Comparison

B.L.A.C.K. vs Chordical

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

B.L.A.C.K.

Explore music with interactive audio controls. Isolate individual instruments, create custom mixes, and hear each part of a song distinctly. Access notation and video tutorials online.

Highlights
  • Isolate individual instruments
  • Create custom mixes
  • Select speaker outputs for tracks
  • Multiple play buttons
  • Highlighted active instruments
  • Access notation and tabs online
Features
Read full description

Music composed and performed by Ron Jarzombek Graphics by Ron Jarzombek IDE programming by Ron Jarzombek and Gurpreet Singh Matharoo Produced, mixed and engineered by Ron Jarzombek Midi programming by Ron Jarzombek Also available: 'BLACK - Eye', 'BLACK - Cat', 'BLACK - Widow' and 'BLACK - Tar' from various downloading/streaming outlets. Ron Jarzombek - - lead guitarist and composer of Blotted Science, Spastic Ink and WatchTower, as featured on the CDs… ‘Blotted Science – The Animation Of Entomology’, ‘Blotted Science – The Machinations Of Dementia’, ‘Spastic Ink – Ink Complete’, ‘Spastic Ink – Ink Compatible’, ‘Ron Jarzombek – Solitarily Speaking Of Theoretical Confinement’ 'Ron Jarzombek - PHHHP Plus!' ‘WatchTower – Control And Resistance’, 'WatchTower - Math Concepts: Book One' Other apps: 'Play The Name' 'Razor Blade Babies' a.k.a. 'Rabies' …having also recorded/performed live with Chris Adler (Lamb Of God), Marty Friedman (Megadeth), Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse), Jeff Loomis (Nevermore), Jens Johansson (Yngwie Malmsteen), Protest The Hero, Obscura, and Gordian Knot. - featured in Joel McIver's '100 Top Metal Guitarists' book (#32) ‘Beyond Life And Cosmic Kinetics' appears via the App 6 track audio player designed by Ron Jarzombek App 6 track operation  - Multiple Play buttons let you start from selected points in the song - Highlighted instruments indicate when tracks are active - Each track contains two "speaker" buttons which let you select which instrument you want to hear. You can hear each recorded part by itself or not at all. - The "speaker" buttons also alternate between two different recorded parts or instruments, allowing you various combinations of tracks. Possibilities and options... - Solo each track to hear exactly what is being played. - Create your own mix by choosing whatever tracks you want to hear. - Turn down the lead tracks to compose your own leads and melodies to the original rhythm tracks. - all notation and tab sheets for all tracks are avaiable at http://www.ronjarzombek.com/AppTabs.html - View video tutorial at www.ronjarzombek.com/Apps.html

About

Chordical

Read full description

Chordical is a flashcard-style tool for helping musicians practice and memorize their chords. You can select individual chords and chord qualities you'd like to practice or you can even try the new diatonic chord mode that cycles between random chords in the keys you've selected. Chordical also supports MIDI input, so you can use any MIDI instrument to practice (as long as it supports playing a chord!). The app also supports MIDI clock input so you can sync a backing track from a DAW with the app while you practice so things are a bit more fun. :)

Screenshots

B.L.A.C.K.4 screens
Chordical2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Chordical at daily against B.L.A.C.K.'s every 4 months. B.L.A.C.K.'s advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

B.L.A.C.K. ships an update every 4 months, Chordical daily. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
B.L.A.C.K. versus Chordical: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterB.L.A.C.K.Chordical
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size684 MB0 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRon JarzombekKyle Pointer

In-app purchases

None

B.L.A.C.K.

No in-app purchases

None

Chordical

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is B.L.A.C.K. free?
B.L.A.C.K. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chordical free?
Chordical is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do B.L.A.C.K. or Chordical have ads?
Neither B.L.A.C.K. nor Chordical shows ads.
Which is updated more often, B.L.A.C.K. or Chordical?
B.L.A.C.K. ships an update every 4 months, and Chordical daily. Most recently, B.L.A.C.K. was updated on October 6, 2026 and Chordical on October 2, 2026.

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