Getting Started
Installing the App
Ukulele Companion is available on the App Store. Install it on any iPhone or iPad running iOS 17.0 or later. No account or login is required — just install and open.
First Launch
When you open the app for the first time, a short onboarding wizard walks you through the key features. The wizard has six pages that you can swipe through or navigate with the Next / Back buttons:
- Welcome — the app name and what it does.
- Features — a quick overview of the tuner, chord library, fretboard explorer, songbook, and learning tools.
- Accessibility — VoiceOver support, spoken tuner feedback, and the high-contrast theme.
- Privacy — fully offline, no ads, no tracking, no account required.
- Navigation — how to use the tab bar and what each section contains.
- Quick Setup — choose your tuning (High-G, Low-G, Baritone, etc.), left-handed mode, and color theme. These choices take effect immediately and can be changed later in Settings.
Tap Get Started on the last page to enter the app. You can also tap Skip on any earlier page to go straight to the Explorer.
The wizard only appears once. After that, the app opens directly to the Explorer.
Navigating the App
The app uses a tab bar at the bottom of the screen with four tabs. Tap a tab to see its list of screens, then tap any row to open it.
The four tabs are:
Play
| Section | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Explorer | Interactive fretboard with chord detection |
| Tuner | Chromatic tuner using the microphone |
| Pitch Monitor | Real-time pitch visualisation graph |
| Chords | Browse the chord library by root and type |
| Favorites | Your saved chord voicings |
| Metronome | Practice metronome with time signatures and accents |
Create
| Section | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Songs | Personal songbook with chord sheets, ChordPro import/export |
| Melody Notepad | Simple melody composition tool |
| Patterns | Strumming and fingerpicking pattern reference |
| Progressions | Common chord progressions in any key |
Learn
| Section | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Learn Theory | Structured theory lessons |
| Theory Quiz | Test your music theory knowledge |
| Interval Trainer | Ear training for intervals |
| Note Quiz | Fretboard note identification quiz |
| Chord Ear Training | Identify chord types by ear |
| Scale Practice | Guided scale exercises on the fretboard |
| Progress | Dashboard with learning stats and practice timer |
| Daily Challenge | Three fresh challenges every day |
| Practice Routine | Guided practice session builder |
| Chord Transitions | Animated finger movement between chords |
| Play Along | Real-time play-along with chord detection |
| Achievements | Milestone gallery and progress tracking |
Reference
| Section | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Capo Guide | Educational capo reference |
| Circle of Fifths | Visual key relationship chart |
| Chord Substitutions | Guide to chord substitutions |
| Chords in Scale | Diatonic chords for any scale |
| Fretboard Notes | Visual note map of the fretboard |
| Glossary | Searchable music theory dictionary |
Opening Settings
Tap the gear icon in the toolbar of any tab to open the Settings panel as a sheet. Here you can adjust tuning, theme, sound, and more. See the Settings page for details.
Tips
- The app works entirely offline — no internet connection is needed.
- Your favorites, songs, and settings are saved locally on your device.
- Long-press on chord voicings in the library to save them as favorites.
- Check the Help screen (accessible from Settings) for quick descriptions of every feature.