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JamBuddy app for iPhone and iPad


4.5 ( 6975 ratings )
Music Education
Developer: Charles Dumont
1.99 USD
Current version: 1.1, last update: 7 years ago
First release : 02 May 2009
App size: 2.51 Mb

JamBuddy is an accompaniment tool for musicians to use during practice sessions or just for fun. It will play the chord progressions for a tune at whatever tempo you want while you play lead breaks over them. 50 popular bluegrass tunes are included with the app and you can add as many more as you like. And its not limited to bluegrass. It will work with reggae, rock, country or any other style of music. You can select either mandolin or guitar accompaniment. JamBuddy will keep playing all night and never complain that you are hogging the spotlight.

iPhone OS 3.0 tested

I made this becasue Ive used a number of CDs in the past to try to provide backing tracks during practice sessions. But you cant slow those down (or speed them up) without expensive software. JamBuddy will back you up at whatever speed you want and you can get it for a song (no pun intended). The tempo is saved individually for each tune so you can use it as a speed trainer. The 50 tunes included with the app will also keep you busy for a while. Headphones will give the highest quality sound.

Adding chord progressions is easy. You enter the chord you want played for each beat. In 3/4 time for one measure of G you would enter three G chords, which will be played boom-chuck-chuck. Here is a simple example in 4/4 time which would be played boom-chuck, boom-chuck.

Chords for tune:

G G G G
A A A A
Loop
D D D D
E E E E
Loop

JamBuddy will play an A section twice (because of the Loop) with one measure of G and one measure of A. Then it will switch to the B section and play that twice because of the Loop at the end. After it plays the B section the second time it will go back to the top and repeat. Tunes can be as long as you want with as many sections as you want. Just structure your Loops the way you want them and JamBuddy will do the right thing.