Gibson Learn & Master Guitar app for iPhone

The Gibson Learn & Master Guitar App is one of the most practical free guitar downloads for your iPhone.

The app offers multiple features including a tuner, metronome, chord charts, video guitar lessons (courtesy of GuitarApprentice.com) and an app version of Gibson's website. Though the chord diagrams and lessons are geared toward beginners, the tuner and metronome make the app a valuable tool for all guitarists.

The tuner function utilizes the iPhone’s internal microphone to pick up string frequencies. The “chromatic” mode of the tuner is surprisingly accurate, measuring frequencies in Hz to within 4 cents of true pitch. The tuner appears on the screen as a dial that is easy to read and responsive to fluctuations in frequency. Within the “chromatic” mode, you can set the tuner to a true chromatic setting, standard tuning, as well to a variety of open and alternate tunings.

I found the tuner to be about as accurate as the microphone on a handheld Korg tuner; however, I noticed it had some difficulty registering lower frequencies on the low E and A strings. The tuner also contains a “simple” mode, which functions the same as “chromatic” mode, except that there are fewer tuning options and it seems mostly like an excuse for Gibson to use a graphic of a Les Paul headstock instead of a dial.

The metronome is the other feature that makes this app worthwhile. This function allows you to set a metronome click at up to 225 BPM, as well as in time signatures of 2/4, 3/4, 4/4. Another cool aspect of the metronome is the tap tempo feature, which lets you tap a desired tempo onto the touch screen and then plays it back to you at the same BPM. Like the tuner, the metronome has clean graphics and is very to easy to use making it a great practice tool.

While the chord chart feature may be helpful to beginning guitarists, it is hardly useful for most players; containing only basic chords in open or 6th and 5th string barred positions. (Check out the 7 Chords app for in-depth chord charts) Similarly, the video lessons by GuitarApprentice.com will only be of interest to novice players.

Overall, The Gibson Learn and Master Guitar App is a handy download that gives you a reliable tuner and metronome right in your pocket. Check it out for free at the App Store.

Related