Apps and Earphones for learning guitar?

[slf2012]

Hi all,

I spend a lot of time in hotels overseas (in the region of 200 nights per year) and I was thinking of using this time to learn to play guitar.

I don’t mind hauling a guitar everywhere, in fact, that’s actually not a big deal at all, but an amp and speaker are more of an issue.

I think I heard somewhere that there are apps that I can use with my iPhone to listen to the guitar through what I guess are bluetoooth connections to the guitar.

Could anyone advise on any options that I might have available?

Many thanks.

[Turn7]

https://www.apple.com/uk/mac/garageband/

https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/rocksmith-learn-guit...

[Escapegoat]

Bear in mind that Bluetooth audio connections are almost always too slack for real-time playing. You will get an extra delay between playing the note on the guitar string and hearing the sound through your Bluetooth ear pod/bud/things. This latency is on top of the processing delay in the app itself (the software that creates a modelled amp tone from the original guitar signal).

Plus you have to have a way of getting the signal from the guitar into the iPhone. See IK iRig/etc for typical options.

It's not impossible, but there are hurdles. (I've put together a little iPad rig but I use an interface and cabled earphones with a Zoom MS-100BT pedal for all of the guitar processing.)

[rsbmw]

This is what you want, comes with Amplitube for both PC and ipad/iphone

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irighd2/

[Escapegoat]

rsbmw said:

This is what you want, comes with Amplitube for both PC and ipad/iphone

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irighd2/

Might depend on the iPhone the OP has. I think the latest have a smarter-than-Lightning port that makes things more complicated . (Typical Apple.)

[rsbmw]

This irig uses lightning, can't see it being a problem

[Escapegoat]

rsbmw said:

This irig uses lightning, can't see it being a problem

My bad. I thought the latest iPhones had ditched the Lightning port (as the iPad Pro had). But you're right.

[wombleh]

I have one of those vox headphone amps which is ok, got the metal one for practicing when kids are asleep. Also got a cheap no brand bass one which is fine too. They have aux inputs so you can play songs on phone through them to jam along with.

Probably cheaper and easier than trying to get some kind of audio interface that'll work with a phone.

[PR1803]

Maybe off topic but I was in the same spot (not 200 days which is going some) and got a Yamaha silent guitar. Pretty much always allowed as hand luggage and it’s a pukka guitar - not sure how much you can advance without real strings and frets under your fingers?

[Nik Gnashers]

PR1803 said:

Maybe off topic but I was in the same spot (not 200 days which is going some) and got a Yamaha silent guitar. Pretty much always allowed as hand luggage and it’s a pukka guitar - not sure how much you can advance without real strings and frets under your fingers?

What happened to just learning to play a guitar by actually playing a guitar ?

I don't understand why you would need apps or earphones genuinely. TAB is so easy to read, just get a few books and a guitar.

[Escapegoat]

Nik Gnashers said:

What happened to just learning to play a guitar by actually playing a guitar ?

I don't understand why you would need apps or earphones genuinely. TAB is so easy to read, just get a few books and a guitar.

Did you read the OP at all? He's going to use a guitar. He wants a solution to travelling with a bulky amp+cab for 200 days a year.

(Also, FYI, a Yamaha Silent Guitar is an actual real guitar.)

[cherryowen]

https://www.voyageairguitar.com/

[Chicken Chaser]

What about just buying a smallish pedalboard instead of going through the PC? I had a zoom G3x which is cheap enough, has a built in looper, some decent effects and also a load of drum patterns on it to make metronome practice more interesting! You can pick them up second hand fairly cheap, alternatively look at their latest offerings. At least you'll not suffer latency and if you want to hook up to an amp you can do.

[rsbmw]

Good call actually, I bought a g1on recently and it sounds great

[Escapegoat]

Chicken Chaser said:

What about just buying a smallish pedalboard instead of going through the PC? I had a zoom G3x which is cheap enough, has a built in looper, some decent effects and also a load of drum patterns on it to make metronome practice more interesting! You can pick them up second hand fairly cheap, alternatively look at their latest offerings. At least you'll not suffer latency and if you want to hook up to an amp you can do.

That's a good option. I have a Zoom MS-100BT for similar. No headphone output, so I run it into a tiny battery powered speaker. The two things combined are the size of a paperback book.

Right now, the Trio+ looks great for out-and-about playing and practice: https://digitech.com/en/products/trio-plus - you 'teach' it the part and it creates a drum and a bass line for you to play over and there's a looper, too.

[Chicken Chaser]

Escapegoat said:

That's a good option. I have a Zoom MS-100BT for similar. No headphone output, so I run it into a tiny battery powered speaker. The two things combined are the size of a paperback book.

Right now, the Trio+ looks great for out-and-about playing and practice: https://digitech.com/en/products/trio-plus - you 'teach' it the part and it creates a drum and a bass line for you to play over and there's a looper, too.

I had a trio+ for a couple of days. Massively overrated and I really didn't think the drum patterns sounded great. Definitely didn't sound great through a guitar amp, might be better out through a board to monitor speakers.

[dojo]

How about a travelcaster running it into iPad with iRig?

Thats what I'd do.

That way you get all the feel of a real amp.
You can also record in garageband.

I'd use Ultimate guitar/Youtube/Truefire as resources.

Its actually a great opportunity to get really good.

You can also pop out to local jam nights.

[slf2012]

Thank you all for the replies, I think I’m going to investigate the irig set up. Hopefully I’ll get more adventurous with other bits and pieces as I progress! Thanks again!