When it comes to picking up a new instrument, the possibilities are endless. And with all of the new technology out there, nearly endless too. It’s never been this easy to find apps that can help your sound and playing. This post will focus on the best apps for guitarists so you can finally kick it up a notch.
Table of Contents
Best Apps For Guitarists
- Boss Tuner App
The must-have app for every guitar player
SPECIFICATIONS
Operating system: Android/iOSStorage required: 14MBFeatures: Tuning range A#0 (29.14Hz) to G8 (6.2kHz), tuning accuracy +/- one cent
REASONS TO BUY
+Provides excellent tuning for a variety of instruments
+It’s free
REASONS TO AVOID
-Can misbehave in noisy environments
-Only does one thing
The Boss Tuner App is a must-have for every guitar player, from beginners to seasoned veterans. It’s incredibly simple, but with well over a million downloads on Google Play alone, it clearly does its job very well.
It can tune all the way from A#0 (29.14Hz) to G8 (6.2kHz), meaning you’ll be covered for every instrument across the frequency spectrum, not just guitar and bass. It also features two skins – one based on the classic Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner pedal, the other on the Waza Craft TU-3W version.
A guitar tuner is an essential tool for any musician and seeing as you’re likely to have your phone on you the majority of the time, you’re pretty much guaranteed to always hit the right notes with the Boss Tuner App.
Download for iOS
Download for Android
Best guitar apps: Amplitube CS
(Image credit: IK Multimedia)
- Amplitube CS
SPECIFICATIONS
Operating system: Android/iOSStorage required: 842.7MBFeatures: Multiple amps and effects, expandable, can be integrated with a range of controllers{“data-model-name”:”null”,”data-widget-type”:”price”}
REASONS TO BUY
+Drag and drop functionality
+Comes loaded with amps and effects
+Expandable via in-app purchase
REASONS TO AVOID
-Cost of extra gear can mount up
AmpliTube is an essential app that lets you use your iPhone or iPad to process, play and record your guitar, bass or other instrument while on the go. AmpliTube is an all-inclusive tone studio that gives you an expandable collection of ultra-realistic virtual versions of some of the most coveted gear on the planet. Build the guitar or bass rig of your dreams and then use its powerful recording and editing tools and other handy features to capture your creativity whenever and wherever the inspiration strikes.
The app lets you drag and drop pieces of virtual gear to create custom guitar and bass rigs comprised of 7 stompbox effects (4 pre-amp and 2 post), 3 amplifiers and 2 cabinets with up to 2 positionable microphones. Let’s just say we’re obsessed with detail – each piece of virtual gear has been meticulously modeled so that it looks and sounds as good as it does in real life.
Advertisement
Download for iOS
Download for Android
Best guitar apps: JustinGuitar Lessons & Songs
(Image credit: JustinGuitar )
- JustinGuitar Lessons & Songs
The best guitar app for beginner lessons
SPECIFICATIONS
Operating system: Android/iOSStorage required: 147MBFeatures: Video lessons, built-in tuner, hundreds of songs to play along with
REASONS TO BUY
+High-quality tuition
+Much cheaper than a traditional tutor
REASONS TO AVOID
-There are cheaper beginner guitar apps
-Might be too simple for intermediate players
Created by Australian guitar virtuoso Justin Sandercoe using tried-and-tested methods he acquired during two decades of teaching, JustinGuitar Lessons & Songs is used by more than a million musicians worldwide. If that wasn’t proof enough that it works, Justin claims that he taught himself to play left-handed using it!
The app covers Grade 1 and 2 playing techniques, making it the perfect place for beginners to start (it’s also somewhat cheaper than hiring a real-life tutor). You’ll be taught chords and scales, and there’s even a tuner built in.
One of the best things about the app is that it features hundreds of backing tracks for you to play along with, enabling you to hone your technique and expand your repertoire. With the ability to slow the tracks right down, you’ll master them before you know it. Justin Guitar is also featured in our guide to the best online guitar lessons.
Advertisement
Download for iOS
Download for Android
Best guitar apps: The Metronome by Soundbrenner
(Image credit: Soundbrenner)
- The Metronome by Soundbrenner
A simple but strikingly good practice tool
SPECIFICATIONS
Operating system: Android/iOSStorage required: 66.57MBFeatures: Speeds from 20bpm to 400bpm, 64 time signatures, 20 metronome sounds
REASONS TO BUY
+Comprehensive choice of tempos and time signatures
+Ability to save songs and setlists to recall later
REASONS TO AVOID
-Doesn’t do anything other than keep time
-You’ll have to put up with Soundbrenner’s adverts
We’ve tried many of the top-rated metronome apps on Google Play and the App Store, and reckon The Metronome by Soundbrenner is the best of the lot.
It features a whopping range of speed settings, from 20bpm all the way up to a frankly insane 400bpm. You can create any iteration of time signature, too, from the standard 4/4 to more esoteric time signatures such as 11/8.
You’ll have the option to save your metronome rhythms and group them into setlists, ready to be recalled at any time, and you can even have your phone flash in time with the beat – though we found that annoying after a few seconds!
Advertisement
Download for iOS
Download for Android
Best guitar apps: Ultimate Guitar Tabs
(Image credit: Ultimate Guitar )
- Ultimate Guitar Tabs
The internet’s biggest guitar tab database, in your pocket
SPECIFICATIONS
Operating system: Android/iOSStorage required: 199MBFeatures: Over 800,000 tabs (which can be saved for offline access), 7,000 HQ tabs with backing tracks, metronome, tuner
REASONS TO BUY
+The most comprehensive tab library available online
+Great for guitar, bass and ukulele players
REASONS TO AVOID
-Lots of ads on the free version
-You’ll need to upgrade to Pro to get the best out of it
Many modern guitarists started playing their instruments after being inspired by the Ultimate Guitar tab website, which debuted in the late ’90s. Evolving with the times, UG now has a dedicated app for Android and iOS, meaning the world’s biggest tab database will now fit nicely inside your pocket.
With pretty much any song you can think of, plus various lessons, scales and chord charts, this app is a goldmine for self-directed learners. Upgrade to the Pro version and you’ll find a fantastic array of high-quality tabs that you can play along with, speed up, slow down and even transpose to different keys.
Advertisement
This is another one of those apps where there’s little excuse not to have it on your phone. The ability to quickly grab a chord sheet for a song, or find the right notes for a scale, is a godsend for any musician, whether beginner or veteran.
Best guitar apps free
- Real Guitar
Real Guitar is a guitar simulator. It can simulate both acoustic and electric guitars (perfect if you have an electro-acoustic guitar), and it works on both tablets and smartphones. It also supports multitouch, which is crucial for playing chords, but you’ll need a device with multitouch capabilities for that feature to work.
What’s even cooler is that it comes with track loops that you can play along to, plus a recording mode and the ability to export to MP3. This means you can actually come up with songs, play them with Real Guitar, and record them for later.
Download: Real Guitar for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
- Perfect Ear
While Perfect Ear isn’t a guitar-specific app, it’s extremely useful for anyone who wants to learn to play guitar (or any other musical instrument for that matter). In short, it aims to develop two crucial skills that every musician must practice: rhythm and tone.
Perfect Ear comes with dozens of interval, scale, chord, and rhythm training exercises to help you get comfortable with and understand music. It also has trainers for sight-reading, absolute pitch, and note singing. If you have trouble distinguishing different tones, you need this app.
And if you want to dive into the deep end, Perfect Ear also contains articles on music theory, which will come in handy if you ever intend to write your own songs.
Download: Perfect Ear for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
- GuitarTuna
There are loads of mobile apps that can help you tune your guitar, but GuitarTuna is the absolute best. It can also handle bass, ukulele, violin, cello, banjo, and a bunch of other popular string instruments, so you won’t need to find another app if you pick up another instrument later.
RELATED:
The Best Guitars For Beginners
You pluck the guitar string, the app listens with your device’s microphone, and it shows you which note the sound is registering as. This makes it very easy to adjust your tuning as a beginner, but even as an expert this can be helpful because the app supports hundreds of alternative tunings.
Download: GuitarTuna for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
- smartChord
3 Images
smartchord menu
smartchord circle of fifths
smartchord metronome
If you want an all-in-one app for guitarists, smartChord is a great choice. It started off as an app for learning all of the different chords and fingerings on the guitar fretboard but has since evolved into something more comprehensive.
The reverse chord finder is really helpful, but smartChord also has features for tone determination, hundreds of predefined tunings, dozens of different scales, a basic metronome, a virtual guitar for when you can’t lug your actual guitar around, a precise tone generator, and more.
Download: smartChord for Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
- Metronomerous
Most metronome apps are too basic. They get the job done when you’re a beginner, but their limits are quickly reached as you improve your skills. As soon as you hit that point, you’ll want to start using Metronomerous, one of the best metronome apps around.
The interface may be a bit intimidating at first, but that’s only because it can do so much. It can go as far down as eighths, sixteenths, triplets, quintuplets, and septuplets. It can accent on any note down to the sixteenth or triplet note, it can mute during bars to make sure you’re on tempo, and it can even program complex beat sequences.
If you only need a basic beat, it may be overkill. But when basic isn’t good enough, Metronomerous is the only app that will give you the freedom you need.
Conclusion
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Check out other publications to gain access to more digital resources if you are just starting out with Flux Resource.
Also contact us today to optimize your business(s)/Brand(s) for Search Engines