Flamenco Explained vs Mandolin Chords by Ear
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Flamenco Explained
Learn flamenco guitar with a structured online platform. It offers over 900 video lessons on technique, rhythm, and styles, explaining the 'why' behind the music. Ideal for beginners and experienced guitarists new to flamenco.
- 900+ in-depth video lessons
- Structured learning path (The Camino)
- Technique, rhythm (compás), and styles (palos)
- Falseta construction and usage
- Downloadable notation and TABs
- Progress tracking
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Learn flamenco guitar online with a clear, structured approach Flamenco Explained is an online flamenco guitar learning platform for people who are new to flamenco — from complete beginners to experienced guitarists — who want to understand rhythm, technique, and structure, not just copy videos. A clear, step-by-step way to learn flamenco guitar without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. — WHAT IS FLAMENCO EXPLAINED Flamenco Explained is the most comprehensive flamenco guitar learning resource available, with 900+ in-depth video lessons covering: • Technique • Rhythm (compás) • Styles (palos) • Falsetas • Guided courses Flamenco can be taught, learned, and understood. Traditionally, flamenco guitar has been taught by rote — you sit with a teacher, copy what they play, and are told what to practice next, often without explanation. Flamenco Explained is inspired by that tradition, but goes further by clearly explaining how flamenco works, so you understand what you’re playing and why. The focus is not on mystique or gatekeeping, but on clarity, structure, and musical understanding. — NEW TO FLAMENCO DOESN’T MEAN NEW TO MUSIC Many members of Flamenco Explained already play guitar at a high level or have formal training in other musical traditions. Flamenco uses a unique rhythmic language and structure that is rarely explained clearly elsewhere. This platform was built to bridge that gap — which is why it’s used both by complete beginners and experienced musicians who are new to flamenco guitar. — A STRUCTURED LEARNING PATH: THE CAMINO If you’re new to flamenco or want strong foundations, you can follow The Camino — a guided learning path designed to take you step by step from the fundamentals to your first complete flamenco guitar solo. Along the way, you’ll learn: • Essential flamenco techniques • Core rhythmic forms (compás) • How falsetas are constructed and used • How everything fits together musically The Camino provides structure and direction, while still allowing you to move at your own pace. — A DEEP LIBRARY FOR FOCUSED LEARNING If you already have experience or want to work on specific topics, you can explore the library freely, including: • Technique breakdowns • Palos (flamenco forms) • Falsetas and solo material • Accompaniment concepts for singers and dancers • Topics rarely explained elsewhere Lessons are organized so you can study broadly or dive deep into exactly what you need. — YOUR SUBSCRIPTION INCLUDES • Access to 900+ high-quality flamenco guitar lessons • Downloadable music notation and TABs • HD video with multiple camera angles • Progress tracking so you can pick up where you left off • Community comments and feedback — Terms of Service: https://learn.flamencoexplained.com/tos Privacy Policy: https://learn.flamencoexplained.com/privacy
Mandolin Chords by Ear
Master mandolin chords and progressions quickly with a unique learning method. Learn to play songs in days or weeks, not years, with realistic musical context and a rich, inspiring mandolin sound.
- Unique learning method
- Learn chords and progressions
- Realistic musical context
- Fast learning curve
- Inspiring traditional sound
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Mandolin is a wonderful instrument that came to us from Italy. It retains that sublime musical character few other instrument can be compared to. Learn express yourself with this beautiful instrument in DAYS and WEEKS instead if YEARS. With our unique learning method you will accomplish just that! With this app we present to you the easiest, most fun and seamless way to learn mandolin chords and most prominent chord progressions in a realistic musical context. Part of the revolutionary ‘..by Ear’ series, this app provides you with the fastest way to learn all the chords and become fluent in playing the mandolin, also being able to transcribe real songs and their chord progressions on the fly, with all that in a matter of a week or two instead of years of practice. And many people after decades of playing still don’t possess this skill so no matter which level you are, you will be able to gain powerful results from this app. You will learn all the chords and all the most frequent chord progressions in one sweep, all that in a matter of days. This kind of skill takes many hours with a tutor and many hours of homework to master yet this app provides you with the most streamlined way to achieve that with powerful results in a matter of days. The good age-old Italian-made mandolin that is used for the sounds is very rich sounding and is very hard to come by so as a bonus you get this lash sound in your pocket and it is a very inspiring way to practice on your instrument in dialog with this beautiful traditional instrument.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Flamenco Explained at 98% against Mandolin Chords by Ear's 0%. Flamenco Explained also leads on price (Free vs $12.99) and rating (4.9 vs 1.0). Mandolin Chords by Ear's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.6). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Flamenco Explained is free to download; Mandolin Chords by Ear costs $12.99 up front. Flamenco Explained sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Mandolin Chords by Ear asks for nothing beyond the download.
Flamenco Explained holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flamenco Explained has 94 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 98% of Flamenco Explained's written reviews are positive against 0% of Mandolin Chords by Ear's.
Flamenco Explained ships an update every 4 months, Mandolin Chords by Ear every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Flamenco Explained | Mandolin Chords by Ear |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $12.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (94 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 97.5% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 94 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Paid — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 88 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Flamenco Explained LTD | Oleg Sokolov |
Customer experience
Flamenco Explained
Mandolin Chords by Ear
Bugs and requests
Flamenco Explained
Reported bugs
2 issues- App navigation is cumbersome and unintuitive
- Difficulty finding specific videos in the explore section
Requested features
6 requests- Improved app navigation and streamlined video access
- Music sheet notation and standard notation alongside videos
- More content for less popular flamenco styles like farruca
- Ability to resume courses after logging out
- Musician-dancer interaction content by palo
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- Better organization of videos in explore section
Mandolin Chords by Ear
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Flamenco Explained
- Flamenco Explained Monthly1 Month trial$19.991 Month
- Flamenco Explained Monthly7 Days trial$19.991 Month
- Flamenco Explained Yearly1 Month trial$199.991 Year
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- Flamenco Explained Yearly7 Days trial$199.991 Year
Mandolin Chords by Ear
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Flamenco Explained free?
Is Mandolin Chords by Ear free?
Which has better reviews, Flamenco Explained or Mandolin Chords by Ear?
Do Flamenco Explained or Mandolin Chords by Ear have ads?
Which is updated more often, Flamenco Explained or Mandolin Chords by Ear?
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