TORAH READING—“LAINING”
Following is a group of electronic aids to learning the Parsha, Haftarah, and Trope. We cannot vouch for their accent or accuracy.
Learn Trope.com
An online website which teaches the trope for Torah reading and the Haftarah. It lays out the seven common melodic lines and presents a visual presentation of the marks as well as written out musical notations and downloadable mp3 recordings. There is also a page with a printable pdf of the hand signals often used by trope teachers to guide their students.
The site also contains links to additional online resources related to Torah readings, such as the blessings, reference guide to things mentioned in the Torah, a calendar tool, Haftara readings, and translations & transliterations.
Haftarah Audio
This website contains the Haftarah for each Shabbos or Yom Tov, a section on learning trope with an audio file as well as on-screen images of the markings and their names.
Individual portions can be downloaded for home study for $18.00. These downloaded portions can be listened to on either a computer or an mp3 player.
The blessings do not appear on this site, but it has a link to www.sidduraudio.com, which hosts clips of both written and recorded Shabbos prayers. Using the site with an iPad, you will only get the audio. The clips are also available through the iTunes store or by CD purchase through the site at $17.50 and up.
Kol Kore
An online Torah reading tool which can b e downloaded for a fee. It includes all weekly and holiday Torah portions, Haftara, and the five Megilos. Available options include the ability to hide the vowels (nekudos) from the display in order to more easily practice between versions with and without vowels. There is a special teacher’s version which allows tutors to record their own voices for their particular students.
Downloads for use as an off-line Windows program range in price from $65.00 for a single portion to $190.00 for the entire package.
Trope Trainer
Davka Corporation, www.davka.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?product=301
Kinnor Software, www.kinnor.com/buy-trope-trainer.html
A software program for PC or MacIntosh for learning Torah and Haftarah. It offers the text and audio clips, visual training to learn the individual signs and how they fit together, the musical notation for the trope notes, and a number of other useful features.
It is marketed through Davka, but is also available through its developer, Kinnor. The Kinnor site has a direct download option available, as well as several additional configuration choices.
Pocket Torah App
A free app for IOS and Android that carries the weekly Torah portions in regular Hebrew text, switchable as you study to Torah script. There is an option to view English translation. The Haftarah is also available, as well as a commentary section which links to a range of commentaries on each weekly portion.