Hey all! Whew, It’s been a little too long since I posted something. Been a busy month and things might get busier, but I hope to get back to regular posting!
Anyways, this topic will be about some resources I have used and find helpful when it comes to pursuing my musical endeavors. Check them out! I hope that these can become useful tools to add to your arsenal. I may end up just making a separate page and fill it up with as many resource links as I can find!
Teoria:
Teoria is a very useful website I discovered in college. If you want to learn or just brush up on some music theory, check it out. It’s got everything from reading music to a resource page of musical terminology. Even if the mere mention of the word “theory” is the harbinger of fear in your life, I strongly strongly recommend the ear training exercises here, especially if you practice with others.
Here’s the website link: http://www.teoria.com/index.php
A Modern Method For Guitar:
For all of you guitar players looking to learn to read music, this book is a great start. There are absolutely no tabs, so this immediately dunks you into the deep end of the pool. However it does start you off with floaties and the lifeguard doesn’t leave your side until you’re more confident without it. Ahem, so you’ll start with basic scales and melodies and move on up from there. Now if you’ll excuse me, this talk about swimming made me think of spring and summer, which I desperately need now!
Find it in wherever music books are sold, or check Amazon (Click here)
Audacity:
If you’re looking to record yourself and you’re on a very tight budget (i.e., the complete opposite spectrum of Pro Tools), Audacity is a fantastic open source software to help get you started. It’s very bare bones compared to many other digital audio workstations out there, but it’s completely FREE! You will still need an interface, which works with just about anything you can find (I used my Rocksmith guitar cable!). The software runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Link to download: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Metronome Online:
Ah, the metronome. The device that everyone loves to hate. Let’s face it though, we all as musicians need one to help stay in time when we practice our music. You can find a click just about anywhere. Even some practice amps have metronomes or some sort of rhythmic device built in. In case you don’t have that, there are still plenty of free options out there. Metronome Online is one such. All you need is a decent computer that runs flash and is connected to the internet. If you’re reading this then more than likely you have already fulfilled those conditions.
Website link: http://www.metronomeonline.com/
TuxGuitar:
This is basically Guitar Pro lite, but it is a fantastic FREE software nonetheless. You can write in both tab and notation, as well as play back what is written. Best of all, this can save and open in the Guitar Pro format! It’s originally a Linux program, but works on Mac and Windows as well. If you are unable to buy Guitar Pro and need music reading and writing software, TuxGuitar is a great alternative.
Guitar Pro 6:
Speaking of Guitar Pro, I can’t talk about musical resources without bringing this amazing software up. If you’re looking to compose, transcribe, practice, whatever you need done musically, this is the software to have! Despite the name Guitar Pro, you can notate for several other types of instruments, from drums to keyboards to trumpet… you name it. Not to mention that you can open many other Guitar Pro files as well as export them to PDF. Highly recommend this!
http://www.guitar-pro.com/en/index.php (note that the download price here is $60, but various retailers sell the physical copy for less for some reason. For instance, I bought my copy at Sam Ash for $50)
*also note that I am talking about the PC version of Guitar Pro. From what I understand, the mobile version is more limiting when it comes to music creation but can still open and playback Guitar Pro files.
Bonus – Musician’s Kit (Mobile App)
More and more people own smartphones these days, so I figured I might as well sneak in an app somewhere on this list. Musician’s Kit is a fantastic all-in-one app that includes a metronome, recorder, and tuner. Yup, you can tune and record right through the speakers on your phone, although this might not bode well in noisier environments… Best of all, this is a FREE app, so at the very least you’ll always have a metronome, tuner, and recorder with you if you tend to carry your phone everywhere. Unfortunately, I am not sure whether or not this app is limited to Apple products. If you have an iPhone or iPad or something with iOS 7.0 or up, you’re good to go. If anyone can confirm if this can be found on other mobile operating systems (Android, for instance), then that would be great! At the very least any alternative suggestions would be appreciated!
iTunes link to Musician’s Kit: (Here)
The Guitarpedia 