# Suggester : Chords and Scales — Brilliant chord progressions > Tool for composing songs and chord progressions with harmonic function. (iPhone/iPad app by Mathieu Routhier.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/suggester-chords-and-scales/id504740787 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Mathieu Routhier](https://appshunter.io/developer/369283978) - Category: Music, Productivity, Music - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.79/5 from 2,098 App Store ratings · 114 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 97 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2012-03-12 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/suggester-chords-and-scales/id504740787/reviews.md ## What is Suggester? Suggester is a tool for writing songs and chord progressions. This app will help you find chords that work together. It is efficient and fun; use it to build musical phrases that will carry emotion through tension and release. Select chords for their harmonic function. The app makes full use of the roman numeral notation. Simply touch a chord to hear how it sounds. Press the play button to hear the chord progression sequentially and adjust the playback speed. You can work either forward or backward: FORWARD - Pick a scale, then build your song from the chords that the app suggests. That's the quickest way to assemble chords that are compatible. BACKWARD - From the catalog, pick a set of chords that you like. The app will tell you what scales it matches with. After you have selected the scale you want to use, the app can tell you what chords will fit in with the ones you entered before. That is extremely useful in jam sessions! Pick chords and scales from our huge catalog. To go even further, you can create your own custom scales and custom chords. To spice things up, you can borrow chords from parallel scales. Explore new territories by using modulation. Browse the classic chord progressions to find inspiration. Use Drag and Drop to reorder chords. Hold your finger on an item for a second to start the drag operation. On iPad, you can also drag chords directly from the suggestions to anywhere in your progression. Tap the note button on the left to change the duration. Swipe a chord from right to left to delete it. Export your songs as audio, MIDI or text. Every sound generated with the app is also sent to the MIDI output, configurable in the Options. You can route these notes to another app on your device, an external MIDI port, or remotely to another computer by setting up a MIDI Network Session. You can trigger chords through the MIDI input. Use drag and drop between apps! ChordPadX and Suggester can communicate through drag and drop. You can also drag pads and chords into another app if it supports MIDI drag and drop. Sync up your tempo with other apps with the help of Ableton Link. You can choose between the english notation (C, D, E) and the fixed-do notation (do, re, mi). In the free version, some of these features are locked. Reach full productivity by purchasing a Full Unlock or a Feature Pack. You only need to buy it once for all your iOS devices. To unlock your purchase on another device, select "Restore Purchases" in the Options. The macOS version is sold separately. Instruments: • Piano • Electric Piano • Vintage Electric Piano • Organ • Strings • Guitar Chromatic Harmony Devices: • Secondary dominant chords • Secondary leading-tone chords • Tritone substitution • Neapolitan chord • Augmented sixth chords (Italian, French, German) • Borrowed chords • Modulation Scale Types : • Major (Ionian) • Natural Minor (Aeolian) • Dorian • Phrygian • Lydian • Mixolydian • Locrian • Harmonic Minor • Harmonic Major • Jazz Minor • Minor Blues • Major Blues • Prometheus • Augmented • Diminished • Neapolitan Major • Neapolitan Minor • Persian • Double Harmonic Major • Altered Dominant • Pentatonic Major • Pentatonic Minor • and more! Chord Types : • major triad (maj) • minor triad (m) • power chord (5) • dominant 7th (7) • minor 7th (m7) • major 7th (M7) • minor major seventh (mMaj7) • half-diminished seventh (m7b5) • 9th (9) • minor 9th (m9) • major 9th (Maj9) • minor major 9th (mMaj9) • diminished (dim) • augmented (aug) • suspended 2nd (sus2) • suspended 4th (sus4) • dominant eleventh (11) • minor eleventh (m11) • major eleventh (Maj11) • dominant thirteenth (13) • minor thirteenth (m13) • major thirteenth (Maj13) • and much more! Additional features: • Contains AudioUnit Extensions (Music Instrument and MIDI Processor). • Compatible with Ableton Link. • Support for the Dark Mode. • Support for drag and drop between apps. • Support for multitasking on iPad. ## Key features - Chord progression generation - Scale suggestions - Custom scale and chord creation - Audio, MIDI, and text export - MIDI input/output support - Ableton Link tempo sync - Drag and drop chord reordering ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Full Unlock | $16.99 | one-time | | Essentials Pack | $12.99 | one-time | | MIDI Pack | $5.99 | one-time | | Medium Tip | $1.99 | one-time | | Large Tip | $4.99 | one-time | | Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time | | Huge Tip | $9.99 | one-time | ## What do users think of Suggester? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Useful for composing and exploring chords - 👍 Intuitive and easy to use - 🎶 Helps with music theory and understanding chords - 💾 Ability to export MIDI files - 🎹 Great for sketching ideas on the go **Cons** - 🔊 Lack of volume control, app is too loud - 🐛 Bugs and issues with functionality not working - 💰 Some features locked behind paywall **Commonly reported bugs** - Jumping to top of screen every 10 seconds - Crashing and errors when trying to create new documents **Most requested features** - Add ability to change time signatures within a song - Option to include all inversions of chords - Keyboard to modify chords (add/subtract notes, spread notes) - Horizontal chord player instead of vertical - Drop down to see all saved files - Add more scale options like melodic minor and harmonic minor - Allow transposing compositions - Add option to arpeggiate sections - Provide rhythm options to change timing ## Recent user reviews (10 of 114) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/suggester-chords-and-scales/id504740787/reviews.md ### 4/5 — This a fab app but... *2024-06-15* 4 stars as it lacks a volume control. it's sooo loud in comparison to other audio apps ### 5/5 — Stellar tool for composing *2023-12-03* Love it ### 2/5 — Nothing seems to work *2023-09-22* Touching the + button as instructed does nothing. Contacting support feature also does not work. So can’t use the app at all. 2 stars are for a good conceptual idea. **Developer response:** Hi! First you need to pick a location for creating your document. By default, a folder on iCloud is created for you. If you don’t want to use iCloud, that’s fine too. You can select a different location by using the browse tab. ### 5/5 — Best music writing app for all platforms *2023-03-11* I cannot say much more than that. This is the best music writing app on all platforms. I’m not talking DAWS or effects or this or that. I am talking about writing, arranging, finding chords. If you are weak in music theory but can hear your song in your head, this is a must. Great for learning and growing. And it seems better than the last time I used it. As well, I got the message it’s been expanded basically to all platforms. I started with iOS (iPad, iPhone) BUT I will be buying for desktop. More than likely eventually OSX and Windows version. Please support this developer. This is so much better than anything out there. So full of value. I can basically write a whole song and than export the near final version, and use another DAW for the “flavouring” thank you! ### 5/5 — Buy immediately! *2023-03-04* As a typical amateur muso’ I know bits of theory and have read much which I didn’t really absorb. This app has turned theory into practice, I hear and I finally understand. Secondary dominants, leading tone, tri tone subs etc., all right there. Could we have ii/? to go with the V/? That may be an illiterate question, but I’m getting there. Brilliant app, buy > upgrade > experiment > understand (or don’t). ### 5/5 — Really useful for composing and theory *2023-02-22, version 14.1.0* This is probably the most useful chord app for writing songs and exploring chord substitutions. Wish List: 1. Option to include sections with all the inversions of the triad and 7th chords so I don’t have to click through the gui to add inversions. 2. Keyboard to modify the chords - add or subtract notes or spread notes through the keyboard. 3. Horizontal rather vertical chord player. (This might be difficult given the current design.) 4. Drop down from an open state to see all the available saved files. ### 4/5 — My favorite music app… one small thing *2022-12-23, version 14.1.0* I would love the option to switch time signatures within a song (even if it’s just between sections) - that’s the only real issue. Other than that this is my favorite music app and there’s a reason I’ve used it for years! ### 5/5 — Top quality. *2022-12-01* Awesome app. So glad to see PC version released. If purchased here can we have access to PC? Thank you ### 5/5 — Very useful songwriting tool *2022-11-27* Easy to use and navigate. Good way to start off songs. The ability to export the MIDI file is very useful. As a professional music producer I find this a very useful tool. ### 5/5 — Had it for years *2022-10-20* It just keeps getting better! ## Frequently asked questions about Suggester ### What does Suggester do? Suggester is a tool designed to help musicians write songs and create chord progressions. It assists in finding chords that work well together, building musical phrases, and exploring harmonic functions using Roman numeral notation. You can also hear chords and progressions played back. ### How can I find chords that work together? The app offers two primary methods: 'Forward' allows you to pick a scale and then suggests compatible chords to build your song. 'Backward' lets you select chords you like from a catalog, and the app will identify matching scales and suggest chords that fit with your selections. ### Is Suggester free to use? The app offers a free version with some features locked. To access all functionalities and reach full productivity, you can purchase a 'Full Unlock' or a 'Feature Pack'. This purchase is a one-time buy for all your iOS devices. ### What are the export options? You can export your created songs in multiple formats, including audio, MIDI, and text. The app also sends generated sounds to MIDI output, which can be configured to route to other apps, external MIDI ports, or remotely to another computer via MIDI Network Session. ### What musical instruments are included? The app includes a selection of instruments to generate sounds with, such as Piano, Electric Piano, Vintage Electric Piano, Organ, Strings, and Guitar. These can be used to hear your chord progressions and compositions. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 14.1.11 — 2024-01-17 On first launch, an invitation to get Suggester 2 is displayed. ### 14.1.10 — 2023-06-07 Added a mention of Suggester 2 in the store. ### 14.1.9 — 2023-05-15 Added an announcement for Suggester 2. ### 14.1.8 — 2023-05-09 Resolved an issue with the flow of the tutorial. ### 14.1.5 — 2023-03-13 Resolved an issue with drag and drop. ## Apps similar to Suggester | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [NextChord: Chord Suggestions](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nextchord-chord-suggestions/id1492756938) | 4.7 (641) | Free | Music | | [Auto-Key \| Music key detection](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/auto-key-music-key-detection/id1559061303) | 3.9 (87) | Free | Music | | [Song Memo](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/song-memo/id1459218009) | 4.5 (428) | Free | Music | ## More apps by Mathieu Routhier - [Mooncast](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mooncast/id473165402) - [ChordPadX](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chordpadx/id1448344704) - [ChordShapes : Guitar Chords](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chordshapes-guitar-chords/id1570684582) - [Suggester 2 : Chords & Scales](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/suggester-2-chords-and-scales/id6448964737) - [ChordPadX 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chordpadx-2/id6503992536) All apps by Mathieu Routhier: https://appshunter.io/developer/369283978 --- *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 2026-06-10.*