Comparison

Guitarist's Reference vs BlueJamPlayer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Guitarist's Reference

This comprehensive suite offers a vast collection of guitar chords, scales, and arpeggios with clear diagrams and detailed theory. It includes tools for finding chord-scale relationships, exploring alternate tunings, and even a virtual guitar for practice.

Highlights
  • 3000+ guitar chords with diagrams
  • 42 scale types including modes and pentatonics
  • Arpeggio finder
  • 36 alternate tunings
  • Chord-scale relationship guide
  • Virtual guitar
  • Guitar tuner
Features
Read full description

Introducing the Ultimate Guitarist's Companion - Your All-in-One Solution for Mastering the Fretboard: - Comprehensive Package: Elevate your guitar journey with an all-encompassing suite of tools and knowledge. Explore Guitar Chords, Chord Progressions, Scales, Triads, Arpeggios, Fretboard Note Mastery, Reverse Chord & Scale Finder, Chord Quizzes, Alternate Tunings, Guitar Tuner, Virtual Guitar and the intricate web of Chord-Scale Relationships. - Guitar Chord Encyclopedia: Unleash the potential of over 3000 commonly used guitar chords. Dive into chord theory and find clarity through easy-reference diagrams. Test your prowess with the Chord Quiz feature – a true test of your skills. - Mastering Guitar Scales: Demystify the realm of guitar scales fearlessly. From the basics to the sublime, our comprehensive scale reference transforms your fretboard knowledge. With 42 scale types spanning major, minor, pentatonic, modes, and more, you'll command all keys with confidence. - Unveiling Chord-Scale Relationships: Say goodbye to chord change anxiety. Our guide deciphers the intricate dance between chords and scales. Elevate your playing by understanding which scales harmonize with each chord, empowering you to navigate complex progressions effortlessly. - Modern Guitarist's Arpeggios: Seamlessly locate any arpeggio, regardless of your reading ability. Presented in intuitive diagram form, this feature benefits both beginners seeking structured guidance and professionals requiring arpeggio references for any musical scenario. - Alternate Tunings Explored: Dive deep into 36 of the most popular alternate tunings, expanding your creative horizons. Whether you're in Standard or Alternate Tuning, access Scales, Arpeggios, and Fretboard Notes effortlessly. Guitar Tuner: Our improved tuning feature now allows you to tune your guitar by ear across a wide range of preset alternate tunings. - Reverse Chord/Scale Finder Tool: Transform your musical ideas into named chords/scales effortlessly. Struggling to name a chord/scale you've crafted? This ingenious tool deciphers your fretboard inputs, revealing the chord/scale's identity. - Virtual Guitar: Immerse yourself in the guitar-playing experience right from your device. Our virtual guitar feature enables you to strum, pluck, and navigate the fretboard with a variety of alternate tunings. Whether you're a seasoned guitarist or a beginner, this feature provides a platform for practice, chord and scale experimentation, and the joy of guitar sounds without requiring a physical instrument. Take hold of virtual strings and let your musical creativity flow. Experience an unparalleled guitar journey, where knowledge meets practice in perfect harmony. Unleash your true potential with our All-in-One Guitarist's Package.

About

BlueJamPlayer

This music app allows musicians to play along with tracks, practice songs at adjustable speeds and pitches, and control playback hands-free with a footswitch. It features effects, song analysis for key and BPM, and playlist management for seamless jam sessions.

Highlights
  • Hands-free footswitch control
  • Adjustable pitch and speed
  • Configurable audio effects
  • Song analysis (key & BPM)
  • Playlist management
  • A->B loop playback
Read full description

The BlueJamPlayer is made for musicians and should be the tool of choice when it comes to doing one of the things below... LIVE | You play in a band and sometimes require guitar riffs, drum patterns or sound clips that you have as MP3 on your iPhone or iPad. With BlieJamPlayer you could start the clip with a footswitch, because as a guitar player there is no hand free to start playback on your mobile when playing TRAINER | You want to learn a song or a difficult solo and you have to practice it over and over again? Simply load song or solo onto your iPhone/iPad, adjust speed and control it via footswitch JAM | You have some cool songs where you simply just want to play along. Maybe adjust the pitch to match your vocals and ready for your jam session DUO | If you play in a DUO and your team is incomplete, you can record your songs in Left/Right split and then turn off your own part to play along with your records. With playlists you could play through your entire session songs For this to work, our BlueJamPlayer has a lot of features to offer: # The player is controlled via Bluetooth by PagerTurner foot pedals # Pitch can be adjusted without changing the speed # Also, the speed is adjustable without changing the pitch # Free configurable effects (reverb, delay, flanger, equalizer, filter) # All songs in your iTunes library can be used # Songs are analyzed to the key, so you know the key when playing solos # The BPM are also analyzed and delay and flanger automatically adjusted to BPM # The playlist management will help to sort your session songs # There are 4 Play Modes with different usage of your foot pedal # The A->B play mode is made to play parts of a song in a loop We packed all of that into our small, compact BlueJamPlayer. If you like to know which Bluetooth PageTurner pedals will work, there are suggestions in the Bluetooth setup

Screenshots

Guitarist's Reference4 screens
BlueJamPlayer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: BlueJamPlayer at $1.99 against Guitarist's Reference's $19.99. Guitarist's Reference's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (64% vs 50%). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Guitarist's Reference costs $19.99 and BlueJamPlayer $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Guitarist's Reference ships an update every 3 weeks, BlueJamPlayer every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Guitarist's Reference versus BlueJamPlayer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGuitarist's ReferenceBlueJamPlayer
Price$19.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.8 (16 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews63.7% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings16 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size79 MB57 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMy App Catalog LLCStefan Arnhold

Customer experience

Guitarist's Reference

All ratings16 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews160 reviews
Positive63.7%
Neutral15.6%
Negative20.6%

BlueJamPlayer

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Guitarist's Reference

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Chord finder not detecting all chord inversions
  • Issues with alternate tuning functionality
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to overlay multiple scales
  • Customizable chord/scale display options
  • Integrated tuner functionality
  • Support for more alternate tunings
  • Improved chord/scale audio playback

BlueJamPlayer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Guitarist's Reference

No in-app purchases

None

BlueJamPlayer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Guitarist's Reference free?
Guitarist's Reference costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is BlueJamPlayer free?
BlueJamPlayer costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Guitarist's Reference or BlueJamPlayer have ads?
Neither Guitarist's Reference nor BlueJamPlayer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Guitarist's Reference or BlueJamPlayer?
Guitarist's Reference ships an update every 3 weeks, and BlueJamPlayer every 6 months. Most recently, Guitarist's Reference was updated on September 25, 2026 and BlueJamPlayer on August 27, 2026.

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