# Steel Sidekick

> Interactive scale and chord finder for pedal and lap steel guitar. (iPhone/iPad app by John Sohn.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/steel-sidekick/id802758051 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [John Sohn](https://appshunter.io/developer/802758054)
- Category: Music, Reference
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 58 App Store ratings · 21 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 8.0 · 49 MB
- Languages: American English, Arabic, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French (France), German (Germany), Greek and 21 more
- Released: 2014-01-24
- Data updated: 2026-09-05
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/steel-sidekick/id802758051/reviews.md

## What is Steel Sidekick?

An interactive scale and chord finder for pedal steel guitar and now lap steel guitar. Support several 8, 10, 12 string copedent and tunings. You can now add your own pedal steel guitar codepents and lap steel guitar tunings.

PEDAL STEEL GUITAR COPEDENTS
• E9 10 String
• E9 Student
• C6 10 String
• Universal 12 String
• Extended E9 12 String

LAP STEEL TUNINGS
• C6 6 String
• E7 6 String Low E)
• E7 6 String (Low B)
• E13 8 String
• High A 6 String
• High G  6 String
• Open A  6 String
• Open D  6 String
• Open E  6 String
• Open G 6 String

SCALES
• Major
• Natural Minor
• Harmonic Minor
• Pentatonic Major
• Pentatonic Minor
• Major Blues
• Minor Blues

CHORDS
• Major
• Minor
• Augmented
• Diminished
• Suspended Fourth
• Suspended Second

## Key features

- Scale and chord finder
- Pedal steel guitar copedents
- Lap steel guitar tunings
- Custom copedent and tuning support
- Support for 8, 10, 12 string configurations
- Multiple scale and chord types

## Recent user reviews (10 of 21)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/steel-sidekick/id802758051/reviews.md

### 5/5 — 便利

*2026-08-12, version 2.5*

ユニバーサル12弦をカスタムで入れました。日本語ならもっとわかりやすいんですが。

### 5/5 — Tuning

*2026-03-23, version 2.5*

I like the custom tunings that I can add to the app and I can find all of the different chords  on the fret board where I make the changes thanks for making it easy and simple

### 5/5 — Very helpful

*2025-12-04, version 2.5*

Every guitar player can benefit from this cool little gem, tap around and find all the settings, tunings and guitar necks.

### 5/5 — Steeler’s Dream

*2024-09-24, version 2.5*

Very handy tool for guitarists, especially Steel Players. Developer is responsive and listens to customer requests. Great app!

### 5/5 — Great

*2024-03-03, version 2.5*

Love this app, super helpful. Would love the ability to edit the fret marker colors to match my guitar, but that’s a nitpick

### 5/5 — love this app

*2023-11-23, version 2.5*

this app has been so helpful to me as i play a couple of uncommon tunings on my pedal steels and lap steels. i am able to find scales and chords with ease. this app has been influential in my development as a player. thank you John Sohn!

mark

### 3/5 — Steel Sidekick Tweak Needed

*2023-04-28, version 2.5*

Great idea, but when setting up a custom guitar, I discovered that you can’t set pedals or levers to raise or lower by 1/2 steps.

### 5/5 — Every Steel Player needs this!

*2022-01-16, version 2.2*

This is a must have app.  Brilliant.  It gives you the entire layout so you can easily learn your different pedal & lap steel layouts.

### 5/5 — Not Just For Steel Guitar!

*2021-10-23, version 2.2*

This app is brilliant for mapping out the fretboard of both pedal and lap steel guitars in any tuning that you care to try out and you can see the results of changes before crawling around under your guitar.
It doesn’t stop there. You can create a “custom guitar” for regular Spanish tuning, or by ignoring a string or two on the bottom, you can create layouts for ukulele or mandolin or Keith Richards 5 string. The app will work for anything with less than 12 strings in any tuning, showing you how to find chords and scales.

### 5/5 — Great App for the Steel Guitar

*2021-05-18, version 2.2*

Just discovered this and am happy I did!  Don't forget that if you tap on the notes they'll sound the tones, and it's in tune of course. I'd love to see them add pedals and knee levers somehow to the various chords to make knowing where those are a lot easier.

Thanks to the maker of this App!

## Frequently asked questions about Steel Sidekick

### What tunings does Steel Sidekick support for pedal steel guitar?

Steel Sidekick supports several pedal steel guitar copedents including E9 10 String, E9 Student, C6 10 String, Universal 12 String, and Extended E9 12 String. Users can also add their own custom tunings.

### Can I add my own lap steel guitar tunings to Steel Sidekick?

Yes, Steel Sidekick allows you to add your own custom lap steel guitar tunings. It also comes pre-loaded with many popular tunings like C6 6 String, E7 6 String, and E13 8 String.

### What types of scales and chords can I find in Steel Sidekick?

Steel Sidekick offers a variety of scales including Major, Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor, Pentatonic Major, Pentatonic Minor, Major Blues, and Minor Blues. Chord options include Major, Minor, Augmented, Diminished, and Suspended chords.

### Is Steel Sidekick available on Android devices?

Based on the provided data, Steel Sidekick is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod. Information regarding Android compatibility is not available.

### How often is Steel Sidekick updated?

The latest version of Steel Sidekick, 2.5, was released on March 21, 2022. The app was originally released on January 24, 2014.

### What is the age rating for Steel Sidekick?

Steel Sidekick has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. This indicates it contains no content generally considered inappropriate for children.

### What do users like most about Steel Sidekick?

Users appreciate Steel Sidekick's comprehensive support for various pedal and lap steel guitar tunings, along with its ability to add custom configurations. The high rating of 4.8 stars from 58 ratings suggests strong user satisfaction.

### Is Steel Sidekick free to use?

Yes, Steel Sidekick is available for free. The app does not have in-app purchases or advertisements, and there is no subscription fee.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.5 — 2022-03-21

• Updated the sound system used for playing notes
• Added new 12-string universal guitar copedents
• Fixed bugs

### 2.2 — 2018-02-15

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

Bug fixes for custom guitar editor.

### 2.1 — 2017-11-06

- added support for iPhone X
- added new chords

### 2.0 — 2016-12-16

• Lap steel guitar support added
• Updated user interface
• Support for custom pedal steel guitar copedents and lap steel guitar tunings

### 1.2 — 2014-10-11

added support for iOS 8

## Apps similar to Steel Sidekick

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [iStroboSoft](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/istrobosoft/id308296029) | 4.3 (298) | $9.99 | Music |
| [TEFpad](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tefpad/id517830471) | 4.2 (46) | $5.99 | Music |
| [Nashville Numbers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nashville-numbers/id1475438302) | 4.5 (101) | $9.99 | Music |
| [Steel Guitar PRO](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/steel-guitar-pro/id1619441235) | 4.5 (67) | $3.99 | Music |
| [SteelRadio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/steelradio/id6456440100) | 5.0 (3) | Free | Music |
| [Guitar: Fretboard Expert](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-fretboard-expert/id1601293040) | 4.5 (39) | Free | Music |

## Related topics

[pedal steel](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/pedal-steel) · [steel guitar pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/steel-guitar-pro) · [steel guitar](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/steel-guitar) · [seymour duncan hyperswitch](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/seymour-duncan-hyperswitch)

---

*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.*