# Tunebook

> ABC music notation viewer and player for traditional folk tunes. (iPhone/iPad app by JH Labs.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tunebook/id310492506 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [JH Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/310492509)
- Category: Music
- Price: Free (on sale, was $1.99)
- Rating: 3.00/5 from 6 App Store ratings · 48 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 9.0 · 32 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2009-06-16
- Data updated: 2026-07-08
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tunebook/id310492506/reviews.md

## What is Tunebook?

Tunebook is now identical to the Tunebook for iPad 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 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 and abc2midi applications, and licensed under the GPL. The source code is available from http://www.jhlabs.com/tunebook.

## Key features

- ABC music format 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 48)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tunebook/id310492506/reviews.md

### 2/5 — Visiblement pas maintenu à jour

*2024-10-01, version 3.1.18*

Tres bonne idée, complémentaire de tunepal, pour trier facilement ses morceaux et même le regrouper en set. Malheureusement le play-back ne fonctionne pas donc imposs d’écouter les morceau (iphone 13 mini / iOS 17.6.1).
La dernière mise à jour de l’app date d’il y a 5 ans. Ce qui explique peut être l’obsolescence du développement

C’est étonnant qu’elle soit toujours sur l’AppStore si elle n’est pas compatible avec les derniers hardware / os

### 4/5 — Best Option Available

*2022-10-06, version 3.1.18*

Everyone in my fiddle group uses this and encourages newcomers to get it. It’s extremely handy and easy to edit (with some practice). I really wish I could create new songs from scratch. That would make it so much easier to add and share tunes with each other. Also not sure why I can’t just add a file that’s on my iPad (unless I’m missing something)

### 3/5 — Great but loses edita

*2021-08-20, version 3.1.18*

I use this app every and I love it when it works. A massive bug makes it lose edits to ABC tunes. I spent hours tweaking a few tunes last night, and this morning they all reverted to the previous version. Store backups of your edits elsewhere. It’s so frustrating.

### 5/5 — Excellent and intuitive!

*2020-09-07, version 3.1.18*

A great way to jot down a melody, listen to it, then save it as a MIDI file or PDF score, and print it too! The ability to use ABC notation is very convenient and intuitive. I’m not sure whether it’s just my phone but sometimes it doesn’t successfully save my edits, so I’m careful to copy my work as a text file before exiting the app.

### 3/5 — Tunebook Glitches

*2019-07-26, version 3.1.18*

I like this app but I find that I can only listen with my headphones in. It sometimes plays and sometimes not. 
Also the alignment in settings are all out.

### 5/5 — Really useful.

*2019-02-15, version 3.1.16*

Great for tune storage. Easy to access or search for tunes. Easy to edit the ABC notation. Sorting by title, meter, key. The import functions are nice, too, from thesession.org and other places, or from a local web server. All around, a well-done app.

### 5/5 — Really great app for musicians

*2018-11-24, version 3.1.16*

This app plays abc notation from a variety of solid sources. Music can be slowed down and played on a wide array of instruments. I have it on ipad(s) and iPhone for one purchase price. Brilliant value.

### 5/5 — sehr empfehlenswert

*2018-10-24, version 3.1.16*

Unterwegs Melodieideen einzugeben könnte nicht einfacher sein.
Das Druckbild der Partituren ist das beste aller abc-Programme die ich bislang getestet hab.
Perfekt würde die App durch icloud-Synchronisation.

### 4/5 — Exactly what I was looking for, and does it perfectly

*2018-07-08, version 3.1.15*

I would have given Tunebook five stars except I can’t edit the abc: the keyboard gets in the way so I can’t see what I’m editing, and I can’t move the text behind it into view. But I wasn’t looking for an abc editor, I was looking for something that would let me import, view and play abc files and this app does it perfectly.

### 3/5 — Needs iCloud sync

*2018-04-17, version 3.2.14*

App works well and is mature. The ability to search and find tunes on the web is great. 

But in this day and age I assume that whatever I do on my phone will be the same in my iPad and vice versa.  No so with this app. Anything I put in one place has to be manually moved/copies to the other.

## Frequently asked questions about Tunebook

### What is Tunebook?

Tunebook 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. It allows users to import, organize, search, and listen to thousands of tunes available online.

### What are the key features of Tunebook?

Key features include importing ABC music files from websites, listing and searching tunes by title, key, and time signature, displaying tunes in musical notation, playing tunes with various voices, and creating custom tunebooks to organize your collection.

### How much does Tunebook cost?

Based on the provided information, Tunebook is a paid application. There is no mention of free versions, subscriptions, or in-app purchases, indicating a one-time purchase model.

### What kind of music is Tunebook best for?

Tunebook is primarily geared towards traditional folk music, as the ABC format is well-suited for tunes that fit on a single page. However, it can be used for any music expressed in the ABC notation.

### Is Tunebook available on other platforms?

The description mentions that this application is identical to the Tunebook for iPad application. This suggests it is available on iOS devices, and the iPad version is specifically highlighted.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.1.18 — 2019-04-13

Fixed the internal Web browser hanging on bookmarked sites which don't use HTTPS.

### 3.1.17 — 2019-04-01

* 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).

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## More apps by JH Labs

- [Tunebook for iPad](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tunebook-for-ipad/id368413919)

All apps by JH Labs: https://appshunter.io/developer/310492509

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*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 2026-07-08.*