Hooktheory I vs Chord Memory Board
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hooktheory I
Learn to craft melodies and chord progressions like a pro with interactive lessons and audiovisual examples from popular songs. This app provides an intuitive understanding of music theory, with practical exercises and a companion sketchpad for immediate practice.
- Learn chord progressions
- Compose melodies
- Audiovisual examples
- Interactive exercises
- Song dissection
- Music theory concepts
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Embark on a musical journey! Follow the Hooktheory Book Series in a smart, fun, skill-building journey. Learn how to craft melodies and chord progressions like professional musicians, and discover an intuitive and deep understanding of how music works. Validated by over 30,000 hobby and pro musicians like you, the Hooktheory Book Series is the best-selling how-to series for musicians around the world for a reason. Hooktheory I isn’t like other music theory books. Hooktheory teaches with an easy-to-understand music format that emphasizes chord and melody function. Rich audiovisual animations play along as you learn. We dissect popular songs and show you how the pros do it. Immediately practice concepts and tactics with our companion musical sketchpad, Hookpad. There is nothing else like it! Fun to read. Easy to understand. Full of practical knowledge. Learn from 41 interactive exercises and 88 audiovisual examples from artists like The Beatles, Journey, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Adele, Coldplay, Billy Joel, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Maroon 5, and more! In Hooktheory I, you’ll learn the following skills: • Composing music based on a scale. • Understanding the six basic chords that underlie all great chord progressions. • Writing chord progressions based on function (understanding which chords go together and which ones don’t) • Making melodies “chord aware” - learn why certain melodies sound good with a chord progression and why others don't • Controlling the natural tension and release in melodies over a chord progression Benefits: • Simple piano roll notation (sheet music knowledge not required) • Every concept + technique demonstrated through an actual song • 88 audiovisual examples from artists like The Beatles, Journey, and Taylor Swift • Reinforce learning at every step with 41 exercises • Designed to be used with Hookpad Music Making Software. Hookpad lets you practice every concept and tactic you learn in the books immediately To sum it up, Hooktheory I will teach you the essential basic techniques for crafting effective and compelling chord progressions and melodies. Reading Hooktheory I doesn’t require any previous music knowledge or the ability to read sheet music. On average, it takes about five hours to read so it isn't a huge time commitment. Dedicate only a few hours to reading this book and gain a lifetime of skills that will give your music that professional edge.
Chord Memory Board
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"Chord Memory" is a chord progression creation and practice support app designed for guitarists. Create chord progressions intuitively and check actual fingerings on the fretboard diagram. With the metronome feature, you can complete your practice by following the chord progression at your set tempo. [Key Features] - Audible Chord Library Includes basic chord forms. Check fingerings on the fretboard diagram and tap to play synthesized sounds to hear the chord. - Reverse Chord Finder Instantly identify chord names just by tapping fingerings on the fretboard. Solve "What chord is this?" in seconds, and even save the searched forms directly to your custom library. - Intuitive Chord Progression Creation Easily create and save chord progressions just by selecting root notes and chord types. Manage them in a list and recall them anytime. - Visual Fretboard Fingerings Visualize actual fingerings on the fretboard diagram, which chord names alone can't show. Switch between multiple positions and voicings with a single swipe. - Practical Practice with Metronome Automatically display the created progression sequentially in sync with the metronome (loop playback). Set the BPM (tempo) and beats freely to master chord change timing or use it as a chord guide for ad-lib practice. *Synthesized chord sounds can be played along with the click sound. - Tag Classification Organize your chord progressions by adding tags. Free users can create up to 3 tags, Plus users up to 100 tags. - Share Progressions Share your chord progressions as images, text, or MIDI files. For MIDI file export, free users are limited to 3 times per day. - Suggestions for New Ideas [Plus Feature] Provides recommendations for the next chord based on music theory and suggests song titles that perfectly match the mood of your track. Includes an audio preview feature to hear suggested chords before adding them. It's a great way to break out of a creative rut, and free users can use it up to 3 times per day. - Custom Fingerings [Plus Feature] Register your own unique chord forms (fingerings) and incorporate them into your progressions. - Cloud Sync Save and sync your chord progressions to the cloud. Seamlessly transfer data when changing devices or use across multiple devices. *You can also use the app without saving to the cloud. - Global Support Supports 12 languages, used by guitarists worldwide. [Recommended For] - Want to quickly note down chord progressions you come up with - Want to visually check new chord fingerings and voicings - Want to know the name of a chord you found - Stuck in songwriting and need a hint - Want to practice chord changes at accurate tempos [Plus Features](paid) - Save up to 1000 chord progressions - Create full songs (up to 128 chords) - Detailed tag classification (up to 100 tags) - Register custom fingerings - Add progressions directly from Reverse Chord Finder - Unlimited suggestions - Unlimited MIDI file sharing
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Chord Memory Board at $1.99 against Hooktheory I's $14.99. Chord Memory Board also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). Hooktheory I's advantage is chart position (#198 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On 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
Hooktheory I costs $14.99 and Chord Memory Board $1.99 up front. Hooktheory I sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Chord Memory Board sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Hooktheory I ships an update every 3 months, Chord Memory Board weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hooktheory I | Chord Memory Board |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.1 (11 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 63.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 11 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #198 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 140 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hooktheory LLC | takayuki ohyama |
In-app purchases
Hooktheory I
- Full Version$14.99
Chord Memory Board
- Chord Memory Plus Monthly$1.991 Month
Questions
Is Hooktheory I free?
Is Chord Memory Board free?
Do Hooktheory I or Chord Memory Board have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hooktheory I or Chord Memory Board?
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