We’ve all been there…
You’ve carefully searched YouTube for resources and practice tips. You’ve searched for good apps. You’ve racked your brain for trying to find the most useful tools, books and videos.
You then hit the wood shed and practice like a mad man.
But when you’re through practicing you don’t feel a sense of accomplishment and the resources you searched for don’t help. It’s pretty depressing.
Does it feel like a big challenge to find the correct apps and resources?
It doesn’t really need to be so hard. You’re about to learn the most important resources that I currently use in my personal practice that have helped me tremendously.
20 Great Music Apps for the Practice Room.
1. Tablets or Smart Phone: These devices have revolutionized our culture. With the touch of a button you can record yourself, write music, learn music, tune your guitar, use a metronome, etc. Pick one up, they can range from $100-500 depending on the brand. It’s a great investment.
2. Google Sheets: I use this great little app to create a practice spreadsheet to keep a log or create list of tunes that need to be rehearsed. I love this little guy. FREE.
3. Music Journal: I use this app to log my practice. It keeps track of the practice hours, tempo, notes, etc. I beginning to dig this thing. FREE.
4. iReal Pro: You can practice along with your favorite jazz and pop tunes, create your own chord charts and have an instant band play along with you. You can then import the audio or even print out the chart. This app has helped a lot in my improvisation. $12.99
5. Anytune: This app is cool. I can load any tune that I want and slow it down so I can transcribe the part that I am working on. You can even isolate a section and have it loop forever to learn any part. Dig it. FREE.
6. Tempo: Simple, yet effective digital metronome. Many famous drummers use this app as well. FREE.
7. Pro Tuner: Another simple effective tuner, which can tune any instrument. FREE.
8. iRecorder: I’ve used this app many times to record my progress and hear the playback so I can judge my own performance. Connect it to your wifi and easily transfer files to your computer. FREE.
9. Loopy HD: Many times I have this musical idea and use this great app to record and loop my idea. Then I layer other looped parts over my original idea and create this sometimes great and not-so great composition. Lol. $3.99
10. Music Tutor: I sometimes get a gig where I have to read music and this app is a great tutor to help me brush up on my note reading. FREE.
11. iWrite Music Free: When I get a musical idea I need a way to write it down on manuscript paper. This app does it for me. FREE.
12. forScore: This is my giggin app. I load all my music charts onto this app and it also allows me to annotate in case I need to make any changes to the music. Instead of lugging around all those paper charts and fake books to your gig you can use this app. It’s a paper saver. $6.99
13. Evernote: I think almost everyone knows this app. It’s great for writing down all my ideas and blog posts. FREE.
14. YouTube: I use the Youtube app way too much. I think I’m addicted but at least it helps with the motivation. Sometimes I lose motivation to practice, so I hop onto Youtube and search my favorite musical performances then I get pumped to get back into the wood shed. FREE
15. Google Drive: My favorite cloud storage app where I can store all my mp3’s, music charts, apps, music books, and pdf’s. Sign up and I believe they give you 15gb’s for FREE.
I personally use these tools all the time. If you’re not tech savvy and don’t own a tablet or smart phone, then it’s time to jump onboard the tech train. Technology is amazing and I do know many folks who don’t want to convert. Adaptability is one of the attributes of Thinking Musician.
You need to adapt, we can’t go back in time they way it use to be. I’m an 80’s baby and I loved that decade and I can reminisce every now and then but I have to move forward and drop that complacency that we humans tend to attract.
The future is now!
If you’ve found this list of resources useful then feel to share it on your favorite social network.