QuickAdvice: Bass Guitar Trainer
Bass Guitar Trainer ($0.99) by BidBox LLC is just what it claims to be, a bass guitar training application, although, it is more of a sheet music training app than anything else. If you have yet to master musical notation, and want a fun way to learn, give this app a whirl.
When you first open the app, you are presented with a bass guitar fret board showing the first eight frets on the screen. You can choose to play the game at easy, medium, expert or pro level. If you don’t know how to read music, don’t even waste your time with the game, go straight to learning. This section will visually teach you how to read music by showing you where notes are on the staff (the five lines on sheet music) and showing you where on the bass fret to place your fingers. You will learn major notes, minor notes, sharps, flats and various scales, which are practically mandatory for bass playing.
Once you have learned the notes and practiced them until calluses form on the tips of your fingers (this will take a LOT of time if you are only using the iPad to practice) you can play the games. The game aspect of this app is merely a fun way for you to practice your chops. You are given a minute to get through all of the notes or scales that appear at random. By the time you are able to get through the game on the pro level, you can be sure that you are at least proficient at reading music. This feature is Game Center integrated, so you can show off how rockin’ you are.
While this app is a great way to learn musical notation, including tablature, it really isn’t all that great at teaching you how to play bass, mainly because it gives you a fake fret board instead of encouraging you to pick up a real bass guitar. No matter what anyone tells you, it’s just not the same.
Overall, this app will be helpful if you need to work on, or learn to read music. It is easy to use and a fun way to help you remember notes. If you are looking for an app that will help you learn how to play the bass, this is not for you.
