1. Uberchord

First on our list is the small but scrappy Uberchord, who have been making ripples in the guitar tech app market with their all-in-one didactic guitar teaching app.
The app was borne out of steeled ambition to change the guitar learning process. CEO Eckart Burgwedel was struck by the idea for Uberchord following an icy taster-lesson with a new guitar teacher.

After being told that his technique was poor, Eckart promptly stood up, tore out a nearby door from its hinges and left without a word. He never looked back, vowing to create a product to rob all guitar teachers of their livelihoods, crushing them underneath the emotionless advance of technology. This happy founding principle of the company underpins their work to this very day. The company recently celebrated their first year anniversary being available on the iTunes App Store, since which they have been getting glowing exposure in some of the most prestigious guitar magazines worldwide.

2. Uberchord

Uberchord takes second place, having created a neat little app which serves as a guitar teacher. Like its meatier, human counterpart, the app can ‘listen’ to your guitar playing. It does this by using the inbuilt smartphone microphone to detect audio. Strum a guitar near your device and Uberchord’s guarded chord-recognition technology comes into play.

The app processes the audio and is able to give the user instant feedback on what he is playing. Matching the file against a huge library of chords, Uberchord will tell you the name of any chord you stumble upon, be it simple open chords or spidery 8-fingered jazz abominations. Throw a flower pot at the fretboard and see what chord it makes. Amazingly enough, their technology can also tell you if you’re fingering a chord wrong, and how to fix it.

3. Uberchord

Worth a mention is Uberchord, a Berlin-based startup whose app of the same name has been getting international attention. With its newest update, Uberchord has taken a step forward in providing the full guitar-learning package. Not content with just providing a suite of funky guitar learning tools, sophisticated as they may be, the company’s ‘Uberpath’ feature provides a campaign mode. Selecting their entry skill level according, users will be gently pulled up a tree of increasingly complicated chords and songs.
For those whose need for self-validation is met only by daily performance statistics, Uberchord also tracks user progress. Upon request, the app provides instant numeric data on time spent per exercises, and users are awarded XP points accordingly. Just like a real guitar teacher.

4. Uberchord

Uberchord is a company which makes a guitar app called Uberchord. Uberchord is an app made by a company also called Uberchord. Both the firm and its product share the same name. This isn’t really that confusing, or novel. Actually this happens all the time and I don’t really know where I’m going with this.
Anyways, Uberchord deserve a mention here for their little app, which has been performing well on the App Store following its long-awaited release last year. Tucked away in plain view is a powerful in-built tuner. What separates this from the infinite list of other tuners out there is the use of Uberchord’s prime audio detection software. The ultra-sensitive microphone picks up the sound in high-fidelity, allowing for a quick and precise tuning.

5. Uberchord

Sorry, we couldn’t resist putting ourselves at the end of the list. We’ve never been a company to shy away from a nice marketing opportunity, and we like to think we could go toe-to-toe with any of the excellent companies mentioned in this post.
We try not to drone on about our benefits or features. There’s no need for overkill. Our aim has been to provide a tool which addresses and appifies the concerns that we as guitarists had when learning. Creating a product to, quite literally, revolutionise the guitar-learning process isn’t a humble objective. We’re dedicated however, to slave away in continuous product development and the waking nightmare that is marketing to achieve a product which is deserving of that much desired adjective ‘indispensible’.

It hasn’t been smooth-sailing. There’s been more than a few meltdowns and that black week where our emergency office suicide-pact came closest to being executed is one we’ll long remember. Startups like ours often fail, quickly and expensively. We’re thrilled to be in our second year of business and our dogged motivation has been fortified by the extremely positive response we’ve received both by the international press and on the ground at trade fairs like NAAM.

Neelesh plays demented lead guitar in the Canadian alternative band We The Crooked. Check out their YouTube here.

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THE TIPBOOK SERIES

Essentially, these books tell you everything you need to know about buying an instrument that perfectly matches your sound, the style of music you play, your personal, and your budget.

There are also chapters on tuning, intonation, adjustment and more. The main goal of the books is to allow you to buy the best instrument you can and get the most out of your purchase, so you can make your chords sound the way you like them to.

Each Tipbook title has its own separate app. I’ve been reading the volume on electric guitars (I’m an acoustic player only) and it really helped me understand what influences the sound and playability of these instruments.

The book’s title is ‘eTipbook Electric Guitar and Bass Guitar’ and is available for free for iOS. Android version is €0.99.

So, courtesy of Tipbook we have selected an excerpt for you to read from the current title on how to choose a good instrument (see below).

You find many more titles on Tipbook’s website and in the App Stores.

And you might wonder why they are offering these titles as individual apps, as it can be a somewhat cumbersome experience to have one app per title on a mobile device. However, with 250+ pages per app you can keep it well organised with the following 5 titles relevant to guitar players: Electric Guitar and Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Amplifiers and Effects, Music on Paper, Vocals.

So, go and look for yourself. Tipbook is currently offering really good content for free (available in English and Dutch).

Regular in-app purchase price $6.99. Until January 31: 2016 iOS versions free, Android €0.99 / $0.99.

EXCERPT FROM TIPBOOK

Chapter 5: A Good Instrument

Guitars and basses come in numerous designs, sporting different shapes and sounds, dimensions, wood types, pickup configurations, necks, frets, strings, and so
on. The knowledge presented in the following chapter will help you to make a choice, covering pretty much everything there is to look at and to listen for.

How a (bass) guitar sounds depends not only on the instrument itself and on the person who plays it, but also on the strings, the picks, the cables you’re using, and of course on your amp and effects. Strings, picks, and cables are explored in Chapters 6 and 7 respectively. Amplifiers and effects are covered in a Tipbook by that title.

This chapter

After exploring the various types of guitar finishes and bodies, this chapter covers the neck and fingerboard (page 47), the scale (string length; page 56), frets (58), tuning machines (61), the bridge (64), tremolos (67), pickups (72), tips on auditioning instruments (90), and much more.

Many variations

Few instruments come in as many designs as electric guitars and basses. Some are extremely versatile, created to be used in a wide variety of musical styles. Others are built for a specific type of music. Often their looks alone will tell: A heavy metal guitar looks very different from one that was designed for country music.

Surf on metal

Though you can play surf music on a guitar that was built for aggressive rock, it’s usually better to use instruments for the style of music the designer had in mind. Likewise, knowing which guitar your favorite musician is playing can be a useful guide in finding the instrument that suits you best.

Differing opinions

Musicians rarely agree about anything. The following chapters won’t tell you who is right, or what is best, but rather how different experts think about different issues. You’ll discover whom you agree with only by playing, and by listening to guitars or basses, and to the people who play them.

THE LOOKS

Guitar bodies can be finished with a single solid color; a natural, transparent lacquer; a two- or three-color sunburst finish; or with many other types and styles of finishes. Some companies even allow you to print your own photo or design on your instrument.

Plastic or natural

Most instruments have a polyurethane finish. This is a hard and durable synthetic type of lacquer. Natural finishes, such as nitrocellulose or oil, are typically used on more expensive instruments. These organic finishes, which tend to get darker with age, help bring out the instrument’s resonance.

Pickguard

Pickguards come in lots of different colors and designs too. Laminated pickguards that show their three white- black-white plies at the edge are very popular. Most of today’s pickguards are plastic. Unlike the traditional pickguard material (i.e., celluloid) they don’t warp or expand.

Hardware

The hardware is usually chrome-plated, gold-plated, or black. The pickups or pickup covers typically match the hardware.

A replica is a copy of a (bass) guitar of another brand, and a reissue is a new edition of a older instrument, made by the original company.

SOLIDBODIES

The type of wood used for the body affects both the instrument’s tone and weight. The body shape influences the looks, the balance, and the playability of the instrument. 

Chipboard or solid wood

The very cheapest guitars often have a chipboard or plywood body. A body that consists of one or more pieces of solid wood helps produce more sustain and a richer sound.

Different wood, different sound

Generally speaking, denser types of wood promote a brighter tone and more sustain than lighter types of wood. That said, many types of wood come in different variations and qualities. Also, the way a guitar is built can completely alter some the wood’s typical characteristics, and experts don’t always agree when it comes to describing the effect of certain types of wood. The message? Always listen to the instrument as a whole, rather than focusing on the type of wood it’s made of. Still, it’s good to have some basic knowledge of the subject.

Light or heavy

Poplar, basswood, and alder are three lighter types of wood. They’re often said to help produce a warmer, fuller, fatter type of sound. Maple, at the other end of the spectrum, is very dense, and thus makes for a brighter tone. 

Weights and densities

Mahogany and ash come in various weights and densities. The lighter types, again, enhance a warmer, mellower tone. Denser wood promotes a brighter, ‘airier,’ more open type of sound. Swamp ash is one of the lighter types of ash. 

The top

Because of its beautiful appearance, maple is often used as top wood. It’s available in many variations (i.e., quilted maple, bird’s eye maple, and flamed or figured maple).

Choices

There are companies that offer a selection of ten, fifteen, or even more types of wood. When it comes to such choices, looks often play a larger role than sound. Likewise, with some instruments the wood you get depends on the finish you want.

Photo finish

On some instruments, the ‘wooden’ top is not real flame wood, but a thin photographic film that is applied to the body. It often takes an expert eye to distinguish such a ‘photo flame’ from the real thing, which typically has more depth and character (in sound too!).

Thick

The size and shape of the body influence sound, weight, and playing comfort. Generally speaking, a thicker, heavier body increases the sustain and makes for a richer sound.

Weight

A ‘heavy’ solid-body can outweigh a light one by three or four pounds. This doesn’t sound like much, but you may very well feel the difference after a couple of songs. 

Balance

The balance of the instrument is just as important. A neck-heavy guitar can be more tiresome to play than one that actually weighs more, but has a better balance. An uncomfortable balance can sometimes be cured, for example by relocating the strap buttons. A tip: If you usually play standing up, audition instruments standing up as well.

Solid?

Solidbodies aren’t completely solid. All instruments have cavities for the pickups, the wiring, and the pots, for example.

Sound chambers

Other instruments also have one or more invisible sound chambers that reduce the weight and make for a warmer tone. Their
names (chambered bodies or semi-hollow bodies) are also used
for shallow-body guitars that clearly show their sound chamber through a soundhole in the top.

Contoured bodies

Today, most instruments have contoured bodies with rounded edges. These designs don’t dig in your chest the way some old- style, non-contoured slab bodies do. Many guitars also have a belly cut, a cut-away section on the back of the body. The belly cut leaves a bit of room for your tummy, especially when sitting down.

The heel

The accessibility of the highest frets depends on the depth of the cutaway, but also on the heel, where the neck meets the body. The less pronounced the heel is, the less it’ll be in your way when reaching for the highest notes. A thicker heel, on the other hand, is said to make for a more solid, full-bodied sound — just like a heavier body or a thicker neck.

HOLLOWBODIES

Hollow-body instruments come with shallow and deep bodies, with one or two cutaways, with or without a center block, and in various types of wood.

Jazz

Traditionally, jazz players favor a big-box guitar or jazz box. These instruments are often 17″ wide at the lower bout, and about 3.5″ to 4.5″ deep. (This dimension is known as the rim thickness).

Shallow with block

The deeper the body is, the more sensitive it is to feedback. This explains why guitarists in loud bands usually opt for shallower models. These guitars often come with a built-in center block that reduces feedback even more, besides enhancing the instrument’s sustain. Most hollow-body basses have a similar center block. Some instruments leave a little space between this sustain block and the top, promoting the acoustic qualities of the instrument.

Semi-solid, semi-acoustic

Instruments with a center block are often referred to as semisolids, while the ones without a block are indicated as semi-acoustic instruments — but the same terms are used for different types of instruments as well.

Hollow-body top

The top is one of the most fundamental parts of a hollow-body (bass) guitar. A solid spruce top is usually said to provide the warmest, deepest, most acoustic type of sound. A maple top makes for a brighter tone. Laminated and pressed arched tops tend to produce a shallower and less dynamic sound than tops that are carved from a solid piece of wood. Solid tops are usually bookmatched (see page 174).

Cutaway

A cutaway with a pointed ‘horn’ is known as a Florentine cutaway. A Venetian cutaway has a rounded shape. The same terms are used for acoustic guitars, shown below.

The post Free for a limited time: The Tipbook Series on Musical Instruments appeared first on Uberchord App.

Uberchord is an app for iOS, featuring not just didactic guidance but also a few other nifty ideas. Although Youtube can offer a wealth of information and lessons for the budding guitarist, many learners come inevitably to the point where they rue having never had their bad habits addressed by a real teacher. Enter Uberchord, an app which can actually listen to the guitarist and correct them in real time. This is the beginning of the future. We are curious about what separates Uberchord from the countless other guitar tools out there. How can the app detect, register and process the sound of a real guitar, and how much application does such a tool really have?

History

Uberchord Engineering is a German firm based in Berlin. Co-founders Eckart Burgwedel and Simon Barkow-Oesterreicher began working on their idea for a guitar learning app as early as 2011. Wanting to rise above the competition, they focused on creating a pedagogic tool offering real-time feedback, combined with playful elements seen in game design. The app was made to function ‘acoustically’ – without the need to plug in the guitar via an adaptor. The challenge was set, and after two years of hard work the team finally submitted their chord-recognition technology for patenting, and the foundation of Uberchord Engineering was laid.

Design and Construction

The Uberchord app is currently being tested across its two main features: Chord Trainer and Chord Finder. Chord Trainer provides various exercises for different skill levels. The magic of Uberchord rests on its chord detection software. The user plays the chords which are displayed on the screen. The app listens, either over the device’s microphone or through a guitar jack via iRig, and will correct the guitarist if he incorrectly fingers a chord. The microphone and soundchip in the device are incredibly important, and are the reasons why Uberchord can currently only offer the app on iOS. The Apple operating system extends to only a few lines of gadgets such as the iPhone and iPad. This ensures a certain consistency of quality in regard to the integral components of its devices, which an app like Uberchord is dependant on. Android devices however, are many and different, and a nascent company such as Uberchord simply would not have the resources to cater for all potential configurations of hardware.

Accordingly, Uberchord have focused on one system. The app itself is free, offering a handful of in-app purchases. In the near future, the app also plans to offer a premium model. Currently Uberchord is running at about 10% of what it plans for the future, and what the technology affords. Uberchord doesn’t want to be constrained by chord training, and intends to expand into rhythmic exercises for the right hand too. Song practice is also in the works, although issues concerning rights and royalties must first be negotiated.

Uberchord In Practice

Here goes. We start a quick run-through and promptly check the famed chord recognition ability of our new virtual guitar teacher. Opening the app yields the binary choice between Chord Trainer and Chord Finder. We begin with Chord Trainer and arrive at a page with several different exercises.

Under the title ‘Beginner Exercises II: The Most Common Chords’ we find twenty-four different chord exercises, which also incorporate open strings. I pick Number 24; Hotel California and up pops up a screen overviewing the diagrams of all necessary chords in the song. We press the play button to start the exercises.

Uberchord displays the first chord – in this case an A minor, which must then be strummed. If the app hears the chord played correctly, the next chord is then shown, and so on. We are corrected in real time if we make a mistake. This time round, I am using an acoustic guitar, and the app picks up on every mistake mercilessly. With a direct connection via guitar cable, I’m told the app is even more precise. The performance through the microphone is nonetheless astonishing, especially if one takes care to reduce background noise to a minimum.

To the right of the chord diagram is ‘Chord Mastery’, which displays how consistently you’ve been nailing the chord exercise. 100% mastery is reached after you successfully play the same chord 150 times. This allows one to track his progress over time. Similar to a sports app, all progress on Uberchord is logged and the statistics can be called up through the chord diagram. The exercises aren’t limited to what’s already on the app. With the Song/Exercise Editor it is possible to create your own songs and exercises for use in the app. There’s also a handy feature to share these with other Uberchord users.

Now to the Chord Finder feature. Many self-taught guitarists play according to their ear and have a vast array of different chords under their fingers. They may not however, have the academic knowledge to explain these chords to others. The Chord Finder analyses and identifies what you’ve played, meaning you can impress your keyboardist by explaining how the chorus to your new songs begins with an E minor (add 9).

This feature works quickly and smoothly. We press the microphone button, strum a chord and the app reveals what we’ve just played along with a helpful diagram – impressive, no doubt. There are occasionally minor difficulties in audio recognition for chords featuring lower strings, but the success rate is still very high indeed.

For that alone the app is worth downloading. After the chord has been recognised and you’ve pressed the arrow-symbol, more information is readily available on the tones of the chord and all of its inversions. Hopefully this will help when your annoyingly well-educated keyboardist throws out unsolicited advice on voice leadings.

If a valued bandmate says that a Cm (maj 79) would be just perfect for a song in question, then the Chord Search function again proves its worth. We simply enter the name of the chord into the app and at an instant can see diagrams depicting the chord spread across all positions on the fretboard.

Until now we’ve only played in standard tuning, although our digital guitar teacher also has other variants to offer. Standard and Open D are free, but others are available to buy for 99 cents as an in-app purchase. At the time of the test, these amount to 17 different tunings.

Here are all the common open tunings such as Drop D, Open G, Open E and also some somewhat more special ones like Open G Minor or Open E Major 7. This is a fiddly job, as every new tuning radically affects the names and searching of chords. For that purpose, 99 cents is a small price to pay for quite a sensible investment in your guitar education.

So what’s the Verdict?

Awesome! The Uberchord app works superbly. Its programmers have truly delivered a wonderful piece of work. A ringing chord from a guitar is registered through the device’s microphone. At this point, Uberchord’s patented Chord Trainer provides immediate visual feedback on whether the chord is being played correctly or not. Certainly there were moments where the software didn’t correctly identify the chord, especially those featuring the thicker, bass strings. Generally however, the success rate lay around 90%.

Ultimately, it would be wrong to complain considering the app is free of charge! In addition, Uberchord comes furnished with a vast library of chords which are displayed in every position. As a result, searching for chords is an incredibly easy and quick process. Using its audio recognition software against this huge chord database, Uberchord is also deft at identifying any new or strange chords that you may stumble upon. We cannot recommend this enough for iOS users! As a 99 cent in-app purchase, users can also buy the support for additional tunings. Uberchord is being constantly refined and expanded. We can only be excited for whatever new developments the Uberchord team will cook up next!

Pros

• FREE!
• Chord recognition through either the device’s inbuilt microphone or by plugging in instrument
• Good performance and interface
• Chord Trainer

Cons

• None!

Thanks again Bonedo for the review. If you want to see the original review published in German, you can check it out here.

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All musicians love the idea of a “jam”. To get together with your friends and bash out some tunes in the garage or wherever you’re allowed to make lots of noise. Some venues host Jam Nights too where they’re maybe called “Open Microphone” nights.

It can be frightening and a huge amount of fun at the same time. You might find yourself on stage with a bunch of total strangers and playing songs you’ve never heard before in your life.

Let’s be honest, you’ll discover it’s not that easy. It can take quite some time before you learn the skill of hearing and recognising what other people are playing simply by listening to them.

Don’t worry, you won’t be alone and often jamming sessions can be reduced to really easy songs and the same tunes every time — which is kind of boring, right? But what if you were really good at picking out what the others are playing? That’s impressive.

Rockin’ Around The Clock.

An app called Musiclock (like, “Music Clock”) developed by Finnish startup company perTunes can give you a great platform for practising your jamming “ear” and it explains some useful music theory in a simple GUI at the same time.

Before you start playing, Musiclock displays all the correct notes in your chosen key signature in a round, clock configuration. An overlay blanks out those notes that don’t belong in that key and you can turn the overlay around to select a different root note.

If you want to hear another type of key such as a Minor or Major Pentatonic the overlay switches its shape accordingly. Above the clock a traditional music staff gives you the key in notation form.

Below the Musiclock you have the choice of a piano keyboard with the key’s notes marked or you can have a guitar fret board showing the same — essentially providing how to play the scales for any key, which I found really useful.

The piano is playable, as are the notes on the Musiclock, whereas the fret board zooms to a larger view when you tap it. Notes up to the sixteenth fret are shown.

Jazz Anyone? Got The Blues?

So what do you jam to? Musiclock comes with a good selection of backing track loops in a variety genres across eight different key types. Choosing your key signature can determine how many backing tracks are available.

For example — and not surprisingly — seven tracks are shown for any Major key. Choose a Melodic Minor key and only a single backing track is shown, because… well, Melodic Minor isn’t exactly the go-to key for most players.

Changing the root note on the Musiclock does alter the backing track to suit, however you can’t adjust the tempos. Instead, the backing tracks have a wide variety of base tempos.

The sound quality of the tracks is good and some of the loops are quite long. You won’t find yourself jamming to just a four-bar riff.

It took me less than ten minutes to grasp the Musiclock GUI and there was only one adjustment in the settings that tricked me — a “note naming convention” that allowed either “H” or “B” to be shown.

Hmm… say what? A quick search tells me that in some European countries a B note is labelled as an “H” — and music historians will argue for many hours over exactly how that happened.

You learn something every day, right?

Here are the five best things I like about Musiclock.

The Clock Itself: It’s not an entirely new idea at all, but Musiclock implements the rotating clock GUI really well. The way that the overlay hides any wrong notes is very clear and conversely the included notes are plain to see.

The Piano/Fret Board Display: We’re all about guitars here at Uberchord and the correct finger positions shown on a fret board can be a great tool for learning scales in each key. Still, Musiclock will work just as well for aspiring keyboards players and guitarists can benefit from seeing how the notes translate to a keyboard, too. Use this Piano mode sometimes to learn a keyboard layout.

The Choice Of Scales: Aside from the root note you can select keys that are Major, Major Pentatonic, Minor Pentatonic, Natural Minor, Melodic Minor, Harmonic Minor, Blues and Dominant Bebop (this last being an older jazz style). Of course, there are plenty of others not listed, but these are a smart selection that will introduce users to interesting variations. Don’t get stuck in a rut and stick with your favourites. Try all the keys.

The Backing Tracks: You’ll always want more (and you’d expect perTunes to add extras over time and development updates), but for the time being Musiclock gives you plenty of music to begin your jamming education. Also, it encourages users to experiment in styles you might otherwise avoid. Again, don’t be scared!

Playable Notes: By making the displayed notes on the Musiclock playable (with a piano tone) with a finger tap, it lets you compare to the scale you’re playing on your guitar. Something doesn’t sound quite right? Check your fingering…

Feature Request:

Here are a few things I’d like to see included in the App for the future…

Chord Display: In the fret board mode below the clock, rather than show the correct positions for the notes it’d be cool to see chord charts for each key instead — just one chord for each note would do. Of course, you’ve already got Uberchord to do that — along with all the variations, but I’m just saying…

Note Highlight: I’m guessing this wouldn’t be easy to code since the backing tracks are likely to be wave files and not MIDI, but it would be really helpful if the notes on the Musiclock were highlighted in synch with those backing tracks. So if the backing track hits an A Major (for example) that note on the Musiclock is indicated. Yes, that kind of defeats the purpose of learning how to listen, but it could be a feature that might be turned off as your confidence grows.

Audiobus Capatibility: At the moment Musiclock doesn’t support Audiobus, so jamming with a guitar app like Amplitube can’t be done without some kind of external mixer. The crew at perTunes assure me it’s on their to-do list.

The Verdict?

Musiclock is a great app that can only, hopefully, get better with more keys and more backing tracks. Keeping one eye on the music theory it offers will always hold you in good stead later. Definitely worth downloading.

 Want more? Why not check out these other Music Reviews on the blog?

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Our friends over at Tin Pan have come up with a clever new app that offers an easy and educational way to discover those alternative chords that will augment your playing. Read on to see why we think this app has so much potential!

I reckon that I’m pretty much like a lot of other song writers. Okay, I haven’t yet penned a “Stairway To Heaven” or an “Every Breath You Take” (or maybe I have!), but when I’m composing a new tune I never imagine the whole song, right? Instead, I’ll pick up my guitar and began fooling around with a few riffs and licks or perhaps some simple chord progressions. I’m looking for that elusive “hook” that’s in every good tune.

I’m never really working beyond a four or eight bar phrase. That hook — that magical four bar riff I’ll discover — is something I’ll repeat throughout the song.

But here’s a problem. Many musicians get into habits with their playing. Yes, you know what I mean. We always go to the same chords, the same progressions and licks, and find it hard to explore new places on the fret board. If you’ve got a good knowledge of musical theory that’s great, because it can show you all the different possibilities, but if you don’t… well, old habits die hard. This is where the Tin Pan Rhythm app comes in.

Main Features

The Tin Pan Rhythm app is based around a GUI displaying a pyramid of three root and common chords according to the key you’ve chosen, along with the lower levels showing a selection of seven parallel and alternate chords — that’s ten in total.

Next, using samples and a DAW-like playback system that come with the app, you can then play these chords in an arrangement of various patterns and styles across five tracks of piano, bass, guitar, percussion and drums.

I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I was putting together unique phrases that opened up a lot of great song-writing ideas.

GUI Windows

Tin Pan Rhythm has Two GUI windows – the Chord Progression page and Arrangement window.

1. Chord Progression Page

You start with the Chord Progression and after using a side menu to select a musical key, tempo, the type of chord display and to choose between a four or eight bar “Phrase”, you’re presented with the pyramid of available chords. These can be drag-and-dropped into any of the eight slots above (if you’ve selected an eight-bar Phrase to create) and played back as a loop.

In the background, the Arrangement GUI has already defaulted to the last selection of instruments, patterns and styles you loaded. Your eight chosen chords can be switched around or replaced as much as you like with the same drag-and-drop function.

That chord display option in the side menu will show you either the chord’s correct name (D Minor, A Major, etc…) or its relative position to the root chord in degrees such as a second, a fifth, a flat third (you can learn more about Chords By Degrees in the box below).

2. Arrangement GUI

In the Arrangement GUI it’s important to understand that your sequence of chords is applied globally across all five tracks (obviously, it doesn’t really matter for percussion and drums). You don’t get to choose a different Phrase for your Bass and Guitar channels. That might make good sense musically, but for people like me who are used to more complex DAWs like Pro Tools and Studio One, it needed a moment to get my head around.

You get to choose from a palette of patterns for each instrument. The Piano has 56 different patterns ranging from single chords to short melodies and it can either be an acoustic piano or an organ/synth sound.

Likewise, the Bass channel is either an acoustic-like upright bass or a synth bass and has 34 patterns.

The Guitar track has only an acoustic guitar with five Picking patterns and seven Strum styles, plus a “Ring” for each — a sustained sound. Last, the Percussion and Drum tracks both have 45 different patterns each.

The electronic samples for the piano and bass are okay, but the acoustic samples for all five tracks are very good and I found myself sticking with these. The variations in pattern and style can make a significant difference to your Phrase and given the choice of musical keys, the individual patterns and the basic chord sequence of your Phrase, the possibilities are enormous. You can go further by raising or lowering the pitch of the instruments by dragging the track display up and down. This changes the fret (or piano keyboard) position of playing the same chord or creates an inversion, not the chord itself.

On the far right of each track a switch allows you to toggle between changing the pitch and pattern of all eight bars of the Phrase for that instrument or editing each individual bar (the slot for that chord). This gives you even more versatility in creating a unique Phrase.

You can save your phrases by using the star button. Otherwise, using a Record button you can export your loop as an AIFF file by email, upload it direct to Soundcloud or AudioCopy, or an “Open In” option will send it to another app on your iPad. The interesting thing is that the recorded file continues for as long as you like — for as long as you allow the Phrase to loop. So if you want a three minute wave file to base a song on, let the Phrase loop for three minutes and that’s how long your recording will be. Otherwise, users looking for closer synchronisation can use the exported wave files for slicing into sample-accurate lengths.

The Arrange window has volume sliders for each track, which lets you try out different mixes. I highly recommend using good headphones for this — as does Tin Pan when the app opens. Your iPad speakers don’t do the sounds any justice.

The Verdict?

Tin Pan Rhythm is still in the early stages of development and here at Uberchord we’re excited by its potential. It’s a cool scratch pad for ideas inspiring you to use those alternate and parallel chords. The app’s playback feature allows you to actually hear the Phrases being performed and lets you fool around with all kinds of song ideas in places where guitars are frowned upon. The Chord Degrees display is a valuable tool for learning the concept behind degrees.

So I’m giving Tin Pan Rhythm a good thumbs-up. Here are my favourite five features about the app:

Five Best Features:

1. Displays ten chords per key including cool alternate chords.
2. Simple drag-and-drop operation allows quick experimenting.
3. It can identify alternate chords by degrees rather than names.
4. Acoustic playback samples are good quality.
5. A large choice of patterns and styles provide a lot of variety.

More to come?

Features for the Future

There’s a lot to love about Tin Pan Rhythm… but there is definitely more to look forward to in the future. I’ve got a feature request list below. What do you think? What else would you like to see in Tin Pan Rhythm?

1. Help function or User manual — no doubt this is coming once more features of the app are locked in.
2. The Export function is good, but sometimes I found myself experimenting with the Phrase chord sequence too much and forgetting where I started.
3. Mute or Solo buttons. These would let you isolate channels and hear the pattern variations clearly without having to adjust your overall mix each time.
4. Allowing up to eight bars Phrases. Tin Pan Rhythm is locked into four or eight full bars of 4/4 timing. It’d be nice if the Phrase looped only (say) seven bars, if you leave the last slot empty.
5. Different colour schemes. Sorry guys, not a fan of the mushroom pink GUI. Can we have some choices?

The post App Review: Tin Pan Rhythm appeared first on Uberchord App.

Why do you want a good guitar amplifier app? Is it just to have some cool fun all on your own, jamming in a corner with a set of headphones and your favourite iOS app? That’s okay! We’re never going to complain about anyone picking up their guitar.

Maybe you’re looking for unique sounds for a recording project? That’s good thinking, because while most of the apps offer great “standard” sounds the subtle differences between the various software can mean that one app really hits the mark with a certain preset or stomp pedal.

All right, so what if you’re hoping that you can use a guitar amplifier simulator app for live work? Actually taking it out on the stage in front of an audience and using it in real-time for your guitar effects?

In that case JamUp Pro XT could be the app for you. Developed by Positive Grid the app provides all the usual suspects of selectable stomp pedal effects and filters, amplifiers and extra features like an eight-track recorder, a “sampler” (more on this below) and a Jam function for playing along to your own tunes and wave files.

Where JamUp Pro offers an extra edge is a “Live” mode GUI that allows you to use the app on stage — even without any optional foot pedal controller that JamUp Pro can support via Blue Tooth.

Sounds interesting? Then read on…

Main Features of JamUp Pro.

• Seven interchangeable slots for any effect or amplifier in whatever order you choose.
• A “Live” mode for using on stage.
• A fully-functional Loop Pedal.
• A large library of Factory and User presets.

JamUp Pro allows you to carefully build complex sounds up from scratch until you have something specific in mind (perhaps for recording into the eight-track) or you can try a more traditional live-sound approach with a straightforward amplifier setting that can be enhanced by switching on and off your favourite pedals.

The basic, free version is called JamUp XT with a single amplifier and six effects. Here we’re looking at JamUp Pro XT which is priced at US$9.99 (currently on special at US$4.99 — 50% off!) and has six amplifier models and sixteen effects.

Further expansion packs in styles like Vintage and Metal are reasonably priced or you can buy individual components. Positive Grid’s Store GUI gives you full information and a bit of background on each effect, so you’ll know exactly what you’re getting.

HERE ARE FIVE THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT THE JAMUP PRO APP

1: Any Which Way You Want.

JamUp Pro gives you a signal chain of seven effects including one of which must be an amplifier. Using a drag-and-drop function you can re-arrange these into any order you want which, as you’ll probably know, can significantly alter the final sounds. It’s good that you’re not restricted to any pre-amplifier signal chain for all your effects, giving you a lot more options, even if it is cheating a little.

2: Presets Galore.

With a system of four banks of eight pages with four-slots visible on each, JamUp Pro totals a massive 128 presets.

Yes, that sounds a bit confusing, but the maths works out. For example, Bank 1 Page 7 will give you presets 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D on screen. The presets switch over very fast even if they’re using completely different components.

3: Let’s Do It Live.

Jam Up Pro XT can be switched to a Live mode displaying a large, simplified screen that can be operated quickly on stage. Sure, you’ll be using your finger instead of your foot (unless you take a cue from Steve Wilson’s style, play bare-foot and use your big toe), but with practise it works well.

Aside from offering four presets on the screen (the A,B,C and D slots of the Bank/Page) you can also individually control your four core stomp pedals of Stomp (distortion), Delay, Modulation and Reverb within each preset — nice touch!

4: Looping It Up.

JamUp Pro XT has a Sampler function which is really a fully-featured loop pedal on its own with the added extra of being able to save loops you create — very handy for soloists who use loops for effect regularly and they don’t have to re-record them during each performance.

Playing with loops live is an art form of its own and maybe not for everyone, but musicians who do use loops will love JamUp Pro XT’s Sampler function. Give it a try! A whole new world of guitar playing will open up.

5: Jamming It Like A Pro.

Most guitar amplifier apps have a “Jam” Rnction for playing along to your selected tunes, but I really like JamUp Pro XT’s large interface with all the important controls clearly accessible.

The pitch of the loaded wave file can be raised or lowered by a factor of five, the speed reduced to just 25% of the original tempo or doubled (if you’re feeling talented!) and, of course, you have a Volume control.

You also get the all-important A and B in/out positions to select specific parts of a song you want repeated over and again. It’s a great feature for learning your entire songs, just your solos… or whatever you need.

Other Features.

I’ve gotta say, JamUp Pro’s optional eight-track recorder is about as basic as you’ll get with just eight recordable tracks, volume sliders for each and panning controls.

There are no Insert slots or included mixing effects.

To be honest I can’t access the recorder myself without purchasing it, but info within the app and on Positive Grid’s Store page all suggests nothing more comes with the mixer. It’s hard to get excited about it and fork out the dollars.

On the other hand, the in-built Tuner is another large, clear display that gigging musicians will love on stage. No more peering at small LCD screens or foot pedal tuners in the dark.

The Verdict?

JamUp Pro is another app that’s worth immediately upgrading from the free version at a relatively low cost to get a full appreciation of what it can do. Then you’ll get a larger selection of good amplifiers and stomp pedals, plus all the extra features.

As always, you need some kind of audio interface like Positive Grid’s own JamUp Plug HD. If you’re serious about using these kinds of apps, it’s a must-have anyway. It’s an impressive app that sounds good. That Live mode GUI interface will definitely tempt you to try it on stage.

If you’re looking for more gear articles like this then you’re definitely in the right place! Take a browse around our site and you may be surprised that we’ve covered what you’re looking for. A few articles we’ve done lately include soloing in a key, sailing sutherland brothers key, and how to get hardcore guitar tone. 

The post JamUp Pro Review: Five Things You’ll Love appeared first on Uberchord App.

The original Amplitube from IK Multimedia was the first guitar amplifier simulator I ever tried and I remember being instantly impressed at just how well it worked.

It had presets that flirted with all kinds of copyright issues with names like “Just Like Jimi” or “David’s Pink Delay” and figuring these out wasn’t difficult…

It was amazing that by simply selecting these presets your guitar’s sound was instantly turned into the trademark tones of Hendrix and Gilmour — to name just a few.

At the time, even though the technology had been around awhile, I think everyone was still coming to grips with the capabilities of Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) and the audio effects that came with them. In particular, the sampling and “modelling” innovations.

The logic was straightforward.

Okay, it was digital and not analogue, and no one was going to say that software like Amplitube was as good as the older analogue amplifiers and foot pedals, but a lot of new, standalone guitar effects were digital and, quite simply, a good personal computer had heaps more processing power than a foot pedal. So making your PC emulate a guitar effect wasn’t such a big ask.

Wind forward to today and the Amplitube app uses the same concept. Your iOS device has an enormous amount of processing power behind that screen and cranking out awesome, digital guitar sounds is easy from a technical standpoint.

All you need is a good interface like IK Multimedia’s iRig, the software app and you’re good to go. All the same, I’m still amazed at how cool the app sounds.

Main Features of Amplitube

Features include:

• Four stomp pedals across the top and a selected amplifier beneath.
• Drop-down dialogues for each slot allow you to choose different pedals. Drag-and-drop each one to rearrange the order.
• Similarly, you can change amplifiers easily.
• A small tab on the right accesses your four post-FX pedal slots.

Amplitube is fun even in its basic, free version. Of course, there are plenty of in-app extras you can buy. Before anything else I recommend the eight-track recorder interface.

It looks awesome and nicely retro. Of course, the reels turn when you’re playing or recording! What I like is there’s no DAW time line in this mode.

You have to listen for your cues, not watch for them. That’s a good thing.

HERE ARE FIVE THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT THE AMPLITUBE APP

Here are my five favourite things about Amplitube with the eight-track tape machine included.

1: Less is Best.

Amplitube only allows four effects pedals to be used pre-amplifier and four as post-FX. This is minimal for most guitar rigs and I like it that way. A lot of novice players start believing that more effects, more pedals and processing will achieve that elusive “sound”.

Really, it’s all about learning how to set up the pedals you have before bothering about getting more. So I like the fact that Amplitube restricts you to just four on-screen and forces you get the most out of these. It can make you play better and that’s what you want, right?

2: The Amps Work Like the Real Thing.

All right, don’t shout at me — I know that Amplitube’s virtual amps are nothing like having a real, monster Marshall stack in the corner of your room. However, in a far cry from those “Just Like Jimi” beginnings, IK Multimedia has licensed permission to recreate the genuine articles, meaning that the amplifier controls are realistically modelled.

Small tweaks of the tones, the gain and volume controls, the reverb levels… these are all accurately represented and can teach you that small adjustments will make a big difference. It’s not all about turning everything to “Eleven”.

3: The Pedals Are Like The Real Thing, Too.

Are you seeing a pattern here? Amplitube offers a huge range of stomp effects pedals and like the amplifiers, IK Multimedia has a license to copy and model some of the most iconic and sought-after stomp boxes you might imagine. In fact, it’s managed to recreate a few vintage types that are next to impossible to buy in real life.

They sound good, look awesome in all their original design splendour and once again will teach you something valuable — the fine art of setting up your effects pedals. From the straightforward Noise Filter to the T-Rex Moller, they’re just like the real thing.

4: The Eight-Track Recorder Is Old-School.

The virtual eight-track tape machine is wonderfully old-school. The controls are rotary knobs, the meters are VU, and you only get two Sends for master FX. The actual GUI looks brilliant. Without the in-app purchase of the full-blown DAW interface, there’s no linear time grid for shifting and editing audio clips.

In this day and age that might sound like a bad thing. Instead, it’s kind of liberating that you need to listen to the other tracks for your cues. Your head isn’t caught up in too much DAW workflow. Again, you can concentrate on your playing, not your computer skills. Great fun.

Once you’re in the eight-track recorder interface you have a choice of different windows including EQ, Sends and this one – the Master display. In the picture here, you’ve got a global EQ and Compressor over the recorder’s main output (and therefore the app), plus you can select your preferred effect for the two Sends.

Again, the effects are wonderfully old-school, like something out of an analogue recording studio – a much sought-after sound these days – and you avoid messing around with a zillion presets. You can focus on your guitar playing.

5: The Drum Looper.

Amplitube comes with a Drum Looper offering a range of different styles and grooves. You only get one for free, before having to buy the others, but what I like is the realistic sounds of these drums and the simple interface for putting together quick, yet effective tunes with the included fills, intros and cymbal splashes. Learning to play your guitar to a metronome or click track is really important. However, playing along to a cool drum pattern is just as good and way more fun.

In the world of drum samplers it’s pretty basic and you don’t get a lot of choice in patterns and grooves, but the sampled sounds  are very good and all up the Drum Looper is more than enough to let you compose cool tunes in most styles. Being synced to a BPM tempo you can always replace the drums with something more complex later.

 The verdict?

On the basic Amplitube app, all premium functions are greyed out and tapping on these prompts a pop-up dialogue box from the IK Multimedia store and the opportunity to buy it. It’d be nice to be able to turn this off and only show the goodies you own, but then again a good thing about this is how each product is immediately displayed with a price, a full explanation of its use and sometimes a bit of history, too.

In the beginning, don’t be in too much of a hurry to buy stuff. Amplitube free is impressive on its own. You will need that interface and a good pair of headphones, and if you buy one of IK Multimedia’s devices they chuck in a version of Amplitube anyway.

You’ll find quite a few guitar amplifier apps available now, but maybe because Amplitube was one of the first is why I reckon it’s one of the best.

Remember that in order to get the best sound from this app you’ll need to brush up on your theory and technique. Our blog has hundreds of free articles and lessons that’ll help you create great recordings and licks when using Amplitube. A few of our most recent topics include first guitar for kids, the cure lovecats guitar tab, and the cure lullaby guitar tab. 

The post Amplitube App Review: 5 Things you’ll Love appeared first on Uberchord App.

SXSW Music Acts Featuring Local Bands

1. Roxy Roca

Genre: Funk

These guys are an 8-piece ensemble with that coveted ‘oomph’ factor every funk band aspires to. You know what I mean. Roxy Roca is carnal funk music which absolutely drips with bravado. The sort which totally hijacks the motor control over your face. Your mouth contorts into a drooping grimace, your brows furrow and your head can do naught but strut back and forth like a pigeon. This isn’t the band to politely nod along to. This is where you groove your ass off.

SXSW Showcase: Wednesday, March 18  from 1:00AM – 1:55AM at Lucky Lounge

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=”Roxy Roca is carnal funk music which absolutely drips with bravado. The sort which totally hijacks the motor control over your face. “]

2. Joel Laviolette and Rattletree

Genre: World

The obligatory ‘wildcard’ pick on the list. If traditional Zimbabwean Marimba music is already your reason for getting out of bed every morning, then you’re bang in luck. If you’re still culturally unacquainted with such delights, this band serves as our educational, horizon-widening choice. From their showreel they seem to be a cracker of a live act too, seemingly suitable for both drug-fueled raves and children’s birthday parties. There’s something vaguely therapeutic about the soft, paddling melodies of the marimba, we encourage you to see for yourself.

SXSW Showcase: Friday, March 20 from 9:00PM – 9:40PM at Russian House

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=”If traditional Zimbabwean Marimba music is already your reason for getting out of bed every morning, then you’re bang in luck.”]

3. Birdlegg

Genre: Blues

Would I be succumbing to cliché if I said that Birdlegg belongs to the last of a dying breed? What I really mean by that, of course, is that he’s an old African American dude who knows how to play the blues. For an extra stamp of authenticity, he has a slightly puckered face indicative of a lack of nutrition as a child during those dusty post-war years, or perhaps too long pursed at the mouthpiece of a harmonica. In any case, the man is a hurricane. Birdlegg plays his instrument with the same brazen furore as the stompin’ bluesmen of old. Birdlegg is one of the few remaining flag-bearers of traditional, unpretentious blues. Experience him at the Saxon Pub.

SXSW Showcase: Friday, March 20 from 10:50PM – 11:30PM at Saxon Pub

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook  

[bctt tweet=”Birdlegg plays his instrument with the same brazen furore as the stompin’ bluesmen of old. Birdlegg is one of the few remaining flag-bearers of traditional, unpretentious blues. Experience him at the Saxon Pub.”]

4. Quiet Company

Genre: Rock

Jaunty pop rock which thankfully leans away from indie banalities. I grow ever fonder of Quiet Company with every listen. With their pretty melodies bolstered by potent synth lines, they meet all the right requirements for an incendiary, drunken midnight set at Red Eyed Fly.

SXSW Showcase: Thursday, March 19 from 12:00AM – 12:40AM at Red Eyed Fly

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=”Jaunty pop rock which thankfully leans away from indie banalities. I grow ever fonder of Quiet Company with every listen.”]

5. El Tule

Genre: Latin Rock

Considering that the Mexican border’s only a stone’s throw away, assuming the stone is launched from a catapult mounted on a satellite, Austin’s latino demographic is integral to its culture. Bringing their salacious blend of Cumbia and Salsa to SXSW, El Tule are accessible, infectious and will entice even the most introverted to the dance floor. Expect warm, Santana-esque guitar melodies, gringos attempting to dance Salsa, and depending on your moves, the chance of going home with somebody considerably above your league.

SXSW Showcase: Wednesday, March 18 (Time TBA) at Flamingo Cantina

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

6. Warm Soda

Genre: Rock

Yep. I’ve always been a sucker for chugging 16th note pop-punk melodies. Warm Soda remind me of being an angsty little boy again. Close your eyes and you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve been transported back to the mid-90’s golden era of melodic punk. Open your eyes however, and you’ll be greeted with one of the most ecclectic-looking bands on offer at this year’s festival. With a consciously mismatched look, Warm Soda consists of a frontman bringing back the moustachioed 1970’s paedophile look, a heavily primped infant on the guitar, a pig-tailed bass player and a retired pirate behind the drum kit. They safely have my vote.

SXSW Showcase: Saturday, March 21 from 11:00PM – 11:30PM at Hotel Vegas Patio 

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook

[bctt tweet=”Warm Soda remind me of being an angsty little boy again. Close your eyes and you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve been transported back to the mid-90’s golden era of melodic punk. “]

7. Abram Shook

Genre: Pop

I like Abram Shook. The guy evidently knows how to write a good song, even if it occasionally gets too abstract and indie for my liking. His 2013 track ‘Coastal’ ranks among my personal favourites from this years lineup. Sounding genuinely fresh, it features a killer laid-back bassline reminiscent of early 90’s RnB, overlaid with delicate, shimmering guitar and perfectly layered vocals.

SXSW Showcases: Tuesday, March 17 from 9:00PM – 9:40PM at Cheer Up Charlie’s Inside AND Thursday, March 19 from 12:00AM – 12:40AM at The Hideout

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=”Abram Shook’s 2013 track ‘Coastal’ ranks among my personal favourites from this years lineup. “]

8. Neon Cobra

Genre: Rock

The photo of the band alone screams, “you are going to have a weird, crazy good time”. Neon Cobra is raucous, venue-shaking rock music at its finest. Have your fun nodding appreciatively at the many fantastic bands on offer at SXSW this year. When you’re done however, go see Neon Cobra for your evening dose of neat Rock N’ Roll, which burns on the way down.

SXSW Showcase: Wednesday, March 18 from 8:00PM – 8:40PM at Karma Lounge

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=” Neon Cobra is raucous, venue-shaking rock music at its finest.”]

9. John Mills Times Ten

Genre: Jazz

Among the most original acts I’ve heard in a long while. This ten-piece band perform what I can only describe as musical narrative. Their songs demand your attention and guide you along a sonic exploration, dipping and diving through various soundscapes. This is enabled only by the composite members of the band, all of whom are talented and imperatively tight. Absolute genius.

SXSW Showcase: Thursday, March 19 from 8:00PM – 8:40PM at Elephant Room

Reverbnation Playlist

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=” Their songs demand your attention and guide you along a sonic exploration, dipping and diving through various soundscapes. “]

10. Dawn and Hawkes

Genre: Singer-Songwriter

Dawn and Hawkes is a tidy little project from two musicians named, shockingly, Dawn and Hawkes. Their music is rocky with a definitive country ‘twang’ and chord resolution. Considering there’s a maximum of only two guitars and vocals at play, this couple creates very pretty, balanced songs. Their tunes are dainty and heartwarming, like pocket-sized injections of sheer life assurance. These guys also win this year’s entirely fictitious award of best looking act per capita.

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=”Dawn and Hawkes is a tidy little project from two musicians named, shockingly, Dawn and Hawkes. “]

That’s all ten local Austin bands, guys! We had a great time going through this lineup. If you’re going to SXSW music festival this year, perhaps we will cross paths.

We covered Ume in our last SXSW post featuring rock bands, but they are also from Austin so if you missed it, it’s worth giving them a listen. Hard to believe that in only two weeks time, we’ll be diving head first into the Austin music scene. Enjoy exploring the rest of the SXSW musicians out there.

The post SXSW Music: Discover 10 Local Bands From Austin appeared first on Uberchord App.

SXSW Music Acts

In no particular order…hell it was hard enough to narrow down the acts to ten bands.

1. CRUISR

Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

With a conscious effort to write poppy hooks which implant themselves firmly in the listener’s head, CRUISR prove quite difficult to dislike. Their songs fall within the lighter, poppier side of indie music. Consider them an antidote to weary feet and weary ears. Easy to listen to, butbe warned, some of these vocals may be infectious – in a good way!

SXSW Showcase: Thursday, March 19 from 10:30PM – 11:10PM at Red 7 Patio

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=”With a conscious effort to write poppy hooks which implant themselves firmly in the listener’s head, CRUISR prove quite difficult to dislike.”]

2. Banditos

Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama

I’m immediately drawn in by Banditos, in no small part due to their strong image. Indeed, they look like a party of enchanted scarecrows who, on one of their ethereal moonlit walks across the Tennessee plains managed to bewitch a passing girl into forming a country band. Interestingly enough, their music doesn’t sound too far off this mark. If you’re a sucker for banjo-driven music, played with menace and ferocious kazoo melodies, this is definitely one for you.

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=”Indeed, they look like a party of enchanted scarecrows who, on one of their ethereal moonlit walks across the Tennessee plains managed to bewitch a passing girl into forming a country band. “]

3. Jukebox the Ghost

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

An absolute gem of a band. Check these guys out for a truly modern take on rock music. It’s easy to become self-absorbed when consciously trying to be different, and create music that may be interesting but not particularly inspiring. This most certainly isn’t the case here. One of the most deeply original bands we’ve ever heard, JtG’s composition ranges from jarring rhythm and vocal breaks to Bohemian-Rhapsody-esque choral melodies, without once losing sight of what makes a balanced, great song. You have two opportunities so don’t miss these guys, for your own sake.

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter  

[bctt tweet=”Jukebox the Ghost’s composition ranges from jarring rhythm and vocal breaks to Bohemian-Rhapsody-esque choral melodies, without once losing sight of what makes a balanced, great song. “]

4. COIN

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Carefree rock with a summery sheen. With far too many bands nowadays forcing the ‘edgy’ look, it’s quite refreshing to see clean-cut guys playing bouncy indie music without any hint of pretence. See them live for an upbeat pick-me-up before your night of wandering begins.

.

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=”Coin is carefree rock with a summery sheen. With far too many bands nowadays forcing the ‘edgy’ look, it’s quite refreshing to see clean-cut guys playing bouncy indie music without any hint of pretence. “]

5. Nightmare Air

Hometown: Los Angeles, California

Rock band Nightmare Air are another band to watch. Sounding like an indie-fied Janes Addiction with a loud rock aesthetic, these guys could definitely be one to watch in the future. Buzz Osbourne lookalike Dave Dupuis shares lead duties with Kim Deal impersonator Swaan Miller, creating a dreamy 90’s influenced sound with a lot of bite.

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=”Sounding like an indie-fied Janes Addiction with a loud rock aesthetic, Nightmare Air are definitely one to watch in the future.”]

6. Ume

Hometown: Austin, Texas

Ume have certainly been getting a lot of attention recently. Reminiscent of dreamy alternative bands like Sonic Youth with wafts of Arcade Fire, Ume present a style both familiar and very new. Their 16th-note indie rhythms underpin a harmonically rich fusion of noise and art-rock, edged with a distinct sense of digital modernity. Rock N’ Roll for the new age.

SXSW Showcase: Thursday, March 19 from 8:00PM – 8:40PM at Red 7

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=” Reminiscent of dreamy alternative bands like Sonic Youth with wafts of Arcade Fire, Ume present a style both familiar and very new. “]

7. Royal Thunder

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

A fantastic band from Georgia who know how to whip up atmosphere and a sonic sense of dread. Royal Thunder is a heavy rock outfit who occasionally veer close to the doom and stoner rock movements of the 90’s. Their dark melodies and slow, sludgy chord progressions make them an ideal band for that moment in the night where you just want to sway gently back and forth on the dance floor and induce an introspective trip.

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=”Royal Thunder are a fantastic band from Georgia who know how to whip up atmosphere and a sonic sense of dread. “]

8. Baby Bee

Hometown: Houma, Louisiana

We at Uberchord have only the utmost respect for those dragging blues back into the mainstream against the tide of auto-tuned dross that is modern pop music. Baby Bee have the killer combination of modern, svelte looks and a minimalistic, two-member approach to their live show which has catapulted bands with similar acts like The White Stripes and Royal Blood into fame. Determined to prove the indisputable charm of a good pentatonic riff and chugging blues rhythms, Baby Bee are on a launchpad pointed directly at the top.

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=”Baby Bee have the killer combination of modern, svelte looks and a minimalistic, two-member approach to their live show which has catapulted bands with similar acts like The White Stripes and Royal Blood into fame. “]

9. LITE

Hometown: Tokyo, Japan

Straddling the boundary between disjointed breakpop and seriously intricate math-rock, LITE is most certainly not for the casual music fan. No vocals here, just mathematically stimulating syncopations. Harmonious discord, if you will. This is a must see for any musician, to gape at the sheer precision and complexity of rhythm if nothing else. If a machine was created to reproduce symphonic masterpieces, this would be the sound of it violently malfunctioning. Somewhere buried deep within this din is conventional, even melodic indie. That being said, this is emphatically NOT the gig you want to bring that girl you just picked up off 6th street to in order to seal the deal.

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=”Straddling the boundary between disjointed breakpop and seriously intricate math-rock, LITE is most certainly not for the casual music fan.”]

10. King Tuff

Hometown: Brattleboro, Vermont

What’s not to love? Hairy men doing garage-rock with plenty of attitude and slightly fuzzy guitar. Expect honey sweet melodies, big smiles, big riffs and an image both incongruent and totally damn appropriate for the music they play. An experience for sure.

,,,

Website | SXSW Page | Facebook | Twitter

[bctt tweet=”What’s not to love? Hairy men doing garage-rock with plenty of attitude and slightly fuzzy guitar.”]

That’s all ten rock bands, folks! We had a great time going through this lineup. If you’re going to SXSW this year, maybe we will cross paths. Enjoy exploring the rest of the SXSW musicians out there. Tons of fresh talent worth feasting your ears and eyes on.

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