Fretwise: Guitar Theory
Guitar scales and chords you can see, hear and play.
Every scale and chord in all 12 keys, on a fretboard that plays each note when you tap it. Try it below, then take it with you: the app is free on iPhone, iPad and Android.
STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E
Tap any note to hear it.
Popular scales
65 scales and modes × 12 keys = 780 fretboard diagrams.
A Minor PentatonicE Minor PentatonicA BluesC MajorG MajorE MinorA MinorD DorianE PhrygianG MixolydianF LydianA Harmonic MinorE Phrygian DominantC Major Pentatonic
All guitar scales → New in Fretwise
Maqam & Makam: the notes between the frets
17 Arabic maqamat and Turkish makamlar, each note drawn where it really sounds on the string and played at its exact pitch, with how to reach it on a standard guitar.
Release history
From scale charts to a practice partner
What each update added, from the first scales and chords to maqam between the frets, the chord finder and practice routines that play as one scrolling tab.
- 1.0Scales, chords and CAGED shapes that play
- 1.1Maqam & makam
- 1.2Finder, Progression Builder, Theory Lab
- 1.4Practice routines, tuner, metronome, 56 chords, 65 scales
Free in the app
- 65 scales and modes, from the major scale to bebop, Japanese pentatonics and the altered scale
- 56 chord types with up to 5 CAGED shapes each, in every key
- 5 CAGED positions per scale, in standard or compact framing
- 7 tunings: Standard, Drop D, Half-Step Down, D Standard, Open D, Open G and DADGAD
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome with accents, odd groupings and tap tempo
- A new Daily 15 practice routine every day, and free exercises that play as tab
- Name the Note, a quick quiz for the notes on the neck
- A 15-minute practice routine you can play along with here
- Notes, degrees, fingers or dots on the fretboard, in sharps or flats
- Maqam & Makam: Arabic and Turkish modes with the quarter tones and commas between the frets
- A realistic plucked-string sound for every note, chord and scale run
Fretwise Pro $9.99 once
- Every exercise and routine, with a new Pro Daily 15 every day and a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the chord or scale name
- Theory Lab: intervals, modes, scale compare, chord building and the circle of fifths
- Progression Builder with 51 genre loops, and the Songwriter Handbook
- No ads, no subscription
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Scales, chords, exercises and a tuner in one app.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- Is Fretwise free?
- Yes. Every scale, chord, CAGED shape and tuning is free, and so are the tuner, the metronome and a daily practice routine. Fretwise Pro is an optional one-time purchase that opens every exercise, the Chord & Scale Finder, the Theory Lab, the Progression Builder and the Songwriter Handbook, and removes ads. There is no subscription.
- Does Fretwise work offline?
- Yes. The fretboard, the scales and chords and the plucked-string sound all run on your phone, so you can practise with no connection.
- Does Fretwise have guitar exercises?
- Yes. The app has 282 exercises, from finger warm-ups and alternate picking to legato, bends, sweeps, rhythm and fingerstyle. Each one plays as a scrolling tab with a click, at the tempo you set, and they join into routines with a speed trainer. Everyone gets a new Daily 15 routine every day; twelve of the exercises are free and can be played on this site too.
- Which tunings does it support?
- Standard, Drop D, Half-Step Down, D Standard, Open D, Open G and DADGAD. Scales and chord shapes are recalculated for each tuning.
- Does Fretwise cover Arabic maqam and Turkish makam?
- Yes, for free. 17 maqamat and makamlar are drawn on the neck with the quarter tones and commas that fall between the frets, each playable at its exact pitch, with its units, melodic path, an example phrase and guitar positions.
- Which devices does Fretwise run on?
- iPhone and iPad on the App Store, and Android phones and tablets on Google Play.