Fretrune

Guitar

A guitar fretboard trainer that listens to you play

Learn every note on the neck by finding it with your hands, not by tapping a screen.

Coming soon for iPhone and Mac

Most players know the open strings and a few landmarks, then count from there. Counting works, but it is slow, and it falls apart when someone calls a chord you have to find right now. Fretrune trains the other way of knowing: you see the fret and the note is simply there.

How the drill works

Fretrune names a note, on screen or out loud. You play it on your guitar. It hears the note through your iPhone or Mac microphone and tells you straight away whether you found it. That is the whole drill, and it is built around three ideas:

  • You play, you don't tap. Finding a note on a picture is a different skill from finding it on your own neck.
  • Speed counts. Fretrune keeps count of how quickly you find each note, and a note only reaches Solid once you find it quickly.
  • Weak notes come back. The notes you are slow on or miss come up more often, and the ones you know come up less.
Fretrune asking for a note on the 3rd string, with the neck drawn above

Where to start: the low E string

Practice begins on the thickest string, low frets first, and moves to the next string once you know it. The low E string is where most chord roots and bass notes live, so it pays off first.

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The natural notes on the low E string. At the 12th fret the string starts again, an octave up.

For a plan to learn the rest, read how to memorize the fretboard, or print the fretboard notes chart.

Questions

What is a fretboard trainer?
An app or exercise that teaches you where each note is on the guitar neck, so you can find any note without counting up from an open string or a landmark.
How is Fretrune different from a fretboard quiz?
A quiz asks you to tap a note name on a screen. Fretrune asks you to play the note on your guitar and listens through the microphone, so what you practice is the thing you need: finding the note with your hands.
How long does it take to learn the fretboard?
It depends on how often you practice. Short daily sessions work better than long occasional ones. Fretrune tracks each note separately, so you can see which ones you have and which still need work.
Does it work with an electric guitar?
Yes, through an amp or near the microphone. An unplugged electric is quiet, so play close to your iPhone or Mac, or in a quiet room.