iPhone App - Guitar Toolkit

As a guitar player the Guitar Toolkit iPhone App looks very useful. It's a paid for piece of software, but even at £5.99 ($9.99) it seems like excellent value. Especially when you compare the cost of buying a real tuner, let alone a metronome, pitch pipes and chord dictionary.

Guitar Tuner

I really like the user interface for this app. Great visual display, which reminds me of high-end pro gear and a useful "L.E.D" to show you when you've got it right. Featuring a chromatic tuner, the iPhone's built in microphone will easily pickup an acoustic guitar. An un-amplified electric may be a little too quiet to be heard though. Possibly holding the iPhone on the body of the guitar might work though. In use, this tuner is one of the best I have ever tried. The tuner works in three different modes: all notes, standard tuning (EADGBE) and alternate tunings, from which you can select from an array of really useful tunings, such as Eb (Hendrix) or Double Drop D. Fantastic, and very easy to use. Excellent.

Tones

Another useful and well implemented utility. Tones shows the six strings of a guitar (EADGBE), which when you pluck them emit a useful ear tuning reference. A useful and easy way to tune an electric by ear. You can even strum the strings together which is cool. Tones - Like pitch pipes but without the spit.

Metronome

This is a really useful metronome, perfect for practising with. Nice varied sounds, adjustable tempo and also a tap tempo mode which will analysis any beat you tap into it. You can also set "No Time Signature", 2/4, 3/4 or 4/4" time signatures, and also enable "Flash on ticks" if you like your beats in a visual way.

Chords

The Chords section includes over 260 chord diagrams for helping you find useful chords and shows the fingerings.

Guitar Toolkit Conclusion

A very useful toolkit for any guitarist. . The Guitar Toolkit somehow transcends any other tuner, metronome, pitch pipes and chord dictionary that I have ever owned. It's also more environmentally friendly, creating less clutter than a case of dusty old gizmos which are often misplaced. Fantastic.

Like Shazam it shows the potential that the iPhone holds for iPhone App developers and is a great example of a well designed iPhone App.

Learn more from the Guitar Toolkit Official Site.