appealing to me is that it brings these tools together in one place and makes them easy to incorporate as a central pillar of my practice schedule.
One weak point of the app is its focus on productive practice.
Practice doesn’t always have to be productive to be meaningful. You can simply play for fun without necessarily needing to set a specific practice goal.
For more on this topic, check out my previous Beyond the Notes post, Why We Play.
Ultimately, the best practice system is one you’ll actually use.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to spend hours at the piano every day to make meaningful progress. But when your time is limited, having a plan can make a huge difference.
I use Modacity as a practice planner to help me identify what I want to work on, focus on specific musical goals, and reflect on my progress. After more than five years, it’s become an essential tool in my practice room.
If you’re ready to move beyond simply playing through your pieces and start making your practice time more intentional, Modacity may be worth a try.
Get it through this link and you’ll get a special discount.
If you’d like to learn more about developing effective practice habits, you might also enjoy the following:
- Beyond the Notes: The Value of Showing Up
- Looking for a Piano Practice App? Here’s What to Look For
- How to Build a Piano Practice Habit When Motivation Fades
- Why Do I Forget Piano Music So Quickly? Tips to Improve
- Learn How You Can Practice Piano Without a Piano
Until next time, happy practicing!
