The secret to improving your guitar skills isn’t much of a secret at all – in fact, it’s right in your pocket! In this article, guitar teacher Zachary W. shows you 13 of his favorite apps for learning guitar and improving every step of the way…
Looking for a new guitar app to help you take your music skills to the next level? Here are 13 of our favorites, ranging from basic tuners and chord finders to more complex tools that can help you come up with riffs and melodies. Check them out!
Which App is Best for Guitar?
Some of the best guitar apps are:
- TakeLessons Live
- 7 Minute Guitar
- Time Guru
- TabToolkit
- GarageBand
- AmpKit
Of course, there are many others for you to choose from, too! If you’re looking for the best app to learn guitar, be sure to ask your guitar instructor for recommendations. Check out the video below for more information about what you’ll learn in your guitar lessons:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfZ64yEGPok
Best Apps to Learn Guitar
As a guitar player, I find it important to keep my rudimentary skills sharp. That includes practicing with correct technique, as well as being able to improvise, control tempo, and read music. Below, I’ve listed 13 guitar apps that I use regularly and that I know will help you improve each aforementioned skill.
Each app serves a different purpose, but all of them are friendly to users of all skill levels. A fair warning: these are addictive apps for musicians of any kind. Let’s go ahead and take a look at the apps that will undoubtedly improve your guitar playing!
1. TakeLessons Live (Free)
There aren’t any other guitar apps out there quite like this one. TakeLessons Live offers online classes that are led by live guitar teachers. With the free membership option, you can join a variety of classes from anywhere in the world.
Topics covered include guitar exercises, theory, scales, song tutorials, and more. If you’re looking for a fun way to practice your skills while getting feedback from a real instructor, this is the app for you!
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2. 7 Minute Guitar ($2.99)
7 Minute Guitar is wonderful for those who have a super busy schedule. This guitar practice app has compiled a series of exercises that each take seven minutes. There’s no longer an excuse to neglect that daily practice session.
After using this app for a while, you’ll begin to develop a good practice routine; you start out practicing for seven minutes a day, then you extend to 30 minutes a day, and eventually, you’ll reach a goal of practicing for more than an hour per day.
2. Time Guru ($1.99)
Time Guru was developed by rhythm guitarist Avi Bortnick for the John Scofield band.
With this app, you get way more than just a simple metronome. This metronome app also mutes the sound at random. This allows you to monitor your own playing by showing whether or not you tend to speed up or drag behind the metronome.
This special feature essentially allows you to take off the training wheels given to you by the metronome, while still reaping the benefits of playing with a time-keeping device.
3. TabToolkit ($3.99)
This app may cost money, but if you tend to rely solely on tablature when you learn or teach a new piece of music, TabToolkit is completely worth the small fee of $3.99.
With this app, you can upload your own sheet music from other programs, such as Guitar Pro, or browse their large library of guitar tabs. In addition to hosting guitar tabs, this app also has a great multi-track playback, which gives you the ability to play along with some of your favorite bands and artists.
This app also works with over 128 instruments – it’s not solely for guitar players. For example, you can take a heavenly Charlie Parker saxophone solo and transpose it to any instrument you please.
4. GarageBand ($4.99)
If you’ve ever wanted to get a group of people together and jam out in your garage till the early hours of the morning, then you’ll be happy to know, there’s really an app for that!
When it comes down to it, GarageBand is the best app for music creation on a touch screen. With real world instruments, true to life sounds, and tons of easy-to-use tools, there isn’t really another app on its level.
5. AmpKit (Free); AmpKit+($19.99)
AmpKit allows you to take your amp with you no matter how far you travel. Just plug in your guitar with a digital interface and you’ll immediately have access to all the amp channels and sound effects of your wildest dreams.
AmpKit+ may cost $19.99, but with this upgrade, you gain access to many more sound effects, amp channels, and pedal options. It’s a must-have guitar app if you plan on playing professionally.
6. Anytune (FREE); Anytune Pro + ($14.99)
If you have a relative that plays the guitar, I’m sure you’ve heard the famous phrase, “You youngsters have it so much easier than we did back in the day.” Well, in this case, that’s completely true!
With Anytune, you have the ability to slow down songs. Use this app to dissect crazy, lightning fast licks or solos without losing the quality of the music. For example, if you’re having a hard time figuring out what notes Guthrie Govan is playing on the Aristocrats album, this app will help you out by slowing the song down at any section you choose.
The app also has the ability to gradually increase speed as your confidence builds – what plausible excuses to not practice do you have now?
7. Drumgenius (FREE)
The name of this app pretty much sums up all that you need to know about it. Drumgenius has over 300 different drum beats in a various time signatures, from boogaloo jazz in 21/8, to your typical big jazz band in 4/4. It’s fun to pick a beat and play along with it on guitar!
8. MuseScore (FREE)
Along with ear training, another key skill that every musician should master is the ability to read sheet music. This skill opens up many more doors as a musician than you thought possible.
Musescore lets you listen to scores of music with the ability to adjust the tempo as you please. If you have the urge to hear the classic T-bone Walker song “Stormy Monday” played at 200 bpm, or perhaps that lightning fast Steve Vai solo on “Zombie Wolf” at half speed, this app is for you.
9. Shazam (Free – upgrade cost $6.99)
Just hold your phone up to the speaker and let Shazam detect what song is playing. This app is extremely helpful for me. I don’t know how many times I’ve been on the road listening to the radio and hear a rhythm I like or a solo that blows me away; instead of forgetting the lyrics or having no clue how the song goes, this app collects the song data for me.
10. Soundcloud (Free)
Soundcloud allows you to post original audio recordings on the web where they can be accessed by anyone. This gateway opens up so many doors that you would’ve never known existed. In addition, this app gives you the perfect place to get constructive criticism from other musicians.
11. J4T Multitrack Recorder ($3.99)
The J4T Multitrack Recorder helps with those spontaneous moments when a melody strikes me and I’m miles away from my equipment – this app acts as a sketch pad for my musical ideas.
With the ability to record 4 tracks simultaneously, this app gives you the basics that are needed for the foundation of any great musical idea or thought. Sadly, this app is only for Android. To those who have an Android phone – go out and download it for the rest of us who have iPhones!
12. Evernote (FREE)
Evernote may seem very basic on paper, but in reality, the capabilities of this app are limitless. This app is perfect for both those who receive and those who teach lessons.
This app has saved my hide on more than one occasion. I use this app to write down a summary of my lessons; this helps me keep track of a multitude of students. I keep constant track of my students’ progress because I like to max out the full potential of what we can accomplish in our hour or half-hour lessons.
For all those out there who are teaching themselves, this app is perfect for logging your progress.
What is the Best Guitar Tuning App?
There are a variety of guitar tuner apps available, and it can be tough to decide which one is right for you.
If you’re looking for a free guitar tuner app, there are a few good options to choose from.
Guitar Tuner Lite and Simple Guitar Tuner are both highly rated and offer a variety of features.
For paid guitar tuner apps, ClearTune and TuneLab guitar tuner are both excellent choices.
If you’re not sure which of these guitar tuning apps is right for you, reading online reviews can be helpful. Be sure to check out a few different options before making your final decision.
Best App to Learn Guitar
There are a lot of apps out there that claim to be the best guitar learning app, but it can be hard to know which one is really worth your time and money. To help you make a decision, we’ve compiled a list of the best apps to learn guitar, based on our own experience and research.
Our top pick is Yousician. This app offers a well-rounded approach to learning guitar, with lessons for beginners, intermediate, and advanced players. It’s also affordable, with a monthly subscription that costs less than most guitar lesson app options out there. If you’re serious about learning guitar, Yousician is definitely worth checking out.
Another great option is Fender Play. This app is geared towards beginners, and it’s free to use ( although there is a paid version as well). The lessons are short and easy to follow, making it perfect for someone who’s just starting out. Even if you eventually move on to another app or method of learning guitar, Fender Play is a great way to get your feet wet.
Of course, one of the best guitar learning apps is TakeLessons. This ultimate guitar app is packed with features that make learning guitar fun and easy. For starters, it includes over 100 lessons that cover everything from basic chords to more advanced playing techniques. Plus, the app keeps track of your progress so you can always see how far you’ve come. And if you ever get stuck, takelessons offer one-on-one support from experienced guitar instructors.
So, what’s the best guitar learning app? Ultimately, it depends on your specific needs and goals. However, both Yousician and Fender Play are both great options.
Best Guitar Tabs App
Anyone who plays the guitar knows that it is important to have access to good guitar tabs. After all, without tabs, it can be quite difficult to figure out how to play your favorite songs.
There are a lot of different things that you need to consider when you are trying to find the best guitar tabs app. The first thing that you need to think about is what kind of music you want to be able to play. If you are only interested in playing classical music, then you might not need an app that has a lot of different options.
However, if you want to be able to play a variety of different genres, then you will need an app that has a lot of different options. Another thing that you need to think about is how much money you are willing to spend on an app. There are some free apps available, but they usually do not have as many features as the paid apps.
Finally, you need to think about how easy it is to use the app. Some apps are very user-friendly, while others can be very confusing. Take all of these factors into consideration when you are trying to find the best guitar tabs app for your needs.
While there are a number of different places to find guitar tabs online, the best guitar tabs app is Guitar Pro. Guitar Pro provides users with access to over 500,000 different tabs, making it easy to find the perfect tab for any song. In addition, the app includes a host of other features that are designed to make learning the guitar as easy as possible.
For example, the app includes a metronome and a built-in tuner, both of which can be extremely helpful when practicing your guitar skills. Best of all, Guitar Pro is available for both iOS and Android devices, so you can take your tabs with you wherever you go.
How Can I Get Guitar Apps for Free?
There are a number of ways to get guitar apps for free. One way is to search for them on the internet. There are many websites that offer free downloads of guitar apps. You can also find these apps on various mobile app stores.
Another way to get guitar apps for free is to download them from the websites of guitar manufacturers. Many of these companies offer free downloads of their products in order to promote their brands.
Finally, you can also find guitar apps for free by asking your friends who play guitar. They may be able to recommend some good apps for you to download.
Do Guitar Apps Actually Work?
There are a lot of guitar apps on the market, but do they actually work? Many of these apps claim to be able to teach you how to play the guitar, but in reality, they only provide a limited amount of instruction.
While some of these apps may be helpful for beginners, they are not likely to turn you into a master guitarist overnight. In order to learn how to play the guitar, you need to put in the time and effort to practice.
There are no shortcuts to becoming a great guitarist. However, if you are willing to put in the work, there are a number of great resources that can help you learn. These include online lessons, instructional books, and YouTube videos.
With a little bit of effort, you can learn how to play the guitar and become a master musician.
Apps to Learn Guitar: You Have So Many Choices!
If you include some of these guitar apps in your practice routine, I guarantee you’ll make progress faster than you will without them. Be sure to check out the detailed descriptions of the apps on the store page to see which features work for your reaching goals. As always, be sure to practice every day and don’t be discouraged by new concepts!
Whether you’re a beginner just starting out or an experienced player looking to improve your skills, there’s an app for that.
Check out some of the best guitar apps on the market today and see which ones can help take your playing to the next level.
And don’t forget, if you want to learn how to play guitar like a pro, you need lessons. At TakeLessons, we have a wide variety of online courses taught by award-winning professionals that are perfect for players at any skill level. So what are you waiting for? Start learning today!
Post Author: Zachary W.Zachary A. is a guitar instructor in Katy, TX specializing in beginning and intermediate students. He is currently earning a degree in music theory. Learn more about Zachary here!
Photo by Dino Latoga
Megan L.