GUITAR CROSSROADS

Song mode’s goal: learn which notes to play, on which strings and frets, and when. The tab supplies positions and timing; the fretboard shows intervals relative to Song Key or Current Chord. Chord symbols and precisely timed or measure-aligned lyrics are retained. Lyrics scroll with the tab and are never highlighted.

Simple imports: ordinary fretted notes keep their supplied positions and timing. Ghost-note parentheses, bends, slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, vibrato, fingerings, picking directions, dynamics and expression instructions are ignored. Grace notes are omitted without moving main notes. Harmonic notes are omitted rather than assigned misleading ordinary-note intervals; their timed space remains. Muted notes appear as X marks on their supplied strings, keeping their timing but producing no audio, fretboard intervals or microphone targets.

Import errors: Open Song summarizes problems; Error Details lists affected measures and handling. Invalid string/fret positions are never guessed. Up to 5% of pitched-note entries may be skipped after confirmation. More than 1% overall, or more than 25% in a measure, requires detailed review. Import is rejected if more than 5% are invalid, an entire measure loses all its pitched notes, two consecutive measures each lose at least half, no playable pitched notes remain, or timing or song structure cannot be read reliably. These limits apply only to the selected part and exclude intentionally omitted techniques and muted marks. Skipping notes preserves all remaining positions, durations and measure lengths; a chord may become incomplete. Missing key, time signature or tempo can be supplied before Open. Lyrics without reliable positions are ignored while valid music is imported.

Choose Song and Open to browse for MusicXML (.musicxml, .xml, .mxl), Guitar Pro 3–8 (.gp3, .gp4, .gp5, .gpx, .gp), ChordPro (.cho, .chordpro and related extensions), or TablEdit (.tef). Song requires supplied string/fret positions and unambiguous musical timing. ChordPro needs explicit chord definitions and timed grids; ordinary chord-and-lyric sheets do not qualify. After you select a file, the Open Song window appears; review its options and press Open at the lower right. Files stay in this browser; they are not uploaded. The tab must include string and fret assignments. Guitar Part appears only when several guitar parts are present; choose the one you want to practice. Tuning must be Standard or Drop D. Review Song Key, Time Signature and Tempo before Open; they start with the file’s information when available. Missing tuning asks for confirmation. Capo tabs and timing, key or tuning changes inside a measure need a new export with those changes at measure boundaries. Save a Song Setup to retain the tab for another visit; unsaved imports close on refresh.

Lyrics appear on one line below the timing marks and scroll with the tab, without highlighting. Words or syllables with precise timing align to their musical positions; reliably measure-aligned phrases sit together beneath that measure. Measures expand as needed in Compact and Wide. Lyrics without reliable placement are ignored while valid music is imported. Hide Lyrics in Song Setup hides the lyric line and restores the spacing it used. Written repeats and endings are expanded into sequential performance measures; each pass uses its available corresponding verse, so loop Start and End refer to that expanded arrangement. Additional verses do not create unwritten repeats.

Note Recognition: Calibration, Audio Input, Note Sensitivity, Pitch Tolerance and Repeat Delay are shared across Foundations, Chord Changes and Song and remembered in this browser. Audio Input prefers the built-in microphone; Show Inputs requests permission to list microphones and audio interfaces. If the browser cannot identify a built-in microphone, the system default is used and identified. Selecting another source switches active listening; a disconnected selected input needs reconnection or a new selection.

Calibration guides you through quiet background sound, normal playing across low/middle/high strings, and three pairs of separate plucks. Input clipping, insufficient signal and out-of-tolerance pitches are explained. Use Calibration saves the result for that input; Try Again, Cancel and Reset Calibration are available. Calibration never changes tuning, pitch tolerance, sensitivity or repeat delay, and audio is not saved. Recalibrate after changing microphone position, input gain or playing environment.

Note Sensitivity offers Low, Normal and High (louder to quieter notes). Pitch Tolerance offers Strict ±20 cents, Normal ±35 cents and Relaxed ±45 cents; a semitone is 100 cents. Repeat Delay offers 0.3, 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 1.5 seconds, defaulting to 0.5. A repeated target needs a fresh pluck after this minimum; ringing and a pluck made before the delay do not count later. Different target notes remain responsive. Record enables live microphone recognition, including reveal/advance in Song; it does not save a recording.

On/off settings use switches: navy means On and light gray means Off. Click the switch or its label, or focus it and press Space. Keys and practice-type selections keep checkboxes for choosing multiple items.

The tab is authoritative. Complete tab timing takes priority over standard notation. Missing durations are recovered only from a structurally matching standard-notation staff in the same part; a message explains when this happens. Ambiguous or incomplete timing is rejected instead of guessed. Standard notation never supplies pitches or fingerings. Pitch comes from the tab string, fret and tuning. Capo files must be exported without a capo.

The vertical playhead is the current moment. Loop boundaries are solid green lines outside the first and last measure bars, spanning the full tab height behind the numbers. Scroll or select the tab, use Back/Next, or choose a measure. Drag horizontally with the mouse or use the mouse wheel over the tab to move left and right. Manual scrolling pauses playback and selects the nearest note group when you stop. Touch swiping and browser zoom still work. Start beside Measure stops playback, turns off any active loop and returns to the beginning of the full tab. The Intervals, Measure Width and Frets Shown choices use segmented controls. Measure Width offers Compact and Wide. Compact uses the minimum readable spacing, keeping a clear gap between neighboring fret-number groups at least as wide as the widest fret number. Rhythm symbols communicate the timing even though Compact spacing is not proportional. Wide is the default: spacing is proportional to musical time within each measure, and dense measures expand enough to keep short gaps readable. Grace notes are omitted; main-note timing remains unchanged. The number of measures visible depends on their contents and screen width; scroll to see more. Rhythm symbols retain exact timing, and the playhead follows the adjusted positions without changing audio timing. The fretboard displays only notes to pluck at that position; sustained notes and tied continuations are not new targets. A single compact timing-guide row sits below the tab, clear of the low-E fret numbers and colored notes. Each note group has its own right-angle rhythm symbol; flags are separate rather than joined by beams. Quarter rests use 45° and 90° lines. Eighth and shorter rests use round heads, 25% larger than timing dots. Long rests use the same base proportions as the half rest, with one, two or three upper bars matching the corresponding note’s side lines. Each upper bar and its gap match the baseline thickness. Dotted quarters and halves have equal space from the symbol’s right edge to the dot. Chord names appear above it when supplied. Song Key is the default interval reference; Current Chord is available when harmony symbols exist and falls back to Song Key before the first chord.

Timing Guide: symbols show the time between picking events, not how long every string should ring. Simultaneous notes share one symbol. A new pick ends the previous counting value even when earlier notes continue sounding. Rests appear only when all parts are silent; a rest in one voice is hidden while another part sounds. Each measure adds up to its actual length, including pickup measures. Dotted values and tuplet ratios keep the timing exact.

Long gaps split at barlines, or into multiple symbols when one value cannot express them. A straight connection between note-value symbols means continue counting without another pick. Its gap below the taller connected symbol equals the line thickness. A continuation can appear at the beginning of a measure without a fret number. Rest values are not connected. Muted X marks retain their written timing without pitched playback. These are custom learning symbols, not instructions to mute strings; instrument playback keeps the imported note lengths, ties and overlaps.

Song Setup includes Hide Lyrics, Hide Fretboard, Click Fretboard To Advance, on by default, and a separate Hide Next Button option. Clicking or tapping the fretboard advances like Next while the mic and playback are off; dragging to scroll does not advance. These choices are saved in this browser and Song Setups. Song Setup also includes the same drum styles and a one-bar metronome count-in. Choose Piano, Electric Piano, Cello, or Organ to play the actual tab notes, with separate tab and drum volume controls. Turn Tab Notes off to practice with drums alone. The score supplies time signatures and note timing. The BPM ♩ selector sets the playback tempo in quarter notes per minute, preserving written tempo changes proportionally. Playback Speed applies a separate percentage to that tempo so you can slow a section down without changing the BPM setting. Both affect the tab, drums and count-in together without changing pitch. The play row centers the song title, current time signature and BPM between the fixed song-key badge and playback buttons. The badge always shows the opening song key, even when fretboard intervals follow Current Chord or a later key change. Count-in runs once when you start, not every loop. Instrument or style changes stop playback; volume and mute changes work while playing. Song audio choices are saved separately in this browser.

The Presets button beside the mode selector opens Song Presets. The list shows your saved Song presets. Select a row to preview it, then Load to reopen its tab. New saves the currently open song as a separately named preset; Save updates or renames the selected Song preset, using current settings when it is loaded. Load restores the saved tab and restores its guitar part, confirmed tuning/key, interval reference, measure width, frets shown, drums, instrument, volumes, count-in, BPM, Playback Speed, loop Start and End values, Reveal All, the wide landscape layout, and fretboard-click/Next-button preferences. Playback remains stopped, the tab starts at the first measure with Loop off, and individual note reveals reset. Older setups with 4 Measures Shown load Compact; those with 1½ or 2 load Wide. Delete removes only that saved setup. Names must be unique within Song Setups.

Each Song Setup keeps a copy of the imported file and its parsed guitar tab in this browser on this device, separately from Foundations and Chord Changes setups. The filename is displayed, along with a relative folder path when the browser supplies one. Browsers hide full computer paths, and loading a saved setup does not reread the original file. After editing the original, use Open and then Save to update the loaded setup. No tab is uploaded or publicly shared. Clearing site data removes these setups; private browsing may not retain them. Your original file is unchanged.

Chord numbers sit immediately left of Song tab chord chips. They use the same outlined numerals as the tablature, black in light mode and white in dark mode. Numbers follow the key active in each measure, including altered degrees such as ♭7, independently of the interval reference setting.

Song beat markers sit below the fretboard. Hide Fretboard removes the fretboard and keeps the markers above the full-width Guitar Tab, even when Side by Side in Wide Landscape is enabled. The space above the markers equals their height. In Song Setup, Side by Side in Wide Landscape places the fretboard and beat markers in the left half and the Guitar Tab in the right half when the browser window is at least twice as wide as it is tall. Section widths round to whole CSS pixels. In this side-by-side view, beat markers anchor above the Play section divider with one marker-height of space below them and at least the same above. The fretboard uses all remaining space above that clearance and centers within it. Otherwise these sections stack vertically. The option is off by default and is remembered between visits and in Song presets. They follow the current measure during playback and show the selected beat during untimed practice. Revealed notes stay in full color above the gray playback bar.

View Rhythm Guide Test Examples · Download Test Guitar Tab · Download SVG Review. The synthetic test covers every supported note/rest value, dotted values, tuplets, overlaps, complete silence, compound gaps, grace-note omission and barline continuations. Download the MusicXML and use Song → Open to try it; it is a demonstration, not a musical practice piece.

Reveal Notes replaces the current fret numbers with colored note letters and becomes Hide Notes, which restores the numbers. The button keeps the same width in both states. Double-click the tab or an empty area of the top playback row to reveal or hide the current notes. Buttons and selectors do not trigger this shortcut. Reveal All shows colored note letters throughout the tab, uses a navy switch when On, and disables the Reveal Notes button until turned off. These display options do not mark microphone targets as played. Next advances separately. With the mic on, pick one note at a time, in any order within a simultaneous group. The pitch and octave must match; the same pitch on a different string is accepted. Recognized notes reveal their letters. Completing the group advances after a short reveal; rests and tied continuations are skipped. Mute between repeated pitches. Whole strummed chords are not graded.

Start, Measure, Back and Next are on the top row. Reveal Notes/Hide Notes and then Reveal All are on the bottom left; Play, Playback Speed and Loop controls are on the bottom right. Play uses your selected sampled instrument, preserving simultaneous notes and timing. Loading appears beside Cancel while samples load; Cancel stops that request. Stop pauses at the current position. Playback Speed changes timing without changing pitch. Timed playback never waits for the microphone; optional matching notes may reveal, but there is no timing score. Use headphones with the microphone to prevent playback from being recognized as your guitar.

Without a user loop, encoded repeats, numbered endings and D.C./D.S./Coda/Fine navigation determine playback order. The tab shows the performed sequence with original measure numbers. The Loop switch switches looping off or on. A loop uses the chosen inclusive written-measure range in order, overrides internal repeats, and repeats until stopped. Tied notes sustain in audio. Grace notes are omitted without shifting the main notes. Expressive slides, bends, loudness and other performance markings are omitted. The displayed piano version is a timing and pitch guide, not an expressive guitar performance.

Download SVG Guitar Tab Assets. Revealed tab notes use the circular colored fretboard notes. Tab fret numbers are 25% smaller. All tab fret digits and revealed note letters use vector outlines copied from the existing fretboard artwork. The original fretboard assets are unchanged. Piano sample attribution is in the audio credits below.

Chord Changes repeats a one-chord-per-measure practice progression in your chosen fret range. Open accepts MusicXML, Guitar Pro, ChordPro, TablEdit, iReal Pro links or HTML exports, and plain-text progressions such as 1maj7 2m7 5dom7 1maj7. Each imported chord receives a full practice measure; held and repeated measures are retained. The import preview explains changes from a source chart with several chords per measure. Files need written chord symbols or a valid text progression; guitar notes alone do not supply chord names. Missing key, time signature and tempo can be confirmed before opening. Invalid or unrepresentable musical instructions are rejected rather than silently skipped.

The green play-symbol button beside Frets opens rhythm controls and moves onto their row. A green divider separates these controls from the selectors above. Select a time signature and tempo, then press Start in the controls section below the fretboard. The beat markers stay in their own row outside the scrolling fretboard. Start/Stop sits immediately left of Next; Next hides while audio loads or plays. Start is green; while sounds load, a Loading indicator appears beside a red Cancel button. Once playback begins, the red button says Stop. Stop silences both drums and accompaniment. Opening the controls or loading a setup never starts sound.

In 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4, BPM counts quarter notes. In 6/8 and 12/8, BPM counts dotted-quarter pulses: two or four pulses per bar. The beat rectangles show all six or twelve eighth notes, grouped in threes. The optional count-in is one bar of accented clicks before accompaniment or timed changes begin.

Drums	Feel
Metronome	One click per main beat, with the first accented.
Folk	Light kick, cross-stick and hi-hat, with occasional pedal accents.
Soft Acoustic	Short brush taps, quiet kick and hi-hat, with gentle variations and no sweeping sound.
Blues	Shuffle, soft snare notes and occasional ride-cymbal color.
Country	Alternating kick and cross-stick, with light hi-hat and pickups.
Bluegrass	A sparse, driving practice pulse. Drums are optional; this is not a traditional bluegrass band arrangement.
Rock	Kick, snare and hi-hat with restrained tom fills and occasional open-hat/crash accents.

Each style uses individual drum samples scheduled to the beat, not a backing track. Four-bar phrases add small variations and restrained endings while keeping the beat steady. Patterns adapt to the selected meter; they are practice grooves rather than full song arrangements. The Drums and Accompaniment switches turn their sound on or off; On means audible. Both rows always show their sound choices and separate volume sliders.

Piano and Electric Piano play on each main beat with natural decays, small differences in chord-note strength and slight attack spreads. Electric Piano uses a sampled Wurlitzer EP200. Cello and Organ sustain automatically: their original attacks lead into carefully prepared loops. Shared notes can continue across chord changes while departing notes release smoothly. Cello uses a small cello section. The instrument determines playback, so there is no articulation switch.

Recorded dynamic layers and alternate takes add variety without making the pulse wander. True alternate takes avoid immediate repeats; instruments without alternate takes use neighboring dynamic layers where appropriate. The acoustic drum kit combines recorded direct microphones and overheads before playback. No added reverb or modulation is used in this version.

Notes	Use
Root	A clear tonal reference, especially useful for modes.
Root + Fifth	The default, leaving room to hear major and minor thirds. A diminished chord uses its ♭5.
Root + Third	Makes the major or minor quality clear.
All Chord Notes	The full harmony, including a seventh when present.
Third Only	An exposed reference for hearing the chord quality.

In Chord Changes the accompaniment follows the actual progression chord, regardless of the triad fragment, dyad or scale being practiced. A plain major chord remains a triad even when practicing a seventh color. In Foundations it follows the current exercise's root and harmony; seventh fragments use their full seventh chord, modes use their root-position seventh-chord tones, and dyad exercises use the selected major/minor context. Fretboard Notes uses only its target root. Nearby voicings keep changes smooth.

Third-based choices are unavailable for a harmony without a third, such as Sus2 or Sus4. If a later exercise has no third, that accompaniment rests for that exercise; it never adds an unrequested third. Root + Fifth falls back to Root when no fifth is present.

Manual: the groove continues while you move through interval lists with Next, fretboard clicks, or microphone recognition. Exercise changes are heard at the next main beat. This is useful for following the beat at your own pace.

Timed: each displayed interval list lasts 1, 2, 4 or 8 complete bars. The next list begins on the next downbeat, whether or not every note was played. Arpeggio groups and dyad pairs each receive that duration, preserving every intermediate list. The existing rounds, key order, direction and chord-transition rules still determine what comes next; a whole chord or arpeggio can therefore span several lists. Manual advancement is disabled while the timed clock runs.

During timed practice the microphone can reveal correctly played notes in Recall and provide interval feedback, but it cannot change the clock or advance an exercise early. With the microphone off, Recall shows blanks for one bar-duration and reveals the answer for the next before advancing. With the microphone on, it reveals successful notes while the clock continues. Timed Fretboard Notes similarly gives a blank phase and a revealed phase when practicing without the microphone.

Use headphones with microphone recognition so the accompaniment is not heard as your guitar. Without the microphone, follow the displayed exercise to the beat and listen to how your playing fits the accompaniment. Start with Root or Root + Fifth at a low volume.

First-visit play-along defaults are Soft Acoustic drums at 40%, Piano playing All Chord Notes at 30%, 4/4 at 80 BPM, One-Bar Count-In on, Timed advancement, and 1 Measure Per List. Both sounds are enabled, but playback waits for Start. Measures Per List remains visible in Manual and only affects Timed advancement. Existing saved preferences are preserved.

Rhythm preferences are saved with each Foundations or Chord Changes setup. Presets start with rhythm closed. Playback always starts stopped. Changing timing, instruments or practice selections stops playback so you can restart cleanly; volume and sound switches work live once the selected accompaniment has been loaded. First enabling an unloaded accompaniment stops playback so Start can load its samples. Opening a dialog, switching away from the page, or an interrupted audio clock stops playback rather than skipping unseen exercises.

Only the selected instrument and the drum recordings used by the selected style load after Start. The site keeps downloaded files in the browser cache when available and releases decoded banks when you switch sounds. Loading can be cancelled. Depending on the selection, the first download is roughly 0.4–19 MB; repeat starts usually reuse cached audio. Actual loading time depends on the connection and device. Use headphones with microphone practice.

These recordings are self-hosted with permission under their published licenses. CC0 sources are dedicated to the public domain; CC BY 3.0 sources require attribution. The links and notices below preserve that attribution.

Sound	Source and Credit	License
Piano	Salamander Grand Piano, Alexander Holm; SFZ mapping by kinwie. Yamaha C5 recordings.	CC BY 3.0
Electric Piano	Wurlitzer EP200, Greg Sullivan; SFZ mapping and fixes by kinwie.	CC BY 3.0
Cello	VSCO 2 Community Edition, Versilian Studios. Recorded by Sam Gossner and Simon Dalzell; sample cutting by Elan Hickler / Soundemote.	CC0
Organ	Drawbar Organ Emulation, Roberto / FreePats, recorded from setBfree (2019-07-12).	CC0
Brushes	Swirly Drums, Karoryfer Samples. Real brush taps, snare sweeps, kick and hi-hat recordings.	CC0
Drums	Virtuosity Drums, Versilian Studios and Karoryfer. Performed by Austin McMahon at Virtuosity Musical Instruments.	CC0

For Guitar Crossroads the source recordings were selected for the accompaniment register, trimmed, level-balanced and converted for browser playback. Drum microphone positions were premixed. Brushes uses four recorded takes per selected strength; snare sweeps are gently faded to the current pulse without changing their pitch or playback speed. String loops were prepared with crossfades that preserve the original attack; organ loops use the published boundaries. Piano and electric-piano pitch corrections follow their source mappings; the electric piano’s embedded sample loops are rendered into decaying tails. This is a curated adaptation, not the full original libraries. Instrument and company names identify recordings; they do not imply endorsement.

Full Credits and License Links · Source Files and Checksums

Acoustic guitar, a custom analog-style synthesizer and optional effects are deferred. Existing setups using a removed sound now use Piano. All other practice settings remain available.

Open beside the Chord Changes mode selector accepts MusicXML, Guitar Pro, ChordPro, TablEdit, iReal Pro charts and plain-text chord progressions. Choose a part or chart containing written chord symbols; melody notes are never used to guess chords. Missing key, time signature and tempo can be supplied in the import review. Compound meters convert the score’s quarter-note tempo to the dotted-quarter BPM shown by the controls. The preview lists the resulting Nashville chord changes before Open applies them. Repeats, held measures and endings follow the file’s written order; each chord becomes one complete practice measure. Chord Changes practices in standard tuning within your selected fret range. Supported chord roots, qualities and slash bass are preserved. Unsupported chord qualities are omitted and individually listed as errors before import; no chord quality is guessed. The opening key supplies the reference, including for later key changes. Files remain in this browser.

On compact screens, Open (when available), Presets, Record and Setup share a right-aligned row below the title. On wider screens, Open and Presets sit beside the mode selector when they fit; otherwise they move between Record and Setup.

The Progression field displays the pattern currently used for practice. Edit opens the progression manager. The i button beside its selection hint opens guidance for the selected chord, or the currently constructed chord when none is selected. It remains available when the progression is empty. Guidance reflects your edits without applying them. Presets are permanent; User contains your own progressions in this browser. Load, Save, New, and Delete sit below the progression name. Export is on the left of that row on desktop and on the right of the Presets/User row in compact mode. In Presets, only Load is available; Save, New, and Delete are disabled.

Load selects a preset or saved progression and immediately applies it to practice. The editor stays open so you can inspect it or make changes.
Export saves the current draft as a plain-text .txt chord progression, using ordinary characters such as 1maj7 2m7 5dom7 1maj7. It does not apply or save a User progression. A native save picker is used when available; other browsers offer a filename window and download according to browser settings.
Clear empties the editor draft without changing current practice or saved progressions. Add builds a new progression from that empty draft. Closing with unapplied edits asks you to Apply or Discard them.
Apply uses the progression in the editor and closes the window. You do not have to save it. Edits remain a draft until Apply; Close or Escape discards unapplied edits.
In User, New saves the current draft under a new, unique name. Save updates or renames the loaded saved progression. Both open a name window with Save and Cancel. Saving does not apply changes to current practice.
Delete asks for confirmation before removing a saved progression. Presets cannot be changed or deleted. The current practice and previously saved setups retain independent copies, even if a saved progression is later changed or deleted.

Select Major or Minor for the song-key context. Degree buttons choose 1–7; alteration buttons choose ♭, ♮ or ♯ relative to the major-scale degree numbering. In minor, the Key option initially uses 1m, 2dim, ♭3, 4m, 5m, ♭6 and ♭7. A major or dominant-7 chord on 5 is available by explicitly choosing Major or 7.

The Key option follows the selected key context for chord quality. Major, Minor, Aug (augmented), Dim, 6 (major sixth), m6 (minor sixth), 7 (dominant seventh), Maj7, m7, minMaj7 (minor-major seventh), min7b5 (half-diminished seventh), dim7 (fully diminished seventh), Sus2 and Sus4 make that quality explicit. Changing Major/Minor preserves explicitly chosen qualities and alterations; new Key choices follow the new context. Loaded progression chords are treated as explicit. Major/Minor is the song-key context, not a restriction on individual chords: a minor-key progression may intentionally use a major chord on degree 1 or another degree.

Click a chord in the progression to select it; the degree, alteration and quality controls edit that chord. Click it again to deselect. Add inserts the previewed chord after the selected chord, or at the end when none is selected. Delete beside Add removes the selection. Use 1–1024 chords, including repeated chords. Repeated chords create repeated practice steps. Rhythm settings determine the bar duration of each displayed interval list when Timed advancement is running.

Keyboard and microphone advancement pause while these windows are open. The windows remain centered in the visible screen area above the on-screen keyboard and scroll on short screens.

These rules describe the live practice modes. Your selections are saved separately for Foundations and Chord Changes; the section Random settings and Rounds values are shared. Rounds can be set from 1 to 22. On mobile, number controls open a selection list; desktop number controls keep their up/down steppers.

Shared Terms and Rules

Diminished 7 has the full formula 1–♭3–♭5–♭♭7. Fretboard markers and practice fragment titles use 6 for ♭♭7 because both occupy the same fret. Minor-Major 7 uses 1–♭3–5–7, distinct from the ♭7 in Minor 7.

Mode means the top-level Foundations or Chord Changes selection.
Random switch means the separate position setting for Scales, Triads or Dyads. It controls where exercises appear, not their order.
Arpeggio is the shared switch in Practice Triads. It changes three-note shapes and seventh fragments into connected, ordered paths across all six strings. Scales and dyads keep their own behavior.
Type means an individual exercise, such as Major Pentatonic, Minor Triad or Thirds in Major.
Chord family means Pentatonics, Modes, Basic Triads, Seventh Fragments or Four-Note Extensions. Chord Changes uses only curated in-key chord qualities and the mode belonging to each degree in Major or Natural Minor.
Practice follows the entered routine order by default. Turn on Random List to shuffle the entries at the start of each routine pass. Every entry keeps its rounds and gets one turn per pass, including duplicates. Changes to the switch apply at the next pass. The builder keeps the entered order, and Chord Changes follows the written progression.
Selected keys follow A-to-G order, including selected sharps and flats. Select Random in the Keys window to shuffle all selected keys once per pass, then create a new shuffled order. Foundations completes the routine in each key before moving to the next.
All exercises use the selected tuning and fret range, including the existing open-string rules. Chord grips pass the existing playability filters. Arpeggios use the separate melodic-path rules below.
Practice starts untimed. Microphone recognition checks one note at a time; Next or Spacebar moves through interval lists. Rhythm Practice optionally adds a beat and timed changes (see Rhythm and Accompaniment). The exact string, fret and octave are not required.
The fretboard uses the exercise’s root note and intervals. The song key remains identifiable when the chord root is different. Visible, Recall and Show Extra Roots retain their current meanings.

Foundations Mode: Purpose

Learn how selected scales, triads and dyads connect around the same fretboard area. With Random off, compare nearby shapes and use connected dyads to move to a neighboring area. With Random on, practice finding those shapes at unpredictable positions.

Foundations Mode: Rounds and Order

Complete each routine entry’s requested local rounds before moving to the next entry, then complete the selected keys. Rounds applies with one entry as well as several. Foundations teaches how to play the selected material; Chord Changes teaches its musical applications over a progression.

Exercise	One Non-Random Round	Additional Rounds
Chord	One grip or inversion position.	Continue through unused eligible inversion positions on the same string group, then choose another group. Keep the chosen voicing type through its run.
Dyads	Every eligible pair in a complete string-group run.	Alternate reverses the following run. Up keeps runs ascending; Down keeps runs descending. Use other groups as the available runs are exhausted.
Arpeggios	One complete connected pass across all six strings.	The return pass is the second round. A non-random paired visit uses the identical path; later paired visits move to another eligible position.
Scales	The existing local pattern, or connected run for a single full-run entry.	Retain the existing pattern/run approach while completing the requested quota.

Movement history continues across ordinary routine loops. Distinct inversion positions include octave-shifted positions in the permitted range. Repeat eligible choices only after the available choices have been exhausted. Explicit reset or relevant setting changes restart the movement plan.

Random and Direction

Random chooses a valid musical option and position for a chord, one valid pair for a dyad, or a complete path for an arpeggio. A connected arpeggio finishes all its groups before another choice. Random List controls the order of routine entries. Random Keys controls key order. The next Non-Random exercise connects from where the preceding exercise actually ended.

The Direction setting governs movement along the neck. For dyad runs, Alternate reverses successive runs; fixed Up and Down retain their direction. Arpeggio across-string direction alternates between passes separately from movement between positions along the neck. One displayed pair or arpeggio group is a step inside a run or pass, not an additional round.

Variety in Random Positions

Whenever the site chooses a random position, it remembers the last six choices for that practice type and displayed root. Standard / Drop D and the selected fret range define the current history scope; chord grips and arpeggio paths have separate histories. Major/minor versions of individual dyad contexts are also kept separate.

A different exact pattern is selected whenever another valid candidate exists. Patterns outside the last six exact choices are preferred when available. Within those candidates, the site first prefers positions outside all six recent areas, considering both fret position and strings. An area is nearby when its center is within two frets and at least half of the larger string set overlaps. For scales, the center pair defines the area; for arpeggios, the complete path does. If the range is crowded, the oldest area restrictions are released first until a choice is available. A sole valid position can repeat. A narrow range never becomes unplayable just to avoid repetition.

Among eligible positions, selection remains random. Scale selections still vary their center pair and center string. The history applies to random landings in both modes, including random dyads; it does not redirect nearest-position transitions, connected scale movements or ordered neck runs. A random starting position can also use the history. Planned chord destinations are recorded when selected.

This is temporary memory, not a saved activity log. Changing tuning or either fret-range limit clears it; reloading the page also starts fresh. Switching types or keys and restarting the schedule otherwise retain their recent-position histories. Completing the return arpeggio pass does not record another random landing.

Arpeggio Practice

Arpeggios are melodic paths, not simultaneous chord grips. Complete each displayed group before the next connected group. Forward and Reverse control prompt order within the group; Random Interval Order shuffles those prompts without changing the connected path. One full string pass is one Foundations round. Two rounds provide an out-and-back visit. Chord Changes uses one full pass per progression chord, with Rounds counting successive progression chords. Three-note fragments retain their selected three-tone construction. Vertical arrows describe movement across the strings; horizontal direction describes movement along the neck. Hide Intervals and Hide Roots retain their existing reveal behavior.

Four-Note Chords

Four-Note Chords is the final section of the routine builder. Open Settings on a routine line and use Practice to select its shapes. Foundational shapes start selected; useful alternatives and wider shapes can be selected individually. The Triads, Sevenths & Sixths, Extensions and Altered families organize the catalogue and the Chord Quality editor. Multiple fragments and voicings share one progression chord quality. Rootless and omitted-tone voicings rely on the bass or accompaniment to establish the full chord; the four played notes need not include every tone implied by its symbol. Plain 7sus4 uses 1–4–5–♭7. Info describes close, open/spread, shell and drop voicings. Every selected movable shape includes its supported string-group placements. New shapes use Standard tuning.

Common full formulas: Major 7 = 1–3–5–7; Minor 7 = 1–♭3–5–♭7; Dominant 7 = 1–3–5–♭7; Half-Diminished 7 = 1–♭3–♭5–♭7. Diminished 7 has the full formula 1–♭3–♭5–♭♭7; its ♭♭7 keeps the existing 6 fretboard marker because the pitches coincide.

Chord Changes Mode: Purpose

Click a progression number to learn that degree’s role, chord tones and practice options. Click the chord name to choose shapes for that position in the active progression. The Practice Type button opens guidance for the exercise on the fretboard. For chord exercises, it also lets you select shapes for the current chord. The guide uses chord numbers and root-relative intervals, so its explanations apply in any key. It explains the chord-root and song-key viewpoints. For diatonic chords, the matching mode uses the song-key scale pitches with a different interval reference. Seventh colors on plain triads are optional. The window pauses microphone advancement and the Spacebar shortcut while you read; close it to resume.

Learn to follow changing harmony while keeping the exercise family consistent. Play matching triads through a progression, then matching pentatonics or modes through that progression. With Random off, choose nearby positions that connect the chords smoothly.

Major and Minor Keys

In Foundations, Scale Context → Major / Minor under Practice Dyads → Individual Intervals chooses pairs from the major or natural minor scale of the selected key. It does not change explicitly selected scales, triads or Scale Sequences. In Chord Changes, choose Major or Minor inside Edit → Chord Progressions. Loading a progression restores its context immediately; edits to that context take effect with Apply. Minor starts with natural minor: 1–2–♭3–4–5–♭6–♭7. Written chord qualities are preserved when changing the editor’s context.

Custom and Minor Progressions

Open Chord Changes → Edit to load, build, save or apply a progression. Choose Minor, then use degree and quality buttons to build 1m–4m–5m for natural minor, 1m–4m–5 for a major fifth chord, or 1m–4m–5⁷ for a dominant seventh. The Creating and Saving Chord Progressions section explains the editor controls.

Chord Changes teaches diatonic harmony in Major and Natural Minor. The builder’s degree buttons show 1–2–3–4–5–6–7 in Major and 1–2–♭3–4–5–♭6–♭7 in Natural Minor. Chord-quality groups show only curated choices whose complete formulas stay in the parent scale. Changing a degree selects its Key triad. Switching Major/Natural Minor resets all progression chords to their Key triads while preserving degree order. Sixth, added-tone, extended and altered colors appear only where they fit. A ♯ or ♭ inside a chord’s name does not necessarily put it outside the key: the ♯11 of chord 4 in Major belongs to the parent scale. Harmonic-minor dominants, chromatic roots and Blues practice are outside this curriculum; Foundations keeps its full catalogue.

Modes follow each degree’s corresponding mode. Pentatonics prioritize useful same-root choices in the key; where none fits, such as Locrian, the neutral Info button explains the alternate-root pentatonic and why it works. Chord Changes dyads follow the degree’s mode; fixed From Root drills remain in Foundations. Rounds, Random and nearby-position movement retain their usual behavior.

Open validates every imported chord against the selected key and Major/Natural Minor context. Incompatible roots, chord qualities or slash basses are omitted and individually listed as import errors. A named-chord file missing key information requires a key/context choice. Export writes degrees, explicit chord qualities, Major/Natural Minor context and per-position shape selections. No fixed root key is exported: another player can import the progression and practice it in any selected key.

Minor in Foundations Mode

The key context changes the source scale for Individual Interval dyads: Major uses the major scale; Minor uses natural minor. Major Sixths still means a major-sixth distance, but its pairs now come from the chosen source scale. The guide for an individual dyad states that source scale.

Named exercises keep their meanings. Sixths in Major and Sixths in Minor use their explicitly named scales, regardless of Scale Context. Selecting Minor does not replace Major Triad, Ionian or another checked exercise. For a focused minor session, select Minor Pentatonic, Minor Blues, Aeolian, Minor Triad, Minor 7 fragments, and your preferred dyads in Minor. Dorian and Phrygian remain useful separate minor-color drills. Diminished Triad is now available for practicing 1–♭3–♭5 on any selected root, including arpeggios. Foundations Mode does not automatically build a chord progression.

Chord Changes Mode: What You Select

The progression stays intact while each routine entry supplies a musical approach. Practice Triads offers Basic Triads, 7ths & 6ths Triads, Triad Extensions and Altered Triads. Four-Note Chords offers 7ths & 6ths, Added Tones, 9ths, 11ths & 13ths, Altered 5ths, ♯11, and Altered 9ths & 13ths. Pentatonics, Modes and the selected dyads provide melodic alternatives. Each chord type retains its independent shape choices.

Useful Options and Fallbacks

All useful enabled options in the active exercise can participate. Matching considers actual chord tones, written alterations and compatible harmonic collections, rather than requiring identical chord names. Read the displayed exercise root: a useful scale can use a different root from the progression chord. Scale tensions can be expressive without sounding equally settled when sustained against every melody.

Try other permitted positions before changing musical material. Chord exercises use selected voicings of the exact written quality. Four-note practice can use a selected three-note fragment of that same quality; without a selected playable voicing, practice holds on the chord. Scales try a compatible major or minor pentatonic, then an arpeggio of the actual chord. Dyads first use compatible scale pairs, then another quality within the interval family; final simplifications use a chord-tone pair or an actual chord tone doubled at the octave. Both notes of an ordinary scale-based dyad need not belong to the underlying chord.

A neutral Info button beside the Practice Exercise Type button explains a fallback or worst case, including its cause and why the displayed substitute works. Selected shapes govern ordinary choices; the defined safety substitutes can come from outside that selection while respecting tuning and fret range. Entirely cleared shape selections remain a configuration issue. A red Info button identifies a blocking restriction. The chord is never automatically skipped; timed advancement pauses when the current chord cannot be performed.

Chord Changes Mode: Rounds and Movement

In Foundations, Rounds count exercise units at the same key root; the entire routine completes before the next key. In Chord Changes, Rounds count successive progression chords assigned to an entry: Rounds 2 keeps that approach for the next two chords. The routine and progression cycle independently. Keys change whenever the progression restarts, retaining the active entry and any remaining Rounds.

For Non-Random chords, remember each progression position’s chosen voicing and inversion progress separately. On its next visit, choose the closest eligible next inversion within that sequence. Keep the string group while it can continue, then use another permitted group. A shared note is preferred, not required; a more distant valid position is tried before a musical fallback. Movement history continues across normal loops, including independent histories for repeated progression positions.

Non-Random dyads used as main exercises complete a string-group run for the current chord. Arpeggios complete all connected groups in their string pass. Then the progression advances; these local steps do not multiply the progression-round quota. When dyads accompany other entries, retain their connection role between the outgoing and incoming chord exercises. Missing a shared note does not justify skipping either chord. Musical choices and positions can vary with Random on, while progression order remains fixed.

Chord Changes Mode: Mixed Checkboxes

Each family uses its section’s Random setting. A random exercise may jump; the following connected exercise starts near that actual position. If the next main exercise is random, its destination may be distant, so do not claim that two neighboring dyads can bridge the jump. Use a compatible pair and allow the requested random repositioning. Family, chord and key order remain unchanged.

Unavailable Matches and Manual Navigation

No selected keys or exercises: wait for a selection and explain what is missing.
Foundations Mode: retain the current exercise and explain any shape or fret-range restriction that prevents it from being performed.
Chord Changes Mode: do not silently omit a progression chord or substitute an incompatible scale. Show “No Matching Exercise” and let Next Exercise advance past that chord, or let the player change selections or range.
If a two-pair connection is impossible, use a valid shorter connection and identify the limitation. Defined musical substitutions are identified explicitly; tuning and fret-range restrictions are retained.
Next Exercise in Foundations Mode skips the remaining local rounds or current run and advances to the next scheduled type or key.
Next Exercise in Chord Changes Mode skips the remaining work on the current chord and advances to the next chord. At a progression boundary, follow the normal pass, family and key rules.
Selecting a chord chip starts practice from that chord. It restarts the current pass; a full counted pass then requires visiting every chord once from that point.
Changing keys, practice selections, progression, tuning, fret range, Arpeggio or Random settings restarts the schedule. Display-only options do not reset progress.

Theory references: Triads and Seventh Chords · Modes · Voice Leading. The scheduling and movement rules above are specific to this trainer.

These are deliberate limits of this personal trainer, not claims that the omitted sounds are unmusical. Diminished triads and half-diminished sevenths are included. Fully diminished sevenths are different: they use ♭♭7 instead of ♭7.

Not Offered	When It Can Be Useful	Current Approach
Locrian 1–♭2–♭3–4–♭5–♭6–♭7	A diatonic note collection around the diminished chord on degree 7 in Major or degree 2 in Natural Minor, including half-diminished harmony.	The chord remains playable through its diminished triad or half-diminished seventh fragments and arpeggios. A scale is not required to outline a chord.
Harmonic Minor and Phrygian Dominant Scale Drills	Harmonic minor raises ♭7 to 7. Its fifth mode, Phrygian Dominant (1–♭2–3–4–5–♭6–♭7), matches a major/dominant 5 resolving to minor.	The harmonic context is recognized, but scale drills use chord-tone substitutes. Minor-5 Phrygian is not reused over major 5.
Melodic Minor and Its Other Modes	Raised 6 and 7 can shape minor melodies. Jazz melodic-minor modes also supply altered-dominant and Lydian-dominant colors.	No dedicated drills or automatic melodic-minor analysis. The written chord still controls chord-tone choices.
Whole-Tone and Diminished Scale Drills	Symmetrical collections can support augmented or altered-dominant sounds and diminished chords.	No additional scale catalog; practice the available chord tones.
Dedicated 9th, 11th and 13th Chords	Extended voicings add color beyond sevenths in jazz, soul, pop and other styles.	Interval labels stay 2, 4 and 6 across octaves. Ninth and tenth dyads remain available; extended chord voicings are not included.
Capos and Tunings Beyond Standard / Drop D	Open-string resonance, drones and different chord fingerings.	Standard and Drop D only, without capo transposition.
Simultaneous-Chord Recognition and Timed Playback	Checking a complete strummed chord or practicing changes at performance tempo.	Untimed, single-note pitch recognition or Next Note / Spacebar. Arpeggios and dyads are checked one note at a time.

These limits keep the trainer focused on useful foundations for folk, rock, pop, blues and playing with others; they do not guarantee every chord or melody in those styles is covered. Learn an omitted sound when a song calls for it. The scale curriculum is limited to the six displayed modes and ordinary major/minor pentatonics; diminished-seventh fragments and arpeggios are available for passing chords. Augmented triads are useful for specific chromatic lines. Chord Changes offers six modes and uses a compatible major/minor pentatonic or chord arpeggio over the diminished degree; melodic-minor modes and symmetrical scale drills can wait until more advanced jazz or fusion becomes a priority. Extended chord voicings also matter for jazz, soul and richer accompaniment, even though interval labels can remain 2, 4 and 6.

Playing with others also needs rhythm, listening, dynamics, song form and smooth chord changes. This trainer develops note choices, fretboard movement and optional practice to a beat; practice those skills with songs and other musicians as well.

References: Open Music Theory: Triads and Seventh Chords · Chord–Scale Relationships · Minor Scales.

Play the highlighted interval, one note at a time. Any octave or position counts.

Saved Practice Setups

Presets beside the mode selector opens the Foundations or Chord Changes preset window. First-time users start with preset 01 in each mode. Presets contains permanent starter routines; User contains your own saved routines. Switching Presets/User changes the list without loading anything. Select a row to see its name and description, then choose Load to begin it. In Presets, Save, New, and Delete are disabled; only Load can be enabled. In User, Save opens a name window to update or rename a selected User preset. If the selected preset is loaded, Save captures your current practice edits; otherwise it saves the selected preset's stored settings. In User, New saves the current practice as a separate preset with a unique name. Cancel leaves everything unchanged. Delete confirms removal of the selected User preset; permanent presets cannot be overwritten or deleted. Foundations, Chord Changes and Song each have their own list. Opening the preset window stops playback and pauses mic advancement. Your existing saved setups remain available under User in Foundations and Chord Changes, and directly in Song Presets.

Foundations setups save the selected practice types. Chord Changes setups save chord families, chord dyads and progression choices, including the selected custom progression. Loading a setup leaves the other mode’s practice selections and progression alone. Both save each ordered entry with its own Rounds, Random and Arpeggio values, plus routine-wide Hide Intervals and Hide Roots choices, builder defaults and that mode’s keys, fret range, tuning and display preferences. Each mode independently remembers its active Setup and Play Along settings, including whether Play Along is selected, when switching modes or reloading. Song has its own settings. Note Recognition stays shared across all three modes. Practice progress starts fresh. Only setups assigned to Foundations or Chord Changes appear; setups without a mode are not carried forward. The same name can be used once in each mode. It does not enable the microphone or store audio, note history or an unfinished exercise.

Setups are saved in this browser on this device. They survive reloads but do not sync to other devices; clearing site data removes them. Your current choices are still saved automatically separately from the named setups.

Optional Record Feedback

Record Feedback in Setup shows a marker the same size as the interval markers. With no clear note, it is empty with a dark-gray inner border, gray background and gray outer border. A recognized note displays the root name or interval as regular black text, using the same colors as the interval list. Readings are relative to the current exercise root, including in Chord Changes Mode; notes outside the exercise can also appear. The interval list reserves space for at least three markers across. On wider rows, feedback is centered between the practice button and interval list. When the row is narrow, feedback moves below the practice button. The practice label can shorten and reduce to the Start/Stop font size. Position and height reservations keep the row steady across exercises.

The microphone button reads Record while the microphone is off. Click it to request microphone access; once active, it turns red and keeps the Record label. Click again to turn the microphone off. The feedback marker is visible only when the microphone is on and Record Feedback is selected. It stays empty until a clear note is recognized and empties after a brief 250-millisecond buffer without supporting readings. Turning Record Feedback off hides only the live display and leaves microphone note checking active.

Live feedback requires at least four strong, consistent detections over at least 160 milliseconds, with 80% agreement in a short buffer. It filters weak, noisy and far-out-of-tune readings, and allows at least 350 milliseconds between changes. The last stable interval remains through brief gaps and clears after 250 milliseconds without supporting readings. Changing the exercise root clears the old reading. Feedback does not itself advance practice; the existing correct-note check still does that. Play one clear note at a time. These filters reduce flicker, but background sound or guitar harmonics can still cause misreadings.

Next or Spacebar moves to the next interval list while the mic is off. In Recall and Fretboard Notes, the first action reveals the hidden pattern; the next action advances. This follows every dyad pair and arpeggio group in order before moving on to the next exercise, practice type, or key. Click Fretboard To Advance in Setup lets you click or tap the fretboard to advance and is on by default for first-time visitors; dragging to scroll does not advance. Hide Next Button independently hides Next. Your choices are saved in this browser and in practice setups. Next is hidden while the mic is on. The root-colored Practice Exercise button opens the practice guide from its own controls section below the fretboard. Borderless Next: text names the reserved upcoming root and exercise, including in a one-entry routine. Hide Next Info in Setup, immediately before Hide Next Button, hides this text and is saved with Foundations and Chord Changes presets. Chord and dyad previews also list their actual voicing intervals from the lowest to highest string. The controls use one row when the widest selected exercise button and next preview fit beside direction and playback. Otherwise they use two full-width rows: Practice Exercise beside Start/Stop and Next, then Next Info beside Exercise Direction. Both left-hand elements can extend past the midpoint with normal spacing. Names abbreviate only after moving to two rows, when needed to avoid a third row. Full wording remains in tooltips and accessible names. The row decision includes all selected keys, shapes and dyad qualities, so it stays steady as exercises advance. Dyad sequence buttons name the sounding interval quality, such as 3rds Minor, while their guides retain the scale context. Exercise Direction, Start/Stop and Next stay right-aligned in that order; direction moves beneath Start/Stop and Next when space is tight. Next always shows its text without an arrow. The Practice Exercise button stays vertically centered with Start/Stop and Next when the preview text or direction occupies a lower row. When Start/Stop and Next are both hidden, Exercise Direction shares the Practice Exercise row and its vertical center. Hidden Next Info reclaims its space; an unused second controls row is removed. The controls section uses equal top and bottom padding and a uniform background. These controls remain below the fretboard even when the interval list is hidden, in Fretboard Notes, or in compact landscape. Hide Intervals List hides the interval row while the mic is off; turning the mic on restores it unless Fretboard Notes is the only selected practice type. Record Feedback has square corners. In portrait it sits at the left of the interval row, with intervals centered in the remaining space to its right. When the browser is wider than it is tall, the interval list sits left of the fretboard and Chord Changes keeps its progression above both sections. The interval section grows smoothly from one-quarter toward one-half of their combined width as the browser becomes wider and shorter. Interval rows fill to capacity and center horizontally, including a short final row; the group centers vertically. Record Feedback has its own centered row above the list when there is room, otherwise it is the leftmost chip of the top row. Thin dividers separate the sections, and exercise controls stay below both panels. With Play Along engaged and the browser wider than it is tall, beat markers sit in the first controls row even when the Interval List is hidden, centered between the widest selected exercise button and Start/Stop. Markers align with the top of the Practice Exercise button, with a gap equal to their height above them. In wide mode, Exercise Direction first tries twice the Start/Stop–Next gap on its right. It uses the normal gap if the larger gap would crowd the beat markers, then moves underneath with balanced spacing if needed. Next Info and Exercise Direction center vertically in the controls section when they clear the markers and their padding. Next Info may sit below the markers when needed. Direction underneath the markers keeps equal space above it and below it within the controls section. The widest selected labels determine whether a second row is still needed to avoid crowding. Unlit beat markers match the fretboard background. While the mic is on, only the interval waiting for the correct note uses its note colors; every other tile uses the black/white appearance. Direction indicators are hidden when there is just one position (1 / 1). Hold-and-repeat is disabled; the shortcut leaves menus, dialogs and form controls alone. Enable the mic to check your playing. Let a note fade or mute it before the next pluck.

Hide Intervals hides non-root labels and Hide Roots hides root labels across the entire current routine. Changing either switch immediately updates existing and future exercises without advancing or restarting practice. With both off, the practice pattern is visible. Hidden positions keep their dark gray blank markers, and the interval list remains readable. With the mic off, Next, Spacebar or an enabled fretboard click reveals the hidden labels first; the next action advances. With the mic on, each correct note reveals all occurrences of its interval in the current pattern. Finishing starts the next pattern with the same routine-wide hiding settings. Show Extra Roots adds visible root landmarks outside the pattern only when Hide Roots is off. Extra roots are omitted when Hide Roots is on. Fretboard Notes always uses its two-step hidden-note drill. Dyad pairs and arpeggio groups keep their normal order and transitions. Older Visible presets migrate to both hiding options off, and Recall presets migrate to both on.

On landscape phones, the practice box fits the available screen height. Chord buttons are centered and use a single line, with their degree outside and to the left in matching type and size, black in light mode and white in dark mode; click any chord to read its information without changing the current exercise. Chord Chips, Interval List chips and the Mic Detection chip scale with the fretboard; the controls below it and beat markers keep fixed sizes. The complete chord progression can share a row with the interval section when both fit, with intervals on the left and chords on the right. This decision reserves the largest interval list across all selected practice exercises and chord spellings across selected keys. Otherwise the sections use separate full-width rows, with a general thin divider between the chords above and intervals below. They stay above the fretboard, and exercise controls always stay below it. The practice area reserves the space needed by the selected exercises and scales the fretboard without distortion. If the fretboard scrolls horizontally, it automatically reveals the practice pattern, or the current interval when the entire pattern cannot fit. Recall keeps every pattern position visible as a blank marker until revealed. Entering the compact view brings the practice box into view; scroll up to reach settings and selectors.

Both Foundations and Chord Changes start untimed. Open Rhythm Practice to add drums, accompaniment and optional timed interval lists.

Settings and saved progressions are saved in this browser. Microphone audio is processed here and is not recorded or uploaded.

For microphone access, open the site in your browser if the embedded view blocks permission.

Random or Connected Practice

Direction in Setup controls ordinary single-type triad and dyad runs. Arpeggio passes alternate across the strings automatically. Play every available allowed shape on the chosen strings; Alternate reverses the direction for the next run. Multiple-type practice uses the local connections described above. Connected scales have no direction arrows.

Scale centers can be on any of the six strings. The pentatonic foundation has eight markers on inner strings and six on an outer string. Blues and modal notes are added to that foundation. At an outer edge, an added tone that would fall on a missing string is placed on the center string so every requested interval remains available. Both center notes must fit your fret range; surrounding notes beyond that range are hidden. Open-string notes belonging to a pattern replace the tuning labels with the root note or interval marker, including when the range starts at fret 1. When the lowest fret is 1, the left center note can be an open string. Otherwise it can be on the lowest selected fret. The right center note can reach the highest selected fret. At these boundaries, the interval list contains only the intervals represented in the clipped practice pattern.

Practice Dyads

Scale Sequences combine the interval qualities in the selected scale. In both modes, one exercise unit is a complete run on a string group, with Random on or off. Direction orders the run; Alternate reverses successive runs. In Chord Changes, the run is played over the current chord from a compatible scale collection. Each Major or Minor button adds an independent exercise to the routine; choose any combination. Minor means natural minor (Aeolian).

Individual Intervals isolate one interval quality to learn its shapes and sound. Major and Minor here describe the distance between the two notes. In Foundations Mode, use Scale Context directly above the individual interval choices to choose pairs from the major or natural minor scale of the selected key. For example, Major Sixths with Minor Scale Context practices major-sixth pairs found in the natural minor scale. The context is saved with your setup. Chord Changes Mode uses the chord’s harmonic context, so this selector is not shown there.

Sixths in Major includes both major and minor sixths: R–6, 2–7, 3–R, 4–2, 5–3, 6–4, 7–5. The 3–R pair is a minor sixth even though it belongs to the major scale. Sixths in Minor uses R–♭6, 2–♭7, ♭3–R, 4–2, 5–♭3, ♭6–4, ♭7–5.

Fourths in Major includes the augmented fourth 4–7; Fifths in Major includes the diminished fifth 7–4. Their separate Perfect Fourths and Perfect Fifths drills exclude these pairs. Augmented Fourths and Diminished Fifths let you isolate them.

Family	String Spacing
Thirds, Fourths, Fifths	Adjacent Strings
Sixths, Sevenths, Octaves	One String Between
Ninths, Tenths	Two Strings Between

Fretboard markers describe each note relative to the exercise root. The dyad name describes the distance between the two notes. Ninths and tenths keep simple labels such as 2 and 3. Sequence titles also show the current pair’s quality: 3rds Major (Minor) changes to 3rds Major (Major) as you move between pairs. Fourths, fifths and octaves use Perfect, Augmented or Diminished where appropriate. Individual exercises already name their quality, such as Major Sixths.

Sequence labels use forms such as 3rds Major (Minor): thirds in the major scale, with a minor third in the current pair. On narrow screens, M3 means Thirds in Major and m3 means Thirds in Minor; the parentheses still identify the current pair. Open the practice button for its full name and guidance. The interval area reserves space for the largest selected list, with all lists centered vertically and horizontally.

Individual interval exercises use one two-note pair per unit, with Random on or off. Non-random movement favors nearby positions; Random varies the position. The selected fret range limits available pairs. A single valid pair remains playable.

In Chord Changes Mode, scale sequences keep their Major or natural-Minor meaning. The site selects a compatible chord-root or relative major/minor reference and labels the fretboard from that exercise root. Belonging to the scale does not make every pair a resting point over every chord.

Practice Shapes

Each formula lists the chord’s tones from its root. Individual voicings appear in the shape picker. 1 means the root; the fretboard displays its note name. With Arpeggio off, the catalog uses useful closed, open and shell voicings of the three requested tones. Arpeggio paths use the melodic rules above and may start on any chord tone.

Chord	Intervals

How Shapes Are Chosen

A shape keeps the same interval order, octave spacing and relative string spacing as it moves across the strings. Frets adjust at the G–B tuning boundary. The three closed inversions are three shapes with four string placements each. Open and shell shapes generally span four strings, with one unused string and up to three placements. Redundant placements do not become extra shape entries.

Each routine entry stores its own selected shapes. Foundational shapes start selected when an exercise is added. Open the entry’s Settings and use Practice to select or deselect the displayed shape. Alternatives and wider shapes follow the foundational shapes. Moving a shape across the strings does not create a separate selection. An entry with no shapes selected remains in the list and is skipped during practice. Arpeggio keeps its connected paths and allows those paths to be selected independently.

Only selected closed inversions and one practical open string-spacing pattern per inversion are included. Impractical wide string combinations and redundant alternate fingerings within the same chord context are excluded. Four-note extensions retain the reviewed source voicings and selected close, drop-2 or drop-3 constructions. This catalog uses Standard Tuning: E–A–D–G–B–E. Each grip has one note per string and exactly the three or four requested intervals. Selected Levy voicings also retain useful two-skip patterns. The same fingering remains available in every included chord context, with that chord’s own interval labels. A narrow fret range can remove some placements.

Fret Range always includes at least four numbered frets. The lowest selectable fret is 1. Changing one limit adjusts the other when needed. Scale patterns near fret 1 can still include open strings at the tuning labels. Fit shows at least four frets within that range and expands to include the whole pattern. 11 and 22 show no more than the selected range; shorter ranges are centered with white space on both sides. Extra colored root markers are landmarks, not additional notes to hold in the chord.

Background: Seventh Shell Voicings. Teaching families: Berklee / Rick Peckham · Jens Larsen: Open Triads · Sus2 · Sus4. The category limits are specific to this trainer.

Preset 00 introduces note locations. The next ten presets progress from chord tones and simple melodies to connected dyads, arpeggios, modal colors and recall. They support folk, country and singer/songwriter playing through roots and intervals. Presets 6–8 are useful regular practice routines; preset 10 is a later test of independence.

Defaults: Standard Tuning, Visible, Show Extra Roots Off, Record Feedback Off, 12 for ranges ending at fret 12 or below and Fit for wider ranges, Direction Alternate, 1 Round for every section, all Random switches Off and Arpeggio Off. Exceptions appear below. Neither display option is required for any routine. Pattern roots remain visible where the exercise includes them, and microphone note checking still works with Record Feedback off. Loading never turns on the microphone or starts audio. Rhythm Practice is off in every preset.

Setup and Selections	Purpose

On a first visit, 01 — Major Chord Foundations is selected. The first switch to Chord Changes loads 01 — Two-Chord Foundations (1–5). Each mode’s first preset is loaded only for its initial use; later mode switches and returning visits retain your practice choices. Existing users are not reset. The optional 00 — Fretboard Notes randomly chooses from the selected note names and then chooses a matching marked position. Its preset selects A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Add sharp or flat keys to include those notes; no separate Flats/Sharps switch is needed. With Keys Random off, consecutive notes differ when more than one note name is selected. With Keys Random on, every selected note name is practiced once per shuffled pass; the final note of one pass may also begin the next pass. Recent-position tracking reduces repeated locations. Open notes appear in the tuning-label position when the range starts at 1; there is no extra fret-zero column. This drill always varies positions, independently of the scale Random switch. Show Extra Roots and Record Feedback are off in every starter preset.

Fretboard Notes always begins with a dark gray blank marker at the target position. It has no interval-list note. When it is the only selected practice type, the entire interval-list row is hidden, with the mic on or off. When other types are also selected, the row stays available for their intervals and practice information. The key indicator is hidden and tuning labels are blank white circles with black outlines. Identify the note from its string and fret. With the mic off, Next, Spacebar, or an enabled fretboard click reveals the note on the fretboard; the next action picks another random note. With the mic on, the first correct pluck reveals the note on the fretboard; a second correct pluck advances. Mute the note or let it decay before plucking again. There is no timer. Any octave or string position producing the correct note is accepted. This drill uses the same two-step reveal flow regardless of Hide Intervals or Hide Roots, and extra roots are not shown.

Interval Order in Setup controls the interval list in Foundations and Chord Changes. Random is the default and shuffles each new list. Forward lists ordinary patterns from lower to higher intervals and follows the playing order of each dyad or arpeggio group; Reverse reverses that order. This changes the prompts without changing the order of fretboard positions or connected groups. The choice is saved in this browser and in User presets.

Fit / 12 / 24 controls the maximum number of visible frets. A shorter selected range stays shorter and is centered; Fit retains its four-fret minimum.

Edit Practice Routine (Edit Practice when space is tight) opens a builder with Hide Intervals and Hide Roots above the ordered Practice Routine. The visibility switches immediately affect every exercise already in the routine and all future additions. Each Foundations routine line shows Settings and X. Settings opens that item’s information and shape selections. Chord Changes routine lines show Info and X; chord shapes are selected from each chord’s Settings button in Edit Chords. Opening it leaves practice progress unchanged; changing a shape selection updates the routine immediately. Up and Down appear to the left of Settings when the line is selected. Choose the Rounds, Arpeggio and Random values before adding a practice button. Each click appends a separate entry with those values; the same practice type can appear several times with different settings. Changing Rounds, Arpeggio or Random affects future additions, keeping existing entries unchanged. Click a routine row to select it and reveal its up/down buttons. Click it again to deselect. Use the arrows to reorder it, or X to remove it. Rows show practice, applicable Arpeggio and Random settings, and rounds on one line, shortening long names when needed. One round is implied. When space is limited, Rounds shortens to Rnds and then to the number alone, Random shortens to Rnd, and Arpeggio shortens to Arp. A row’s full label is available in its tooltip. For non-random Foundations chord exercises with multiple rounds, the direction counter shows the current shape and total rounds. Its arrow predicts the actual next shape, prioritizes a string-group change, and disappears on the final round. Positions on the same strings wrap when needed before moving to another string group. The routine and builder controls stay above the divider below Rounds. Each catalog section has a thick divider below its heading. An open section also ends with a thick divider, with the same gap above it as the content gap below its top divider. Opening Practice Triads, Practice Scales, or either Dyad section places its heading directly below the Rounds divider and hides the other section headings. The opened heading, its divider, and all controls above it stay stationary; only the practice choices below it scroll when they do not fit. Closing it restores that mode’s section headings. Fretboard Notes sits immediately left of Clear in the title row. When space is tight its label first shortens to Notes; if more room is needed, Practice Routine shortens to Practice. The labels return to their full text when space allows. Foundations offers Practice Triads, Practice Scales, Dyad Scale Sequences, Dyad Individual Intervals, and Four-Note Chords. Chord Changes offers Practice Chords (Triads or 4-Note Chords), Practice Scales (Pentatonics, Blues Scales or Modes), Dyad Scale Sequences, and Dyad Individual Intervals. Every time the window opens, Rounds resets to 1 and Random and Arpeggio reset to Off, without changing existing routine entries. The controls are left-aligned in Rounds, Random, Arpeggio order. All sections are closed when the window opens; the routine list starts at the top with no row selected, and only one section can be expanded at a time. Arpeggio is available while Practice Triads or Four-Note Chords is expanded. Fretboard Notes is a separate toggle: selecting it highlights the button, replaces the list with Fretboard Notes alone, keeps its Settings and X available, disables Rounds, Random, Hide Intervals and Hide Roots while preserving their values, and closes and disables the practice sections. Select Fretboard Notes again to restore your previous routine. This mode and the previous routine are remembered in your browser and User presets. Scale Context is captured when adding a Foundations individual interval. Foundations follows the list, including repeated entries. Chord Changes follows every routine entry in list order, including dyads. Each entry applies to its Rounds number of successive progression chords. It never inserts separate dyad bridges. User presets and browser settings preserve the complete routine.

Dyad Individual Intervals offers In Scale (the default) and From Root. In Scale uses the displayed major or minor Scale Context. From Root practices chromatic root-to-interval pairs above and below the root, including same-string and wider string groupings. Every From Root pair fits four consecutive frets (highest fret minus lowest fret is at most three). Forward Interval Order plays root then target; Reverse plays target then root. Above Root and Below Root describe pitch placement, independently of prompt order. Each routine entry retains its approach. From Root visits every available placement for that interval and root before repeating; additional rounds advance to new positions. Direction orders the placements by fret position, and Random chooses among unvisited placements. In Scale and From Root individual exercises both use one pair per unit.

Timer Duration in Setup, after Interval Order, offers 1–60 minutes in its list window and a separate None button. None is navy with white text when selected; choosing minutes clears that highlight. Clicking None closes the list window. The countdown appears to the left of Play Along when a duration is selected. The countdown always displays mm:ss. With Play Along off, click it to start or resume, then click again to pause. Advancing with Next, an enabled fretboard click, or an accepted correct microphone note starts a stopped timer. With Play Along selected, the timer displays only mm:ss and its Start/Stop button controls the countdown. Audio loading does not consume practice time; the count-in does. Stopping pauses the remaining time, and starting again resumes it. At zero, the display resets to the selected duration and waits to start again. Play Along stops when the timer completes. Double-click the countdown to reset it to the selected duration. In manual practice this pauses the timer without changing exercise progress. If Play Along is running, playback continues and the countdown restarts from the full duration; paused Play Along remains paused. Changing Timer Duration resets the countdown. None hides and disables it. The countdown matches the Practice selector font size and reserves the same fixed mm:ss width in manual practice and Play Along. The selected duration is remembered in browser settings and User presets; returning visits start paused with the full duration. Switching practice modes or hiding the page pauses the timer.

Show Next Position Note in Setup works with manual practice, microphone practice, and Play Along. A gray cue behind the current notes marks a position in the actual upcoming exercise: the root of a triad, the leading selected tone of a rootless fragment (such as 3 in 3–5–7), the left center-pair note of a scale, or the first note of the next dyad pair or note-identification target. Arpeggios preview the next overlapping group and return pass. The cue is omitted when the same note positions and intervals repeat. It does not reveal hidden note names. When needed, the fretboard includes additional frets to show the current position and the cue together. Random next exercises are reserved in advance so the cue matches the exercise that follows. The option is off by default and is remembered in browser settings and User presets.

Foundations Mode is the main mode name. Each entry’s Random setting controls unpredictable position changes; leaving it off gives connected movement. Newly added entries use their own Rounds quota even in a one-entry routine. Existing single-type presets retain their full-neck connected runs. Multiple-entry routines follow the Practice Routine list order, using local connections. Number 8 includes major and minor triads for comparison at the same roots; number 9 compares different major colors rather than treating every mode as interchangeable over one chord.

These presets are permanent routines in the Presets list. Load one to practice or use it as a starting point, then switch to User and choose New to save your current settings. Foundations and Chord Changes modes have separate Presets and User lists. Your saved setups are stored in this browser on this device.

Follow changing harmony while staying near the same fretboard area. Routines 1–4 use three chord tones; 5–7 add melodic choices, picking across strings and dyad connections; 8 adds seventh colors and modes; 9 introduces dominant-to-minor resolution; 10 combines the skills with Recall.

The same defaults apply: Standard Tuning, Visible, Show Extra Roots Off, Record Feedback Off, 12 for ranges ending at fret 12 or below and Fit for wider ranges, Direction Alternate, 1 Round, all Random switches Off and Arpeggio Off unless listed. Keys here are song keys; the trainer chooses the matching chord roots and intervals.

Setup and Selections	Purpose

One Chord Changes Round means one progression chord. Routine entries and progression chords cycle independently; keys change whenever the progression restarts. Dyads are regular routine entries. Arpeggio uses one full string pass per chord and retains the selected voicing variant’s tones. Natural Minor uses a minor 5 chord and its Phrygian mode. Major or dominant 5 chords belong to a different harmonic framework and are not offered in this curriculum.

These are learning routines, not a claim that every possible note should be held over every chord. Chord exercises use the exact written quality. Optional four-note voicings of basic triads double an existing tone; they are available at the end of the shape lists and are never selected by default. Begin with about five minutes on one Foundations routine and five minutes on one Chord Changes routine, then invent a short musical phrase from the material. Practice rhythm, phrasing, dynamics and listening with songs as well as using this trainer. All thirteen Chord Changes presets remain available permanently. Save an adjusted copy in Saved to make your own routine.