Using tech to practice guitar

Practising guitar with tech is practising smart

Over time, practising the guitar (or any instrument) can become stale and repetitive. Being stuck and disinterested is not a good place to be. It could be because you are stuck on something difficult, you don’t know what or how to learn something to get to the next level of playing. Fortunately, there are tools to help musicians solve such an issue.

Using tech to practice guitar can be a great way to understand theory as well as how to break down a song you want to learn.

Here are my favourite tools I use to practice the guitar:

Oolimo

This app is great for learning chord shapes, the diatonic structures of a chord, the CAGED system shapes and analysing a chord you have randomly started playing.

It helps with songwriting and learning. I would feel lost without it when writing and learning chord theory.

Songsterr

Learning songs with Songsterr is pretty awesome. It has a library of over a million tabs. From ABBA to ZZ Top, it is a great app for learning. What I like about it is that you can change the guitarist on some songs, meaning you can choose to play rhythm or lead. You can also play to a metronome, change the speed and have a count-in.

Ultimate Guitar Tabs

Similar to Songsterr, and probably more popular this is another great app for learning songs in tabular format. It does have the advantage of having more songs to choose from, however, I prefer the playability of Songsterr. This app also has a feature where you can upload short videos of you playing, which is a nice feature to get your playing recognised.

Soundbrenner

This app works best with the metronome wristband. It’s a great tool for all players looking to better their timing and rhythm.

Chord ai

It's another song-learning app, but this time with a slight twist. The premise is that you search for a song that exists on YouTube, and the app will help work out the chords and notes played. Great for new, or rare songs and helping you understand how songs are created and structured.

Chat GPT

Lastly, Chat GPT. I use this tool to create schedules and practice routines.