# Fret by Fret — Chords & scales by key & mood > Chords & scales by key & mood (iPhone/iPad app by BRANDON CARL GILLIHAN.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fret-by-fret/id6785117194 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [BRANDON CARL GILLIHAN](https://appshunter.io/developer/6785117196) - Category: Music, Education - Price: Free - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 6 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-07-02 - Data updated: 2026-08-05 - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fret-by-fret/id6785117194/reviews.md ## What is Fret by Fret? Fret by Fret is for guitar players who'd rather play than study. Pick the mood you're after (happy, sad, dark, or mysterious), choose your key, and Fret by Fret instantly shows the chord progressions real songs are built on. It names the famous songs that use each one and the key they're played in, so you can sound like the record. Every chord you hear is a real acoustic guitar, recorded note by note. And in a first for a chord app, Fret by Fret can actually hear you play. No theory degree required: you'll be playing something you recognize in minutes. PLAY THE SONGS YOU LOVE • Every progression lists the famous songs built on it, from Hotel California to Wonderwall • Search for a song, tap it, and the progression opens in the recording's key, so it sounds like the record • Turn "I–V–vi–IV" into "oh, that's the four chords behind a hundred hits" CHORDS BY FEEL, NOT BY THEORY • Start with a mood: Happy, Sad, Dark, Mysterious, or browse them all • Dial in your key on a smooth, spinnable note wheel • See the most common progressions, ranked, written as simple numbers (like 1–5–6–4) • Tap "show more" for jazzier, more adventurous options REAL GUITAR SOUND • Every chord and note is a real acoustic guitar, recorded string by string, not a synthesizer • Press play and hear any progression strummed back as a backing track • Pick a strum pattern, from basic to advanced, and follow the on-screen strum guide in time • Set the tempo, loop it, or tap any chord to hear it on its own THE APP LISTENS (Practice tab) • Fret by Fret, the journey: hear a progression, then play it back key by key up the neck. Clean playing earns each fret its shell inlay • A real tuner: pluck a string and watch the needle settle • Chord Changes: the classic one-minute drill. The app counts your changes and remembers your best • Rhythm: strum along with a silent beat and get graded on your timing • Practice streaks that notice when you come back • All listening happens on your device, in the moment. Nothing is recorded, stored, or sent anywhere EVERY CHORD, EVERY NOTE • Clear fingering diagrams for every chord, in any key • More than one way to play it: flip any chord between open and barre voicings up the neck, and hear each one • Switch any diagram between finger numbers and the actual note names • The chord's notes spelled out plainly (like C · E · G), with the root highlighted • Go deeper with triad shapes: three-string voicings in all three inversions, up the neck STUCK ON A HARD CHORD? CAPO IT • When a key is full of tricky barre chords, Fret by Fret suggests a capo position • Play the whole progression with easy open shapes instead KNOW WHAT TO SOLO WITH • The right scales for each progression: pentatonic, full scale, and blues • See each scale two ways: a playable position box, or the whole neck like a chart book • Plain-English tips on how and when to use each scale BUILD A WHOLE SONG • Save the progressions you like into songs you can rearrange and play back. Build as many as you want • When two sections are in different keys, Fret by Fret writes the bridge: pivot chords you can see and hear • A proper transport: set the tempo, chord length, and full-chord or triad voice, with a four-tick count-in • "Where to next?" suggests logical moves (verse lifts, mood flips, key changes), explained simply and previewable before you commit • Favorite a progression and come back to it in one tap NEW HERE? START PLAYING TODAY • A plain-language "Start here" walkthrough for absolute beginners • Four simple tabs (Play, Songs, Practice, About) so every screen has one job BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED • A warm, handmade look: rosewood, brass, and mother-of-pearl • Mood lighting that shifts with the style you choose • Made for guitarists, by someone who loves the instrument Free, no ads, no accounts. Fret by Fret works completely offline and collects none of your data. If it helps you play, there's an optional tip jar, but everything in the app is free, always. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.3.2 — 2026-08-03 1.3.2 makes your first minutes with the app friendlier: A GUIDED START - The Play home now walks new players through three small steps: hear your first loop, make it match a real song, then try the echo game and earn your first inlay. Each step checks itself off as you play - and if you don't need the hand-holding, one tap waves it away. SONGS YOU KNOW, UP FRONT - Every starter progression now names the hits built on it, right in the list: "The loop behind 'Let It Be' and 'With or Without You'." PLAIN WORDS - "Inlay" now introduces itself properly the first time you meet it (they're the pearl dots on a guitar's neck), and the opening tour ends inside a playable loop - one tap from strumming - instead of on a list. Free. No ads, no accounts, no data collection. ### 1.3.1 — 2026-07-31 A small update, all about polish. EASIER TO READ - Stronger contrast throughout, and every screen now scales properly with your text size settings. THEORY ONLY IF YOU WANT IT - Roman numerals are now a switch you flip. Leave it off and you just see chord names. TODAY'S WIN - The Play screen shows what you got done today, so it's easy to pick up where you left off. A CLEARER LIST - Progression rows tell you more at a glance. HONEST PRACTICE SCORES - The chord-change trainer now only counts a change when it hears a real strum behind it. Plus a plainer setup screen for the rhythm trainer. Free. No ads, no accounts, no data collection. ### 1.3 — 2026-07-23 The Practice tab learned a big new trick — and the tip jar is open. FRET BY FRET: THE JOURNEY — Hear a progression, then play it back key by key up the neck. Clean playing earns each fret its shell inlay, with echo rounds, capo unlocks, and a full-speed finale. YOUR SONGS, PLURAL — Build and save as many songs as you want. Add sections with suggested next moves, and when two sections are in different keys, the app writes the bridge — pivot chords included. MORE WAYS TO PLAY A CHORD — Tap any chord to enlarge it, then flip between open and barre voicings up the neck. See it and hear it. SCALES TWO WAYS — The position box, or the whole neck like a chart book. SMALL THINGS THAT FEEL BIG — Favorite a progression. A four-tick count-in before playback. The rhythm trainer now grades your groove, not your phone's latency. And practice streaks notice when you're back. THE TIP JAR IS OPEN — Fret by Fret stays free, all of it, forever. If it's helped you play, you can now drop a pick in the jar (About tab). ### 1.2 — 2026-07-15 The Practice tab learned a big new trick — and the tip jar is open. FRET BY FRET: THE JOURNEY — Hear a progression, then play it back key by key up the neck. Clean playing earns each fret its shell inlay, with echo rounds, capo unlocks, and a full-speed finale. YOUR SONGS, PLURAL — Build and save as many songs as you want. Add sections with suggested next moves, and when two sections are in different keys, the app writes the bridge — pivot chords included. MORE WAYS TO PLAY A CHORD — Tap any chord to enlarge it, then flip between open and barre voicings up the neck. See it and hear it. SCALES TWO WAYS — The position box, or the whole neck like a chart book. SMALL THINGS THAT FEEL BIG — Favorite a progression. A four-tick count-in before playback. The rhythm trainer now grades your groove, not your phone's latency. And practice streaks notice when you're back. THE TIP JAR IS OPEN — Fret by Fret stays free, all of it, forever. If it's helped you play, you can now drop a pick in the jar (About tab). ### 1.1 — 2026-07-04 Fret by Fret grew up. This update is basically a new app: REAL GUITAR SOUND - Every chord you hear is a real acoustic guitar, recorded note by note. No more synthesizer. THE APP LISTENS - A new Practice tab uses the microphone to hear YOUR guitar (audio never leaves your device): - Tuner: pluck a string, watch the needle - Chord Changes: the classic one-minute drill, counted for you - Rhythm: strum along with a silent beat and get graded FIND A SONG - Search famous songs, tap one, and the progression opens in the recording's key so it sounds like the record. NOW ON iPAD - The whole app, at home on the big screen. EASIER TO LEARN - Four simple tabs, a plain-language "Start here" guide for beginners, strum patterns you can hear before you pick, and tiered patterns from basic to advanced. Free. No ads, no accounts, no data collection. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-05.*