# Tunebook for iPad > ABC music notation viewer and player for traditional folk tunes. (iPhone/iPad app by JH Labs.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tunebook-for-ipad/id368413919 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [JH Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/310492509) - Category: Music, Entertainment - Price: Free (on sale, was $1.99) - Rating: 4.60/5 from 11 App Store ratings · 44 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 17+ - Requires: iOS 9.0 · 32 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2010-05-20 - Data updated: 2026-07-30 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tunebook-for-ipad/id368413919/reviews.md ## What is Tunebook for iPad? Tunebook for iPad is now identical to the Tunebook application - don't buy both! I keep both on the App Store because it's not possible to provide an upgrade path to a single app without forcing some users to pay twice. Tunebook is a viewer for music expressed in the ABC format. ABC is a simple text-based notation for music and many thousands of tunes are freely available in this format on the Web. ABC is also supported by many music applications. See http://abc.sourceforge.net/ for more details on the ABC format. The format is primarily geared towards traditional folk music where tunes are short and fit on a single page. Tunebook allows you to import files in the ABC format from websites into its database. You can then list the tunes, search for tunes by words in the title, by key and by time signature. Selecting a tune will display it in musical notation and allow you to play it in a variety of voices. You can also create tunebooks to organize your tune collection. Tunebook is based on the well-known abc2ps application, fluidsynth, and the GeneralUser GS soundfont. It is licensed under the GPL. The source code is available from http://www.jhlabs.com/tunebook. ## Key features - ABC format music viewer - Import tunes from websites - Search tunes by title, key, time signature - Display musical notation - Play tunes with various voices - Organize tunes into tunebooks ## Recent user reviews (10 of 44) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tunebook-for-ipad/id368413919/reviews.md ### 1/5 — This app doesn’t work - tunes can’t be imported *2024-11-16, version 3.1.17* This app is completely useless. There are no options for adding tunes to a Tunebook. In short it allows you to add a Tunebook title and nothing else. ### 4/5 — Love it! *2024-07-15, version 3.1.17* Would love to see an update. This is one of the better ABC apps in the Apple sphere. It would be a real shame to see it abandoned. ### 1/5 — Abandoned. 5yrs since last update *2024-06-16, version 3.1.17* Almost impossible to import ABC Files ### 5/5 — I use this all the time *2021-07-11, version 3.1.17* Like the title says, I use this all the time. It is very handy when I am learning something new and want something to play along with. I am sorry the developer seems to be having trouble with the App Store ### 4/5 — Almost there *2021-01-09, version 3.1.17* I actually have v3.2.17 (3.1.17 listed as latest.) It pretty much does everything I want it to, and the ability to change instruments is a plus. My main beef—I cannot select Tunebook as an “Open In” option when downloading an abc file. I can save it anywhere else, including Tabledit, but not Tunebook. I’m sure there is a simple workaround, but it’s just odd that an app whose sole purpose is to read and create abc files is not recognized by iOS as an associated app. Otherwise, it’s a pretty well designed and stable app. ### 5/5 — Great App for Organizing your Tuneage!! *2020-02-06, version 3.1.17* This is sooo much better an app for organizing your fiddle tunes than TunePal, though that app obviously has its place too. You can also back up your tunes via Tunebook using Itunes file share which I learned from the designer who happens to be not only a brilliant app designer but also a really nice guy! Once youve saved your tune list file to your desktop you can retrieve and add to another ios device etc. Buy this!! ### 5/5 — Great app! *2019-09-03, version 3.1.17* This is a great app. Works just like it says. But there are a few little tricks that aren't obvious. First, there's only one copy of each tune. The Tunebooks are just different views (catalogs) of the full collection. So, you can create temporary Tunebooks for setlists, favorites, or whatever. Just never delete the tunes, or they'll be gone. Second, you can create a new tune manually by using the + button in the All Tunes list. Third, Tunebook appears in the share menu for a text file in any other app. This lets you import ABC files from other apps, cloud servers, etc. ### 5/5 — An essential tool *2019-03-12, version 3.1.17* I have been using Tunebook for several years. It keeps getting better and more essential to my life as a musician. I focus on Irish traditional music. There are written versions for many tunes readily available on the web. Locally we play our own versions. So it is very enabling to be able to get a version from the web, customize it to reflect our local version, and then share it with friends. Now days it is very well connected to other apps so it is easy to share via email or text. I highly recommend Tunebook to anyone interested in Irish Trad. ### 4/5 — great app. *2018-01-01, version 3.2.14* Excellent app. I am using it with dropbox. Would be 5 stars but some abc is not implemented. e.g K:Dphr^F for hijaz mode. Also some ornamations. ### 5/5 — A must-have app for any musician *2017-01-02, version 3.2.12* Dump all your paper sheet music and have all of your tunes, and limitless others with you wherever you go. I still see people lugging notebooks full of paper sheet music at all the jams and sessions I go to. Tunebook eliminates the need for that and does much more besides. The built-in player is extremely flexible and provides the ability to hear any tune with any mix of instruments and orchestration, at any speed you like, which is a godsend for tunes with complex broken rhythms or odd meters. Plug your ipad into your stereo and play along with tunes with accompaniment to help you get your playing up to speed. If you don't already know how to work with ABC notation, you can learn all you need to know in a few minutes and the you can use this app to store and help develop any new tunes or songs you write or pick up at jam sessions. It's very intuitive and this app gives you instant access to hundreds of thousands of traditional tunes even if you aren't ABC savvy. I can't say enough good things about this app, if you play music, you need it! ## Frequently asked questions about Tunebook for iPad ### What is Tunebook for iPad? Tunebook for iPad is an application designed to view and play music written in the ABC format. This format is a simple text-based notation commonly used for traditional folk music. The app allows you to import, organize, search, and listen to thousands of tunes available online. ### What are the key features of Tunebook for iPad? Key features include importing ABC music files from websites, searching tunes by title, key, or time signature, displaying tunes in musical notation, playing the tunes with various voices, and organizing your collection into custom tunebooks. ### Is Tunebook for iPad free to use? Based on the provided information, Tunebook for iPad is a paid application. There is no mention of in-app purchases or advertisements, indicating a one-time purchase model. ### What kind of music can I view and play with this app? The app is primarily geared towards traditional folk music, which often consists of short tunes that fit on a single page. However, it can display and play any music expressed in the ABC format. ### How do I get music into Tunebook for iPad? You can import tunes in the ABC format directly from websites into the app's database. The app then stores these tunes, allowing you to access and manage them within the application. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.1.17 — 2019-03-11 * Rebuilt with Xcode 10.1 in order to work correctly with new iPad Pro models. * Fixed the order of tune parts when playing back multiple tunes at once. ### 3.1.16 — 2018-08-06 Fixed the layout of the editing panes when the keyboard is shown on iPhone. Added support for the Q: field in ABC files for changing tune tempo. ### 3.1.15 — 2018-07-01 Minor bug fixes. Fixed a problem with character encoding when editing tunes. You can now type accented characters directly into tunes again. Allow the Web browser to access unsecured sites in its preset bookmarks. Fixed a bug in the handling of page-turning pedals. Fixed some layout issues in the Web browser so it works properly on iPhone as well as iPad. Fixed some layout issues for iPhone X. ### 3.2.14 — 2017-04-25 Fixed the parsing of non Latin1 characters when editing a tune. Fixed a bug where Tunebook didn't redisplay the last viewed tune when started up (iPhone only). ### 3.2.13 — 2017-01-02 Fixes a problem where the keyboard shortcuts bar would appear and hide the main toolbar. ## Apps similar to Tunebook for iPad | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Loop Maker - Create Music Fast](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loop-maker-create-music-fast/id6479720055) | 4.5 (8) | Free | Music | | [Worship Backing Band for iPad](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/worship-backing-band-for-ipad/id1279570191) | 3.1 (7) | $19.99 | Music | | [AudioKit Digital D1 Synth](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/audiokit-digital-d1-synth/id1436905540) | 4.8 (2,007) | Free | Music | | [Beat Maker - loops & drum pad](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beat-maker-loops-and-drum-pad/id979117778) | 4.4 (28) | $3.99 | Music | | [Tunepal](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tunepal/id356935033) | 3.0 (45) | Free | Music | ## More apps by JH Labs - [Tunebook](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tunebook/id310492506) All apps by JH Labs: https://appshunter.io/developer/310492509 --- *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 2026-07-30.*