Doing this allows players to express themselves more dynamically when playing since little pause is required when switching notes if the player has extensive knowledge of the notes on the fretboard. An established way of learning the notes on the fretboard is using fretboard trainer software. This software typically asks users to identify notes spread out randomly across a virtual fretboard over a set period of time. There have been several Android apps which have been developed over the years which employ this method. One of the intriguing aspects about these apps is that they have a game-like quality to them, although they are meant to be learning tools. With that being said however, here’s our pick for the top 4 guitar fretboard trainer apps for Android.
RR Guitar Fretboard Trainer
RR Guitar Fretboard offers a customizable guitar fretboard trainer. Users are queried with 2 types of questions. They are either asked to identify a note which is displayed in a particular position on a string, or they are asked to identify on which position of a string a note can be found. Users can set the range of frets they want to be quizzed on, and can even set up custom profiles which allow for the question type to be set and allows for custom tunings to be used for training. The app can also be set to a left-handed fretboard. In my opinion, the ads displayed are quite prominent but they can be disabled for a fee. Download RR Guitar Fretboard Trainer
Fretboard Learn
Fretboard Learn is quite the dynamic app. In addition to the guitar, it can train users to learn notes on the bass, banjo, ukulele and mandolin. The strings users will be tested on can be selected, as well as the range of frets used in testing. Users are tested in 5 different ways. These are referred to as game types and are as follows:
Locate: Users must locate and find a note on the fretboard after being given the string and note name.Locate All: Users must find all of the instances of a note within a specified fret range.Explore: As suggested by the name this mode lends itself to exploration. Here you can select various positions on the fretboard to see which note is being played when you do so.Pace: This is a flashcard type activity where a position on the fretboard is highlighted and the note revealed after a set period of time. This aids in memorizing note names across the fretboard.
Both left-handed and right handed fretboards are supported. Training can be done in a sequence where notes on one string are quizzed first followed by the next string or random string selection is also possible. The sheer amount of options that Fretboard Learn offers is impressive. Download Fretboard Learn
FretTrainer
FretTrainer is a colorful app which allows users to set the fret range they want to be trained with. The zoom level can also be changed. Training with this app involves selecting which note corresponds to a fret position on a string. The paid version of the app allows users to unlock bass, 5-string bass, mandolin, ukelele and banjo individually or all together, including the guitar. Download FretTrainer
Fretboard Hero
What stands out about Fretboard Hero is that it treats fretboard training more like a game than any of the other offerings. It’s inteface is even more colorful than FretTrainer, which adds to the fun aspect. Fretboard Hero keeps track of reaction times during training. Logs are also kept of high scores of players who have obtained the very best scores. Having this information at had serves as motivation for sticking with practice. Download Fretboard Hero
Final Thoughts
In general, learning all of the notes on the guitar fretboard will help you to understand the music you play better and consequently allow you to develop your skills more quickly. For that reason, if you’re a guitar player or thinking of starting to learn how to play, you should give the apps on this list a try. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
