Apple iTunes launches Music Memos app, for musically inclined

If you want to capture the first few bars of a potential chart-topper before it exits your brain, help has arrived.

Apple's Music Memos

When it comes to composing music, inspiration can strike any time, anywhere.

If you’re musically inclined, or a closet songwriter, but regret not capturing the first bars of a fantastic chart-busting hit that once floated into your head, Apple has come to the rescue with an app called Music Memos launched today.

It’s available in the Australian iTunes store.

Music Memos goes beyond the basic capability of Voice Memos, or for that matter any basic recording app you use to capture a tune or some chords you’ve bashed out on a guitar or piano.

You record your idea as high-quality, uncompressed audio. The app then can analyse rhythm and chords of acoustic guitar and piano recordings, and add drums and a bass line to provide a customisable, virtualised backing band that plays along to match the feel of your song. The app can provide basic notation that displays the chords that were played.

There’s a social media aspect to this too — you can share recordings with Apple Music Connect.

Of course you can already put compositions together using the more sophisticated Garage Band app. Apple acknowledges this. But it wanted to offer something a little simpler that captures that first flush of musical inspiration.

Apple's Music Memos

With Music Memos, you can also build a library of all your music ideas for developing later.

“Musicians around the world, from the biggest artists to aspiring students, use Apple devices to create amazing music; the innovative new Music Memos app will help them quickly capture their ideas on iPhone and iPad whenever inspiration strikes,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

Apple today trotted out American singer songwriter and former member of alternate country band Whiskeytown to make its point.

“It quite literally blew my mind how Music Memos could transform a single guitar idea into a whole composition with a virtual drummer loose enough that it felt like you were having your mind read by some A.I. musician and a choice of stand-up or electric bass accompaniments,” Adams said.

It’s marketing razzamatazz, but nonetheless makes the point that Apple’s app arsenal can be about composing music as much as listening to it.

Apple also updated GarageBand for iOS with some new features. One is Live Loops, a way Apple says of making music like a DJ using an iPhone or iPad.