6 music-making apps that hit the right note

Daydreaming about rocking a guitar solo, mixing your own tracks, or expanding your piano repertoire? These apps can help, whether you’re a seasoned musician looking to improve or a beginner just picking up an instrument.

Yousician is designed for learning on real instruments: guitar, bass, or your voice. Take interactive lessons in music theory and improve your skills through tutorials and drills customized to your level. Show off your progress to other Yousicians in song challenges.

While Ultimate Guitar isn’t the most beginner-friendly music-teaching app, it's a great choice for jam sessions once you’ve nailed the basics. Browse a variety of themed collections for inspiration, tune your instrument, select a song's chords or tabs, and enable autoscroll for uninterrupted play.

Simply Piano has a clear and easy-to-learn interface suitable for all types of learners, including those with a piano and those using just their phone. Watch a video to guide you through a lesson, and then get instant feedback as you play. Learn new skills to unlock even more songs for practice.

Whether you’re an aspiring producer or an EDM enthusiast, you’ll have fun with Music Maker Jam. Play out your dreams by creating and remixing tracks with this comprehensive – but approachable – interface. Share your music to the community feed, or post directly to platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud.

Learn the drums through helpful video lessons – or just make a lot of noise with Real Drum’s virtual kit. Tap the play button to choose from an impressive range of rhythms and background loops, with an option to upload your own, too. Record to lay down some smashing tracks and later export them as MP3s.