# Hooktheory I — Embark on a musical journey

> Interactive music theory app for learning chord progressions and melody composition. (iPhone/iPad app by Hooktheory LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hooktheory-i/id862112892 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Hooktheory LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/862112895)
- Category: Music, Education
- Price: $14.99 with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.10/5 from 11 App Store ratings · 82 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 140 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2014-04-25
- Data updated: 2026-09-13
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hooktheory-i/id862112892/reviews.md

## What is Hooktheory I?

Embark on a musical journey! Follow the Hooktheory Book Series in a smart, fun, skill-building journey. Learn how to craft melodies and chord progressions like professional musicians, and discover an intuitive and deep understanding of how music works. Validated by over 30,000 hobby and pro musicians like you, the Hooktheory Book Series is the best-selling how-to series for musicians around the world for a reason.

Hooktheory I isn’t like other music theory books.

Hooktheory teaches with an easy-to-understand music format that emphasizes chord and melody function. Rich audiovisual animations play along as you learn. We dissect popular songs and show you how the pros do it.  Immediately practice concepts and tactics with our companion musical sketchpad, Hookpad.  There is nothing else like it!

Fun to read. Easy to understand. Full of practical knowledge.

Learn from 41 interactive exercises and 88 audiovisual examples from artists like The Beatles, Journey, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Adele, Coldplay, Billy Joel, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Maroon 5, and more!

In Hooktheory I, you’ll learn the following skills:

• Composing music based on a scale.
• Understanding the six basic chords that underlie all great chord progressions.
• Writing chord progressions based on function (understanding which chords go together and which ones don’t)
• Making melodies “chord aware” - learn why certain melodies sound good with a chord progression and why others don't
• Controlling the natural tension and release in melodies over a chord progression

Benefits:

• Simple piano roll notation (sheet music knowledge not required)
• Every concept + technique demonstrated through an actual song
• 88 audiovisual examples from artists like The Beatles, Journey, and Taylor Swift
• Reinforce learning at every step with 41 exercises
• Designed to be used with Hookpad Music Making Software. Hookpad lets you practice every concept and tactic you learn in the books immediately

To sum it up, Hooktheory I will teach you the essential basic techniques for crafting effective and compelling chord progressions and melodies.   

Reading Hooktheory I doesn’t require any previous music knowledge or the ability to read sheet music. On average, it takes about five hours to read so it isn't a huge time commitment. Dedicate only a few hours to reading this book and gain a lifetime of skills that will give your music that professional edge.

## Key features

- Learn chord progressions
- Compose melodies
- Audiovisual examples
- Interactive exercises
- Song dissection
- Music theory concepts

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: $14.99.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Version | $14.99 | one-time |


## Chart rankings

- #88 in Top Paid · Music (US App Store)

## Recent user reviews (10 of 82)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hooktheory-i/id862112892/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Helpful examples with audio, tons of charts and diagrams

*2026-05-14*

The interactive charts showing toggleable chord tones is the most insanely helpful thing I’ve ever seen. If I could give any feedback on room for improvement, the yellow and green are pretty similar in color tone, so they’re difficult for me to distinguish with even my mild red-green colorblindness. I would recommend darkening the green a touch to bring it closer to like a Forrest green [to remove some of the yellow tones from the green]. This wouldn’t change anything in the content of the lessons, simply make it easier for us who have visual impairments to distinguish between the colors. Incredible information presented in a brilliant way. Thank yall for making this

### 1/5 — Great text, nonfunctional app

*2026-04-18*

Purchasing the DLC does not unlock the full content. It spins on “Validating receipt” or some such. Contacting support will get them to unlock the content on their website, but the app remains unusable. This applies to both HookTheory I and II.
The text itself is great, but the app should be pulled from the App Store until it is again functional.

### 5/5 — Mind-blowing

*2025-02-09, version 2.3.0*

I have been working to understand music theory ever since I started studying the guitar two years ago, and the piano one year ago. I have read five different books on music theory, as well as watched about 15 to 20 different YouTube videos on the topic. For almost all of those the vocabulary was so dense and abstract that it was incredibly difficult to Comprehend how I could apply when I was learning. This book was absolutely mind blowing. I loved the way it was organized, the examples, and its use of popular songs. The visualizations were incredibly helpful and have completely changed my understanding of music and what music theory has been trying to communicate all along.  This book has finally given me the missing clues to begin creating and composing my own music. Thank you so much!

### 1/5 — Online required to read a book

*2024-12-09*

Only reason I bought this was to use it while traveling.  But you can’t read the book without internet access.  Completely defeats the purpose of a “book”. Which makes this app worthless.

### 5/5 — Game changer

*2024-11-12*

For the first time ever, music theory clicked. Thank you!

### 1/5 — Cher et non traduit

*2024-09-30*

Ça pourrait être bien si c’était traduit en français ou en d’autres langue. Vu le prix des bouquins et l’IA aujourd’hui qui permet de traduire qualitativement n’importe quel texte. Il semble que ça serait le minimum de propose une traduction

### 4/5 — Nice, but missing key features from the website

*2024-09-08*

Would love if the song database was available within the app instead of having to redirect to the browser. Simple web view inside the app with a search bar would do

### 5/5 — Sehr gut.

*2024-04-06*

Ich habe jetzt Hooktheory 1 durch. Und werde gleich mit dem 2. Teil starten. Vorher aber schon mal diese Bewertung. 
Es hat mich um ein vielfaches weiter gebracht im Songwriting und allgemein Musiktheorie. Ich hatte ein Problem dieses Buch auf meinen Mac zu öffnen. Nach eine email an dem Support bekam ich sehr schnell eine Antwort und meine Probleme wurden gelöst. 

Gesamt: 5/5 Sehr gut ! 

Verbesserungsvorschlag: 
Vielleicht könnte man in der Zukunft noch einzelne erweiterte Teile herausbringen, welche sich speziell auf verschiedene Genres richten wie Hip Hop; Rock; Techno. Das würde mich extrem freuen. 

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

### 1/5 — Misleading Information

*2024-02-18*

Despite the app description stating it was a free download I was immediately charged  £14.99 by Apple. I wanted to purchase the package on the web site and use my login on the downloaded app as the description said I could. However it is patently untrue.

So how do I access the website version of this book? I’m not paying twice for it.

### 5/5 — The future of didactic books!

*2023-12-27*

This was extremely well thought out. Not only from the information presented, but how it is presented. Small amounts of information just enough to digest then review.
The format is excellent, the color coding, interaction etc. 
Highly recommend. I’ll be going over this a few times and then moving on to book 2.

## Frequently asked questions about Hooktheory I

### What does Hooktheory I teach?

Hooktheory I teaches essential basic techniques for crafting effective and compelling chord progressions and melodies. It covers composing music based on a scale, understanding basic chords, writing progressions based on function, and making melodies 'chord aware'.

### Do I need to know how to read sheet music to use Hooktheory I?

No, reading Hooktheory I does not require any previous music knowledge or the ability to read sheet music. It uses simple piano roll notation.

### How long does it take to go through Hooktheory I?

On average, it takes about five hours to read Hooktheory I. This makes it a manageable time commitment to gain valuable musical skills.

### What are the benefits of using Hooktheory I?

Benefits include learning to compose music, understanding chord functions, making melodies chord-aware, and controlling musical tension and release. It features audiovisual examples from popular artists and interactive exercises.

### Can I practice what I learn in Hooktheory I?

Yes, the app is designed to be used with Hookpad Music Making Software, a companion sketchpad. Hookpad allows you to immediately practice every concept and tactic you learn in the book.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.3.0 — 2023-11-19

- App is now free with in-app purchase to unlock content past chapter 1.
- Added support for Sign in with Apple
- Added support for Sign in with Google
- Added buttons to manage or delete account.  Accessible from user menu in top right.
- Review page links to App Store review page

### 2.2.0 — 2022-11-16

• Improved the C major scale and D major scale examples in sections 1.1 and 1.2.
• Added a link to Chord Crush in the side menu.
• Added a paragraph about the TheoryTab database in section 1.4.
• Added a paragraph about applying what you learn with Hookpad in section 1.5.
• Added a new ear training exercise in section 1.6.

### 2.1.0 — 2022-10-12

• Improved song audiovisual animations with the native Hookpad player.  You will experience improved audio and improved resolution.  You can also click on chords to hear them and use the native key selector to instantiate some examples in different keys.
• Added dark mode support.
• Fixed 24px font size not working

### 1.1.3 — 2017-02-21

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

Added melody to examples in section 5.2 and 5.3.  Improved discussion of measures and meter in section 3.2.  Fixed a few typos and did some minor copy edits.

### 1.1.2 — 2016-11-01

Now saves font size across reading sessions.  Fixed Katy Perry example in 4.1.

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## More apps by Hooktheory LLC

- [Hooktheory II](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hooktheory-ii/id1148793641)

All apps by Hooktheory LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/862112895

## Related topics

[hooktheory](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hooktheory) · [hooktheory i](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hooktheory-i)

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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 2026-09-13.*