I have a secret fascination with avant garde music, and music that is extreme or just far out on the edge of what most people will listen to or tolerate. It's the kind of stuff I listen to with headphones so others don't have to put up with it–or wonder why I'm so weird. It's cool with me though. This list is inspired by that fascination. But, it's not just about music on the edge… to me it's also a testament to the glory of amazing music, and of course the musicians that reach across impossible limits to create that music.

Most of these tracks I've selected for you are picked for their outstanding technical ability, ground breaking moments, or just plain how-do-they-do-it-ness. While I've tried to give you some informative background for each piece of music below, ultimately it's the music that speaks for itself. Enjoy!

1. Paganini's "24 Caprices" by Eliot Fisk

In the early 1800's Niccolò Paganini composed his magnum opus. The 24 Caprices. The caprices are mostly unstructured musical compositions exhibiting studies of technique, speed and musical brilliance. I've been inspired by this body of music for a very long time and it still gives me chills listening to it. It's true that Paganini was considered to have super natural abilities in his life time, his technique was so amazing. While he was also a guitar composer, his 24 Caprices were played on violin and are fresh and ground breaking even today–combining incredible speed, multiple voices, arpeggios, string skipping, leaps, bowing of multiple stings and exciting compositions. In 1992 Eliot Fisk a classical guitarist of renown set out to arrange and play all 24 Caprices on guitar, a feat that was not done until Eliot pulled it off, and one that was supposed to be virtually impossible!

Here's Eliot playing Caprice #24. The speed and agility needed to pull this off on a guitar is simply incredible and I believe right at the edge of human ability.

Some trivia: Classical guitarist Andreas Segovia's crowning achievement was that he legitimized and popularized the classical guitar as a stage instrument throughout his life, taking Spanish piano pieces and transcribing them for guitar such as Isaac Albeniz's beautiful Asturias. Prior to this guitar was considered a lowly parlor instrument, though there were many great compositions for it already. Years later in the 1980's a 20 year old Swedish lad named Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck (aka Yngwie Malmsteen) would arrive on the music scene with an album, an attitude to rival both Beethoven and Bach put together, and his own fully developed style merging classical music with pyrotechnic guitar skills and some classical song structures fully legitimizing classical guitar in the world of rock music.

2. "Flight of the Bumble Bee" on Guitar at 320 BMP by World's Fastest Guitar Player Tiago della Vega

Tiago della Vega earned the Guitar Speed Guinness World Record 2008 with The Flight of the Bumblebee played at 170 beats per minute, then 230, then 260, 280, then 300, and finally a whopping 320 beats per minute! To give you a sense of how fast this is one of Metallica's fastest songs is Dyers Eve at  194 beats per minute. Honestly I didn't think this was humanly possible until I saw this guy–I've seen this video a few times already and I still I don't believe what I'm seeing! This is a man of extremes. I'm pretty sure Tiago either has a pact with the dark side or is one of God's chosen rockers.

Want to cut to the best part? Fast forward to 7:40 to hear him play at 320 beats per minute! It's not video editing!

If that's no nuts enough he then goes on to play at 370 bpm on Tokyo TV (around the 3:20 mark). Check out his insane entrance onto the stage here:

New Tiago's CD available at www.sgrecords.it

3. Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance" by Mark Goffeney

While playing a Tom Petty tune may not seem impossible to you if you're a guitarist with some average skills, imagine playing it with your feet. That's just what Mark Goffeney does here. This isn't just a testament to Mark, but to everyone or anyone who's overcome the odds or who has overcome a handy cap to still play music and create art. How much more inspiring is music to us when someone like Mark refuses to be put down, marginalized, or give up? To me this is far more rock and roll than a guitarist who plays cheesy blues solos from the rafters.

Mark has his own band and plays regularly. Check out Mark's band "Big Toe".

4. "For the Love of God" by Steve Vai

Steve Vai is a guitarist with an awe inspiring ability to become one with his guitar like almost no other guitarist I know. Most guitar players play their guitars, with Steve the guitar seems to play him. As with most of the impossible guitar playing in this list it's something you have to see and experience to fully appreciate. Because in Steve's hands the guitar reaches its full potential as an expressive and creative instrument there are many of his tracks that are worthy of this list. I've chosen this one because I love his "Passion and Warfare" album.

If you like that, you can also catch a glympse of Vai dueling two violinists at top speed on YouTube.

5. & 6. "Tico Tico no Fubá" by CECILIA SIQUEIRA (Uruguay) and FERNANDO LIMA (Brasil)

You may have seen demonstrations of 4 handed guitar before like the famed Four Hands Guitar video on YouTube, but you've never seen one like this. Most performances fall into the category of so-so since the guitar parts are so distinct that the two guitarists playing one instrument seems to be having an easy time at it. This isn't the case with Cecilia and Fernando. They pull off a classic Brazilian track by both playing intricate parts in close proximity and then switching off by playing one hand of each others parts and their own parts at the same time. It's astonishing. They have been playing together like this for years, and it's almost like watching two highly trainer acrobats perform impossible stunts.

To learn more about Cecilia and Fernando visit their site at http://www.duosiqueiralima.com.br/.

7. "Vaseline Machine Gun": High Octane Slide Guitar (with Multiple Voices)… on a 12 String by Leo Kottke

I have to admit, I'm a Leo Kottke fan boy. Here's why. In 1969 at the age of 24 Kottke (that's pronounced Kot-key) released his first studio album 6 & 12 String Guitar. An album of instrumental guitar music like non that had ever been released before. Building on the work of his contemporary John Fahey he infused his acoustic finger picking with fire, rhythm, melody, speed, and technical proficiency that had never been seen our heard on acoustic guitar before. The album was ground breaking and changed the face of guitar playing spawning many copy cats and practically inventing a new genre of guitar and making Kottke a legend.

Listening to some of Kottke songs it sounds like 2 or 3 people playing guitar at once, or at the very least you'll be thinking to yourself how it is possible for one guitar to make that much music, and many of these songs are played on a 12 string which makes them all the more unlikely. Kottke's use of the 12 string guitar was born out of his desire to hear more notes and harmonics than the 6 string could produce. Here at the age of 63 he plays the song he wrote at 24, still standing the test of time now as his recording career reaches the 41st year in 2010. Don't think for a second just because he's in his 60's he can't shred.

For more astounding 12 string Leo Kottke video's check out "Air Proofing" and "I Yell at Traffic".

Bonus Videos: Honorable Mentions

If you'd like to recommend a video for the honorable mentions section please do so in the comments below.

Observant – Joe Haley of Psycroptic -  Incredible hybrid picking techniques on display providing Joe with very fast, and clear as a bell technical speed metal chops. Not for the weak of heart.

Tamacun – Gabriela of Rodrigo y Gabriela – Fastest right hand syncopated guitar hits on the planet? Keep your eye on her right hand.

Santana Track – by Lucciano Pizzichini – 7 year old child guitar prodigy. It just doesn't seem natural that a 7 year old can play this well!

Technical Difficulties – by Paul Gilbert – Impossible speed, and chops woven into metal riffs. Paul is known for his speed and perfect technique.

Two Handed Arpeggios – by Chris Broderick – Chris playing 5 octave tapping arpeggios, with two hands, on a 7 string. Enough said.

Send me a link to your favorite impossible guitar video below in the comments–if I like it I'll add it to the list!

Quick Question for You

As a guitarist I love when other musicians share the music they love because that's how I find new music myself. So is there anyone in the list above that you found inspiring enough to learn more about? Anyone totally knew to you and impressive? Please let me know in the comments below. Thanks!

Embarrassing moment #1: you show up to your guitar lesson and your guitar teacher is wearing spandex. Take note; this has happened to me.

When taking lessons from a personal guitar teacher something that has really frustrated me, and I believe would also frustrate you, is that there are a number of things that can go wrong… My own first guitar lesson was in the 80's. At the time I knew next to nothing about playing guitar. Since then I've had many guitar teachers, and here's often what has happened with some of these teachers:

• They spend inordinate amounts of time showing off playing guitar for you and putting on a show while you watch wondering when the lesson will start. My very first teacher was guilty of this offense. The really frightening thing is he wore spandex and played along to a Dio records while doing so. I have to admit, at the time I thought he was pretty cool. Only now looking back do I wish I could revise my memory and run from the room with dignity intact. It's a fact, some teachers are down-right embarrassing. It's a wonder to me that I'm still playing guitar after the 80's

• They'll say, "okay, well here's a scale, go ahead and practice this for a few minutes and I'll be right back." And then they disappear for 15 or 20 minutes while you sit there practicing your scale wondering when they'll come back. Practicing is something you need to be doing at home. An instructor should never leave the room unless they have a good reason.

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  Too often guitar teachers simply don't have a lesson plan. You are paying $15, $20 or $25 an hour (or more!) and you sit down with them and they may not even have an efficient methodology that they can walk you through, or anything they've developed that's effective for teaching you while not wasting your time and money. They are often times teaching whatever comes off the tops of their heads.

• Maybe they chose to teach you from a book. Don't be surprised if your a beginning guitarist and you find yourself starting off playing "When the Saints Go Marching In" from an ancient "Mel Bay" book. A fine song to be sure, but it can be frustrating if you're not interested in learning to read standard music notation, or you really just want to play the chords and songs that you're interested in. Quite frankly, I believe, you can waste a lot of time with a book like this.

I've had these things happened to me and I'll bet my wallet some of you can think of things like this that have happened either to you or to a friend.

In the end what do you have to show for it? $600 in the Hole.

Lessons are expensive! I'm sure it's not hard for you to imagine paying $20 a lesson. If you're taking four lessons a month, with one lesson a week, that over six months would cost you $600 of hard earned cash! $600 is a lot of money, in fact you could buy a really nice new guitar with $600. Wouldn't you rather have that than six months of dillydallying with a teacher who doesn't have a methodology and probably is not spending your time wisely? Over the course of the year that's two brand new guitars you could have spent that money on instead! Of course, it's true that not all guitar teachers are like that. If you are lucky enough to find a good one, and you're willing to pay the price, then you're fortunate.

What's your guitar teacher horror story?

I hope my experience inspires you to tell about your own experience with guitar teachers. If you have you're own story I'd love to hear about it and invite you to leave it in the comment section below.

Over on Squidoo.com Kyle (aka honestkyle) has a lens called "6 Cool Guitar Noises To Spice Up Your Playing Style". What a cool topic! I wish I had thought of it. You hardly ever hear people talking about or teaching how to use the guitar in unusual ways as a means of musical expression. Kyle covers cools stuff like feedback, whammy bar bends, picks slides, and headstock string bending, and the effect each has on the listener. (I gotta say though, pick slides are a bit 80's in my mind but I guess they can still be pretty cool if done quickly and discretely.) Of course, If your not interested in trying some unusual things with your guitar, this probably isn't for you.

In any case, not to be outdone, here's a few additional cool and useful guitar noise techniques I like but that Kyle didn't cover:

• Whammy Bar Buzzing
  • Play a note and then push down on end of your whammy bar with a finger or two just a bit and then let your fingers slide off the end of the bar so that the whammy bar bounces back into place. The tremolo system will vibrate and buzz for a moment producing a very fast buzzing vibrato. Can be cool to add a little spice to a melody line or solo. This may work best on a floating tremolo system, so your mileage will vary depending on your setup.
• Whammy Bar Scoop
  • Push your whammy bar all the way down so the strings are nearly flopping, then play a note and just as you pluck the note let the bar come back into position pretty quickly–though don't let go of the bar as we did with the Whammy Bar Buzz, guide it up instead. This will cause the note to sound like it's bouncing into place. It's almost like a wah sounding effect although instead of manipulating tone you're manipulating pitch. You can throw this into a solo or a rhythm for some unusual drama.
• Volume Swells
  • I first heard these in the slow section of Metallica's "To Live is to Die". You'll hear them at about 5:10 in to the song. Volume swells on a guitar create the effect of a violin being played. This is one of my favorite special effects. Here you start with your guitar's volume knob completely turned down. Then fret a note to play it. Just as you pluck the note gently use your free fingers on your picking hand to turn the volume knob up and then right back down again. This will cause the note to immediately fade in and out, and it's dramatic sounding. You'll need to practice this a little to pull it off smoothly. Try plucking a 5th chord, 4th, 3rd, for different sounds.
• Knock on Wood
  • This works best on an acoustic guitar. You've probably seen this before. It's especally common in Latin or flamenco style music where the guitarist will play the guitar but also rhythmically hit the guitar to create a drumming effect. Try strumming a few chords and in between each chord knock on the guitar with your picking hand just once each time. This will give you a basic feel for the effect. If you want you're mind completely blow away at how cool this can be check out this quick lesson by Rodrigo Y Gabriela. The incredible speed Gabriela plays with here makes me weep. She calls them "hits". And here's the full track at full speed for your viewing pleasure.
• String Scratching
  • Here's one I don't hear often, but it's a good rhythmic effect. Essentially you take the side of your pick and scrape one of your wound strings back and forth–like you're itching it. This is like a pick slide except instead of sliding all the way up or down the neck, you'll just be scratching the string in one spot. Throwing this in to a rhythm and using it discretely and in small measure can create an intense and unsettling feel. You can get different textures doing this, playing multiple strings, and doing it higher or lower on the neck, so play around with it.

Well, hope you enjoyed reading these. If you've got any of your own let us know below!

About a week ago IK Multimedia announced their new Guitar to iPhone interface and iPhone/iPod/iPad software AmpliTube. This promises to be a huge break for guitarists (or any musicians) who want to record and play through their iPhone. There's been one other attempt at a interface and software combo like this by the PRS company with their "GuitarBud" product, but that has not been well received–mainly due to the fact that the cable is low quality, high cost, and the doesn't match the input impedance of the instrument with the iPhone causing sound problems. There are also other iPhone/iPod guitar cable options out there, but the iRig promises to be special

Here's what you need to know about the new AmpliTube iRig product.

The iRig iPhone Guitar Cable Hardware (Yes, it also works with iPad, and iPod Touch)

"The iRig is the ideal companion not only to the mobile AmpliTube app, but also works with any other recording, processing or tuning app. Plus, you can also use the iRig with line level signal sources such as synthesizers, keyboards or mixers."

This seems to indicate that the interface will be impedance matched. That will be very good. Ground Up Audio is also working on an interface which will be impedance matched.

The AmpliTube Software

From the IK Multimedia site:

• Real time guitar and bass mobile multiFX app
• Full rig made by 3 simultaneous stompboxes + amp + cabinet + mic
• 11 Stomps, 5 Amps, 5 Cabinets, 2 Mics available
• Import and play with songs or backing tracks with real time effects
• 36 presets can be saved/recalled on the fly
• Includes tuner/metronome
• Same low-latency as Mac/PC systems

What no recording ability!? Darn. Unfortunately until you can record this remains a very nice and highly glorified practice amp and nothing much more. You could use it in a signal chain and then record to your DAW, but I prefer to use the effects built into my DAW.

We'll see if it's truly low latency or not. Once you start adding a few effects on top of each other the iPhone isn't powerful enough to process without at least some latency. App developers are working hard to optimize their code to reduce latency and as hardware improves this issue will fall away.

The stomp boxes available are: delay, flanger, phaser, overdrive, distortion, filter, wah, fuzz, octaver, chorus

Pricing

The iRig hardware will cost $40.

The software works like this:

The free version will include 3 stompboxes, 1 amp+cabinet, 2 microphones. The LE version will include 5 stompboxes, 1 amp+cabinet, 2 microphones for $2.99 / €2.39. More gear can be added to FREE and LE through an in-app purchase of a-la-carte models with stompboxes costing $2.99 / €2.39 each and amplifiers+cabinets for $4.99 / €3.99 each. AmpliTube FULL will include the entire collection of available gear with 11 stompboxes, 5 amps+cabinets and 2 microphones for $19.99 / €15.99.

Demos Available

Click here for audio demos of the effects. (opens in new window)

Here's a video demonstration:

Release Date

Non yet. Though based on the amount of production and promotional materials they have done I'm guessing it will be this summer. Until then be sure to get on the email announcement list.

Please leave me your feedback about this iPhone/iPod/iPad guitar cable. Are you looking forward to this release? Any reservations? Let me know below in the comments area! Thanks.

There's a growing number of iPhone apps which will take your guitar input into the iPhone and let you add distortion, chorus, delay, amp sims, reverb, and a host of other effects. Generally I call these kinds of apps Guitar Effects or Practice Amps. Of course these apps aren't limited to guitar, you could use any instrument, including your voice. Some let you record the signal, most let you use two or more effects at the same time. I'm going to review the top effects apps and give you some pros and cons for each. Over time these apps will grow into more feature rich tools so please support these developers by leaving reviews, giving useful honest feedback and feature requests.

If you're new to connecting up your guitar or bass to your iPhone, please first hop over to the post called "Connecting Your Guitar to Your iPhone, iPod, or iPad" if you haven't already read it.

Most of the current apps are simply practice amps, that means you can't use them yet to record, they don't have metronomes or simple beats, and they don't let you save presets. They are great however for just plugging in and playing into your headphones.

Digital Effects Apps

Guitar FX Deluxe

Guitar FX was one of the first of the guitar effects apps out there. You get echo, distortion, and chorus. The effects aren't too bad and the latency is pretty low. Guitar FX doesn't let you tweak the parameters of each effect, however each effect comes with 10 presets. You can mix and match these presets and then based on those save up to 4 of your own presets. I find the distortion on this app distant and not very intense but for some players they may love it. I tend to like distortion preset 1 the best.

Even with the volume and gain boosted all the way this app tends to be on the quiet side when you're plugging straight into it from guitar to iPhone. It helps here to have a DI box or preamp between your guitar and phone–personally I'd rather not have to hook up the extra hardware.

This app does have recording, and you can download the recordings to your computer via an internal server. It does not however have a metronome. If you must have recording built in then this is the app to get in my opinion.

App Price: $2.99
App Store: AppExplorer.com
Author Site: http://trialanderrordevteam.de/iPhone/Guitar_FX.html
Author Name: TrialAndErrorDevTeam
Author Email: TrialAndErrorDevTeam@googlemail.com

RiotFX

RiotFX has 9 different effects you can apply and customize including distortion, chorus, reverb, delay, and tone (EQ). It looks good and has a very sophisticated and compact design. I like that there is an overall Gain and Volume setting and then individual Gain and Volume settings on each effect so that you can really overdrive the app if you want and get really good volume. If you like intense metal distortion like I do, this is your app.

Because you can boost your guitar signal so much this is also an app that works well with just a straight cable from the guitar to the iPhone. The latency is pretty low which means as soon as you strike the guitar string the app responds. If you start adding a few effects on top of each other the latency increases but not terribly. Latency seems to be a biggest issue with the pitch shifter, however that's pretty typical for a pitch shifter especially when you're using a guitar to and emulating a bass by shifting an octave lower. RiotFX also has a tempo based delay which is a pretty neat feature. For you bassist there's also an expander which can boost your attack and help you stand out in a recording or live setting–and heck it just sounds good.

Currently RiotFX does not have recording, a metronome, presets, or cut and paste into other apps such as FourTrack. However the developer tells me he's working on these features.

This app is my top pick if you don't need to record. Once recording and a metronome is in the app you'll be able to cut tracks with this then upload them to your DAW or copy and paste them into FourTrack, or another multitrack iPhone app and sync the track with other tracks. That will make this tool phenomenal.

If you really want to record with this you can take the headphone output from your iPhone and plug it straight into your DAW input interface and in essence use this as an effects box in your input chain. You can read more about this approach in a future post.

App Price: $4.99
App Store: AppExplorer.com
Author Site: http://www.riotmode.com/
Author Name: Paul Stidworthy
Author Email: contact@riotmode.com

iShred LIVE

Review coming soon. Just released.

AmpliTube

Review coming soon. Just released.

Peavey AmpKit

Review coming soon. Not yet released.

TaylorEQ

Review coming soon. Not yet released.
 

Amp Simulator Apps

Amps & Cabs

Amps & Cabs is the cheapest app of the bunch, but also does the least in terms of it's scope and design. Essentially what you get here is the ability to mix and match 3 amp heads with 3 speaker cabinets, giving you a combination of 9 different possible sounds. Once you find a combo you like you can further detail the tone with the low and high pots on the amp. This is a fun app to use and it looks really good with beautifully designed graphics. If you're looking for a distinct sound then you'll find it here.

The app doesn't have any special effects for example, reverb, distortion, delay, etc. You can overdrive the amps a little by maxing out the gain and getting some pretty respectful crunch but don't expect overwhelming distortion. I also noticed that the cabinets have a little ambiance built into their sound, almost like you're listening to the amp close miked or playing in front of it. As with RiotFX you won't find recording or a metronome here either–at least not yet. Still there's nothing else like this on the app store, and this app is worth every penny of $0.99 which is a steal for a well designed and just plain fun app. I'm really looking forward to what Ground Up Audio comes up with next. Please support them.

App Price: $0.99
App Store: AppExplorer.com
Author Site: http://groundupaudio.com
Author Name: Scott Troyer, Lead Designer
Author Email: http://groundupaudio.com/home/feedback/

Worth Mentioning

PRS Jam Amp

The Paul Reed Smtih company was one of the first to market with a "complete" solution for the guitar and iPhone. Needless to say I was excited when I first heard about this one. They sell the PRS Jam Amp for $9.99 and a high priced $30 low quality guitar cable interface to go with it called Guitarbud. It can record, and has some simple effects like distortion and reverb. It also has a tuner (big deal, right).

While this is a high profile app by a big brand company I'm not going to recommend it yet. Unfortunately reviews for this app are very low, and it appears this is an app that works poorly with a straight input from guitar to iPhone. Please note that due to the overall bad reviews I have not yet tested this app, so please take my appraisal with a grain of salt. If you've had a good experience with it let us know how it's worked out for you below in the comments.

App Price: $9.99
App Store: AppExplorer.com
Author Site: http://groundupaudio.com
Author Name: Paul Reed Smith Company
Author Email: http://www.prscables.com/prsjamamp/support.php

In Conclusion

There's already some really great apps out there for giving you some good basic sounds. I expect these kinds of apps to grow and seriously expand. For example, keep your eye out for Ground Up Audio's new guitar tone app "Pedals" coming out soon.

What's Your Experience Been?

Please take a few seconds to share your experience with these apps below by leaving a quick comment–don't worry you don't need to register to comment. If I missed a good one please let me know! I love checking these apps out. Oh, and feel free to ask questions, I'll reply.

Related Articles in This Series:

1. Connecting Your Guitar to Your iPhone, iPod, or iPad
2. Guitar Effects and Practice Amps for iPhone, iPod, or iPad
3. Multitrack Apps for Recording Your Guitar on the iPhone, iPod, or iPad (Coming Soon! Subscribe so you don't miss it.)
4. Getting Guitar Recordings from Your iPhone to Your Computer (DAW) (Coming Soon! Subscribe so you don't miss it.)
5. Miscellaneous Cool Guitar Apps for the iPhone, iPod, or iPad (Coming Soon! Subscribe so you don't miss it.)

Connecting your guitar to your iPhone can be a simple matter of using the built in headphone mic, or getting a converter or interface for your iPhone's headphone jack. While a all-in-one ideal solution is still on the horizon here's a quick run down of you're various options and some tips to get you recording.

Connecting Your Acoustic Guitar to the iPhone

Simply place your Apple headphones around your neck or in your ears and play! The mic on the headphone will pick up the sound of your guitar in the room. You can also experiment by wrapping the headphones around you headstock or laying the headphone mic on a table, chair, or stool right in front of your guitar's sound hole. This is practically studio quality sound.

For most people this is all they'll need, but if you want to take it to the next level and use a better microphone I'll tell you how below.

Connecting Your Electric Guitar or Bass to the iPhone by Wire

There isn't an all in one perfect solution on the market yet for connecting your guitar to your iPhone yet, but a few companies are working on these and I'll review them when they're out.

For now my recommendation is to simple get a 3.5mm 4 conductor plug adaptor that you can plug into your iPhone and then plug your guitar cable directly into it. If you don't know what that is then don't worry. Just hop over here to KVConnections.com and grab yourself one pre made for about $20. I own two. You can also take a look at the parts and make your own if you're handy with audio wires. RadioShack should have everything you need.

The Paul Reed Smith also sells a wire/cable called GuitarBud for $30. Personally I'd avoid this, it's overpriced in my opinion and has a low quality construction.

Peterson makes a guitar cable which is much cheaper than the GuitarBud at about $12. However you can't connect your headphone into it at the same time as your guitar so you'll won't be able to hear your guitar in real time which is doesn't make the Peterson adapter very useful.

Okay, so if you're and audiophile or purest you'll know that between the iPhone and the guitar you're not going to have a matched impedance. It's not great because you can end up with too low a volume in some apps and even sometimes distortion, or poor tone quality. Follow this link for a more detailed discussion. Like I said it's not a perfect solution, but to be fair you can actually get pretty good and usable results with just a wire for now. For most apps I've used I've been happy with the results.

One work around is to put a pre-amp between your guitar and the iPhone. I've used an ART Tube MP with great results, or you can stick a stomp box between your iPhone and guitar like a distortion pedal, reverb, or chorus, etc.

iPhone Guitar Adapters

These are adapters that either plug into the headphone jack or the external device jack at the bottom of your iDevice and which are designed just for connecting your guitar to your iDevice. These are more than just wires and have circuits to at least match the instrument's impedance with your iPhone:

Out Now

• IK Multmedia, makers of Amplitube have created the "iRig", along with supporting iPhone app software. The Amplitube apps are already available on the App Store and the iRig guitar adapter is currently shipping. Current pricing is about $40.

To Be Released

• Sonoma Wireworks, makers of the pretty famous Four Track app have created the "GuitarJack". Sonoma's product is scheduled for a 3rd quarter release in 2010. With a slated $199 price tag, this baby better be able to make me coffee too.
   
• Peavey is entering the iPhone guitar adapter fray with their AmpKit LiNK audio interface. This will let you plug in a guitar and your headphones and come with the AmpKit app software. While this product isn't yet released it will be sold for about $40.
   
• Ground Up Audio, who makes a killer effects app called Amps & Cabs, is also in the process of developing an impedance matched iPhone guitar interface which you can learn more about on their site by clicking the link in this sentence.

Connecting a Microphone to the iPhone

Again here why not just use the built in headphone mic? It's simple it's cheap and it sounds good.You can sing in to it, or mic your instrument.

If you want to go more pro and use your expensive studio microphone then the same rules apply here as they do for setting up a guitar connection. You'll need the adapter cable, and you'll likely want a pre amp between your mic and the iPhone.

One other solution is to pick up a quality condenser microphone that you can snap onto the iPhone's connection port at the bottom of the phone. I personally like the Blue Mikey which you can pick up on Amazon for $50-$60. This will give you stunningly good quality room recordings, or close up vocal recordings. You can also use it to mic a guitar or bass cabinet, or any live instrument for that matter. I own one, and I'm very happy with it.

Comments, Questions?

This is an evolving space and so I may have missed something. Let us know if you have any other ideas for hooking up instruments to the iPhone in the comment section below. If you have a question just go ahead and ask!

Related Articles in This Series:

1. Connecting Your Guitar to Your iPhone, iPod, or iPad
2. Guitar Effects and Practice Amps for iPhone, iPod, or iPad
3. Multitrack Apps for Recording Your Guitar on the iPhone, iPod, or iPad (Coming Soon! Subscribe so you don't miss it.)
4. Getting Guitar Recordings from Your iPhone to Your Computer (DAW) (Coming Soon! Subscribe so you don't miss it.)
5. Miscellaneous Cool Guitar Apps for the iPhone, iPod, or iPad (Coming Soon! Subscribe so you don't miss it.)

I love my iPhone and especially keep an eye on the Music category of the apps store. If you have any Apple "i" device it's high time you start thinking about using it as a portable and very capable recording studio. All it takes is a simple wire interface between your iPhone and your guitar if you have an electric guitar, and if you're using acoustic you can use the built in headphone microphone.

In this series of posts I'm giving you an overview of what you need to record, the types of apps out there you'll find interesting,  and some things to consider when recording. Along the way I invite you to leave your feedback on each post. Let me know if there's anything I've missed, or anything you'd like to share that would be helpful to others. The more ideas we share the better!

I'm going to use "iPhone" to mean any Apple "i" device you have.

Let's get started:

1. Connecting Your Guitar to Your iPhone, iPod, or iPad
2. Guitar Effects and Practice Amps for iPhone, iPod, or iPad
3. Multitrack Apps for Recording Your Guitar on the iPhone, iPod, or iPad (Coming Soon! Subscribe so you don't miss it.)
4. Getting Guitar Recordings from Your iPhone to Your Computer (DAW) (Coming Soon! Subscribe so you don't miss it.)
5. Miscellaneous Cool Guitar Apps for the iPhone, iPod, or iPad (Coming Soon! Subscribe so you don't miss it.)

I've noticed that quite a few of you who visit this site also write about guitar related topics on your own blogs, or have out and out guitar focused blogs. Maybe you'd like to start your own. I'm trying to take the time to learn more about the guitar blog community. In the mean time I thought I'd share this free opportunity:

Anything Mark Joyner offers is worth checking out. And, if you've never used Simpleology before I highly recommend it. It's free. Personally I like it better than GTD and Stephen Covey's system for managing priorities and goals!

About.com recently posted a article on Top 10 Stocking Stuffers for Guitarist. Things like tuners, capos, strings…. YAWN. No offense to About.com, but these are lamo gifts–way too practical. I'll give 'em that the heart slide is pretty cool. I thought I'd amend About.com's list with my own version which I think you'll find a little more interesting.

1. Specialty Picks for Speed? Not So why would you spend good money on one of those technologically designed specialty picks that promises to speed up your playing to a bazillion miles an hour? Well, because they probably do speed up your playing. I've never used them though. I have my own secret weapon–I call it "sand paper". What a cheap thrill! Here's a before and after above. You get the idea. Does this speed up your picking. Heck, yes! Try crafting your own pick edge, I believe you'll like it. I know Dunlop caught on and has sharpened picks, and I love Dunlop picks, but they are way too sharp. I like to customize mine to be "just right". 60 to 80 grit works well just about any gauge of pick.
2. Perfect Pitch Ear Training Course I bought this years ago because I just had to know if it worked. Just imagine being able to name any pitch you hear! I admit I didn't go the whole 9-yards and complete the program. I spent probably about 10 hours with it total, because time was scarce for me in college. The reason I recommend this product anyways is because it's such a unique instruction, AND I was actually seeing results. But I'm not going to tell you this was easy, at least it wasn't for me. Think of this like learning a completely new instrument from scratch. The lessons get you listening to tones on a super detailed level so you listen to the quality of each pitch like you never have–you get intimate with each note. But it was paying off. Also, it's nice because you can practice with whatever instrument your comfortable with, of course I used my guitar. I'm still pining to get back to this program one day. Maybe I'll make it a new years resolution. Since I got it they've updated the courseware quite a bit.
3. BOSS MT-2 Metal Zone There is non more better than this. This is one of the few indestructible and highly versatile distortion pedals on the market. This is an old favorite. It's been used by Kirk Hammet of that Metallica band for decades (I realize for some of you that could actually be a turn off thanks to the last few albums), and it hasn't gone down in price for about as long. You still pay about $80 to $90 bucks for it. The real reason that this is great isn't because it goes to 11 (well it actually does because this thing has a dual gain circuit!), but because it's got a 3-band EQ like no other stomp-box featuring the ability to dial in the frequency of the midrange band, and then cut and boost in all three major bands, that's low, mid, and high BTW. You can dial in any friggin' tone with the thing. My personal favorite setting is to put the mid frequency at medium and then bass and high all the way up, and then boost just enough mids to get a little bite. Check it out at Zzounds.com.
4. Coffin Case Okay, technically this won't fit into any stocking I know of, however it makes the list because it's just cool. Whoever was the genius who thought up this product and then created the company's scintillating marketing materials deserves to sell plenty of these, and this company has been around for a few decades doing this so I imagine they have. Get a closer look at their line here.
5. Wireless System = Freedom Freedom you say? Yes, wireless freedom. The prices of wireless guitar transmitters has dropped to the sub $100 level. For me brand doesn't matter so much so shop around a bit. The Nady Encore is a favorite. You can check out all of the wireless systems under $150 here. One nice thing about this is parents and spouses even think it's "practical" and cool, so they're likely to get this one for you. Why tether yourself to a amp if you don't have to? However, if you must there's this….
6. Conquest Wrapper Cable (The cable that was impossible to destroy…) Before you go thinking that cables are lamo, please let me tell you this is NO ordinary cable. This cable could survive a nuclear attack and an ice age and still service you perfectly. This is the single most durable cable I have ever used. I've had one of these cables for over 20 years, and I still use it and have never repaired it–I kid you not. Despite it's age and the fact that it's been one of my most used cables, and even though the shrink wrap around the plugs has finally loosened and tends to slip off… and that a rabbit chewed through about a 3rd of it's width in a few places… it still works! No static, no dropouts when you move around. This will be the best $15 buck you've ever spent!
7. Sure SM 57 Mic Much like the cable you might say this borders on lamo. But if you don't have one of these mics you need one. It's just a requirement folks. Once you own one you will notice it everywhere on TV, in movies, on stage, you name it. It's the most popular mic ever because it's versatile. It has a relatively even pick up along the frequency spectrum except for an emphasis on the upper mid-range frequencies helping this mic produce a sound that is clearer up top and letting guitars and vocals cut through a mix. It's also indestructible (throw it in your suite case, guitar case, at the wall), and is an old favorite to mic amp speakers. I've let children scream Ol'MacDonald through this mic and I don't have to think twice about drool short circuiting the thing. Read more reviews here.
8. How to Play In Two Hours Flat Yeah, it does really work! If you're an absolute beginner you'll be playing in 2 hours, or if you're someone who's been playing a short time this method can get you playing at a much higher level and much faster in 2 days. If you're an advanced player or instructor and you're looking for a good method for teaching your friends or students to play, you also can't go wrong. The trick in how this works is that it only focuses on very specific exercises which are the most essential for learning to play well quickly. It was developed by an instructor using over 20 years of experience. This is a good methodology for someone who doesn't want to sift through the jungle of guitar related instruction materials out there. It's humble, simple and effective (which is why I like it). This is actually an electronic e-book product so doesn't look exactly like the book on the right, but gives you an idea… Check out the audio of a student playing guitar for the first time after just 2 hours.

So, I think I'll stop at 8. I'm going to quit while I'm ahead. Anything you think I'm missing from the list?

Blender.com just put up a post with the 28 Most Recognizable Guitars. My favorite, the Jimmy Page Gibson SG Double Neck:

These cover mostly the really well known guitarists, but you’ll also find in there the Misfits, Les Claypool (Primus), and Michael Angelo. So a pretty fair representation, I think. You can check out their top 28 here.