There are many apps out there that claim to be the best for guitarists. But which ones are actually worth your time? It can be confusing to separate the quality from the complete garbage, so I have narrowed the list down to the apps that are genuinely helpful.
Solo
Solo is an app created by fusion guitarists Tom Quayle and David Beebee. The idea behind the app is to learn how to visualize the fretboard in a new way. You will practice relating each note you play to a chord and a scale.
Are you playing an E as the two of a D major chord? Are you playing an E as the five of an A Dorian scale? Are you playing an E as the three of a C7 chord? The app listens to what you are playing to determine if you’ve selected the correct note. You can adjust the sensitivity of the app until it is hearing what you’re playing correctly.
The goal of this is to help you “play the changes.” This means that you will know which notes to play over any chord. The chord progressions come mostly from jazz standards, so you can also learn some songs. I will not stop using Solo until I’m incredibly pretentious.
Finding and mapping out the relevant chord tones and scales all over the fretboard in real time is one of the most difficult tasks for guitar improvisers. Solo is a highly specialized program that teaches you how to find notes on the guitar.
Solo begins by presenting you with one chord symbol or scale at a time, then asks you to find and play a series of notes based on their intervallic function.
Solo analyzes the notes you play in real time, assessing them according to their intervallic function and not moving on until you’ve correctly identified each note by its nested position.
Tonaly
Tonaly is designed to help you write chord progressions and create melodies. You can practice scales and chords and learn music theory. Tonaly can help with songwriting by making you think about different ways to approach chord progressions.
You can export your results to MIDI or PDF. You will learn which chords to play in each key, and key when to add chords from outside of a key. You can even learn modes. It’s fun to try ideas for songs wherever you are.
This app is for musicians of all types, songwriters, and producers, whether they’re beginners or experts. It’s for both novices and experts. Whether you want to improve your instrument or simply discover chords and inspiration for your songs or productions, it doesn’t matter.
Chords within the same key are highlighted, and they sound good together; all you have to do is combine them. You don’t need any musical theory knowledge, and you can look up how chords are played on the guitar, piano, ukulele, or bass if you’re unsure.
You may also export songs as MIDI and utilize them in Ableton, Reason, GarageBand, or any other DAW.
Improve your sight-reading and learn scales more effectively.
Create PDF lead sheets from the chords. Get your songs printed, share PDFs with your bandmates, or simply bring the papers to rehearsal. Lead sheets are a fantastic tool for allowing other musicians to play your song.
Justin Guitar Lessons & Songs
This app is geared towards novices and uses Justin Sandercoe’s teaching approach, as well as methods developed over 20 years of instructing millions of beginning guitarists.
Learn how to play guitar in an enjoyable way with tutorials that show you what to study, how to practice, and the best songs to play as you advance.
Justin has a fantastic approach to teaching guitar for novices that makes even the most difficult concepts, such as chord changes and strumming, appear simple.
- Manageable lessons prevent burnout
- Over 1,000 songs with frequent new additions
- Tuner included
- Real band with added vocals options lets you try what you’ve learned
TrueFire Guitar Lessons
Do you want to learn how to play guitar or simply jam? TrueFire’s app may be downloaded for immediate access to over 50,000 video lessons, 30,000 tabs, and 20,000 tracks at your fingertips.
The TrueFire Method is a step-by-step instructional course that teaches you how to play blues guitar, jazz guitar, rock guitar, country guitar, acoustic guitar, fingerstyle guitar, and other types of music on the instrument.
Whether you’re a novice just learning how to play guitar or a seasoned veteran, there’s something for everyone in the TrueFire library. Over 300 industry experts and instructors teach you from the basics to advanced chords, voicings, scales, styles of playing, music theory fundamentals such as modes, and more.
TrueFire gives you access to a massive collection of video guitar lessons for 14 days for free, including tab, notation, and jam tracks. You’ll also get a free downloadable guitar course with 10 Guitar Licks You Must Know.
Yousician
Yousician offers lessons for guitar, bass, voice, ukulele, and piano. You can get started regardless of your aptitude. Available for iOS, Android, Mac, and PC. Features over 10,000 lessons and songs. Lessons cover music theory, techniques, reading music, and more.
Interactive games provide immediate feedback. The app listens with your phone or computer microphone and provides directed learning. A seven-day free trial of the Premium+package is available.
Guitar Tuna
Not just a guitar tuner. This app features over 100 tunings for 15 instruments and chords and lyrics for tons of songs.
- So many tunings: standard, drop D, drop A, half step down, and many more
- Play-synced scroll so you can learn at any speed
- Chromatic tuner and alternate tunings for string instruments
- Ear training, chord library, games, and trainers
GuitarTuna hears sound using your device’s microphone. You’ll get instant feedback while tuning.
Instruments:
- Guitar
- Guitar 7-String
- Guitar 12-String
- Ukulele
- Cavaquinho
- Bass
- Bass 5-string
- Violin
- Viola
- Cello
- Fiddle
- Mandolin
- Balalaika
- Banjo
- Banjo 5-String
Functional Ear Trainer
This app is a great way to learn how to transcribe music by ear.
When creating, improvising, transcribing melodies, or playing with others, a good musical ear is useful.
This app teaches you to distinguish between notes in the context of a particular key.
This app is for beginners or professional musicians. Everyone needs to practice ear training!
Ear training is a skill that can be learned and improved with practice. It is important for musicians of all levels, as it allows you to better understand and communicate musical ideas.
The Functional Ear Trainer app is a great way to get started, as it provides lessons and exercises that can help you develop your ability to hear and identify notes in the context of a particular key.
The app also includes a variety of games and quizzes to keep you motivated, and it can be used by beginners or professional musicians alike.
So there you have it – a few of the best apps available to help you learn guitar. Whether you’re a beginner just starting out, or a seasoned pro, these apps can help you take your playing to the next level. So what are you waiting for? Download one today and start practicing.
