7 Of The Best iPhone Apps For Guitar Players
When it comes to technology, the iPhone has definitely changed the way we do things. These days, no matter where I’am, I feel lost if I don’t have my iPhone, keys, and wallet. You know the 3 step check.. wallet.. keys.. phone.. check!
For guitarists, there is quite a few really cool features that some of these apps provide. From tuning your guitar, to recording a multi-track demo, this is all possible with the new apps for the iPhone and iPad.
When it comes to guitar apps, the following is a list of, in my opinion, 7 of the best iPhone apps for guitar players. Feel free to let me know if I’ve missed anything from this list.
1. Guitar Toolkit
Guitar Toolkit is basically the ‘swiss army knife’ of guitar apps. It provides almost everything the typical guitarist would need on their phone.
Some of the features include: Guitar Tuner, Chord Library, Scales Library, Metronome, and heaps more.
You can find out more about this app here.
2. Pocket Guitar
PocketGuitar turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a virtual guitar. You can press and strum strings, just like a real guitar.
You can choose the sound from 6 instruments – Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Electric Guitar, Classical Guitar, Muted Guitar, Electric Bass and Ukulele. You can also choose effects from Distortion, Chorus and Delay and edit parameters.
You can find out more about this app here.
3. 7 chords
7 Chords is a comprehensive library of guitar chords for your iPhone.
Unlike most other programs 7 Chords uses the clear and understandable tab notation you already know from your guitar book / fingering chart. The chord dictionary contains more than 1500 of the most common guitar chords for your electrical or acoustic guitar. Simply tap or double tap the chord to hear it on your iPhone speaker.
You can find out more about this app here.

4. Tab Toolkit
Tab Toolkit is intended to allow you to take your guitar tablature with you and access it on the iPhone or iPod touch.
One of the main features of this app is the ability to listen to a synthesized version of the song. It doesn’t sound great, but it gives you an idea of how the melody of the song should sound.
You can find out more about this app here.
5. Four Track
FourTrack multitrack audio recorder is a songwriting and practice tool for singers, guitar players, piano players, and others who want to record musical ideas and songs on iPhone and iPod touch.
FourTrack works with the built-in mic and headphones, an iPhone headset mic.
Everything from the multi-touch fader, to the spinnable pan wheel was designed with the iPhone in mind.
You can find out more about this app here.
6. Riff
This app is unlike anything you’ve ever seen on the iPhone or iPad before. It’s not just another gimmick app for guitarists; it really is a digital lead guitarist.
You can use all different kinds of lead guitar techniques including, muting, harmonics, bends, finger tremelo, and lots more. This app restricts you to the blues pentatonic scale, but this actually makes it really easy to start creating riffs that sound cool.
You can find out more about this app here.
7. Amplitube iRig
This app is a combination of an intrument-interface (or the convertor lead to plug your guitar directly into the iphone) and a virtual guitar amp.
Simply plug your guitar into the iphone and start jamming out!
You’ll have at your fingertips the sound and control up to 4 recombinable simultaneous stompbox effects + amplifier + cabinet + microphone just like a traditional guitar or bass stage rig!
You can find out more about this app here.
Your Say
What’s your favourite ‘app’ as a guitar player?
Tags: guitar, Guitarists, iPad Apps, iPhone Apps, iPhone Apps For Guitar


25.02.11
I’m seriously considering getting the iPhone just for this >.>
25.02.11
i bet line 6 is gonna make something for iphones next
25.02.11
Yep.. I heard they have finished a new app that streams midi live from your iphone or something. Apparently, they are just waiting for it to be approved into the app store.
25.02.11
I use Guitar Toolkit quite a lot. The sister app Tab Toolkit is also not too bad.
Also the Polytune app has been immensely useful for ‘on the spot’ tunings whilst out and about.
Also loving Amplitube on the iPhone for night time practice or recording ideas.
25.02.11
I used to have a Polytuner pedal on my board.. If the app is as good as the pedal, then I might have to give it a try
25.02.11
EarforLife: guitar-centric eartesting software — cheap and good. I never use the much more expensive Karajan since getting EarforLife. Come to think of it, ear training on the go was my initial reason for getting an ipod touch.
Strobosoft: Peterson tuner — need special $15 cable to hook it up. Supposed to be as good as their hardware tuners.
Tempo (Frozen Ape): because I like the gorilla and it’s a decent enough metronome.
25.02.11
Peterson Tuner is my number 1. It works fine for acoustics or electrics (in a quiet room) without a cable but I plug it in using my Amplitube cable.
25.02.11
Thanks for sharing! I might have to give the Peterson tuner app a try as well..
25.02.11
i got the planet waves guitar tools app for free one day. Love it because it has basically everything I need in it, chords/scales/chordfinder/tuner/metronome
25.02.11
Sounds pretty good.. I’ll check it out
25.02.11
That Riff one is hilarious, I’m definitely having a go on that
25.02.11
Oh, I forgot to mention that I have the Truefire app on my iPad… Fantastic way to get a nibble at their lessons…
25.02.11
I like AmpliTube & Guitar tool kit
25.02.11
Love the istroboSoft tuner. That PolyTune sounds cool? Gotta check that out.
25.02.11
TC Electronics sometimes has their $10 Polytune app available for just $.99. I snagged that one during one of those periods and love it.
25.02.11
Well sounds like you were one of the lucky ones! haha
25.02.11
I haven’t searched for many guitar apps, but I did download a free “tuner” app (simply called “Guitar Tuner”) that plays short recordings of single clean notes for reference when tuning by ear. Sort of like a set of tuning forks/pitch pipes. You can even select alternate tunings. It’s handy for tuning my acoustic or classical guitars.
25.02.11
Just came across these songwriting apps as well..
Anyone tried any of these?
1. Simple Songwriter Guitarist
Looks like it helps you create songs based on the circle of fifths..
2. Perfect Ryhme
Perfect Rhyme is a rhyming dictionary with over 130,000 words.
3. Songwriters Pad
Seems like the best all in one app for songwriting. phrases based on emotion, words that ryhme, thesaurus, record audio
25.02.11
I have Simple Songwriter and like it for throwing together chord combos for tunes that I’m writing. It’s useful enough so that I checked into the guitar version but I balked when I saw it’s price. Maybe if there’s a sale I’d get it.
Songwriter’s Pad looks like something that I can use right now as I’m stuck on a final verse for a tune. The reviews don’t look good for it’s reliability yet though.
26.02.11
I have no clue about any of this. Don’t you just, like, plug your guitar into your amp and go?
26.02.11
Haha – Yes, it is a bit like that Chris, but I have found that some of these apps DO have real world practical use.
Several times recently, I have been at friend’s places, and they will dig out an old rusty acoustic that has been under the bed for years and say ‘Here, play this…’ and I have to whip out my iPhone and use PolyTune to tune the thing up.
Also, having young kids in the house means that late night practice via the amp is a no no, so I use Amplitube and a pair of headphones for practicing. Also portability, when I want to sit out on the deck under the stars and work out a song without the neighbours throwing stuff at me…
It’s all about making your life as a musician a lot easier. Sure there are a lot of gimmicky apps, but there are some real nuggets of gold there…
11.05.11
That is definitely great apps especially to me who loves to play acoustic guitar. With this apps I can play or even practice guitar anywhere.
17.08.11
I am learning to play the guitar and looking for an app that would tell me if i am playing the right chord on my acoustic, like the tuners tell you if the string is in tune when you strum it. Are there any?
20.08.11
Sorry for the slow reply Kirstin.. it took me a while to find the app you’re after..
It looks like this is what you’re after: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/chord-tutor-lite-practice/id432868404?mt=8
Official description:
Chord Tutor uses an enhanced version of the Chord Detection technology developed for our Chord Detector app to tell you if you played a chord correctly on your instrument.
Hope that helps
09.09.11
AmpKit, PocketAMP and iShred Live all allow you to play guitar through your iPhone as well. From memory they all have free versions to test with. I’ve purchased a few amps and pedals in the Ampkit app. I love that one. I’d put it right up there with Amplitube.
27.10.11
Thnx for it .. But i don’t have a Iphone … !!!
But i have a Android Phone and i enjoy many guitar apps in it .. ..
Here is the List
Solo v1.21 Application for Android | Entertainment
Andro Guitar v1.0 Application for Android | Entertainment
RockOut – Guitar v1.0.1 Application for Android | Multimedia
g-tar [free guitar, hooray!] v1.3.2 fgh Application for Android | Multimedia
Rhythm Guitar v1.5.0 Application for Android | Tools
Guitar : Solo Lite v1.20 Application for Android | Entertainment
Robotic Guitarist Free v2.7.1 Application for Android | Multimedia
The 12th Position v1.7 Game for Android | Casual
Hope it Helps
Kind Regards
27.10.11
Ohhh i didn’t mentioned .. one of my favorite … that is
Agile Partner’s Guitar Tool Kit ..
04.12.11
It’s an amazing piece of writing for all the web people; they will obtain benefit from it I am sure.
21.12.11
i want to know dat if i cud use apmplitube without irig. As its too costly nd even not available in ma country. Is there any substitute for dat device. Or dat device got somethng special?.
08.02.12
Wow it’s time for me to enjoy guitar with my iPhone. The app that caught my attention is the Pocket Guitar.
27.02.12
Nice article, you may like the newest app out there called Guitar Loops – currently only iphone support, its designed for recording guitar riffs with a count-in, track trimming and more, check it out in the AppStore.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/guitar-loops/id500998049?ls=1&mt=8
07.04.12
There is an app/book out for an ipad/iphone that teaches kids how to play guitar. It is called Kasey’s Guitar Jams for Kids.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kaseys-guitar-jams-for-kids/id511771442?mt=8
Promo video-http://youtu.be/XFEI44DYr_I
15.04.12
There are sh*t tips, funny tips and great tips. This one is great. It time to time happnes that some shit written App crashes and freeze the phone. When it happens, I finally know what to do. Thank you (and, please, charge it finally =) )
16.08.12
You should check out this one, works great for my viola. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tuner/id482745751?mt=8
04.11.12
I recommend you Smart Tuner App, it’s new cool and awesome! My guitar sounds great now, and it’s free!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/smar…l=ru&ls=1&mt=8
04.11.12
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/smart-tuner/id570258899?l=ru&ls=1&mt=8
05.11.12
This one is perfect “Smart Tuner”, simple and free
https://itunes.apple.com/app/smart-tuner/id570258899?mt=8
26.11.12
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13.01.13
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07.03.13
Hi,
I’ve created a new application called “JamGrid” that allows to auto-play a cool backtrack (drums, bass, rythm) based on the capture of a simple chord grid.
Once your chord grid is defined, just pick a musical style (rock, jazz, bossa, …) and the embedded automatic harmonizer will play the backtrack accordingly.
Then, let’s go for hours of jam and improvisation !
Please have a look at it. It’s totally free !