10 Best Musical Instrument Apps for the iPhone for Under $1

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One of the reasons I initially bought my iPhone was to be able to listen to my music wherever I went. Now I can make music too. With a series of mostly brand new iPhone apps, I've got a drum machine, guitar and theremin, all wrapped up in a pocket-sized gadget, and each for 99 cents or free. And the following list doesn't even include other dollar-menu items like kazoo, harmonica, shaker, tabla or cowbell. Or even the Gangsa (although it's a must have if you're headed to Bali anytime soon). The harp looked cool, but the $1.99 price tag was too rich for this list. Total cost of these 10 apps is a whopping $8.91.

10. Thumb Piano
(Gidigo - $0.99)
I had the same reaction to the Thumb Piano app that I do every time I pick up a real thumb piano. I find it immediately appealing then tire of it quickly. This app comes with only a single tuning. That said, the experience of playing this African kalimba is more accurately replicable on the iPhone than with any other app, since it's meant to be played with your thumbs.



9. Tingalin
(Afrim Kacaj - $0.99)
Now you can finally quench your long-held urge to play the Albanian lute Cifteli. The two-stringed instrument has 14 two-note chords. You pre-record the sequence and then play by shaking your phone to strum. A little awkward, but which other app gives you chords like B3b or A2b? It comes with pre-arranged melodies to shake along to.