Recommended Tools for Guitarists (free/low-cost)
Guitar has been a primary focal point of my life for nearly five decades now. Throughout the years, I’ve come across a small set of invaluable tools—most of which are free (mobile apps) or relatively inexpensive—that I use constantly. I’m often mentioning these tools to my guitar and bass students, along with one additional related best practice that I rarely see anyone follow these days. Regardless of level or context, I believe all guitarists can benefit from the following:
A good chromatic tuner app and/or equivalent hardware
A metronome app
A string winder/cutter
A non-scratch polishing cloth
Though I will document the details of the specific examples I use (below), I wanted to take this opportunity to share a recommendation that relates to the last item in the above list:
Wipe down your guitar (or bass) with a suitable polishing cloth every time you’re done playing it!
This simple act of always wiping off the dirt and residue left by your hands (while playing) will help to keep your strings feeling clean and sounding fresh for a surprisingly long period of time. Though some initial brightness of new strings will likely fade at first (which can often be a good thing), I’ve managed to keep the strings on virtually all my guitars and basses in professional-quality performing/recording condition for well over a year as a result of this one simple act of routine care.
Now, on to the list of specific examples of the solutions I use and/or recommend in relation to the items I listed above:
Chromatic Tuner
Mobile app option 1: Tuner T1 (by JSplash Apps) [price: free]
Mobile app option 2: Tune Again (by Kaleloft LLC) [price: free]
Clip-on hardware: Snark ST-2 [current price: US $16.99 at Amazon]
Metronome
Mobile app: Smart Metronome & Tuner (by Tomohiro Ihara) [price: free]
String Winder/Cutter
D'Addario Pro-Winder [current price: US $10.99 at Amazon]
Non-Scratch Polishing Cloth
MusicNomad MN200 Flannel Polishing Cloth [current price: US $4.99 at Amazon]
Please note that, while microfiber has become increasingly popular in regard to polishing cloths, I still prefer soft flannel in terms of both feel and performance (though flannel cloths are much more likely to shed threads that will need to be removed from your instrument, especially when new).
While I’m sure that other equivalent solutions exist, this short list of free apps and inexpensive hardware can go a long way in helping you get the most out of your guitars, basses, or other stringed instruments (such as mandolin). I sincerely hope you find this blog post to be helpful and encourage your feedback via comments. Best wishes and happy playing!
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