Guides for musicians

Practical writing for the stage and the rehearsal room. All of it reads independently of any app — it holds whichever songbook you use.

• How to tune a guitar: step by step, with or without a tuner

  The notes of standard tuning, tuning with a tuner and by ear, drop D and half step down, why guitars drift out of tune, and a short checklist for tuning on stage.

  8 min read·Read the guide →

• How to tune a ukulele: with a tuner and by ear

  Standard ukulele tuning is G C E A, and the 4th string is a high G. Step by step with a tuner, by ear and with a guitar tuner — plus how soprano, concert, tenor and baritone differ.

  6 min read·Read the guide →

• How to tune a bass guitar: 4 and 5 strings, step by step

  Standard bass tuning uses the same notes as a guitar's four lowest strings, an octave lower: E A D G. Step by step with a tuner, by ear and with harmonics — plus 5-string bass, drop D and half-step down.

  7 min read·Read the guide →

• How to tune a mandolin: G D A E and paired strings

  A mandolin is tuned like a violin: G D A E. Its eight strings come in four pairs, and both strings of a pair share the same note. Step by step with a tuner, by ear and using a guitar as the reference.

  6 min read·Read the guide →

• How to transpose chords

  If a song sits too high for the singer, the fix is simple: move the key. Once the twelve-semitone circle clicks, transposing stops being memory work and becomes counting.

  9 min read·Read the guide →

• What key should I sing in? Find your range and the right key

  The right key is the one where a song's highest and lowest notes fit inside your comfortable range. Find the range, count the difference in semitones, move the key — step by step.

  7 min read·Read the guide →

• What is a setlist, and how do you build one?

  A good setlist is not a list of songs, it is a plan for the evening. Get the timing, tempo, keys and breathing room right and the room stays with you from the first song to the last.

  10 min read·Read the guide →

• Using tablets on stage

  Moving from a binder to a screen is easy; setting it up so it never lets you down on stage is a separate job. Font size, sleep settings, notifications, battery and mounting all get sorted before you walk on.

  8 min read·Read the guide →

• How to set up a Bluetooth page turner pedal on Android and iPhone

  A page turner pedal is really a keyboard. Pairing, modes, which pedals work and which don't, and a checklist for the moment the pedal goes quiet on stage.

  7 min read·Read the guide →

• Capo chart: which fret gives which key?

  A capo moves a song's key without changing the shapes you already know. The chart showing which fret gives which key is the thing guitarists reach for most on stage.

  7 min read·Read the guide →

• Moving your songbook to another app

  Moving a repertoire you built over years starts with knowing the file formats. Which one carries what, what gets lost, and what to check before you switch?

  6 min read·Read the guide →