Practice Through Play

The first piano lesson,
as a game.

A bee flies across the screen carrying a note name. Tap the matching key before it escapes. That's the whole idea, and it's how thousands of kids have met the keyboard for the first time.

Free on the App Store Free on Google Play

iPhone, iPad & Android · Free to play · No ads

Loved by piano learners

of all ages

Read them all on the App Store →

Out now · Bees Keys Pro

Now play it on your real piano.

Bees Keys listens. Put the iPad on the music desk, and the bee's note is answered on the actual instrument, not a picture of one. The moment a student connects the screen to the keys under their hands is the moment the lesson lands.

  • Any piano Acoustic, digital, or grand. It hears you through the microphone.
  • Or plug in Connect a digital piano over MIDI or Bluetooth for exact, instant answers.
  • It tunes to you A quick calibration snaps Bees Keys to your piano's own tuning.
  • One purchase, yours forever No Subscription. Ever.

Play your first Live game free. Bees Keys Pro unlocks unlimited Live play.

Get Bees Keys Pro on the App Store Get Bees Keys Pro on Google Play
An iPad propped on the music desk of a Yamaha digital piano, running Bees Keys: a bee carries a hexagon marked C above an on-screen keyboard, with the piano's real keys below.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Have another question? Email us at:

beeskeysapp@gmail.com

Is Bees Keys free?

Yes. Bees Keys classic mode and practice mode are free to play on iPhone, iPad, and Android, with no ads and no account required. One optional in-app purchase, Bees Keys Pro, unlocks unlimited Live play on a real piano. One purchase, yours forever, no subscription.

What does Bees Keys Pro unlock?

Two live piano games: the classic bee game played on your real piano, and Find Every Key, where you hunt every copy of a note across the whole keyboard.

Will my piano work with Live?

Bees Keys is compatible with any acoustic, digital, or grand piano. The microphone hears you, and a digital piano can plug in over USB MIDI or pair over Bluetooth MIDI for exact, instant answers. Choose your keyboard size in settings, from 25 to 88 keys.

What if my piano is out of tune?

Bees Keys will adapt to your piano's own tuning after a brief calibration: simply play a few notes one at a time in the calibration screen. With MIDI connected, no calibration is needed.

Why can't Bees Keys hear the highest and lowest notes on my piano?

The highest and lowest notes on an acoustic piano can be more difficult for your device's microphone to recognize reliably. If you're having trouble with these notes, try selecting a smaller keyboard range in the microphone settings. Bees Keys will then avoid using the notes that are hardest to detect.

If you connect your piano or keyboard via MIDI, all notes can be recognized directly and microphone calibration isn't needed.

How do I connect a MIDI keyboard?

USB: a cable from the keyboard's USB port to your device's adapter (USB-C or Lightning to USB on Apple devices, an OTG adapter on Android).

Bluetooth: turn on Bluetooth and pair from the Configure screen.

Does Bees Keys need an internet connection?

Bees Keys play is fully offline. Internet is only used when buying or restoring Pro through the App Store or Google Play.

Is Bees Keys safe for young children?

Bees Keys is built to Apple's Kids Category rules: no ads, no tracking, no analytics, no links out of the app, and a grown-up math gate before any purchase. Full details on the privacy page.

Can I use solfège, or only letter names?

Both. Letter names or do-re-mi, sharps or flats, naturals only or the full keyboard.

Can several students share one iPad?

Yes. There are no profiles or logins, and best times can be cleared for multiple students to use.

Built for teaching

Bees Keys grew almost entirely by word of mouth: piano teachers finding it, using it, and telling other teachers. No ads, no account, no login screen. Just open it and play.

Free resources

Printables for your studio

Worksheets for the student practicing away from a screen. Free to download and print, as many copies as your studio needs.

Cover of the Meet the Piano Keys printable: three worksheets fanned out, each with a large letter to trace, a honeycomb, and a piano keyboard. Meet the Piano Keys 7 worksheets · free PDF

Your method

Any pedagogical method

Solfège or letter names, naturals only or full chromatic, slow or fast. Set it to the method you already teach rather than the other way round.

Schools & districts

Using Bees Keys at school

Distribute it through Apple School Manager. No accounts, student data, or configuration required.

For schools and districts →

See all free resources →

From the same studio

Our mission is to deliver simple game apps that are universally applicable to music lessons, primarily covering the first year fundamentals. These apps can be used with any pedagogical method.