GET GUITARING IN GARAGEBAND
GET GUITAR
Create or open a song and tap on the instruments icon in the top–left corner. Swipe until you see Guitar. The easiest way to start playing is to choose Smart Guitar, so let’s do just that by tapping on the appropriate icon.
START STRUMMING
Smart Guitar is fun. Tap a string and it’ll play the appropriate note; tap the name of the chord above the strings and GarageBand will play the whole chord. You can also strum by swiping up or down on the strings.
CHANGE THE KEY
Fancy a different key? Tap the settings icon (the spanner) and then choose Key Signature. You can now choose the root note and whether it’s a minor or major key. The guitar chords change accordingly.
PLAY SOME NOTES
If you’d rather play your own notes or chords, tap on the Chords/Notes switch towards the top right. This turns off the Smart Guitar chords mode and lets you play notes as you would on a real guitar’s fretboard.
LET YOUR IPAD PLAY
Turn the AutoPlay knob and GarageBand will actually play the guitar part for you. There are four rhythms to choose from, and you can move from chord to chord simply by tapping the ones you want.
CHANGE YOUR GUITAR
If you want something a bit more rock, tap on the image of the acoustic guitar to see the other available instruments. Here we’ve gone for Roots Rock, a gently distorted, bluesy Les Paul guitar.
CHANGE THE CHORDS
You’re not limited to the standard chords: you can create your own by tapping Settings and then Edit Chords. Tap the chord you want to replace and then swipe through the dials to get the chord you want.
SET THE SCALE
GarageBand can help with guitar scales too. Tap on the Scales tab just above the guitar fretboard and you can change the scale to anything you like. Guides appear on the frets to help you navigate the notes.
GET WIGGY WITH IT
You can add expression by bending the strings, either gently or in the full-on hair-metal solo style we’ve gone for here. It’s not as screamy as the real thing, but it sounds pretty good when using the Hard Rock guitar.