Ever since I bought an iPhone back in 2008, I’ve been wondering “why isn’t there an app for that?” [Ed: lame attempts at “app for that” humour continue], and finally, Agile Partners have made that app. Tab Toolkit is created by the same people who made the stunning Guitar Toolkit [Review], an application that I use frequently. But instead of packing in every feature available, it does one thing, and it does one thing well.
Tab Toolkit lets you view your guitar (and bass) tablature on the go. It supports Guitar Pro, Powertab, Text and PDF. You can even play back the tabs as a MIDI file if the file is Guitar Pro or Powertab.
Getting your tabs into Tab Toolkit is as easy as can be. You simply open up the fool proof web interface on a computer on the same network and upload your tabs there. Tab Toolkit does have a built in browser to download tabs through, but compared to using the web UI on a computer, it’s almost painful to navigate the sort of websites you need to visit to download tabs from.
The UI of the app is brilliantly laid out, with the ability to switch between guitar and keyboard instruments to show finger positions. There’s even lefty support which lays out the tabs for those left handed guitar players. And, landscape support.
Tab Toolkit does have its downsides. As you could have guessed, Reading tablature that spans pages and pages can be awkward on such a small screen. You can only view 2 or 3 bars at a time whether the phone is in portrait or landscape (for some reason, turning the phone just zooms in the tab instead of squeezing more on) this isn’t such a problem for guitarists that can sight-read tab as fast as it scrolls across the screen. But for people who like to study a section over and over until they get it, it’s going to be awkward.
The slick versatile tab uploader
Second, is the fact that even though Guitar Pro and Powertab support multiple instruments (including drums and vocal melodies) in a single tab, Tab Toolkit can only play one at a time. Although, in the support section of the app, the developer promises they are working on this.
Tab Toolkit has some useful features, wrapped up in a well designed, fast UI. But any app like this is going to struggle with the limitations of the iPhone or iPod Touch. I would love to recommend the app, saying something like “wherever you are, whatever tab you want, in your pocket” but the truth is, the built in browser is tough to navigate with, so really, you need to use your home computer, you may as well just use that to view your tab.
The truth is, Tab Toolkit costs $9.99, and at that price, it’s hard to recommend. It’s the same price as the feature packed Guitar Toolkit. If this were a little cheaper, it would be a must buy for any guitarist. [Ed: I’d say the App is well priced for the target audience.]
Now, I’m off to nail the solo from Stairway To Heaven…
Wez Knowles, a.k.a., “The Flossy Monster” is a non professional guitarist, non professional photographer, and non professional writer from the U.K. You can follow him on twitter @flossymonster, if only to say “Hi”.
