How to use the app

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How to use the app
Chord Progression Guitar & Piano shows chords, scales and progressions on the guitar neck and on the piano keyboard. Here is how to use everything, followed by the most frequent questions.

Getting started

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Pick your instrument at the top of the page: Guitar, Piano or Both. Your choice is remembered.
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In the Chords tab, pick a note (C, D, E…) and, if you like, a chord type (major, minor, 7th…) to see all its positions.
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Tap a diagram to hear the chord.
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You can also type a chord in the search box: Am7, F#m, Bbmaj7, G/B, or with French note names ("Do Sol Ré Mim").

How to read a chord diagram (guitar)

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The 6 vertical lines are the strings, from the lowest (left) to the highest (right). The horizontal lines are the frets.
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× above a string: do not play it. ○: play it open, with no finger.
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The dots are your fingers. The number under the string tells which finger to use: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little finger.
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The colored dot is the root of the chord, the note that gives it its name.
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A thick bar is a barre: the index finger presses several strings at once. A number on the left of the diagram gives the starting fret.
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Left-handed? In Settings, "Left-handed chords" mirrors every diagram.

How to read a chord diagram (piano)

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The colored keys are the ones to play; the darkest one is the root.
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The numbers on the keys give the right-hand fingers: 1 thumb, 2 index, 3 middle, 4 ring, 5 little finger.
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Each chord is shown in root position and then in its inversions, so you learn to move between chords without jumping around the keyboard.

Keys and progressions

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In the Keys tab, pick a key: the app gives the 7 chords of its scale with their degrees (I, ii, iii…).
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Tap chords to build your progression, or pick a common one: Pop (I–V–vi–IV), 50s, 12-bar blues…
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▶ Play plays the progression: set the tempo, the pattern (block, strum, down-up, arpeggio), the loop and the click. The current chord is highlighted.
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Save, rename, duplicate and share your progressions: they stay on your device.
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The capo advice tells you which fret to put it on to play with open chords, which are easy to hold.

Scales

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In the Scales tab, pick a root and one of the 16 scales: its notes appear on the neck and on the keyboard.
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Show note names, degrees (1 2 b3…) or nothing. "Play the scale" plays it from low to high.
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The chords of the scale are listed with their degrees: tap one to see where to play it, with its fingerings.

Tools

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Identify a chord: tap frets on the neck (one per string) or keys on the keyboard, and the app suggests possible names.
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Scales of a chord: type a chord and see the scales that contain it, to know which notes to improvise with.
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Metronome: 40 to 200 beats per minute, 2, 3, 4 or 6 beats, first beat accented.

Song

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Paste the chord sheet of a song: chords above the lyrics, [G]lyrics format, or a simple list (G D Em C).
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The app finds the key, spots the chord loop of each part, shows the degrees and the diagrams, and suggests the capo.
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− and + transpose the whole song by a semitone.
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On the website, "Photo of a sheet" reads the text of a photo or an image: the reading happens on your device, nothing is sent. Check the misread chords before looking at the result.

Settings

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Language: French or English. Note names: Do Ré Mi or C D E.
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Theme: automatic, light or dark. Diagram colors: 7 palettes.
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Finger numbers, left-handed chords, horizontal or vertical neck, real or equal fret spacing, automatic sound.

Keyboard shortcuts (computer)

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1 to 6: switch tabs. I: change instrument. T: light or dark theme.
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Space: play or stop (scale, progression, metronome). Arrows: change note or scale. Esc: stop the sound. ?: show the list.

Install and use offline

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On computer and Android (Chrome), use "Install app" in the browser menu. On iPhone, Share then "Add to Home Screen".
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After a first visit, the app opens even without a connection. An iPhone and Android version is on its way.

Frequently asked questions

Is the app free?

Yes, completely: no account, no subscription, no paid version. The website may show ads.

Do I need an account?

No. The app never asks for your name or email address.

What happens to my data?

Your settings and saved progressions stay on your device. Nothing is sent to a server. See the Privacy page.

Does it work offline?

Yes, after a first visit (or once installed). Only the first use of the chord-sheet photo scan needs a connection, to download the text reader.

How do I show chords as Do Ré Mi?

In Settings, "Note names", choose "Solfège". Chords, notes and keys are then written as Do Ré Mi everywhere. Search accepts both.

How do I read a guitar chord diagram?

Vertical lines are the strings (lowest on the left), horizontal lines are the frets. × = muted string, ○ = open string, dots are fingers and the numbers give the finger to use (1 index to 4 little finger). A thick bar is a barre.

Why does the same chord have several positions?

A chord can be played in several places on the neck with the same notes. The app shows the classic shapes (the CAGED system: C, A, G, E, D) moved along the neck, from the lowest to the highest.

How are the fingerings computed?

Each fingering is built from the classic shapes and checked automatically: only notes of the chord, root present, at most 4 frets apart and 4 fingers.

What is a capo for, and how does the app help?

A capo raises the pitch of all strings at once. In Keys and Song, the app tells you which fret to put it on to play the progression with open chords, which are easy to hold.

How do I transpose a song?

In the Song tab, paste the chord sheet and use the − and + buttons of "Transpose": every chord goes up or down by a semitone.

Which scales are included?

Sixteen: major, minors (natural, harmonic, melodic), major and minor pentatonic, blues, the modes (dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, locrian), phrygian dominant, whole tone and the two diminished scales.

I am left-handed, can I mirror the diagrams?

Yes: in Settings, turn on "Left-handed chords". The low E string moves to the right.

How do I report a mistake or suggest an idea?

Write to us from the Contact page. For a problem, mention the screen, the chord or scale, and your device.

Try it in the app

Hear the chords, play them as a progression, switch instrument, note names (Do Ré Mi or C D E) and theme: