# Guitar Sight Reading Trainer — user reviews > 85 indexed App Store user reviews of Guitar Sight Reading Trainer by Rolfs Apps, rated 4.90/5 from 16 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-sight-reading-trainer/id390881575/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-sight-reading-trainer/id390881575.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 15 · 4★ 1 · 3★ 0 · 2★ 0 · 1★ 0 ## What do users think of Guitar Sight Reading Trainer? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 👍 Great for sight reading - 👍 Helps with fretboard memorization - 👍 Customizable settings - 👍 Horizontal view is innovative - 👍 Developer responsiveness - 👍 Good for beginners - 👍 Useful for intermediate players - 👍 Good for jazz players - 👍 Helps learn note positions - 👍 Good for practicing away from guitar - 👍 Well-designed interface - 👍 Adaptable to progress - 👍 Makes learning fun/like a game - 👍 Connects staff to fretboard - 👍 Supports left-handed players - 👍 Good value for money **Cons** - 🤔 Limited to single notes - 🤔 Sound quality not realistic - 🤔 UI could be improved - 🤔 Fretboard presentation not realistic - 🤔 Fret grouping awkward - 🤔 Can be monotonous **Commonly reported bugs** - Sound does not work (resolved by turning off mute) - Bug for lefties: string isolation incorrect - App does not launch on iPhone 3g **Most requested features** - Ukulele version - See whole fretboard at once in landscape - Disable timer altogether - Choose any range of fretboard for testing - Use sheet music for actual sight reading - Standalone chord trainer - Real guitar interface to play notes - Option to see whole fretboard at once - Pause button - Smarter re-testing of weak points - Play answers back on a real guitar without touching screen - Generate short musical phrases for sight reading - Add intervals mode - Chords or double stops - Scales mode - Save and restore settings - Better visualization of stats - Tweak random generator to avoid repeated notes - Concentrate on problem notes - Moveable SOL-FA - Option to only display note on selected string - Melody trainer - Easier to touch open string options - Bass guitar version - Fretless bass version - Option to leave sharps and flats off - Review lesson showing notes on certain strings - Test on more than one note at a time - Pick a key or scale to be tested in - Dark mode - Advanced analytics dashboard - Option to change fretboard presentation - Bass guitar support (5 string) - Switch to bass clef ## Newest reviews (14 of 85) ### 4/5 — Awesome sight reading trainer for guitar! *2015-04-29, version 5.0.2* This is perfect for practicing sight reading on the guitar. There's only one feature that is missing: please add the ability to choose any range of the fretboard you want to be tested on. For example with the predefined fret ranges, you aren't able to test on frets 1 to 7. ### 4/5 — Excellent fretboard learning tool *2015-04-26, version 5.0.2* This app is extremely useful for brushing up on single note site reading or focusing on some weaker positions on the fretboard. The interface is excellent and very simple to use. A great feature is the ability to reduce the "think time" (time to name the notes). Another is the ability to zero in on a couple of frets. Areas for improvement - 1. the app is limited to single notes. It would be great to use sheet music to learn how to actually sight read. Combine it with your rhythm trainer and you would have the total package. 2. A stand alone chord trainer using the principles of this app would be excellent. 3. A real guitar interface would allow the user to use his guitar to play the notes. ### 4/5 — Good app - one bug for lefties though *2014-11-10, version 5.0.1* Great app for learning the fret board. Good options for isolating scales, strings etc for focused practice. One minor bug I found that only effects us lefties though. When you select specific strings to practice, say low E and A, the actual strings isolated are High E and B. I.E the selection screen does reflect the fact you have changed to the left handed option and still isolates the equivalent right handed strings. Five stars if this was fixed! ### 5/5 — Best app ever *2014-09-11, version 4.91* Got this when i was learning how to read notes and its really nice! ### 5/5 — Exactly what I needed *2014-07-30, version 4.80* Perfect app for learning the notes and fret board. Endlessly customizable. ### 5/5 — Real good, learning a lot *2014-05-25, version 4.70* Very cool for practicing sight reading and learning the guitar fretboard. Nice and customizable to focus in on particular things I might want to work on, like certain strings or identifying notes on the staff versus by note name. Quizzing and practice is such a great way to learn. Sorry if some of the writing in this review is funky, I broke my wrist, hence my interest in apps for working on guitar now. This is one my favorites I've found. ### 4/5 — Useful, needs pause button & smarter testing *2014-05-19, version 4.70* The test needs a pause button in case you get interrupted while using it. Also it should be smarter at re-testing weak points. Other than that. Useful for improving learning the guitar notes combined with site reading. ### 5/5 — I like it *2014-02-25, version 4.60* I have been playing guitar for many years but never got round to learning to read music - and reading on guitar really is quite difficult (well at least I think it is). Anyway I have been using this app for few months now and am making progress. It's still a slog but this app makes sure all your effort goes into productive learning. I do about 100 notes a day it takes about 10 minutes. A little bit every day and eventually it sinks in. ### 5/5 — A good way to relate staff notation to the fingerboard *2013-10-20, version 4.40* This app seems to be the only one that trains note recognition with staff notation and a fingerboard. The options to set a thinking time and select groups of frets or strings or fingerboard positions makes it a useful teaching aid. It is very adaptable to different levels and abilities. An enjoyable variation is to play the answers on your instrument and wait a moment for confirmation on screen. It can also be used as an ear training exercise, listening and playing the sounds back without reading the notation. It would be a useful additional feature to be able to play the answers back on a real guitar without touching the screen. Digital tuners can recognise pitch so it must be possible. If the app could be developed to generate short musical phrases as sight reading exercises it would be a wonderful tool for teachers and learners. I'd pay a few quid extra for that! ### 5/5 — Great app *2013-07-18, version 4.1* Excellent app certainly does help with sight reading . Many thanks A ++ ### 4/5 — Like app, but it could be better *2013-04-01, version 4.1* This app could be better if you could actually plug your guitar in like Amp Tube, so you could train your fingers to find the notes along with your ears to hear them. I was looking at the different tuning you have in the app. Because I want to play a pedal steel and I thought if u could add the C6 and E9 tuning and add more string it would be nice because it is little bit harder to find stuff on the pedal steel !!!! ### 5/5 — Great App *2013-03-23, version 4.1* I've been using tab for 20 years, with this app I'm starting to learn my way around the fretboard. Yea! Can we get the same for a Ukulele as well? Keep up the good work. ### 4/5 — Great app *2013-03-05, version 4.1* Good app for learning the notes, either for sight reading music or just for learning the positions. Can be used to learn scales in various positions too. Very useful. ### 5/5 — Great *2013-02-24, version 4.1* This is a great app for learning individual notes of the fret board. I've known lots of finger shapes to play chords but always wished I knew the note named in those shapes! This app made that wish come true (with alot of practice) Thanks for a great app. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — :( *2011-11-30, version 3.1* I cannot get the app to launch on my iPhone 3g ### 2/5 — Tuning *2015-06-02, version 5.0.2* This app looks great yet has no use to me as I play in drop c. ### 2/5 — Fretboard *2013-02-08, version 4.1* Bought it but after using it for a few days can't understand it ! ### 3/5 — It's a good app, but needs a couple other features *2014-12-11, version 5.0.2* This app is great for learning how the notes on the staff translate to the fretboard, but it only shows you a single note at a time. For it to really be effective as a sight reading tutor, it should have multiple note problems (and possibly even take rhythm into account as well). The functionality and design of the app is great though, so if you just need to learn the basics, it works. ### 3/5 — Not bad but... *2014-06-08, version 4.70* The fretboard should be upside down and horizontal like it is when you're playing it The current vertical board is confusing. The twelfth fret should have double markings like on an actual guitar. That will help a lot as well ### 3/5 — High quality sound? *2013-08-03, version 4.2* I have not had an opportunity to use this app much but one glaring difference between the claims of the app and what the app actually does is the "high quality nylon sting guitar sound. It actually sounds like a $20 synthesizer. I would never mistake it for a nylon string guitar. I am sure that this app will help me learn the fret board more quickly and easily. What I don't like is the misrepresentation of the writer of this app. ### 3/5 — Für den Anfang ok *2013-01-13, version 4.1* Leider gibt es keine Übersicht über die ersten 12 Bünde - so dass immer nur ein Bruchteil angezeigt wird. Das Gefühl für's Griffbrett leidet darunter. Man kann zwar über 12 Bünde üben, muss aber dann scrollen - schade. Nettes Feature sind die vorgespielten Töne - leider ohne Klangfarbe der entsprechenden Saitenstärke. Nettes Spielzeug für zwischendurch, mehr aber auch nicht. ### 3/5 — Room for improvement *2011-09-10, version 2.6* This will certainly help me learn the notes on the guitar, but it could be a lot better. Areas I would like to see improved: 1) Needs better UI. Looks pretty low budget right now. 2) Needs better guitar sound(s). 3) Really needs to add more of a game like element to keep users interested. ### 4/5 — Excellent *2017-09-18, version 5.62* This is the best fretboard trainer I've found so far. Many features and very customizable. I would only request two minor additions: the option to see the whole fretboard at once in landscape mode, and to be able to disable the timer altogether. Nonetheless excellent and I use it exclusively. ### 4/5 — Good for pounding the fretboard into your brain! *2016-03-11, version 5.1* Excellent way to get your fretboard memorization down. Being able to view the fretboard as though playing is helpful for visualization. This is the only app that makes me wish for a bigger phone! ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Very Helpful App! *2025-12-13, version 6.17* Daily use of the quiz mode has definitely helped my sight reading. And the setting options are great. And I LOVE the horizontal option! When horizontal, the fretboard is slightly skewed to give it a perspective as if you were looking down while holding the guitar. It’s great! ### 5/5 — Revising prior review (Sound does not work) *2021-10-24, version 6.01* The developer quickly responded to me email and helped me resolve the problem. My iPad has a “mute” button that is separate from the volume control. Although all my other apps had sound, I had to turn mute off for this app, which now produces sound. ### 5/5 — Actually teaching boy the stave!! *2021-07-03, version 5.96* Wow - this app actually has my son engaged with trying to find the right frets. BRILLIANT. Highly recommend this for newbies to reading music and playing guitar. ### 5/5 — Great for guitar sightreading and fretboard memorization *2020-12-07, version 5.95* This app was perfect for an intermediate guitar player looking to perfect sightreading. You’ll want to dive in to the options to set the keys that you want to learn and, if you’re like me, to set the mirrored view so that the low E string is on top. Easy to configure speed of testing. ### 5/5 — Love this APP! How about making one for ukulele? *2019-05-21, version 5.87* Perfect for mastering guitar fretboard!! Please make one just like this for ukulele!!! ### 5/5 — Great updates! Very useful *2017-09-25, version 5.70* I bought an earlier version and found it really was not useful... But now, I dig it! I’m a jazz guitar player and this app is just what you need to gain some reading skills! Keep up the good work! ### 5/5 — Great Trainer *2017-09-08, version 5.62* This is a great help at both learning to sight read and also learning the fretboard. When I am away from the guitar this is my go to practice tool. ### 5/5 — Well made App *2017-04-22, version 5.6* This is a well made app. I have improved dramatically in my sight reading in just one week. Thank you for a great app! ### 5/5 — Great way to learn *2017-04-15, version 5.6* Can work with different tunings and learn to read ahead. Imagine if you had to read the news one word at a time! 🙂 ### 5/5 — Super Notentraining *2014-11-07, version 5.0.1* Benutze die App schon eine Weile, um vor allem die Noten für die höheren Lagen in den Kopf zu bekommen. Funktioniert super! Auch der Support ist vorbildlich, hatte eine Rückfrage, die noch am gleichen Tag beantwortet wurde. Hut ab! --- *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 2026-09-01.*