smartChord supports any tuning with 3 to 9 strings. It provides more than 500 predefined tunings (e.g. Drop D, Rain Song) out of the box. And, you can easily create your own tunings.

Select your tuning from the list of predefined tunings or define your individual custom tuning using the ‘Create’ button.

Tuning change – How They Affect Tools

When you change the instrument (and hence the tuning) or tuning of the current instrument in the Settings, this change affects most global tools such as:

• Chords
• Scales
• Arpeggios
• Tuner
• Circle of Fifths

However, not all features behave the same way. Some tools store the tuning at the moment an item is created. This ensures consistent results every time you open that item.The following features save the selected instrument and tuning together with the item:

• Songbook
• Chord Progression
• Ear Trainer
• Fretboard Trainer

This means:

• Each song or chord progression remembers the tuning that were selected during its creation.
• The tuning is saved with the item.
• Every time you open it, you will see the same chords and fingerings based on that tuning.

This guarantees consistency — your song will always look and behave the same.

If you manually change the instrument or tuning for a song or chord progression via the menu, the chord fingerings will automatically adapt to the new tuning. The new instrument/tuning is then saved with that item.

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Songbook

In the Songbook, the instrument and tuning are always specific to each song.

If you want to change them for a song, open the song and use:

• Edit → Change instrument
• Edit → Change tuning

The new settings will be stored directly with the song.

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Ear or Fretboard Trainer

When creating a new quiz in the Fretboard Trainer, you can configure:

• Instrument
• Tuning
• Fret range
• Input and output modules
• And more

Once a quiz has been created, its configuration cannot be changed. You can only play it.

This is intentional so that results remain comparable.

If you want different settings, create a new quiz using:

• New button
• or Folder menu → New

The Create quiz screen will appear, allowing you to configure everything again.

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Quick Instrument & Tuning Menu

In every feature where instrument or tuning matters, you can quickly change them via the menu.

⚠️ The menu is only visible if:

• You have more than one favorite instrument, and
• More than one favorite tuning

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Settings

You can change the tuning in the instrument section of the settings. If you have chosen the guitar as an instrument, the section is named ‘Guitar’. Click on the Tuning entry to change it. The predefined tunings are instrument-specific and you’ll be offered the tunings for the instrument.

Favorite tunings

If you use more than one tuning, we recommend defining them as favorite tunings. Favorite tunings make it easy to switch between them. If have more than one favorite tuning defined, you’ll get a menu item to change the tuning easily and quickly by the menu. At least in every feature, where the tuning is from relevance.

You can define your favorite tunings in the ‘Instrument’ settings. Every predefined and custom tuning can be defined as favorite tuning.

A click on ‘Add’ directs you to the list of tunings, where you can select a predefined tuning or create your individual custom tuning.

Custom tunings

You can create an unlimited number of custom tunings. They can have between 3 and 9 strings and notes in any combination. A custom tuning is seamlessly integrated into smartChord and does not differ from predefined tunings.

To create a custom tuning, select a tuning in the list of predefined tunings. Specify single notes of the tuning with the adjusting wheels. Give your custom tuning a unique name and click on the check mark. Your tuning will be added to the tuning list. Pressing the ‘Back’ button just brings you back without saving a tuning.

Use the single up/down buttons to pitch your tuning half notes up or down, the double up/down buttons to pitch your tuning whole notes up or down, and the ‘+’ /’-‘ buttons to increase or decrease the number of strings.

The minimum and maximum number of strings differs for every single instrument.

The custom tunings created are specific to the instrument you created the tuning for.

Capo

smartChord supports using a capo on every fret. You can set and remove a capo in the settings or by menu. If you have set a capo, smartChord shows a red bar and how to grip a chord with a capo.

5-string Banjo with shortened string

smartChord supports the 5-string Banjo with the shortened string. To get the support, just choose the instrument ‘5-string Banjo’.