For the seasoned musician ready to break new ground. Use FretTrain as a laboratory to map chord voicings, scale patterns, and triads across unfamiliar instruments and tunings—before you even pick one up.
As an experienced player, you already know the fretboard of your primary instrument. But what happens when you:
FretTrain becomes your musical laboratory—a place to visualize, experiment, and understand without the overhead of retuning physical instruments or purchasing new gear.
FretTrain supports multiple stringed instruments, each with unique characteristics:
The baseline. Standard tuning E-A-D-G-B-E with dozens of alternate tunings available.
Same intervals as guitar's lower strings, one octave down. Essential for understanding how guitar knowledge transfers.
Tuned in fifths (like a violin), the mandolin's 4 courses offer a completely different mental model. Each "string" is actually a pair tuned in unison.
Re-entrant tuning with a high G creates unique voicing possibilities. Chord shapes transfer from guitar but sound different.
Open G tuning with a short 5th string starting at the 5th fret creates distinctive arpeggiated patterns.
The most complex: pedals and knee levers modify pitch in real-time. Visualize how lever combinations create chord changes.
The universal reference. See the same theory concepts on keys to understand them from a different angle.
Here's a systematic approach to transferring your knowledge to a new instrument:
Choose your target instrument from the dropdown. The fretboard (or keyboard) will reconfigure with the correct number of strings and default tuning.
Go to Learn Mode → Notes. Click through the chromatic notes to see where they fall. Notice the patterns—they'll be different from guitar but still logical.
For any key you commonly play in, use Intervals Mode. Select the key and turn on just the Root. See where all your "home base" notes are.
Progressively toggle on more intervals: 1-3-5 for triads, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 for full scales. Build your mental map layer by layer.
Switch to Triads or Open Chords. See how voicings differ—mandolin's fifths tuning creates completely different shapes than guitar's fourths-based layout.
Use Scales mode to overlay pentatonics, major, minor, and modes. Notice how box patterns change (or don't) across instruments.
Alternate tunings open creative doors, but they also break your muscle memory. FretTrain lets you see the new landscape instantly.
| Tuning | Notes | Character | Notable Artists |
|---|---|---|---|
| DADGAD | D-A-D-G-A-D | Suspended, modal, Celtic | Pierre Bensusan, Jimmy Page |
| Open G | D-G-D-G-B-D | Bluesy, slide-friendly | Keith Richards, Robert Johnson |
| Open D | D-A-D-F#-A-D | Rich, resonant | Joni Mitchell, Richie Havens |
| Drop D | D-A-D-G-B-E | Heavy, power-chord friendly | Rage Against the Machine, Tool |
| Open C | C-G-C-G-C-E | Huge, cinematic | John Butler, Devin Townsend |
| Custom Tuning | You can create and save your own tunings and they can be anyhing you want! | Your Imagination | You |
A session calls for mandolin on a track. You've played guitar for 20 years but never touched mandolin. Use FretTrain to map out the key's scale and main chord positions. Quickly transpose your music knowledge to a new instrument!
You're writing in DADGAD and want to know where all the G major triads fall without retuning mid-session. Pull up FretTrain, set to DADGAD, and overlay the G major triad. Identify three voicings you didn't know existed.
Your student plays both guitar and ukulele. Use FretTrain to show how a C major chord shape on guitar relates to (but differs from) the ukulele voicing. Demonstrate the theory visually, not just verbally.
Before investing in a pedal steel, use FretTrain's E9 mode with pedal controls. Click the A and B pedals to see exactly which strings change pitch and by how much. Understand the instrument's logic before touching the real thing.
Compare chord shapes, triads, scales and positions between guitar and piano, or alternate tunings and whatever instrument you are most familiar with.
You have an idea for a tuning that emphasizes minor 7th chords. Create it in FretTrain's custom tuning builder, then immediately map scales and triads to see if the tuning accomplishes your goal—all without touching your guitar.
One of FretTrain's most powerful uses is showing how music theory concepts remain constant while physical implementation changes:
A perfect fifth is 7 semitones on guitar, bass, mandolin, piano—everywhere. The physical distance between notes changes, but the sound relationship never does. Use FretTrain's Intervals mode to see this concept across instruments.
For premium users, FretTrain offers a powerful custom tuning builder:
Your custom tunings sync across devices if you're logged in, so you can create on desktop and practice on mobile.
No guitar in hand? No problem. FretTrain works entirely in the browser. Switch instruments, change tunings, and map theory across fretboards in seconds.
Launch FretTrain →Here's a structured way to build foundational knowledge of an unfamiliar instrument:
| Time | Activity | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| 0-5 min | Select instrument, study open string notes | Understand the "home base" of the tuning |
| 5-10 min | Notes mode: cycle through C, G, D, A, E | See where common key centers fall |
| 10-15 min | Intervals mode in G major: root → 1-3-5 → full scale | Build layered understanding of one key |
| 15-20 min | Triads: visualize G, C, D, Em, Am | Map the most common chord progression (I-IV-V-vi) |
| 20-25 min | Scales: G major pentatonic | Identify "safe" notes for improvisation |
| 25-30 min | Open Chords: cycle through key of G diatonic chords | See actual playable shapes |
After 30 minutes, you'll have a mental map good enough to start playing—or at least to follow along intelligently when someone else does.
FretTrain accelerates your theoretical understanding, but muscle memory still requires time with the physical instrument. Use this tool to shorten the "figuring things out" phase so you can spend more time actually playing.
Even if you never touch a mandolin or pedal steel, exploring their tunings can:
FretTrain isn't just a practice tool—it's a way to see music through different lenses.