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PodchaserWith so many great tools out there, it can be hard to know which ones are worth your time. Whether you’re looking for a tuner, metronome, backing tracks, or practice journaling, we’ve got you covered!
In this episode of the Sax School Online Podcast, Nigel chats with Joel Purnell and Fred Vigdor from the Sax School Tutor Team about their favorite saxophone practice apps.
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What Are the Best Saxophone Practice Apps?
Saxophone apps have transformed the way we practice. They help players stay organized, improve timing and intonation, and make practice sessions more efficient and fun. Each tutor in this episode shares their top app picks, and we’ve included links so you can explore them too.
1. Modacity – Practice Journal and Metronome
Fred’s top pick is Modacity, an all-in-one practice journal, metronome, and productivity tool designed specifically for musicians. More than just a basic practice timer, Modacity helps you plan, organize, and track your practice sessions to stay focused and achieve faster results.
At its core, Modacity is a practice diary that allows you to break down your practice into individual tasks or exercises, assign goals, and track your progress over time. You can even attach notes and performance details for each exercise, making it easy to see how you’re improving day by day.
One of the app’s standout features is the Metrodrone, a metronome that combines traditional metronome clicks with a continuous drone pitch. This feature is perfect for saxophonists working on intonation, as it allows you to play along with a stable pitch while maintaining rhythm. Fred loves how this helps him stay organized and motivated, especially since Modacity records detailed practice statistics, including how much time you spend on each exercise and your tempo progress.
Other useful features include:
- Customizable practice playlists, so you can build a session based on your current goals.
- Integrated progress tracking, which helps you identify strengths and areas for improvement.
- Reflection prompts and motivational quotes, keeping you engaged and inspired.
Fred notes that for musicians who struggle with staying organized or remembering what to work on, Modacity is a game-changer. It’s available as a subscription service, but many users (including Fred) say it’s worth every penny for the level of structure and focus it provides.
2. TE Tuner – Tonal Energy Tuner and Metronome
Nigel and Fred both recommend Tonal Energy Tuner (TE Tuner) as their go-to tuner and metronome app. What sets TE Tuner apart from standard tuning apps is its pitch playback feature, which plays back the note you’ve just played—perfectly in tune. This allows you to compare and adjust your intonation by ear, helping you develop a more accurate sense of pitch.
TE Tuner combines several tools into one app:
- Tuner and metronome in one place, reducing the need for multiple apps.
- Visual tuner with a smiley-face indicator to show when you’re in tune—a favorite feature among students.
- Drone generator, providing sustained pitches for intonation work and modal improvisation.
- Recording and playback function, so you can analyze your intonation and tone quality.
Nigel points out that TE Tuner is incredibly intuitive and reliable, making it perfect for both beginners and advanced players. Many Sax School students also use this app regularly, especially for intonation work and practice sessions that require precision tuning. Fred loves combining TE Tuner with Modacity during split-screen practice sessions to get the best of both apps—using the tuner for pitch accuracy while Modacity tracks his overall progress.
With its affordable price (around £4.99), TE Tuner offers exceptional value for everything it includes. Whether you’re tuning up before rehearsal, practicing long tones, or working on scales, this app will quickly become an essential part of your daily practice routine.
Joel’s Top Picks: Drum Genius and iPracticePro
Joel shares two apps he can’t live without:
3. Drum Genius – Real Drum Loops for Authentic Practice
Drum Genius is a must-have app for any saxophonist looking to improve their timing, groove, and feel in various musical styles. Unlike MIDI-based drum tracks that often sound mechanical and artificial, Drum Genius offers authentic drum loops extracted from real recordings by top jazz, Latin, and world-music drummers. These loops give your practice sessions a truly natural feel, making it feel like you’re jamming with a live drummer.
The app covers an extensive range of styles—everything from swing and bebop to funk, bossa nova, Afro-Cuban, odd meters, and world rhythms. Whether you’re practicing transcriptions, improvisation, or specific rhythmic concepts, Drum Genius provides loops that inspire creativity and help you lock into the pocket.
Key features include:
- Hundreds of loops in various genres, with many more available through in-app purchases.
- Tempo control, allowing you to speed up or slow down the loops without sacrificing audio quality.
- Pitch adjustment, which lets you change the tuning of the drums for a more customized practice experience.
- Odd-meter grooves for working on more challenging time signatures like 7/4, 9/8, or even 23/11.
Joel particularly loves using Drum Genius when practicing transcriptions. Rather than playing with a metronome or slowing down the original recording, he uses Drum Genius to maintain a realistic feel, keeping his practice more engaging and musical. The swing and Latin grooves are especially useful for refining your time feel and phrasing.
With 10 free loops to start, the app is free to download, and you can purchase additional groove collections for a low price. It’s a bargain for anyone wanting to elevate their rhythm skills and expand their stylistic vocabulary.
4. iPracticePro – Randomized Progressions and Drones
Fred also highlights iPracticePro, a powerful tool designed specifically for musicians to improve their harmonic knowledge and technical fluency. Unlike generic practice apps, iPracticePro focuses on helping you master chord progressions in all 12 keys with a fully customizable interface. The app offers dozens of chord progressions, from basic major and minor II-V-I sequences to more advanced altered dominants, modal patterns, and complex harmonic structures.
One of its standout features is the random key modulation option. This function allows you to practice progressions in different keys without warning—perfect for building confidence in unfamiliar key centers. For example, you can set the app to modulate to a random key every 8 bars, forcing you to adapt quickly and internalize the progression across all keys.
Tempo customization is another essential aspect of iPracticePro. Whether you’re starting slow to focus on accuracy or ramping up the speed to challenge your technique, the app adjusts seamlessly. It’s also great for targeted ear training and improvisation practice, with options to loop individual chords or progressions at any tempo.
For saxophonists, iPracticePro is a versatile practice tool that can help with everything from building finger dexterity across key changes to solidifying your sense of harmony and rhythm. You can even use it as a drone generator, creating sustained pitches to work on intonation and modal improvisation. Though it has a bit of a learning curve due to its many options, once you’re familiar with its functions, it becomes an essential part of daily practice.
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5. SessionBand – Create Instant Backing Tracks with Real Musicians
SessionBand is a versatile tool that allows you to create custom backing tracks using real recordings from professional musicians. Unlike many MIDI-based apps, SessionBand offers a library of high-quality audio loops played by live musicians. You can build full tracks in various styles—jazz, blues, funk, soul, Latin, and even EDM—simply by selecting the chords and structure you want.
Nigel’s favorite feature of SessionBand is its simplicity and the fact that each style pack includes recordings from top players like saxophonist Kirk Whalum. For instance, the Soul Jazz Funk pack has some fantastic grooves and even allows you to isolate the soloist for transcription practice. You can also remove the soloist to create a clean backing track for your own improvisation.
Another major plus is the export feature, which lets you create tracks and export them as MP3s to use outside the app. Whether you’re practicing a specific progression or building a complete performance-ready track, SessionBand is a great addition to your practice toolkit.
6. Indian drones app to extend your saxophone playing
Joel’s second favorite is Dhwani Tanpura, an Indian drone app that adds depth to modal practice with customizable intervals and tuning options. Unlike basic drones, Dhwani Tanpura produces a rich, harmonic sound that closely resembles a real tanpura, offering overtones and a natural resonance. This makes it perfect for practicing scales, modes, and improvisation.
A standout feature of this app is the ability to select different drone types—octaves, fourths, fifths, and even flat sevenths—and detune them for custom practice sessions. Joel loves using it not only for tuning exercises but also to experiment with unusual modes like Locrian by creating tritone drones. It’s a brilliant tool for hearing how your lines interact with a static pitch and getting creative with your harmonic ideas.
BONUS APP: Mintzer Big Band Essentials – Play with a Professional Big Band
The Mintzer Big Band Essentials app is a hidden gem for saxophonists and big band enthusiasts. It’s a unique play-along app featuring recordings from the Bob Mintzer Big Band, allowing you to mute any instrument and play along in real time. Whether you want to sight-read the first alto part or jam with the rhythm section, this app gives you full control over your practice experience.
The app includes all the charts for each member of the band, from saxophones to trumpets and rhythm section parts. You can isolate specific sections to study the voicings and arrangements in detail or mute everything but the rhythm section for improvisation practice. It’s not only an incredible tool for practicing ensemble playing but also a valuable resource for composers and arrangers.
Joel loves recommending this app to his students at the conservatory, as it’s perfect for improving sight-reading skills while playing with a top-tier big band. You can even record yourself playing along with the band—a great way to assess your progress and feel like part of a professional ensemble.
👉 Check out the Bob Mintzer Big Band Essentials app
Full Podcast Transcription
Nigel: G’day, Nigel here. Welcome back to the Sax School Online Podcast. Today, as always, I’m joined by Joel Purnell and Fred Vigdor from the Sax School Tutor Team. How are you guys doing today?
Joel: Not so bad. How are you?
Nigel: I’m doing great, actually. I’m looking forward to this conversation today. So in today’s episode, I want to talk about apps because we’re all looking for more efficient ways to practice our saxophones, right?
These days, apps can make a big difference to how much we get done in the practice room. But which apps are we actually using? I thought it might be fun if we each share a couple of our favorite apps that might help you with your practice at home too. Fred, what’s the first app you find yourself using a lot?
Fred: I’d say Modacity. I use it every time I pick up the horn. It’s like a supercharged practice diary. It helps me track every aspect of my practice, times my sessions, and even has a metronome with a feature called Metrodrone—essentially a metronome that gives you a pitch. It helps me stay organized and keep track of my progress. It’s kind of motivational too.
Nigel: I’ve never used an app that pulls everything together like that. I definitely need to check it out. So that’s Modacity.co, right?
Fred: Yep, that’s the one.
Nigel: My favorite app is TE Tuner. I use it every single day. It’s a tuner and metronome in one. Like Modacity, it also has a drone feature, though not as fancy. It plays back the pitch you’re playing, but perfectly in tune, which helps with intonation.
Fred: Yeah, I use TE Tuner too. I love that playback feature. I’ll split my screen with Modacity and TE Tuner since Modacity doesn’t have a tuner built-in. It’s an amazing feature for matching your intonation.
Nigel: Definitely! So Joel, what’s your first favorite app?
Joel: Drum Genius! It’s a fantastic app with real drum loops. Not MIDI, but actual loops from real recordings. You can adjust the speed and even change the pitch. It feels like you’re playing with a live drummer.
Nigel: That sounds brilliant.
Fred: It’s like having a real drummer in your room.
Joel: Exactly! And it’s free to download with 10 loops, but you can buy more for just a few pounds. Totally worth it!
Nigel: Fred, you mentioned you have a second favorite?
Fred: Yes, iPracticePro. It’s an app designed by a sax player. It has tons of chord progressions, drones, and randomized keys to practice all keys at any tempo. Great for getting progressions under your fingers.
Nigel: I’ve never used that one. Sounds useful! Joel, what’s your second pick?
Joel: Dihwani Tampora. It’s an Indian drone app that lets you practice with different intervals—perfect for modal practice and improvisation. You can even detune the intervals to practice unusual modes like Locrian.
Nigel: That’s fascinating!
Joel: One more app I have to mention is the Bob Mintzer Big Band app. It has all the parts for every instrument in the big band. You can mute individual parts and play along.
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If you have a favorite saxophone app that we missed, send us a message at support@saxschoolonline.com! Don’t forget to follow us on your favorite podcast platform and leave a review if you enjoyed this episode. Happy practicing!
