How to practice piano with your own sheet music

You can study any song on the piano from the sheet music you already have, without depending on an app's catalog. The path: get the file as MusicXML or MIDI, open it in an app that reads the file, and practice slowly, one hand at a time, with the music waiting for the right note. Tocata does this in the browser, free to start.

Which file do I need?

MusicXML (.mxl, .musicxml or .xml) is the best format: it carries both staves, the measures, the repeats and the fingering. MIDI (.mid) carries only the notes; it works, but the app has to guess the hands.

• Have the score in an editor (MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale, Dorico, Flat, Noteflight)? They all export MusicXML. In MuseScore, free, it takes a minute.
• Found the piece on musescore.com? The Download button offers MusicXML for public-domain scores and original compositions.
• Only a PDF? Import it in an editor that reads PDF (MuseScore Studio is free) or look for the same piece as MusicXML. Automatic PDF reading still makes many mistakes.

How to open it and play along

1. Open tocata.app on your phone, tablet or computer and tap Open sheet music. The file stays on the device; nothing is uploaded.
2. Pick the view: falling notes over the keyboard, or the staff with a cursor.
3. Connect a MIDI keyboard (Chrome and Edge) or turn on Listen with the microphone to play an acoustic or digital piano with no cable. On iPhone, it is the microphone.
4. Play. The app marks hits, misses and streak, and gives stars at the end.

The four settings that make practice pay off

• One hand at a time. Pick left or right; the other stays silent and dimmed.
• Wait mode. The music stops at each note until you play the right one. It is how you learn the sequence without rushing.
• Loop a passage. Mark the hard measures and let them repeat. After a run, Train the mistakes builds the loop on the measures where you missed most, at a lower speed.
• Speed. Start at 50% or 75% and go up when you play it clean three times in a row. The optional metronome keeps you from speeding up.

How long per day?

Ten to fifteen minutes a day beat one hour at the weekend. Set a daily goal in Settings; Tocata counts the time while the music plays, shows your day streak on the home screen and forgives one skipped day a week.

Price

Free: a catalog of public-domain pieces, two scores of your own, falling notes and 15-second videos. Tocata Pro (R$ 14.90 per month with a 7-day free trial, or R$ 99 per year) unlocks the staff view, wait mode, microphone and MIDI input, unlimited scores and full-length video.

Updated October 28, 2026. Open and post only music you have the right to use. Made by Ian Felix.