Simply Guitar - Learn Guitar

Analysis by Getfullapps

Learning guitar usually fails for a simple reason: it is difficult to know what to practise when nobody is sitting beside you. Simply Guitar tries to solve that problem by turning an Android or iOS device into a guided learning companion. I found it most convincing as a structured starting point rather than a complete replacement for a teacher. It gives a beginner a clear next step, listens while they play, and makes short practice sessions feel more purposeful than randomly searching for tutorials.

That focus matters. This is an education app from Simply Ltd, not a general music player or a collection of unrelated lessons. Its central promise is that it can work with any guitar, which makes it approachable for people who own an acoustic, electric, or another standard instrument and simply want to begin. The app is free to install, with optional purchases ranging from $9.99 to $179.99 per item, so the real decision is not whether you can try it, but whether its guided approach is worth continuing with.

How Simply Guitar feels in everyday practice

The first thing I noticed is how strongly the experience is built around doing rather than reading. Instead of asking a new player to understand music theory before touching the strings, it moves quickly toward holding the instrument, following an exercise, and checking whether the notes or chords are being played in the expected way. That reduces the intimidating gap between “I want to learn guitar” and actually making a sound.

For a complete beginner, this is a useful design choice. A traditional beginner book can be inexpensive and thorough, but it leaves you responsible for interpreting diagrams, choosing a practice order, and judging your own accuracy. Video lessons are more engaging, yet they often encourage passive watching. Simply Guitar sits between those options: I still have to play, but the app supplies the sequence and immediate direction.

The guided format is especially helpful during the first few sessions, when the biggest obstacle is often uncertainty. I do not need to wonder whether I should practise a chord, a rhythm, or a song fragment first. I can open the next lesson and start. That small reduction in decision-making makes it easier to build a habit, particularly after work or school when I only have a short amount of energy left.

Its 4.6 average from around 367 thousand ratings suggests that this beginner-friendly approach has connected with a large audience. The app has also passed 10 million installs, which is a useful sign that it is not an obscure experiment with a tiny user base. Those figures do not guarantee that its teaching style will suit everyone, but they do support my impression that the format is polished enough for regular use.

A practical way to use it at home

Imagine someone keeping a guitar beside the sofa. They have twenty minutes before dinner, but they do not want to spend half that time deciding what to play. With this app, the sensible routine is to tune and position the phone where it can hear the instrument, complete one focused lesson, then repeat the difficult transition instead of rushing ahead. That is a much better use of a short evening than opening a video platform and falling into unrelated demonstrations.

I recommend treating each session as a small appointment rather than trying to finish a large amount of material. Beginners often believe progress means learning for an hour, but consistency is more valuable than heroic sessions followed by a week away. The app’s lesson-based structure supports that mindset because it gives a player a defined task and a natural stopping point.

Another useful habit is to keep the phone close enough for the app to hear clearly, while avoiding a position where the instrument blocks the screen. This sounds obvious, but it affects the experience more than many first-time users expect. If the device is too far away, background noise or room acoustics can make feedback less dependable. A quiet corner and a stable stand are more useful than constantly changing guitars or accessories.

Where the guided feedback helps most

The strongest part of the experience is the connection between instruction and immediate playing. When I am learning a new chord shape, I benefit from being asked to attempt it rather than merely looking at a picture. The app encourages me to notice whether the chord rings cleanly, whether my fingers are placed consistently, and whether I am ready to move on. That makes practice feel more like a conversation than a lecture.

It is also valuable for rhythm work. Beginners commonly concentrate so hard on finger placement that the beat disappears. A guided exercise gives the right hand something specific to follow, which helps expose a problem that can remain hidden when practising silently. If the chord shape is correct but the timing is uneven, the player receives a more honest picture of what still needs attention.

There is an important limitation, though: an app can react to what it hears, but it cannot observe every physical detail as reliably as a person standing next to you. A teacher can notice excessive tension in the wrist, a poor sitting position, or a habit that may later cause discomfort. Simply Guitar can encourage repetition and accuracy, but I would not treat its approval as proof that my technique is perfect.

This is why I would use it as a feedback loop, not as an authority on every part of guitar playing. I would occasionally record myself from the side, listen for buzzing, and check that my shoulders and fretting hand remain relaxed. That extra self-check fills a gap that no phone microphone can fully cover.

What makes it more approachable than the usual alternatives

Compared with a printed method book, the app is more welcoming for someone who has never read chord diagrams or rhythm notation. It demonstrates the task and gives the learner something immediate to copy. Compared with random online videos, it is less likely to leave a beginner wondering which lesson should come next. Those are meaningful advantages, not just cosmetic differences.

Compared with private instruction, however, it is less personal. A teacher can adapt the explanation when a student is confused, choose exercises around a specific musical goal, and correct mistakes before they become automatic. Lessons also create accountability that a phone cannot always provide. If I repeatedly postpone practice, the app cannot persuade me in the same way a scheduled appointment can.

The best comparison is therefore not “app versus teacher” but “guided app versus unguided practice.” For that particular choice, Simply Guitar is strong. It gives structure without requiring a beginner to understand the entire learning path in advance. A teacher remains the better option for detailed technique, performance preparation, or anyone who wants a customised curriculum.

The friction that can change the experience

The biggest weakness is the dependence on the device hearing the guitar correctly. Room noise, a television in the background, an instrument that is not tuned, or a playing position that points the sound away from the microphone can all make feedback feel less dependable. When the app seems not to recognise what I just played, the problem may be my setup rather than my musical ability, but a beginner can easily interpret it as failure.

I would begin by tuning the guitar carefully and practising in a quiet room. I would also play with a clean, deliberate attack instead of rushing through a chord. These steps improve the usefulness of any listening-based lesson, but they also reveal the trade-off: the app is convenient because it uses a phone, yet the phone introduces conditions that a human teacher can work around.

There is a second kind of friction in the purchase model. The app is free, but optional items cost between $9.99 and $179.99 each. That broad range means I would not commit money before trying the opening experience and deciding whether the teaching style suits me. A learner who wants only a few basic sessions may find the free starting point sufficient, while someone seeking a longer guided path needs to examine the available purchase carefully before treating the app as a long-term course.

I also think experienced guitarists may outgrow the guided approach. If you already know common chord shapes, can keep time comfortably, and mainly want advanced theory, improvisation, or detailed genre technique, the early lessons may feel slow. In that situation, a specialised teacher, notation resource, or focused course is likely to offer more value than repeating beginner material.

Who should choose it, and who should look elsewhere

I would recommend it first to adults and older children who are starting from scratch, own a guitar, and want clear instructions without arranging lessons immediately. Its Everyone content rating makes it suitable for a broad household audience, although younger learners may still benefit from an adult helping with setup, posture, and practice habits.

It is also a good fit for people who learn best through short tasks. If you dislike long explanations but enjoy copying an example and receiving a prompt to continue, the format should feel natural. The same applies to returning players who once learned a few chords and now need a gentle route back into regular practice.

I would be more cautious for someone who has a very specific goal, such as preparing a difficult song for a performance, learning advanced fingerstyle, or correcting persistent pain. Those needs call for individual assessment. The app can support practice, but it should not be used to push through discomfort or to replace professional guidance when technique is causing problems.

It is also not ideal for a learner who expects a completely offline, book-like experience with no dependence on a phone’s microphone and screen. The device is central to the method. If you find screens distracting, prefer paper exercises, or want to develop entirely by ear, a different learning route may be more satisfying.

Small adjustments that make the lessons more useful

I would keep the guitar tuned before every session, even if it sounded acceptable the previous day. An out-of-tune instrument makes chord recognition and musical judgement harder, and it can lead a beginner to blame their fingers for a problem that begins with the instrument. I would also practise transitions slowly before trying to match the lesson’s pace. Clean movement is more valuable than hurried completion.

Another practical tip is to repeat a troublesome exercise immediately, while the mistake is still clear in memory. Waiting several days often turns a small problem into a familiar habit. I would note which chord or rhythm caused trouble, then spend a few minutes on that specific change before moving forward. This turns the app from a passive sequence into a more deliberate practice plan.

Finally, I would occasionally play without the screen. After following a lesson, I might place the phone aside and try the same chord pattern from memory. That reveals whether I learned the movement or merely followed visual prompts. The app is excellent at giving direction, but independence remains the learner’s responsibility.

What the current release means for a new learner

The current version is 9.7.35 and supports devices running Android 6.0 or later. That makes it accessible to people using older compatible phones, although the quality of the experience will still depend on the device’s microphone, speaker, screen, and general responsiveness. I would update the app when possible and keep the phone positioned consistently, because a smooth lesson is easier to follow than one interrupted by awkward handling.

The release date of May 30, 2021, also places the app in the category of an established learning product rather than a brand-new experiment. That matters to me because a beginner is more likely to value a stable, familiar workflow than a constantly changing interface. Still, the age of the product does not remove the need to judge the current lesson style personally; teaching preferences are subjective, and popularity cannot replace a trial session.

For anyone comparing it with free video tutorials, my advice is simple: choose the app when your main problem is organisation and feedback, not when your main problem is finding a particular song or instructor. Choose videos when you already know how to evaluate technique and can build your own sequence. Choose a teacher when you need correction that responds to your hands, posture, musical taste, and pace.

After using it as a beginner-focused practice guide, I see Simply Guitar as a well-designed bridge between owning a guitar and knowing how to practise it. Its best quality is not that it makes learning effortless; it makes the next action obvious. That is enough to overcome a surprisingly large amount of beginner hesitation.

My final recommendation is positive, with a clear condition: try the free experience first, use a quiet setup, and judge progress by cleaner playing rather than by how quickly lessons disappear. The app is free to start, rated for Everyone, and backed by a 4.6 average across around 367 thousand ratings, but its real value depends on whether you want guided repetition and phone-based listening.

For a first guitar, a busy schedule, and a learner who needs structure, it is one of the more approachable ways to begin. For advanced musicians, highly personal goals, or technique problems that require close observation, I would choose a teacher or a more specialised resource instead. The right reason to use it is not convenience alone, but the steady practice routine it can help you build.