An Afghan Wireless smartphone is one of the best friends a music lover could have. Not only does AWCC offer great value-add features, like Music on Demand or the Next Music Portal, so that subscribers can listen to their favorite songs right on their phones, but musicians and music fans alike can also take advantage of a huge variety of mobile apps all designed to enhance the musical experience. Read on for our round-up of eight of the best, all available to download free of charge.
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SoundHound
So you’re at your favorite café and you’re loving the song that’s playing on their sound system. How do you find out who the artist is so that you can hear more of their work? Just launch SoundHound. This app listens in on any music being played, takes an audio fingerprint, and uses that to identify the name of the song and the artist. It can also display lyrics in real time for the song you’re listening to, and allows you to select songs to add to your personal playlists in other music-listening apps like Spotify. SoundHound is so sophisticated that it can even identify songs when you just sing or hum the melody right into the app. It’s therefore perfect for the times when you’re being driven crazy by a mystery tune that’s stuck in your head.
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Slacker
If you want to expand your musical horizons, you’ll definitely want to check out Slacker. This app provides hundreds of custom radio stations, all programmed by music experts. It’s a great way to expose yourself to new musical styles and genres, and because the stations are curated, you can be sure you’re hearing the best songs and artists around.
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Songkick
Seeing your favorite artists live is an experience you don’t want to miss, and with Songkick, you never have to. This app searches your designated personal music library (such as iTunes or Google Music) and keeps tabs on your favorite artists with a custom concert calendar. You can also set up automatic alerts that will notify you when musicians you love are playing concerts near you so you can make sure you’re the first to get your tickets—which you can purchase directly via the app. Songkick can even recommend other shows you might enjoy based on the artists you like to listen to.
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Qello Concerts
For the times when you can’t see your favorite bands live, the Qello Concerts app lets you stream classic live concerts or big, commemorative shows. From Queen and Pink Floyd to Nirvana and Linkin Park, Qello Concerts gets you up close and personal with some of the most influential bands in music history. Just search for your favorite artists or concert on the streamlined interface, sit back, and enjoy!
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Sing! Karaoke
It’s fine to sing alone in the shower, but singing is so much more fun when you have expert musicians backing you up. The Sing! Karaoke app lets you recreate the atmosphere of your favorite karaoke bar anywhere and anytime you like, with a huge range of backing tracks from some of the world’s best songs. Shy about singing on your own? Just choose one of the duet options and sing along with your favorite pop star. Extra features like vocal enhancement (to give your voice a little boost) and an option for sharing videos of your performance with other users make this app an extra-versatile one-man band.
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Piano Master
It’s especially appropriate for beginners, but musicians of all levels will have fun with the game-based music app Piano Master. The app turns your smartphone into a mini-piano. As notes are displayed on the touchscreen, you can follow along to play a range of well-known songs. It’s a great way to get familiar with piano notes and finger placement, and you can adjust the game’s difficulty level as you improve.
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Walk Band
Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to the piano. A music production program similar to the highly popular GarageBand, Walk Band lets you create new music or host a jam session with a suite of portable instruments. With a keyboard, drum kit and drum machine, guitar, and bass all included in the instrument toolbox, you’ll be playing your own pop and rock hits in no time.
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AmpliTube Free
If you’re an electric guitar or bass guitar player, the AmpliTube Free app can take your music from good to amazing thanks to its mobile multi-effect processor. The app features a full rig right on your screen. Just plug your guitar into your smartphone to take advantage of options like a digital chromatic tuner, a lead amp, speaker cabinet, two microphones, and three stompbox effects (noise, distortion, and delay). All basic effects are free, but you can also choose to purchase additional effects like a wah, flanger, or fuzz.