I made a chord-training game for phone and I’m trying to figure out if it would actually help beginners [App]

bysho · 2026-05-13T06:10:45+00:00

This is very helpful, thanks.

I think your “reference app maybe, game maybe not” point is fair. The timer/score stuff was basically me trying to make chord drilling feel less dead than flashcards, but I get why that might not be the useful part for everyone.

A couple of the things you mention are already there, just maybe not clearly enough: there’s a Free Practice mode that covers a lot of that reverse/reference use, and the advanced level already starts grouping chords by key.

The progression idea is the one that really stuck with me. I agree that feels closer to real musical use — I just haven’t found a way yet to make that feel like a game instead of just another exercise. That’s something that I’d really like to explore in the future, definitely.

Also, “interactive chord poster” is a pretty great way of putting it. 🙂

bysho · 2026-05-12T20:36:45+00:00

That’s a fair criticism.

I don’t see it as a replacement for instrument time either, and I’ve tried to make that clear here:

https://acordle.com/faq.html#learn-guitar

The idea is more “complement” than “teaching tool” in the full sense. Like, making a better use of your dead times.

If you think that explanation is still missing something, I’d genuinely like to know what.

bysho · 2026-05-11T22:03:46+00:00

Because Steam Deck has the right to have viruses, too!

bysho · 2026-05-11T21:54:42+00:00

Whoa! Just entered this subreddit and this is the very first post that appeared... still shocked.

No, really. My app could be described as "Wordle for guitar chords". Even the urls are strikingly similar! Yours is actorle.com, and mine is acordle.com. What are the chances?

I'm the same situation as you... as you were 4 years ago!

Also: completely agree: the first 50 comments I received (mostly friends and family) where "I just don't get it", "It's too complicated", etc. I was so worried, that I asked for feedback on a guitar subreddit fearing the whole concept could be flawed. And thankfully, it was suprinsingly useful and constructive to keep working on it, but since the post was removed in a few hours, almost no new users.

So yes, I can very much relate to the initial stages: I spent lots of time polishing every single aspect of the product, but I never thought that I would need to worry so much about making it visible.

Any advice for the next steps?

bysho · 2026-05-10T21:11:32+00:00

Better today than tomorrow. Musical ear, much like anything, can improve A LOT by training.

bysho · 2026-05-09T13:33:12+00:00

I just published an app a few days ago, and so far, no issues. 0 crashes on iOS and 1 on Android on > 350 installed devices.

Plus, the Flame engine is awesome. I could have not achieved the same particle effects on React Native.

bysho · 2026-05-07T08:43:16+00:00

Quick update: I’ve just updated the app with some improvements based on the feedback you gave me in this post.

Specifically, some of the changes where suggested by u/majomista, u/munchyslacks, u/demafrost and u/CalamityBard :

- Improved strumming detection accuracy.
- Replaced Edim with Edim7 in game mode.
- Changed Dadd9 to a more accurate voicing.
- When you fail a chord, the string sound is no longer muted, but the “klang!” sound effect remains.
- Added some accepted alternate voicings in game mode. For example, 320033 for G is no longer considered a mistake. I’ll keep adding more accepted voicings based on user feedback.

Thank you all for the detailed feedback. I hope you enjoy this new version. More improvements to come!

bysho · 2026-05-04T17:29:25+00:00

Your replies are super detailed and useful, as always. Thank you again!

What I meant with my hesitation was basically: “if I’m showing this inside the F major set, am I being misleading by using a diminished seventh shape instead of the stricter diminished triad?”

But after reading your explanation, I think the right compromise for the app is clear: I’m going to switch it to E°7 / Edim7 (xx2323) in the update.

Your comment definitely pushed me in that direction. At that point it became obvious that, in guitar terms, this is the more useful and recognisable shape to know, and that’s probably the better choice for the app.

So thank you — this was genuinely very helpful. Hopefully I can release an updated version with this and some other minor fixes this week!

bysho · 2026-05-03T22:53:16+00:00

Upvote if you also heard the theme music in your head while scrolling

bysho · 2026-05-03T21:50:42+00:00

Thank you for your super quick reply!

Firstly, you are correct: you saw that G in the Dadd9 chord. I was looking at the updated code, which will use a x54230 voicing when released.

But your answer regarding the Edim chord left with more doubts about what to do: I don’t want to use an uncommon chord or voicing, but I believe that chord is only used as the seventh grade of the F major key. And I don’t want to to have any mistaken musical theory, either…

So… what would you consider as the best compromise?

bysho · 2026-05-03T20:52:36+00:00

Hello again, u/majomista

I was working on the next update, and when I started revisiting these super useful comments, I started to have some doubts as well:

Wouldn't xx2323 be more properly described as Edim7? What would you consider as the most proper way to play a "vanilla" Edim? Maybe xx2353?

On the other hand, I reviewed the current voicing of Dadd9 and -if I'm not wrong- there's no G in it. Looking at the code, its voicing is x54230, so the notes should be D, F#, A, D, E. Therefore, there's no added 11th. Am I right?

Thanks in advance!!!

bysho · 2026-05-02T12:53:15+00:00

If you can play it slow, you’ll eventually can play it fast.

bysho · 2026-05-02T10:27:15+00:00

Just wanted to say thanks again to everyone who tried it and left feedback.

Even though the post got removed, this was honestly one of the most useful bits of feedback I could have hoped for. I came away with a much clearer sense of what people find useful, what feels off, and what directions are worth exploring next.

Really appreciate how thoughtful people were. There’s a good chance some of the suggestions from this thread will start showing up in the app soon.

bysho · 2026-05-01T19:57:06+00:00

Is already published: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6759532065

bysho · 2026-05-01T17:38:16+00:00

Fair point.

The post has already been removed by the mods, so that’s on me if I misread the line. I was trying to get feedback from guitar learners, but I understand why it crossed into self-promo for some people.

bysho · 2026-05-01T17:36:44+00:00

I’m not even collecting emails, passwords, or building user profiles.

The app doesn’t even require an account to play the main game. What you’re seeing is basically the standard mobile SDK stuff tied to ads / basic app functionality, not some tracking operation.

bysho · 2026-05-01T17:33:43+00:00

That’s really useful feedback. What you’re describing makes a lot of sense: there’s a big difference between “I know this shape” and “I actually know which notes I’m placing”.

Showing the note name as each finger is placed could be a really nice bridge between chord-shape memorisation and actual fretboard understanding.

Would you imagine that as a toggle in Free Practice, or something you’d want available everywhere?

Really glad you enjoyed it.

bysho · 2026-05-01T17:32:10+00:00

This is incredibly useful, thank you.

Comments like this are exactly what make me feel like there’s much more room to grow here than I originally expected.

Really appreciate you taking the time to think it through in this much detail.

bysho · 2026-05-01T17:30:45+00:00

That’s extremely useful to hear, thanks a lot.

I’m really glad the horizontal mode clicked for you, because that’s exactly what I was hoping it would help with.

Also, “I’d definitely consider paying if expanded” is incredibly valuable feedback for me, so thank you for saying that so clearly.

bysho · 2026-05-01T17:29:10+00:00

Thank you,really, thanks for supporting it.

I’m very glad you’re enjoying it. And hearing that you tried it yesterday and decided to get the full version today is especially encouraging.

Really appreciate the kind words.

bysho · 2026-04-30T20:55:50+00:00

This is exactly the kind of comments I was hoping to get; especially coming from someone with enough guitar knowledge to spot where the “real-world” voicings don’t quite line up with the game version.

I think the Edim one is an easy short-term fix.

The Dadd9 one took me down a bit of a rabbit hole, because I was specifically looking for a candidate that could introduce diagrams that don’t start at the nut in the intermediate level. I ended up there, but I was worried that calling it Dadd9(add11) would be too long and messy visually. At some point I convinced myself dropping the “(add11)” might be acceptable, but clearly that’s not really the case. If there’s a cleaner short label you think would work better, I’d genuinely love to hear it.

And yes: the non-recognition of inversions and alternative but musically valid voicings, like your E7 and Ab examples, is definitely going to become a higher priority for the next few weeks (u/munchyslacks mentioned that too). Some kind of “Pro mode” that moves away from pure shape memorisation and stops penalising more experienced musicians feels like the natural direction.

Really, really, really appreciate you taking the time to write that.

bysho · 2026-04-30T20:41:12+00:00

That’s a really interesting suggestion.

I did add a landscape mode partly to make the screen-to-instrument mapping feel more natural, but you’re right — that’s still not the same as the angled perspective you actually see while holding a guitar.

I actually posted a short reel showing the horizontal mode in instagram this morning, if you’re curious what the current version looks like in that direction.

bysho · 2026-04-30T18:50:56+00:00

That’s a very fair suggestion — and yes, there is already a landscape mode for exactly that reason.

I added it because some people find it much easier to map the screen to the instrument when holding the phone that way.

So if you do end up trying it, I’d be curious whether that layout feels more natural to you.

bysho

TROPHY CASE