Comparison

Scales & Modes vs Tenuto

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

Head to head
About

Scales & Modes

Explore diatonic scales and modes with interactive visual and audio references. View notes on a musical staff, see fingerings for keyboard and guitar, and listen to scales in any key. Additional instrument fingerings are available via in-app purchase.

Highlights
  • Visual staff notation
  • Audio playback of scales
  • Keyboard fingerings
  • Guitar fingerings
  • Diatonic scale reference
  • Mode exploration
Features
Read full description

Scales & Modes is an interactive visual and audio reference for the diatonic scales and modes that are fundamental in music theory. View major and minor modes on the musical staff, see fingerings for both keyboard and guitar, and listen to the scales note by note, in any key. Violin and bass guitar fingerings are also available as an in app purchase add on. Diatonic musical scales and modes are one of the fundamental concepts of Western music theory. But the large number of scales makes learning and remembering them difficult. Scales & Modes is a handy mobile reference guide for viewing and listening to a large number scales and modes, including all the modes of the major, natural minor, and harmonic minor scales. Select a root note and a scale to display the notes of the scale on the musical staff, and click “Play Scale” to listen. Select the Keyboard or Guitar tabs (or Violin and Bass after an in app purchase) to view fingering diagrams for the scale on those instruments, and press the info button to see more detail about constructing the scale.

About

Tenuto

Enhance your musicality with a comprehensive suite of 24 customizable theory exercises and six essential musical calculators. Practice note and chord identification, ear training, and construct musical elements. Tools include accidentals, intervals, scales, chords, analysis symbols, and twelve-tone matrices.

Highlights
  • 24 customizable theory exercises
  • Note and chord identification
  • Ear training for intervals and scales
  • Musical construction exercises
  • Accidental calculator
  • Interval calculator
  • Chord calculator
Read full description

Tenuto is a collection of 24 highly-customizable exercises designed to enhance your musicality. From recognizing chords on a keyboard to identifying intervals by ear, it has an exercise for you. Tenuto also includes six musical calculators for accidentals, intervals, scales, chords, analysis symbols, and twelve-tone matrices. A short description of the exercises and calculators follows. –––––– • Note Identification • Key Signature Identification • Interval Identification • Scale Identification • Chord Identification Tap the button corresponding to the written staff line. For example: if shown a C, E, and G with a sharp; tap the "Augmented Triad" button. –––––– • Note Construction • Key Signature Construction • Interval Construction • Scale Construction • Chord Construction Construct the specified label by moving notes and/or adding accidentals. For example: if shown a C and an "Augmented 4th" label, move the second note to F and add a sharp. –––––– • Keyboard Reverse Identification Tap the piano key corresponding to the written note on the staff. While similar to Note Identification, this exercise uses a piano keyboard rather than note name buttons. • Keyboard Note Identification • Keyboard Interval Identification • Keyboard Scale Identification • Keyboard Chord Identification Tap the button corresponding to the highlighted piano key(s). If the C and G keys are highlighted, tap the "P5" (Perfect 5th) button. –––––– • Fretboard Note Identification • Fretboard Interval Identification • Fretboard Scale Identification • Fretboard Chord Identification Tap the button corresponding to the marked fretboard position(s). If the 2nd fret of the D string is marked, tap the "E" button. –––––– • Keyboard Ear Training • Note Ear Training Listen to the played reference and question notes. Select the piano key or note button corresponding to the question note. • Interval Ear Training • Scale Ear Training • Chord Ear Training Tap the button corresponding to the played notes. If E and F are played, tap the "Minor 2nd" button. –––––– • Accidental Calculator Display the accidental for a note and key. • Interval Calculator Display the interval for a note, type, and key. • Chord Calculator Display the scale for a tonic and scale type. • Chord Calculator Display the chord for a note, type, and key. • Analysis Calculator Display the chord for a symbol and key. • Matrix Calculator Display the twelve-tone matrix for a specified tone row.

Screenshots

Scales & Modes4 screens
Tenuto4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tenuto at none against Scales & Modes's 1. Tenuto also leads on ratings volume (668 vs 13) and review sentiment (94% vs 74%). Scales & Modes's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 15.8). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Scales & Modes costs $1.99 and Tenuto $4.99 up front. Scales & Modes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Tenuto asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tenuto holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tenuto has 668 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Scales & Modes's written reviews are positive against 94% of Tenuto's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scales & Modes ships an update every 4 months, Tenuto every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Scales & Modes versus Tenuto: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScales & ModesTenuto
Price$1.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.5 (13 ratings)4.7 (668 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.1% of reviews94.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings13668 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#6 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS10.3 — better15.8
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSmappsoftmusictheory.net

Customer experience

Scales & Modes

All ratings13 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral7.7%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive74.1%
Neutral12.9%
Negative12.9%

Tenuto

All ratings652 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral2.0%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews354 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral3.1%
Negative2.8%

Bugs and requests

Scales & Modes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Tenuto

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Sound cuts out
  • Unresponsive at times
  • Freezes up
  • Doesn't work well for guitar
  • Incorrect chord/key associations

Requested features

20 requests
  • Cadences and inversions for ear training
  • Chord progressions for ear training
  • Melodic and harmonic minor modes for scale recognition
  • 6th, 9th, 11th and 13th chord extensions for chord recognition
  • Melodic dictation
Show 15 more
  • Rhythm exercises
  • Fretboard reverse identification
  • Chord inversions for chord identification
  • Scales written on staff using various clefs
  • Rhythm, melodic, and harmonic dictation exercises
  • Part writing exercises
  • Exercises for form, cadences, etc.
  • MIDI support
  • Autoplay function
  • Ability to input notes/chords on fretboard
  • Chord progression ear training
  • Inversion options for chord and interval identification
  • Melodic and harmonic minor scale identification
  • Extended chord identification
  • Rhythmic dictation

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Scales & Modes

One-time1
  • Violin & Bass Add-on$0.99
None

Tenuto

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scales & Modes free?
Scales & Modes costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Tenuto free?
Tenuto costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Scales & Modes or Tenuto?
Tenuto is rated higher. Scales & Modes averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Tenuto averages 4.7 from 668 ratings.
Do Scales & Modes or Tenuto have ads?
Neither Scales & Modes nor Tenuto shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scales & Modes or Tenuto?
Scales & Modes ships an update every 4 months, and Tenuto every 3 months. Most recently, Scales & Modes was updated on November 6, 2026 and Tenuto on November 6, 2026.

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