# FretBoard: Chords & Scales — String Instrument Music Theory

> String instrument reference for chords, scales, tunings, and music theory. (iPhone/iPad app by TheMM.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fretboard-chords-and-scales/id6465688825 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [TheMM](https://appshunter.io/developer/312265848)
- Category: Music, Reference
- Price: Free with in-app purchases (on sale, was $3.99)
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 4 App Store ratings · 2 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 166 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Japanese, European Portuguese, Chinese (Simplified, China), Latin American Spanish
- Released: 2023-11-26
- Data updated: 2026-08-28
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fretboard-chords-and-scales/id6465688825/reviews.md

## What is FretBoard?

Discover FretBoard Evolution: The Ultimate Reference Tool for String Instrument Master

Unlock the secrets of your stringed instrument with FretBoard, the comprehensive reference app designed for musicians of all levels. Whether you're a beginner seeking to understand music theory or a seasoned player looking to expand your repertoire, FretBoard is your go-to guide for chords, scales, and tunings.

Major Features:
- Extensive Tuning Library: Over 150 pre-made tunings across 15 instrument groups, including Guitar, Bass, Violin, Mandolin, Ukulele, Chapman Stick and many more.
- Chords & Scales: Visualize 68 chords and 83 scales in every key. Expand your musical language and find the perfect harmony for your compositions.
- Customize Your Scales: Tap any note to mute it or add custom notes outside the scale. Long-press to change note shapes (circle, square, diamond, cross, triangles) - shapes follow scale degrees, so your visual markers stay consistent when transposing.
- Sound Banks & Playback: Listen to scales and chords with the included sound bank. Control tempo with a slider, tap tempo, or pick from musical presets like Largo, Allegro, and Presto.
- Custom Instruments: Tailor the app to your needs with the instrument editor. Modify tunings, change the visual aesthetics, and even create new instruments.
- Personalization: Choose from various woods, strings, and inlays to customize the look of each instrument to your preference.
- Clean Practice Mode: Tap the fretboard to hide the controls for an unobstructed view — perfect for focused practice or teaching.

Planned Features:
- Add custom scales and chords.
- Discover matching scales or chords for specific notes with the "Identify" feature.

Who is FretBoard Evolution for?
FretBoard Evolution is for every string instrument player who wants to deepen their understanding of their instrument. It's for the curious beginner, the teaching professional, and the performing artist. It's for the musician who never stops learning and for the teacher who always has more to give.

How can FretBoard be used?
- Learning Tool: Quickly look up chords and scales, and see how they're played on your instrument.
- Songwriting Aid: Experiment with different tunings and sounds to find the perfect mood for your music.
- Practice Companion: Use the app to practice scales and chords, improving your muscle memory and theoretical knowledge.

With FretBoard Evolution, you're not just playing music; you're understanding it. Download now and step into a world where your fretboard becomes a canvas for musical exploration.

FretBoard Evolution is free to explore with major and minor scales and chords. Want the full library? Try all premium features free for 7 days, then choose a yearly subscription or grab the lifetime unlock - because some of us still believe in "pay once, own forever."

FretBoard Evolution is developed by just a one-person team. A 5-star review goes a long way in supporting indie developers. If you like the app, please consider leaving a nice review. If you find a bug, have issues or requests, please contact info@asv.pt


Privacy Policy: https://asv.pt/earthbeat-privacy-policy/
Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Key features

- Extensive tuning library
- Visualize chords and scales
- Customize scales with custom notes
- Sound playback with tempo control
- Custom instrument editor
- Personalize instrument appearance
- Clean practice mode

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FretBoard Yearly | $3.99 | per year |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FretBoard Lifetime | $8.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (2 of 2)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fretboard-chords-and-scales/id6465688825/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Was ist mit FretBoard Pro passiert?

*2026-03-01*

Ich hatte FretBoard Pro gekauft und konnte es unter iOS 2026 plötzlich nicht mehr öffnen. Es friert nach dem Anklicken beim Startbild ein und verschwindet dann nach ein paar Sekunden. Es gibt aber jetzt im AppStore anscheinend FretBoard in der nächsten Version (identisches Icon), ohne dass mir klar geworden ist, ob alte Nutzer ihren Kauf wiederherstellen können. Könntet ihr bitte klären, ob ich jetzt noch einmal 10 € dafür zahlen muss, bevor ich die Testversion aktiviere?

**Developer response:** Danke für deine Nachricht – und vor allem für deine langjährige Treue zu FretBoard! Die App hat tatsächlich einen langen Weg hinter sich. Es gab sogar eine PalmPilot-Version im Jahr 1998.
Diese aktuelle Version ist komplett neu geschrieben, basierend auf Apples neuesten Bibliotheken und APIs. Daher habe ich mich entschieden, die vorherige Version von 2016 nicht mehr weiterzuentwickeln. iOS 26 hat sie nun leider gänzlich untauglich gemacht.
Die gute Nachricht: Die neue Codebasis hat gleichzeitig auch eine Android-Version möglich gemacht. Du kannst die App komplett frei herunterladen und ausprobieren. Und wenn du deine vorherige Version seit 2023 gekauft hattest, schaltet sie sich komplett frei - du musst also nicht noch einmal bezahlen.

### 5/5 — Amazing product

*2024-04-21*

I have used all of the previous versions of FretBoard that Marc developed. This new version is really pretty, logically laid out. The functionality is very intuitive. you absolutely won’t be able to find more unusual tunings or scales/chords. 

Over my years as a musician, I have tried what seems like hundreds of fretboard scale programs, and Marc’s products are always the ones I come back to. They just work and make life easy.

One particularly important note: consider the ability to put the fret markers either over the fret or between the Frets. This alone differentiates this program from all the others. Among the instruments so I play, some of my favorites are my Dobro, lap steel, and pedal steel guitar. Having the ability to switch to “over fret mode “makes my life so much easier when playing these instruments. Fantastic program. Can’t say enough about it, except: Get it!

## Frequently asked questions about FretBoard

### What instruments does FretBoard support?

FretBoard supports a wide range of string instruments, including Guitar, Bass, Violin, Mandolin, Ukulele, and Chapman Stick, with over 150 pre-made tunings across 15 instrument groups.

### Can I create my own scales in FretBoard?

Yes, FretBoard allows you to customize scales by muting notes or adding custom notes outside the scale. You can also change note shapes to follow scale degrees.

### Does FretBoard have ads?

No, FretBoard does not contain advertisements, allowing for an uninterrupted user experience.

### How does FretBoard's subscription work?

FretBoard offers a 7-day free trial for premium features. After the trial, you can choose a yearly subscription at $3.99/year or a lifetime unlock option.

### What is the age rating for FretBoard?

FretBoard has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users.

### How often is FretBoard updated?

The latest version of FretBoard is 1.5, and it was last updated on January 11, 2026. This indicates a commitment to ongoing development and improvements.

### What are the main benefits of using FretBoard for practice?

FretBoard serves as a practice companion by allowing you to practice scales and chords, improving muscle memory and theoretical knowledge. The clean practice mode offers an unobstructed view for focused sessions.

### Can I hear the scales and chords in FretBoard?

Yes, FretBoard includes sound banks for listening to scales and chords. You can control the tempo with a slider, tap tempo, or select from musical presets.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.5 — 2026-01-11

Changes:
- Added tap-to-toggle notes: tap directly on the fretboard or on the dot area in the MagicNoteBar to customize scales and chords
  - Tap a scale note to mute it (appears translucent)
  - Tap an empty position to add a custom note (appears in purple)
  - Custom modifications affect both the visual display and audio playback
- Reintroduced note shape customization from Classic FretBoard: long-press any note dot to change its shape
  - Choose from circle, square, diamond, cross (X), or triangle (up/down) shapes
  - Shapes are tied to scale degrees - when you change the root note, shapes follow their intervals
  - Shapes reset when selecting a different scale or chord
  - New "Shape of Root Note" setting in Appearance to set a default shape for all root notes
- Redesigned settings and selection screens with new "Studio Glass" design system for improved usability and readability
- Added tempo selection dialog with slider, tap tempo, and musical presets (Largo, Adagio, etc.)
- BPM button now displays current tempo value
- Reintroduced tap-to-hide HUD: tap anywhere on the fretboard to hide the bottom controls for an unobstructed view (a classic feature from the pre-Fretboard Evolution era)
- Added User Guide in Settings explaining key features, note colors, playback controls, and gestures
- Minimum iOS version changed from iOS 12 to iOS 16

Notes:
This version is a native SwiftUI port of the original Flutter application. The iOS 16 requirement enables the use of modern SwiftUI features including Canvas-based rendering for improved fretboard visualization.

### 1.1.0 — 2024-08-27

I'm super excited to bring you the latest update for FretBoard, and this one comes with something I think you're going to love!

What's New:
    Instrument Editor: This is the big one! I’ve added an Instrument Editor that lets you create or edit custom-tuned and uniquely designed instruments. Whether you want to experiment with alternate tunings or build something completely new from scratch, this feature is here to make your musical journey even more personal and creative.

Updates:
    Latest Libraries and SDKs: I’ve also updated FretBoard to use the most recent libraries and SDKs to make sure everything runs smoothly and stays secure. This should give you a more reliable and seamless experience.

### 1.0.2 — 2024-01-05

I addressed an issue where buttons in the FretBoard app became unusable on systems where users had set a large text size. This update ensures that all buttons maintain a consistent and readable size, regardless of the system's text size settings.

FretBoard Evolution is developed by just a one-person team. A 5-star review goes a long way in supporting indie developers. If you like the app, please consider leaving a nice review. If you find a bug, have issues or requests, please contact info@asv.pt

### 1.0.1 — 2023-12-09

This version adds three missing official Chapman Stick tunings and fixes some minor glitches.

FretBoard Evolution is developed by just a one-person team. A 5-star review goes a long way in supporting indie developers. If you like the app, please consider leaving a nice review. If you find a bug, have issues or requests, please contact info@asv.pt

### 1.0 — 2023-11-26

No release notes.

## Apps similar to FretBoard

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
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| [Fermata: Music Theory Practice](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fermata-music-theory-practice/id6444347514) | 5.0 (5) | $2.99 | Music |
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All apps by TheMM: https://appshunter.io/developer/312265848

## Related topics

[mm scale](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/mm-scale)

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*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 2026-08-28.*