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For those of us who can't afford expensive music lessons, guitar learning software is the best option.
But finding great guitar learning software isn't as easy as it sounds. There are thousands of apps and tools out there, all promising to make you the next Eric Clapton.
How many actually keep this promise? How do you know who to trust?
Well, that's where we come in.
In this review, we'll focus on six amazing guitar learning apps to help you improve your skills.
If you are a beginner, we recommend checking out Fender Play or Justin Guitar Beginner Lessons. For more advanced users, Ultimate Guitar and The Gibson App are great options.
The 6 Best Guitar Learning Software
Isoverall best appit's without a doubt Fender Play. The Gibson app is an expensive alternative that shares many resources and lessons and is updated regularly.
The best app thatoffers good value for moneyit is Yousician. It's affordable and comes with plenty of premium features and lessons for beginners. A great alternative is Justin's Beginner Guitar Lessons, which also cost about $10 a month.
IsBest Budget AppIt's the ultimate guitar. Ultimate Guitar is free to use and its tab library is unrivaled in scope. A great alternative is GarageBand. It has tons of fun features and lets you produce your own music.
Overall best:bumper kit
Fender Play is guitar learning software that was released in 2017 and the developers have been constantly updating and improving since then.
The app was created in collaboration with musicians and educational advisors from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California and the Musicians Institute of Hollywood.
Suitable for beginners, this app offers tons of easy-to-follow guitar tutorials and guitar tabs to help you improve.
What impressed us was that after signing up, they ask you questions about your preferred instrument and genre. For example, maybe you want to learn to play bass and like heavy metal. Fender uses this information and creates custom lesson plans and workouts based on your specifications.
What sets Fender Play apart from other guitar tutorials is that it includes a micro-learning strategy. This is ideal if you have a short attention span.
Suitable for:Beginners and advanced guitarists.
Advantages
- Tailored learning plans
- Tons of resources and lessons.
- Easy to use
In contrast
- it is a paid service
Alternative:Die Gibson-App
The Gibson app is great smartphone guitar learning software for people of all skill levels. It has key features like a guitar tuner, easy-to-navigate tabs, and direct access to the Gibson Online Store.
What sets the Gibson app apart from the crowd is that it's built around audio augmented reality. This means the app will respond to you in real-time as you play through the lessons and complete different exercises.
This is great for beginners, especially if you feel like you need guidance as it offers an interactive experience.
With Gibson, it's like having a professional music teacher live in your phone.
Like most guitar learning apps, Gibson offers tabs for popular songs and artists like Aerosmith, The Beatles, and Billie Eilish. Don't be intimidated, Gibson lets you tailor each song to your skill level. This is great for keeping a beginner motivated.
If you still want a personal feel, Gibson offers one-to-one consultations via video call with a professional guitar technician. Even better, it's included in the subscription fee.
One downside to Gibson is that it's relatively expensive, around $15 a month, nearly $90 a year.
Suitable for:Guitarists of all levels.
Advantages
- real-time feedback
- free trial period
- Diverse functions
- Live Video Options
In contrast
- Caro
- crusher for beginners
Best price performance ratio:Yousician
Yousician takes an alternative approach to teaching its users to play the guitar. The app was developed by musicians and music teachers to help both beginners and advanced musicians.
The app is in the form of a video game and each lesson and song is treated as a "mission" within the app. This is great if you find regular classes too boring or if you have a short attention span like us.
Yousician also offers a free and paid premium option, which is great if you just want to try before committing. Premium subscription provides users with uninterrupted and unlimited game time.
Suitable for:Beginners and advanced
Advantages
- available for computers
- Extensive library of worksheets, exercises and lessons.
- interactive classes
- Immediate feedback
In contrast
- Video game focus can be strange
- Resources locked behind the paywall
- Expensive compared to other guitar software
Alternative:Justin Guitar Lessons Beginner: Play Real Songs
Justin Guitar is one of thousands of music accounts and music lessons on YouTube. Many of your lessons have now been compiled into one convenient mobile app.
As the name suggests, Justin Guitar is ideal for beginners, offering structured courses and lesson plans at multiple levels. Lessons cover everything from technical exercises to chord theory and strumming patterns.
Justin Guitar is great if you want to learn guitar face to face. Justin Guitar's video lessons make you feel like you have a professional music teacher to help you every step of the way.
The video lessons are also interactive, adding to the classroom feel of the app.
Suitable for:Beginner
Advantages
- expert advice
- Provides a personal learning experience.
- Relatively affordable compared to other guitar learning apps
In contrast
- limited library
Best Budget App:Ultimate Guitar: Chords and Tabs
You'd be surprised how many famous guitarists started out teaching themselves using tab libraries like Ultimate Guitar.
Known for having the largest library of guitar tabs, Ultimate Guitar offers free access to lyric sheets. That's right, you don't have to pay a dime.
This allows you to play almost any song you can think of, which is great if you just want to play and have fun. This is ideal for less structured practice sessions.
Another cool feature is that Ultimate Guitar will show you alternative chords and chord progressions if you find a song's original chords too difficult to play. We found this recording useful, especially when you're struggling with those hard-to-master time signature chords.
Ultimate Guitar is one of the best guitar apps out there.
One downside is that it doesn't offer structured lessons or guitar practice. It also doesn't offer any guitar tips or tricks that beginners might find useful. Ultimate Guitar only offers tabs, nothing else.
Suitable for:Intermediate to advanced players
Advantages
- Huge guide library
- Can see alternative chord progressions of songs
- Easy to use
- free to use
In contrast
- It does not offer structured guitar lessons or exercises.
Alternative:Garagenband
GarageBand is a pocket-sized digital audio workshop. The app is geared towards musicians on the go, ideal when inspiration strikes and you just need to record a new song.
GarageBand comes with a variety of premium features like Touch Instrumental, a microphone, and a guitar that let you record songs and melodies instantly. The app can contain up to 32 tracks.
The app also gives you the option to add free virtual instruments through the sound library. This feature is incredibly versatile and allows you to become a one-man band with ease. No drummer for your latest hit? No problem.
GarageBand aims to help musicians record and mix their music. Also, you can upload the track directly to YouTube or SoundCloud.
The downside of GarageBand is that it doesn't offer guitar lessons or tutorials. It is aimed at advanced musicians who want to start creating original pieces of music.
Suitable for:Intermediate to professional guitarist.
Advantages
- Teaches users basic recording techniques.
- Allows experimentation with virtual guitar rigs
- Allows direct loading of original music
In contrast
- not for beginners
- Does not offer structured learning
The basics of guitar learning software
Now that we've looked at some amazing guitar learning software, how do you choose the right guitar software for you?
What are the main attributes to look out for and what are the advantages of using guitar learning software over music lessons? How should you use these apps?
Well, we're here to answer all of your questions and then some.
How to choose the best guitar learning software for you?
Before you decide which guitar learning software to use, there are a few questions you should ask yourself.
The first is what guitar you want to play. There are generally two types of guitars, the bass, which has four strings, and the acoustic or electric guitar, which has six strings. However, there are more types in our experience, if you can play acoustic you can play almost any other type of guitar (except bass).
Because basses and guitars have different string counts, the chords and chord progressions are different. The techniques you will use will also be different.
Once you've figured out what instrument you want to play, try to find guitar learning software that works best for that instrument.
Another thing to think about is how you want to structure your classes. Many people start with nothing more than a cheap guitar, a pick, and the ultimate guitar.
If you want a structured approach, choose an app with more strict classes. If you want a freer, more relaxed approach, find a good eyelash app and enjoy.
The most important part of learning to play the guitar is practice. Much of the game involves muscle memory and this takes time to develop. After all, practice makes perfect (or as close to perfection as you can get).
What to Look for in Guitar Learning Software
Here are some things to consider when choosing the right guitar learning software for you:
lesson coverage
If you're looking for a more structured approach to learning to play guitar, check out the lesson reports each app offers. When looking at lesson coverage, you should also consider your skill level.
New guitarists should try guitar learning software that includes lessons for beginners that explain things like stringing a guitar, caring for it, and tuning it.
Look for guitar learning apps that offer video lessons so you can see what's being done and how to hold chords properly and transition from one chord to another.
If you're a beginner, we also recommend reading up on some music theory.
practice tools
If you're looking for guitar learning software, try to find an app that offers interactive practice tools and online guitar lessons. These tools and lessons will really help you stay motivated and make progress.
Additional guitar tools and tricks to look out for are animated tabs, backing tracks, sample performances, or an animated fretboard.
flexibility
Another important feature to look out for is flexibility. Can you use the app or platform on multiple devices? Is guitar learning software available on your device? Are the lesson plans flexible and adaptable to different ability levels?
It's also helpful when the app offers guitar tips and tricks to help you master the instrument.
One of the benefits of learning to play guitar on your own is that you can work on your own schedule. The app or software you use should give you the flexibility to play guitar whenever and wherever you want.
How to Use Guitar Learning Software?
Most guitar tutorials are easy to use and straightforward. You can offer online guitar lessons, video lessons, or practice tabs. How you use these apps is entirely up to you.
Remember that apps are only as effective as you make them.
In our experience, as a beginner, your main focus should be on practicing. Many people struggle to stay motivated, especially when they are just starting out. Pick some of your favorite songs and try to master them. If you keep going, you'll soon be playing as Santana.
Make your practice fun. The song is fun, so don't take it too seriously. Play the songs you like. Play artists you like.
Many online guitar courses are structured, and if that doesn't work for you, try something more liberating. The more you enjoy the game, the better you will play.
Most beginners will want to go out and buy the best guitar they can find, or spend hundreds on expensive strings. Do not do that.
If you're just starting out, we recommend choosing a nylon-string guitar. Not only is it softer on your fingertips, it's also easier to play chords correctly than metal strings. Your fingers will thank you.
Diploma
Guitar is probably one of the easiest instruments to learn, regardless of age. Playing the guitar is easy and there are many videos online that teach guitar tips and tricks.
In this review, we've covered the best online guitar learning software we could find, suitable for people of all ages and skill levels.
Remember, it doesn't matter if you have the best guitar or the most expensive strings. Playing the guitar is fun.
Now get out there and be a rock star.