Getting Started
Installing the App
Ukulele Companion is available on the App Store. Install it on any iPhone or iPad running iOS 16.0 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 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 in.
The wizard only appears once. After that, the app opens directly to the Play tab.
Navigating the App
The app uses a tab bar at the bottom of the screen. Tap a tab to see its list of screens, then tap any row to open it. By default there are four tabs — Play, Create, Learn, and Reference — and the Learn and Reference tabs can each be hidden in Settings.
The 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 |
| Metronome | Practice metronome with time signatures and accents |
| Chord Library | Browse chord voicings by root and type |
| Favorites | Your saved chord voicings |
Create
| Section | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Start a Song | Guided songwriting flow — pick a key, build a progression, write lyrics, transpose, and save |
| Chord Progressions | Common chord progressions in any key |
| Strumming Patterns | Strumming and fingerpicking pattern reference |
| Songbook | Personal songbook with chord sheets, ChordPro import/export |
| Setlists | Ordered collections of songs for gigs and practice |
| Melody Notepad | Melody composer with linear and step sequencer modes |
Learn
The Learn tab groups its screens into sections (Practice, Training, Knowledge, and Progress):
| Section | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Daily Challenge | Three fresh challenges every day |
| Practice Routine | Guided practice session builder |
| Chord Transitions | Guided two-chord changing drill |
| Play Along | Real-time play-along with chord detection |
| Interval Trainer | Ear training for intervals |
| Chord Ear Training | Identify chord types by ear |
| Note Quiz | Fretboard note identification quiz |
| Scale Practice | Guided scale exercises on the fretboard |
| Theory Lessons | Structured theory lessons |
| Theory Quiz | Test your music theory knowledge |
| Learning Progress | Dashboard with learning stats and practice timer |
| Achievements | Milestone gallery and progress tracking |
Reference
| Section | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Glossary | Searchable music theory dictionary |
| Capo Guide | Educational capo reference |
| Fretboard Note Map | Visual note map of the fretboard |
| Chord Substitutions | Guide to chord substitutions |
| Scale Chords | Diatonic chords for any scale |
| Circle of Fifths | Visual key relationship chart |
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.
- Tap the heart icon on a chord voicing in the Chord Library to save it to your favorites.
- Check the Help screen (accessible from Settings) for quick descriptions of every feature.