Music Apps Worth More Than Their Weight in Electrons

Recently I went on a voyage of discovery to find the best music-related apps for the iPad and iPhone. Much of what I found was flawed, sometimes due to prices that seemed too high for what was actually delivered, but also because many music apps, while fun to play, do not help students build independent skills that are useful in the real world. Here are a few apps, though, that are worth checking out. Note that I am not associated with any of these companies in any way. I'm just a private music teacher looking for tools to help me do my job better.


UKEOKE

Price: $35/year (subscription)
If you're looking for a way to learn ukulele, look no further than this app featuring great songs, a fun karaoke-like interface, song lyrics, chord diagrams, and an instrumental "band" to provide melodies and bass lines while you join in with the ukulele. The company makes a similar app for guitar called FourChords, but I personally prefer the Ukeoke interface and have been using it to practice guitar, ukulele and even bass. (Plus I didn't really want to buy a second subscription.)


CHORD SHAKER

Price: Free
This app provides a great way to learn guitar chords and practice switching between them. While a phone can't replace the feeling of an actual guitar in your hands, this app is the next best thing.


SMILEYAPPS MUSIC THEORY TUTOR

Price: $3.99
While there are many music theory apps out there that provide a lot of good information, this app does it in an animated/interactive and very accessible way. If you're looking for an app to help you pass the final exam for a college music theory class, this probably isn't the right solution. But if you are relatively new to music and are looking for an introduction to some of the key concepts that you will encounter as you progress in your studies, I highly recommend this program.


CAPO by SUPERMEGAULTRAGROOVY, INC.

Price: $9.99
This is a pretty impressive app, and though the price is higher than most apps it's worth every penny. This program allows you to speed up or slow down the tempo of a song, mark different sections, change the key a song is performed in, loop a section, and it determines (fairly accurately, from what I could tell) the chords of the song. It's an amazing tool for anyone who is trying to transcribe a song for piano or guitar, and it can be used to help with the process of learning a difficult song as well.