# ScaleMate - Visualize Harmony — Understand Music Scales Deeply > Interactive reference for understanding music scales and jazz harmony with audio and visual aids. (iPhone/iPad app by Anton Schwartz.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scalemate-visualize-harmony/id1538285671 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Anton Schwartz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1330331588) - Category: Music, Education - Price: $3.99 - Rating: 4.80/5 from 23 App Store ratings · 9 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.5 · 34 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2020-12-04 - Data updated: 2026-08-25 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scalemate-visualize-harmony/id1538285671/reviews.md ## What is ScaleMate? ScaleMate is a modern, interactive reference to jazz harmony. ScaleMate lets you… HEAR SCALES conventionally or as random melodies. VISUALIZE SCALES in deep ways that correspond to how you need to think of them. READ & LEARN with built-in expert scale write-ups & use tips. MANIPULATE SCALES while you listen. Hear the changes instantly to understand how scales differ. ————————————————— ScaleMate is a reference that shows you & plays for you any scale you wish…. But that's just the beginning. ScaleMate helps you hear & understand scales and harmony more deeply… by teaching you to visualize scales in ways that match what they sound like. Imagine… Wouldn't it be nice to have a single image to understand all the modes of the major scale? Ever wonder why the modes are ordered so oddly, hopping between major & minor & dominant? Or notice that the Altered Scale is the "darkest", most minor sounding of all possible dominant scales? Or that its tritone-substitution, the Lydian Dominant Scale, is the "brightest" of them all? Ever notice that the minor pentatonic scale is a mode of the major pentatonic scale and wonder whether there were any other useful pentatonic modes? Ever notice that the major pentatonic scale (and its modes) are the only 5-note scale that doesn't contain any half steps or tritones? ScaleMate shows you scales in a way that makes these observations natural and immediate… and plays you the results too. Or ever just wonder what the definition of a dominant chord is and which common scales can be used for them? ScaleMate's got you covered. ——————— FEATURES ——————— USE IT RIGHT AWAY Use ScaleMate right now! Built-in help is there for you whenever you want it. LISTEN ScaleMate lets you hear what scales sound like, by playing them up & down, or by playing random melodies that use them. VISUALIZE WHAT YOU HEAR ScaleMate shows every scale both linearly (for melodic understanding) and on the circle of fifths (for harmonic understanding). FULL LIBRARY OF SCALES ScaleMate knows all the scales you're ever likely to encounter. A WELLSPRING OF KNOWLEDGE Extensive info pages on 60+ of the most common & important scales, including practical advice and usage tips. (Over 15,000 words of content.) USE IT TO TEACH ScaleMate is perfect for projecting on a screen or sharing over zoom while you teach. Its animations let you show how one scale transforms into another, and it has special features (pointing, hiding/revealing) for educators. AUTOMATIC SCALE RECOGNITION Build your own scales and ask yourself "what if I make this change…" Whenever you produce a conventional scale, ScaleMate will automatically identify it for you by name and tell you about it. ANIMATED IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES Change between one scale and another and see the differences between them, visually animated before you. SMART SPELLING ScaleMate notates perfectly, for every scale in every key. NOTE ROLES Next to each note, ScaleMate displays its function—in numbers (3, 5, b7) or in solfege (Mi, Sol, Te) or not at all, according to your preference. SIMPLE OR ADVANCED NOTATION ScaleMate shows you double flats and double sharps whenever they're called for… unless you'd rather see simpler note names. Prefer never to see notes like Cb and E#? You can have ScaleMate show them as B and F. DIMINISHED HARMONY Choose the option to color the notes in three colors so you can see which diminished seventh chord every note belongs to. Great for understanding diminished scales & chords and seeing how they relate to other scales too. JAZZ CRED ScaleMate is created by Anton Schwartz. An award-winning saxophonist & composer as well as an expert educator, he is also the creator of the highly rated RANDOM ROOTS app. Terms and conditions: https://scalemate.app/terms-conditions Privacy policy: https://scalemate.app/privacy ## Key features - Hear scales as melodies - Visualize scales on circle of fifths - Expert scale write-ups - Manipulate scales and hear changes - Full library of scales - Automatic scale recognition - Animated scale transformations ## Chart rankings - #192 in Top Paid · Music (US App Store) ## Recent user reviews (9 of 9) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scalemate-visualize-harmony/id1538285671/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Great app! *2026-04-02* The discussion of modes and darkness/brightness came up recently. This app demonstrates it so well along with ties to the circle of 5ths and an intuitive interactive interface. Just great! ### 5/5 — Fantastic! *2024-05-09* This app is magical and terribly fun to use! Get it!! ### 5/5 — Excellent *2024-01-02* A go to toolkit for any musician, wish I had this years ago. Also includes a rotating circle of fifths. ### 5/5 — Superlative Theory-Training Tool *2021-03-14* Consistent drilling with this easy-to-use app will deepen your understanding of scale components, qualities, functions, unique properties, and commonalities. Such drilling will be painless (which is not to say “effortless”) and it’s addictive in that fun, spanky way that keeps you coming back for more because you know it’s making you a stronger musician. ScaleMate trains by providing simple but powerful visual imagery in a broad, highly-customizable range of scale-related contexts. A student can immediately begin mentally associating this imagery with principles governing both scale and harmony, as well as with the audio that will help cement comprehension of concepts. Everything ScaleMate says it does—it does. Lucky for us! The individual features of the app are many, and truly breathtaking considering the price I paid for the full version. Well-conceived app; lovely to use; responsive developer, if you’ve got questions or concerns... ...What’s to lose by giving it a try? ### 5/5 — Such a great tool!! *2021-01-30* I’m getting so much use from this terrific app. If you’re looking for help in demystifying some of the important scales used in jazz, this app will help do exactly that. The app has many, many scales embedded in it, you can make changes to a degree in a scale and the app will identify what scale that is (if any). Importantly, this app will give you the keys to fundamental jazz harmony. Something I certainly need, and greater understanding in how they work together. I believe it’s improving my playing as I grasp more of the fundamentals that have been lacking. This is developed by a very dedicated jazz educator and elite horn player which explains why it’s so practical. I keep it open at my piano as I work through 2/5/1 exercises. Check out diminished coloring which is of great use. You can see how they hide out almost everywhere! This app will catch on soon, trust me. I’m glad I have it now at this excellent price point See you later! Time to get to the piano with my new friend ScaleMate... can’t wait! ### 5/5 — ScaleMate is Awesome! *2021-01-09* This is a great app to help you get the sounds and colors of different scales into your mind’s ear. In addition to playing the scales up and down, it can be set to make up melodies, which really provides a more complete picture of the harmony. It can also meet you where you are, playing scales you know well, but can help cultivate a “taste “ for less familiar scales once you’re ready to extend your knowledge. Highly recommended! ### 5/5 — Very helpful and instructive *2020-12-05* Reveals melodic and harmonic relationships simultaneously, both visually and aurally. Works great. Supercool. ### 5/5 — Excellent app! *2020-12-05* Fantastic app for visualisng lots of different scales and chords. I am including this app as a regular part of my practice routine. ### 5/5 — Wow! Game changer. *2020-12-05* Oh wow, this new app is fantastic! Maybe it’s just me, but at first blush it seemed like a beefed up version of the education setting in iRealPro, but after using it a bit, it’s so much more powerful and useful than that. I love being able to both see and hear the chord I’m working on, and each chord is laid out several different ways in one view, which makes for a really appealing way to experience the harmony you’re into at the moment. Lots to love about this app, but to my surprise, my favorite thing is actually the note randomizer function - because a scale is only one way to play the notes of a chord! Just sit back, and listen to a computer play all the right notes, haha. Seriously though - listening to it and watching it for a while on one chord is already helping connect my ear to the harmony in ways that just hearing the notes in alphabetical order never could. Coming from a classical music background, I can already tell this is going to be a game-changer for my ability to hear jazz harmony. They say there’s no shortcut, you just have to listen - but I disagree. Now you can see it, too! :-) Thanks so much!!! **Developer response:** Thank you, Fiddlegrl! What a delightful surprise to receive your review as ScaleMate’s very first! There’ll be plenty more features coming - I can’t wait to hear what you think. Please keep me posted with your reactions and let me know if you encounter any issues. ## Frequently asked questions about ScaleMate ### What is ScaleMate? ScaleMate is a music reference app designed to help users understand scales and jazz harmony. It offers interactive features to hear, visualize, and manipulate scales, along with extensive educational content. ### What scales does ScaleMate include? ScaleMate features a full library of scales, including over 55 of the most common and important scales with extensive information and usage tips, totaling over 15,000 words of content. ### Can I hear the scales in ScaleMate? Yes, ScaleMate allows you to hear scales played conventionally or as random melodies. You can also manipulate scales while listening to instantly hear how changes affect the sound. ### How does ScaleMate help visualize scales? ScaleMate visualizes scales both linearly for melodic understanding and on the circle of fifths for harmonic understanding. It also features animated transformations to show how one scale changes into another. ### Is ScaleMate suitable for educators? Yes, ScaleMate is ideal for educators as it can be projected on a screen or shared over Zoom. It includes special features like pointing and hiding/revealing elements for teaching purposes. ### What devices is ScaleMate available on? ScaleMate is available on iPhone and iPad, supporting a wide range of iOS devices. ### How much does ScaleMate cost? ScaleMate is a paid application, available for a one-time purchase of $3.99. ### Does ScaleMate have ads? No, ScaleMate does not contain advertisements. It is a paid app that offers an ad-free experience. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.5.8 — 2026-05-19 • IMPROVED: Upgrades to scale title menu for functionality & aesthetics. • IMPROVED: Better iOS 17 back-compatibility. • FIXED: Audio routing error on Mac could substitute generic tone for piano sound. • FIXED: Error in spelling of flat 13 scale degrees. ### 3.5.7 — 2026-05-03 • FIXED: Consistency of rotation & translation when moving to a scale mode a tritone away. • FIXED: Longstanding bug when device audio routing is changed. ### 3.5.6 — 2026-04-20 • FIXED: Gestures were misfiring in iOS/iPadOS 17.x. ### 3.5.5 — 2026-04-02 • IMPROVED: Numerous user interface refinements. • IMPROVED: Added Spanish Phrygian scale (8-note version) • IMPROVED: Expanded discussion of bebop scales. ### 3.5.4 — 2026-03-30 • NEW: Added Japanese "In" and "Yo" scales & descriptions. • IMPROVED: Expanded descriptions of several pentatonic scales, highlighting more interrelations. • IMPROVED: Added several alternate names for scales. • FIXED: Several typos. ## Apps similar to ScaleMate | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Guitar Chord Finder : Fabulus](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-chord-finder-fabulus/id1559087405) | 4.5 (70) | Free | Music | | [B-System CBA Accordion Tutor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/b-system-cba-accordion-tutor/id1037609940) | 3.5 (2) | $1.99 | Music | | [ChordsVault](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chordsvault/id1024176980) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Music | | [LoopDeLoop](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loopdeloop/id982766020) | 1.0 (2) | Free | Music | | [Music Wrench](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/music-wrench/id965939820) | 4.5 (21) | Free | Music | | [Chord Tone Soloing For Guitar](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chord-tone-soloing-for-guitar/id1031680220) | 3.5 (2) | $9.99 | Music | ## More apps by Anton Schwartz - [Random Roots - Music Trainer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/random-roots-music-trainer/id1330331589) - [Wordflow Buddies](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wordflow-buddies/id1615986468) All apps by Anton Schwartz: https://appshunter.io/developer/1330331588 --- *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 2026-08-25.*