# Tunebook for iPad — user reviews > 44 indexed App Store user reviews of Tunebook for iPad by JH Labs, rated 4.60/5 from 11 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tunebook-for-ipad/id368413919/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tunebook-for-ipad/id368413919.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 9 · 4★ 1 · 3★ 0 · 2★ 1 · 1★ 0 ## Newest reviews (12 of 44) ### 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 — Update makes it even better *2014-05-06, version 3.2.3* I’m using this every day to explore different tunes, and remind me of ones I’m learning. the transpose function makes it easier for me on my hurdy gurdy, the developer is responsive and sorts out any niggles ### 5/5 — Fantastic! *2014-02-26, version 3.2* This app is no doubt the best app anyone interested in playing music can own. Tunebook has always worked well, with the ability to import large abc files and sort them according to index, title, key, or meter. Jerry, the app's developer, added a Transpose Key feature in the previous update which I have found to be enormously helpful. The recent update makes this app even nicer. The file management improvements are fantastic. You now longer have to be afraid of clogging up your library with a bunch of tunes that you might not like. Just download them to a tunebook folder, preview them and remove the ones you want to keep, then delete the folder to trash the remaining files. Also the multiple delete and other changes recently made to the app are quit useful. Lloyd ### 5/5 — Excellent app! *2013-12-10, version 3.1* Once you start working with Tunebook, there's no turning back! It's fast, flexible and easy to use. With the new update, it even transposes! If you're sick of lugging tons of paper around, this app is for you! ### 5/5 — Fantastic app for traditional musicians *2013-12-10, version 3.1* This is not the first app I've bought to store, interpret, edit and generally manipulate abc files but it does virtually everything I want. Tune sets at sessions are often on pages from here and there and some have errors or are poor reproductions. Tunebook provides a great way to get rid of these problems. Tune collections always have tunes that are hard to get going on even for skilled sight readers so Tunebook's MIDI playback with speed and voicing choices gives a hand. Even tunes you are learning can be played along to helping build up speed and feel. Exporting your own Tunebooks as PDF files lets you print out what you want, how you want it to look and sized for your eyes! I've imported several abc collections (O'Neill's, Phil Hardy's etc) so have a huge library of tunes. The search facility finds individual tunes faster than you could in any book. Sets can be compiled quickly and even a quick screen capture on the iPad gives you a series of pics in your Photo Album to play from. The only thing missing is a transpose option but that could be in the pipelines or just a matter of looking online for the right site. All traditional musos with iPads should give the developers a standing ovation and then buy the App. Eamon Spillane Melbourne, Australia Dec 2013 update - New design looks fantastic and is easier to use. Best of all we now have inApp transpose. I've been waiting for this. Very happy. ### 5/5 — Really useful *2013-12-10, version 3.1* Imports tunes from The Session easily. Am looking forward to using this more ### 4/5 — Just needs a favoriting system *2013-11-29, version 3.0.1* As a traditional Irish whistle, flute, and fiddle player, this app has been invaluable. The ability to store the massive number of tunes available in ABC format for easy reference has been welcome. However, with so many tunes at one's disposal, the size of the library becomes an impediment. Most players will be working on a small number of tunes. There is no easy way to create such a list other than copying and pasting the ABC source for the tune into a new list, a cumbersome process at best. This app would benefit tremendously from the ability to add tunes to a favorites list, or at least a way to quickly copy a tune to a new or existing list. ### 5/5 — Favorite app *2013-06-23, version 3.0.1* This is by far my favorite app! I rely on this to recall tunes I know and to practice with! ### 4/5 — Latest is greatest *2013-03-01, version 3.0* Ok this latest update is great, ability to create new tunes, ability to create books when importing multiple tunes, quick edit buttons great, export to PDF great I bought the craic only a couple of days ago because of its then better editing, this version of TuneBook is now a lot better, especially in its interpretation of abc notation. ### 5/5 — Great app, great support *2013-01-14, version 2.6.1* This is a great app to listen to or edit folk tunes via ABC music code. I use it to help with my tin whistle practice. There is a wealth of folk tunes on the web that have been coded via ABC and it really is a simple notation to learn. The developer was very quick to respond to a problem I had with the app. MAny thanks for this little gem of an app that brings sheet music of great folk tunes alive on my iPad. ### 5/5 — Fine app for players of irish trad music *2013-01-08, version 2.6* Diese app ist wirklich einfach zu bedienen und bietet (fast) alles, was man als Folk-Musiker so braucht. Tunes im abc Format sind schnell importiert, und lassen sich in Tunebooks sortieren. Hinterlegte Akkorde werden auch abgespielt, doch leider vom eingestellten Solo-Instrument. Hier sollte nachgebessert werden und für die Akkorde ein separates Instrument eingestellt werden können. Es klingt nicht wirklich gut, wenn die Flöte auch als Akkordbegleitung aufspielt. Dies wäre mein dringlichster Wunsch für ein Update. Ach ja, die Möglichkeit, Sets von Tunes zusammenzustellen wäre auch noch ein Wunsch! Das letzte Update ist ja leider schon ewig her :-( ### 5/5 — Great entertainment and learning aid *2012-09-26, version 2.6* Well though out and designed app. Use it daily and never had a crash. Great on retina display. I am learning a banjo and fiddle in Irish trad style and this app is great supplement in and to my classes. The only extra I would like is a count or lead in to the start of playing a piece of music for accompaniment. You cannot get the first couple of notes in from pressing the start icon. Again a great app. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 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. ### 1/5 — Abandoned. 5yrs since last update *2024-06-16, version 3.1.17* Almost impossible to import ABC Files ### 1/5 — V2.5.5 force closes *2010-11-30, version 0* When trying to get the app to play the tunes it force closes, don't update ### 2/5 — Be nice if it actually played the tune *2012-02-04, version 2.6* Nice interface, and really great to be able to go to thesession.org and grab a traditional tune from within the interface. However, it's fairly useless to me if it doesn't play the tune. I can read music in a basic way, but I learn by ear, and so the whole point of ABC notation for me is to have a player so I can get the tune in my head. There's a play button in Tunepal, and an instrument selector, but when I press that play button, all I get is silence. Not sure if there is other software I need, like a media player, or if the play button is simply not hooked up. It'd be a real nice piece of software if it played the tune. As it is, it was a waste of money for me. ### 3/5 — Tunebook *2012-11-13, version 2.6* It's a great app, very useful but... It's stopped playing the tunes and I can't find any support beyond the web site. Also, some problems playing long notes and it won't play 2 voices. Being able to bookmark websites in the in app search engine would be useful. Andy Hornby ### 3/5 — Great APP but does not play *2012-09-24, version 2.6* Great for composing tunes, but the Play component no longer works and there is no one to contact. Disappointing. ### 3/5 — display is nice but audio doesn *2012-09-23, version 2.6* As noted by another, the midi feature doesn't seem to work. The display of ABC files is nice and the import/email features seem quite powerful.. Built-in editing. I'm sure I'll use it, but I find playback helpful to quickly screen things -- I'm a slow sight reader. ### 3/5 — Good in parts *2012-07-30, version 2.6* It's a pity this app is so flawed, the concept is great and generally it works well but if you get a problem like I do (intermittent playback failure) there is no help and no contact available. Also I find it tricky to organise if you want to find the next tune in a set quickly. ### 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. ### 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. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 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 ### 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. ### 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! ### 5/5 — Great tool for session and practice *2015-11-06, version 3.2.11* Love the app! ### 5/5 — Works as advertised, great app, worth every penny! *2015-02-13, version 3.2.7* Great app! ABC tunes can be played, edited and exported to MIDI, ABC, and PDF. IMHO this is an extremely good ABC notation app for iOS. A general MIDI set of reasonably good sounding instruments is included with the app. I recommend this to everyone who is seriously interested in entering music using a computer keyboard (and, of course, to all folk musicians). ### 5/5 — Simple yet elegant *2014-12-29, version 3.2.6* Renders my abc collections accurately and provides a decent playback. I find the edit interface to be easy to use with symbols readily available in a toolbar above the virtual keyboard. Easy access to cloud storage to import collections thru internal browser or start up the program's internal server to upload thru a browser. Easy and quick access to any tune within one collection or across all collections with search function and sorting by key, title or index. I have my collections rendered as PDF files also for use in Goodreader, but I find Tunebook to be much quicker for accessing the tunes. Playback of tunes with parts works correctly if you have i.e. P:ABC in the header of your tune as well as labeling each part in the tune body (P:A etc.). Best app on my ipad. ### 5/5 — Gets better and better... *2014-07-06, version 3.2.3* I am very happy with this app. I've been using this for quite a while and it runs very well. Easy to enter new tunes and edit existing ones, easy to download ABC files containing multiple tunes and easy to organize into individual tunebooks. The latest updates have been very useful. I have no complaints and I have no regrets in choosing this app. The idea of carrying all my fiddle tunes on my iPad is wonderful. One downside is that you cannot make "pencil-notes" on the sheet-music -- but that's asking a lot technically speaking. At a jam session I can look up a tune without having to rifle thru a fat non-alphabetized 3-ring binder for a tune. By the time I would find the tune it would be half over. Yesterday I downloaded 3 ABC files containing about 300 Irish fiddle tunes in total. Not only was the process fast and easy the app asked if I wanted the tunes put into 3 separate tunebooks. 5 Stars for this app! ### 5/5 — Great App *2014-05-27, version 3.2.3* I've been using it since it's beginning. I like being able to carry around my favorite music on my iPad instead of a big book. --- *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.*