Fret by Fret

Fret by Fret is for guitar players who'd rather play than study.

Pick the mood you're after (happy, sad, dark, or mysterious), choose your key, and Fret by Fret instantly shows the chord progressions real songs are built on. It names the famous songs that use each one and the key they're played in, so you can sound like the record. Every chord you hear is a real acoustic guitar, recorded note by note. And in a first for a chord app, Fret by Fret can actually hear you play. No theory degree required: you'll be playing something you recognize in minutes.

PLAY THE SONGS YOU LOVE
• Every progression lists the famous songs built on it, from Hotel California to Wonderwall
• Search for a song, tap it, and the progression opens in the recording's key, so it sounds like the record
• Turn "I–V–vi–IV" into "oh, that's the four chords behind a hundred hits"

CHORDS BY FEEL, NOT BY THEORY
• Start with a mood: Happy, Sad, Dark, Mysterious, or browse them all
• Dial in your key on a smooth, spinnable note wheel
• See the most common progressions, ranked, written as simple numbers (like 1–5–6–4)
• Tap "show more" for jazzier, more adventurous options

REAL GUITAR SOUND
• Every chord and note is a real acoustic guitar, recorded string by string, not a synthesizer
• Press play and hear any progression strummed back as a backing track
• Pick a strum pattern, from basic to advanced, and follow the on-screen strum guide in time
• Set the tempo, loop it, or tap any chord to hear it on its own

THE APP LISTENS (Practice tab)
• Fret by Fret, the journey: hear a progression, then play it back key by key up the neck. Clean playing earns each fret its shell inlay
• A real tuner: pluck a string and watch the needle settle
• Chord Changes: the classic one-minute drill. The app counts your changes and remembers your best
• Rhythm: strum along with a silent beat and get graded on your timing
• Practice streaks that notice when you come back
• All listening happens on your device, in the moment. Nothing is recorded, stored, or sent anywhere

EVERY CHORD, EVERY NOTE
• Clear fingering diagrams for every chord, in any key
• More than one way to play it: flip any chord between open and barre voicings up the neck, and hear each one
• Switch any diagram between finger numbers and the actual note names
• The chord's notes spelled out plainly (like C · E · G), with the root highlighted
• Go deeper with triad shapes: three-string voicings in all three inversions, up the neck

STUCK ON A HARD CHORD? CAPO IT
• When a key is full of tricky barre chords, Fret by Fret suggests a capo position
• Play the whole progression with easy open shapes instead

KNOW WHAT TO SOLO WITH
• The right scales for each progression: pentatonic, full scale, and blues
• See each scale two ways: a playable position box, or the whole neck like a chart book
• Plain-English tips on how and when to use each scale

BUILD A WHOLE SONG
• Save the progressions you like into songs you can rearrange and play back. Build as many as you want
• When two sections are in different keys, Fret by Fret writes the bridge: pivot chords you can see and hear
• A proper transport: set the tempo, chord length, and full-chord or triad voice, with a four-tick count-in
• "Where to next?" suggests logical moves (verse lifts, mood flips, key changes), explained simply and previewable before you commit
• Favorite a progression and come back to it in one tap

NEW HERE? START PLAYING TODAY
• A plain-language "Start here" walkthrough for absolute beginners
• Four simple tabs (Play, Songs, Practice, About) so every screen has one job

BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED
• A warm, handmade look: rosewood, brass, and mother-of-pearl
• Mood lighting that shifts with the style you choose
• Made for guitarists, by someone who loves the instrument

Free, no ads, no accounts. Fret by Fret works completely offline and collects none of your data. If it helps you play, there's an optional tip jar, but everything in the app is free, always.