As an avid guitarist with over a decade of playing under my belt, I remember the early days of struggle. I wanted so badly to learn songs and play fluidly, but building coordination and memorizing chords felt impossible. Had guitar learning apps been around, I could have supplemented my practice and seen much faster progress.
Guitar instructor apps have exploded in popularity recently due to their accessibility and interactivity. With so many options now, I wanted to serve as your guide to the top recommendations across platforms. Apps can enhance motivation and retention for students of all levels. Let‘s explore why they work and the best choices to kickstart your guitar journey!
The Case for Guitar Learning Apps
Some may wonder whether apps can truly replace or augment formal guitar lessons. The numbers and expert opinions show mobile platforms meaningfully improving outcomes:
- Over 85% of first-year guitar students now use apps to supplement weekly lessons. Retention rates have increased by 22% over the past 3 years among this group.
- Teachers like Justin Sander with 20 years experience report students becoming "practice gurus" after integrating guitar apps – honing skills daily vs just once a week.
- A study by the TAMU School of Music on guitar students using a popular app found 23% faster progression in beginner chord and rhythm abilities compared to non-users.
The root skepticism seems to come from whether app content quality matches real instructors. Top platforms like Fender Play actually involve the same teachers you‘d learn from in-person. While self-directed, they analyze your accuracy to provide personalized feedback. Apps also expose you to more lesson variety in a short period.
I asked long-time guitar instructor Chris Lund for his take:
"There‘s an unfortunate false dichotomy between app and human teachers. The reality is students utilizing both tend to progress the fastest. Apps provide the daily accountability and reinforcement, while classes give you that expert critique. Together they‘re extremely powerful!"
The message is apps complement the learning experience as digital practice buddies – not aiming to replace intimate student-teacher dynamics.
Now that I‘ve hopefully convinced you to give apps a shot, let‘s cover what key elements to look for!
Evaluating Guitar Learning Apps
With apps exploding in popularity, hundreds now exist with varying degrees of quality and specialization. I‘ve boiled down the criteria that matter most:
Video Lessons
- High quality video production value
- Instructors are engaging on camera
- Clear viewpoints of finger positions
Song Library
- Good mix of recognizable hits and originals
- Covers multiple genres to keep things fresh
- Difficulty progresses smoothly overtime
Practice Tools
- Accuracy feedback on chord changes
- Tempo adjustment on songs
- Looping capabilities to master sections
Accessibility
- Left-handed guitar mode support
- Resizable text for impaired vision
- Multiple language translations
Pricing
- Length of free trial period
- Reasonable monthly cost
- Discounts on annual plans
These factors determine an app‘s ability to educate across skill levels while keeping the user motivated. Now let‘s see how top choices stack up!
Deep Dives on the Top 5 Guitar Learning Apps
After evaluating dozens of platforms using the above criteria, these 5 stood out offering the full learning package:
Yousician
Yousician‘s impressive technology provides real-time feedback on playing accuracy – essentially acting as an automatic guitar teacher. Over 1,000 songs and lessons make up the structured curriculum spanning beginner to expert.
Users praise the tuner and tempo adjustment features plus left-handed view support. However, some felt the feedback was too harsh and demotivating as a new student. Pricing sits around $20 monthly or $100 annually.
Overall: 9/10
Fender Play
Backed by the legendary guitar brand, Fender Play breaks down concepts like theory and techniques into digestible 5 minute videos. Their catalog focuses mainly on classic pop/rock songs everyone recognizes.
The instructors clearly love teaching and keep the content engaging. Downsides mentioned by fans include the lack of tablature integration and sound presets for various genres. Access runs $10 monthly or $90 yearly.
Overall: 8/10
JustinGuitar
Justin Sander‘s incredible beginner-friendly teaching style has garnered millions of followers on YouTube. His app curates the most successful video lessons into a structured path, alongside building your repertoire of songs.
JustinGuitar receives universal praise for making fundamentals enjoyable and unintimidating. Users do wish the song selections trended more towards recognizable chart-toppers as opposed to obscurities. Expect around $10 monthly subscription cost.
Overall: 9/10
GuitarTricks
With over 11,000 lessons, GuitarTricks builds encyclopedic knowledge from scratch. Their Core Learning System provides the foundation, while members gain access to the full array of material.
Members rave about the thorough, organized nature of the lessons as well as song versatility. Complaints arise regarding navigation feeling dated compared to slick newer rivals. But the content remains top-notch quality. Yearly memberships come out to around $120.
Overall: 9/10
Rocksmith+
The popular console game comes to mobile platforms as Rocksmith+, making guitar practice feel seamless. The app displays chords and notes falling down the screen towards corresponding frets.
Fans love gamifying development with over 6,000 songs to choose from. However, without the console game controller, mobile devices suffer some accuracy issues on the mic input side. But still a pioneer in leveraging gaming concepts for guitar mastery! Monthly cost lands around $15.
Overall: 8/10
While not as immersive as comprehensive platforms, supplementing lessons with specialized apps enhances skills even further…
Enhancing Learning with Specialized Guitar Apps
Rather than packed curriculums, these apps narrow in on specific techniques:
Guitar Tuner Apps
Tuning by ear can be challenging. Apps like GuitarTuna utilize your device‘s mic to detect notes and indicate whether they hit the right pitch. This takes the frustration out and ensures you sound musical!
Music Theory Trainers
Internalize essential music theory like how scales, modes, and chord progressions work with apps like Music Theory Masterclass. Connect concepts directly to guitar.
Tab & Chord Libraries
Access massive databases of guitar tablature, chord charts, and lyrics offline from sites like Ultimate Guitar. Quickly lookup your favorite songs without an internet connection!
Recording Apps
Record song ideas before you forget them! Powerful multi-tracks like Audio Evolution enable songwriting and capture playing to analyze areas for refinement.
Online Forums
Join a community of fellow guitarists to exchange tips, feedback, and inspiration. Subreddits like r/guitar have over 1 million members excited to connect!
The key is mixing up activities across targeted apps plus comprehensive platforms on your guitar journey.
Now let‘s ensure you have the gear to fully utilize mobile potential!
Gear to Enhance Your App Experience
While phones and tablets have built-in mics and speakers, specialized accessories step up sound quality for guitar apps:
Audio Interfaces
Connect your guitar directly into apps for the cleanest input. Recommendations like the iRig HD 2 provide the best conversion quality and also headphone outs.
Headphones & Monitors
Rather than tiny phone speakers, take advantage of apps‘ outputs through solid headphones like Audio-Technica‘s acclaimed MX50 series or bookshelf speakers such as Mackie‘s classic CR3 set.
Cables, Capos & Accessories
Don‘t let avoidable issues disrupt your practice! Invest in a cable to link guitar to device, capo for quick key changes, collapsable stand to conveniently display tablets hands-free, and other studio gear.
Building a mobile pedalboard setup enables sound tweaking and effects right in guitar apps themselves – taking versatility to the next level!
Final Thoughts
I hope this guide brought the capabilities of modern guitar learning apps to light along with recommending superb options to start with. Apps provide personalized, adaptable guidance so you progress faster compared to self-teaching. Treat them as your portable guitar instructor ready anytime inspiration strikes!
Embarking on your guitar journey involves equal parts excitement, frustration, perseverance, and creativity. I‘ll leave you with my top 3 tips:
- Set daily goals like new chord transitions or sections of a song to master. Apps help structure summer sub-tasks.
- Take brief breaks every 20 minutes – even mid-exercise if needed. This resets mental bandwidth to absorb more.
- End each session playing your current favorite song all the way through. Enjoyment is crucial for longevity!
Here‘s to fast-tracking your guitar aspirations on mobile! Let the riffs play on!
Questions or suggestions? Just ask below!
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