I recently picked up a new Mac, and the first thing I did when I booted up the laptop for the first time was install my essential music and guitar apps. The apps run the gamut from transcribing software, to streaming services, media players and more.

Most of these apps are for Mac, and some can be installed on Windows as well. These apps have served me well for many years, and would make any musician’s life better.

If you're just starting out on guitar, or even if you've played guitar for years, you should check out Play Guitar Hits if you want to learn songs.. It's an app from the makers of the excellent transcription software Guitar Pro. It has big starting catalog of over 50 songs, lots of customization options, and is a great practice tool on the iPhone or iPad.

Guitar Pro 7 is here. In this review I show you some of the guitar specific features Arobas has added, why this version is easier than ever for songwriters, how the look and feel of the program has received an overhaul, and why it's the right choice for guitar players who want a fully featured songwriting program that won't break the bank.

One of the biggest barriers to learning guitar used to be cost. In today's day and age, any computer or phone that can connect to the Internet can allow you to learn guitar easily and on the cheap.

Today I wanted to share some of my most used apps for guitar. These range from simple utilities (like a metronome) to full on tab sites. These are the apps I go to every time I pick up a guitar to practice.