TwinkleLab

Notes · intervals · chord qualities · streaks

Guitar Fretboard & Ear Training Quiz (Any Tuning)

The trainer below quizzes you on the fretboard in whatever tuning you choose: name the note at a fret, find a note on a string, identify an interval or chord quality by ear. Pick a mode and difficulty, use the fine-tuning drawer to limit strings and frets, and build a streak. Below: a practice plan that actually sticks.

Fretboard & chord finder

Choose your tuning and the key of your song. The neck lights up the notes that fit, and the chord cards below show every chord in that key — click anything to hear it.

How to use it
  1. Pick your Tuning (leave it on Standard if you have never retuned) and the Key of your song.
  2. The neck shows the notes that fit: orange is the key note, blue the main chord, purple the other notes. Click any note to hear it.
  3. Scroll to the chord cards and press ▶ Show & play — the shape appears on the neck with finger numbers.

Tip: Build a chord lets you click frets yourself; the chord’s name appears automatically.

24 Frets • Polyphonic Synth
Try a famous sound:
C Major Scale • Root Triad Color Chord
Scale shapes Show / Hide ▾
Scale Finder: C Major (Full Neck) • Notes: C (1) – D (2) – E (3) – F (4) – G (5) – A (6) – B (7)
Scale shape ready

Chord voicings

8 chords

The chords that belong to your key, each with several ways to play it (V1, V2… go from the bottom of the neck upward). Click ▶ Show & play to see one on the neck. Start with “Easy (no barre)” if you are new.

How to use it
  1. Each card is a chord that belongs to your key. The Roman numeral (I, ii, V…) is its place in the key — songs mix these.
  2. V1 is the shape lowest on the neck; tap V2, V3… to see other ways to play the same chord.
  3. Press + Looper on the chords you like to build a progression you can loop and turn into tab.

Tip: “Easy” chords use no barre — the best place to start.

Progression looper & tab

Put chords in order to make a song idea, pick how they are played (strum, arpeggio, fingerpicking…) and press Start Loop. The tab underneath is written for you, ready to copy, print or share.

How to use it
  1. Add chords: press + Looper on any chord card, use the quick buttons, type a chord name (like Am7) and press + Add — or pick a ready-made one from the chord progressions library and press Open in Looper.
  2. Choose a Picking pattern and a Meter (4/4 fits most songs), then press ▶ Start Loop.
  3. Read the tab underneath as it plays — then copy it, save a printable sheet, or download MIDI for your recording software.

Tip: Press 1 Bar on a chord in your progression to make it last two bars or half a bar.

120 BPM
Add a chord 12 voicings
Cmaj7 (V1)
Library ↗
Saved songs & demos
Your progression — tap a chord to hear it, tap V1 to try another shape
Save or share it

          
Chord Diagrams (Queued Voicings)

String tension calculator

How hard each string pulls on your guitar. Too little tension feels floppy and buzzes; too much feels stiff and can snap strings — so check it before changing tuning or buying strings.

How to use it
  1. Set your guitar’s Scale length: most Fender-style guitars are 25.5", Gibson-style 24.75".
  2. Pick the string set you use from the list — the table shows how hard each string pulls in the current tuning.
  3. Green bars are comfortable. If a string shows as loose or tight, press Suggest balanced strings.

Tip: Changing to a lower tuning? Heavier strings stop the low end from feeling floppy.

Total: 103.8 lbs • Avg: 17.3 lbs • All Strings Safe (Balanced) • Custom .010–.046

Str Pitch Scale Gauge Tension Status
Tuning Stability & String Match

Checking string pull across all 6 strings...

Learning the fretboard in any tuning

Most fretboard courses teach standard tuning only, which leaves alternate-tuning players guessing. The trainer rebuilds its questions from the tuning you select, so the note at "4th string, fret 5" is G in standard, F in FACGCE and C in Open C — and it asks you the one that matters to you. Ear-training modes play intervals and chords with the current instrument patch, so you learn to hear maj7 vs m7 vs dominant 7 in the voicings you actually use.

A 10-minute daily plan

  1. Two strings, frets 0–5, note names (2 min). Restrict the pool in the fine-tuning drawer. Aim for a 20-question streak before widening.
  2. Same strings, frets 0–12 (3 min). Add the octave; notice that fret 12 repeats the open string.
  3. Interval ear training, 4 choices (3 min). Start with unison/octave/fifth/major third; add the rest as accuracy passes 90%.
  4. Chord quality by ear, 6 choices (2 min). Major, minor, sus4, maj7, m7, 7 — in the tuning you play most.

Increase the answer count (up to 12) rather than the tempo; more distractors forces real recall instead of elimination. Scores and streaks are saved in your browser so you can see progress across days.

Frequently asked questions

Does the trainer work in alternate tunings?▾

Yes. Select any tuning on the fretboard and the quiz generates questions for that tuning: note names at each fret, where to find a note on a given string, and ear-training prompts played in that tuning's voicings.

What is the fastest way to learn the notes on the fretboard?▾

Short daily sessions limited to a few strings and frets, with the pool widened only when accuracy stays above 90%. Anchor on the 6th and 5th strings first (power-chord roots), then use octave shapes to find the same note on the 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st strings.

Can I train intervals by ear?▾

Yes. The ear-training modes play two notes or a chord and ask you to identify the interval or quality. Difficulty presets control how many choices you get and whether the prompt replays automatically.

Is my progress saved?▾

Scores, streaks and settings are stored locally in your browser (no account). Clearing site data resets them.

Related tools & tunings

Found a mistake or want a tuning covered? Leave a note on Ko-fi. Last updated 2026-10-31.

Alternate tuning chords

More tunings

Free guitar tools

TwinkleLab

Free, open-in-your-browser guitar studio for alternate tunings: playable chord voicings, fretboard maps, tuner, tension calculator, odd-time looper and tab/MIDI export. Built by a guitarist, funded by listeners.

Support on Ko-fi