# Hooktheory II — Continue your musical journey

> Advanced music theory and songwriting techniques for musicians. (iPhone/iPad app by Hooktheory LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hooktheory-ii/id1148793641 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Hooktheory LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/862112895)
- Category: Music, Books
- Price: $19.99 with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 28 App Store ratings · 25 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 123 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2016-10-11
- Data updated: 2026-09-05
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hooktheory-ii/id1148793641/reviews.md

## What is Hooktheory II?

Continue on your musical journey! Build on the foundation you learned in Hooktheory I, and discover an intuitive and deep understanding of richer, more sophisticated music. Unlock the songwriting tactics used by The Beatles, Bowie, Queen, Michael Jackson, and more.  Learn about seventh chords, embellishments, secondary chords, minor harmony, modes, and modal mixture.  Validated by over 30,000 hobby and pro musicians like you, the Hooktheory Book Series is the best-selling how-to series for musicians for a reason.

Hooktheory II 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 84 interactive exercises and 228 audiovisual examples from artists like The Beatles, Elton John, Queen, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, Coldplay, Van Morrison, Adele, Ariana Grande, John Mayer, and many more!

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

• Composing chords and melody in minor (and other scales).
• Using chord inversions (reordering chord tones) to create effective bass lines.
• Using complex chord types (e.g. 7th chords, extended chords, suspended chords, and “add” chords) to enrich your chord progressions.
• Using secondary chords (chords based on a different key) to create tension.
• Combining melody and chords from multiple scales (modal mixture).
• Utilizing songwriting techniques like energy control, deception, and harmonic scope to control listeners' expectations.

Benefits:

• Simple piano roll notation (sheet music knowledge not required).
• Every concept + technique demonstrated through an actual song.
• 228 audiovisual examples from artists like The Beatles, Elton John, and Queen.
• Reinforce learning at every step with 83 exercises.
• Designed to be used with Hookpad Music Making Software. Hookpad lets you immediately practice every concept and tactic you learn in the books.

To sum it up:

Hooktheory II will teach you all of the essential techniques for crafting effective and compelling chord progressions and melodies. Reading Hooktheory II doesn’t require the ability to read sheet music or any music knowledge outside what was covered in Hooktheory I. On average, it takes about twelve hours to read (but more to fully absorb) so it isn't a huge time commitment. Dedicate only a few days to absorbing this book and gain a lifetime of skills that will give your music that professional edge.

## Key features

- Learn seventh chords, embellishments, and secondary chords
- Master minor harmony, modes, and modal mixture
- Discover songwriting tactics from famous artists
- Interactive exercises and audiovisual examples
- Compose chords and melody in various scales
- Utilize chord inversions and complex chord types

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: $19.99.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Version | $19.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 25)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hooktheory-ii/id1148793641/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Good text; unusable 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 — Practical and Valuable

*2025-07-15*

Really awesome to be able to hear the theory behind real-world songs right in the app. I really enjoyed this!

### 5/5 — Practical

*2024-01-23*

As a guitarist, want to learn more theory, this built perfectly on my foundation. I’m intermediate level and probably will stay there in this solidified. What I knew, and added to what I did not know. Also, I was able to refer to it while learning some songs to understand a bit more about the songs. I look forward to more great products.

### 5/5 — Excellent

*2022-03-31*

This book is amazing I managed to go right through it, it demystified concepts that I had struggled to understand in the past. Now the challenge is putting into practise what I’ve learnt.

### 5/5 — Thank you

*2022-02-05*

Thank you for this great app, it has expanded my knowledge greatly as well as the musical confidence in myself. I have a clearer vision of what is possible to achieve in writing and producing music and can honestly recommend this to anyone interested.

### 5/5 — Music producer essentials

*2021-01-08*

Hooktheory 2 is a must read for aspiring music producers and composers. It teachers the fundamentals of 7th chords and secondary chords and how to use them in progressions to create more compelling sounds. Also I was fascinated with learning that you can use chords outside of the scale to truly improve basic chord progressions. I was blow away when I read how to connect baselines with inversions of basic and secondary chords. This app along with Hooktheory 1 has changed the game for aspiring music producers! I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn how to make music

### 5/5 — Great App

*2020-04-21*

I had previous gripes but they were fixed. This is awesome for anyone looking to get ahead quickly in understanding music making. They also addressed all my questions that i asked them directly.

### 5/5 — Amazing learning tool for all musicians

*2019-06-16*

One of the best resources I’ve ever come across for music theory in a practical setting where you can see and hear examples of everything. Along with its companion Hooktheory 1 a very good solid grounding in music theory. Highly recommended.

### 5/5 — The Best!

*2019-02-12*

Much music theory lacks context. You read it and can’t figure out how to apply it. Either that or you see applications to classical or jazz. The Hooktheory apps are fantastic in showing you how theory works in popular music and illustrates with actual songs. Brilliant!  The only thing I’d like to see is a lot more on rhythm.

### 5/5 — Amazing

*2019-01-13*

Amazing tool for students and professionals. Speaking from the perspective of a professional musician who perform high level work in the field.

## Frequently asked questions about Hooktheory II

### What does Hooktheory II teach?

Hooktheory II teaches advanced music theory concepts and songwriting techniques. You'll learn about seventh chords, secondary chords, minor harmony, modes, modal mixture, and how to use chord inversions to create effective bass lines. The app breaks down how popular artists craft compelling chord progressions and melodies.

### What are the key features of Hooktheory II?

Key features include learning about complex chord types, using secondary chords for tension, combining melody and chords from multiple scales, and utilizing songwriting techniques like energy control. It offers 84 interactive exercises and 228 audiovisual examples from well-known artists, all demonstrated with simple piano roll notation.

### How much does Hooktheory II cost?

The application itself is free to download and use. However, it offers in-app purchases, suggesting that some content or advanced features may require payment to unlock. Specific pricing for these in-app purchases is not detailed in the description.

### Do I need prior music knowledge to use Hooktheory II?

No prior sheet music knowledge is required to use Hooktheory II. The app is designed to be easy to understand, and it assumes only the basic music knowledge covered in Hooktheory I. The lessons are presented in a clear, audiovisual format.

### How can Hooktheory II help with songwriting?

Hooktheory II provides practical knowledge and techniques used by professional musicians to craft effective and compelling chord progressions and melodies. By dissecting popular songs and offering interactive exercises, it helps users immediately practice and apply these concepts to their own music, giving it a professional edge.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.3.0 — 2023-12-12

- App is now free with in-app purchase to unlock content past chapter 1.
- Added Sign in with Apple
- Added Sign in with Google
- In-app Hooktheory account creation (no longer goes to web browser)
- 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 — 2022-12-08

• Made C dorian and C minor scales playable in 6.1
• Made C mixolydian scale playable in 6.2
• Added link to Chord Crush in the side menu.
• Updated Appendix F, the first chapter of Hooktheory I, to version 2.2.0

### 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

### 1.0.4 — 2016-12-02

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

Improved behavior for footnotes.   Added a “ask a question” link to the side menu.

### 1.0.3 — 2016-11-05

Better performance and faster launching.  No changes to content.

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## More apps by Hooktheory LLC

- [Hooktheory I](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hooktheory-i/id862112892)

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

## Related topics

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

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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 2026-09-05.*