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It's a common problem. You have this wicked sweet tune in your head, but your Gibson Les Paul is at the cleaners. All you have with you is your iPad that you managed to pry from your sister when she finally had to rehydrate herself after a marathon session of Jetpack Joyride. What to do? First spend all your sister's Jetpack coins on the rainbow jetpack, then, open up Garage Band for iPad. There you have a Swiss Army Knife of musical instruments. (Haven't you ever wondered why more countries didn't invade Switzerland when their army only has multi-tool knives to defend themselves? Could be that they can easily open beer and wine bottles and invading armies are soon too drunk to remember why they invaded.)

The latest version of GarageBand has lessons for guitar and keyboard as well. But I still went to my piano teacher.

The piano teacher did not like the fact that my keyboard was in fact an iPad. You could see it all over his face. That and the leftover Nutella from breakfast. I tried in vain to explain that the iPad while being a modern day internet and communication device capable of redefining the computing, design, media and entertainment industries can also be a bitchin piano. I showed him the ability to play different sounds, much like a synthesizer as well as able to record the music and have drum and bass accompaniment. While he appreciated drum and bass accompaniment that didn't result in the raiding of his liquor cabinet, staining of the carpets and the deflowering of his daughters, he was reluctant to see past the novelty.

I was able to show him some interesting videos on YouTube featuring iPad bands. That merely reinforced the novelty aspect. One video displayed the guitar mastery of someone playing Stairway to Heaven on the iPad. Which is possibly the most overplayed song ever in music stores, bringing about such rage that the sales clerk would bash the head of the offending guitar player with any available instrument. Which reminds me, maybe the cleaners were able to get that stain out of the Les Paul.