Custom instruments

Overview

If you play non-standard tunings or unusual instruments, custom instruments keep chord maps and arpeggio maps aligned with what is actually in your hands.

The built-in instruments cover guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin, and piano with their common tunings. Create a custom instrument when you play:

• A 7-string or other extended-range guitar
• A baritone guitar
• Bass in drop tuning
• Ukulele in a non-standard tuning
• A banjo, or anything else not in the list

Open the instrument manager

On the web, open the instrument switcher in the top bar and choose Manage Instruments, or go straight to /manage. On iPhone and iPad, open Practice › Instruments.

You do not need an account. On the web, guests can create, edit, hide, and restore instruments, and they are saved in the browser. When you sign in, your local instruments are copied to your account and follow you to other devices.

Create an instrument

Quick Add

The Quick Add Instrument panel is the fastest path. Enter a name, pick Guitar, Bass, or Ukulele as a starting point, and choose Create. You can refine the tuning afterwards.

Advanced

Choose New instrument to open the Create New Instrument dialog with full control:

1. Instrument Name (required), for example "7-String Standard"
2. Fret Count, from 1 to 36. The default is 24. Fret count also decides how many arpeggio patterns fit on the neck.
3. String Count, from 1 to 12
4. Tunings: add at least one tuning, giving it a name and picking the note for each string from lowest to highest

Tunings store note names only, so standard guitar is E A D G B E and Drop D is D A D G B E.

Your new instrument appears in the instrument switcher right away.

On iPhone and iPad

In Practice › Instruments, tap + to create an instrument. Give it a name, set the fret count, and add tunings; each tuning sets its own strings. Tap a tuning to change its name and notes, tap the circle beside one to make it the default, and swipe a tuning to delete it. Every tuning on an instrument needs its own name.

Naming

Good names make the switcher easy to scan. Include the instrument type and what makes it different:

• "Guitar - Drop D"
• "Bass - 5-String"
• "Ukulele - Low G"
• "Baritone - B to B"

Manage tunings

Each instrument can hold several tunings. Open an instrument from the manager to see them. From there you can:

• Add Tuning to define another tuning
• Edit a tuning's name or notes
• Set Default to choose which tuning the instrument opens with
• Delete a tuning you no longer use

Deleting a tuning is permanent. Deleting an instrument is not, as described below.

Reorder instruments

Drag the grip handle on an instrument row to change the order instruments appear in the switcher. Reordering is paused while a search filter is active, so clear the search first. On iPhone and iPad, tap Edit and drag the handles.

Delete and restore

Deleting an instrument hides it rather than destroying it. Hidden instruments move to the Deleted Instruments section at the bottom of the manager, where you can restore them at any time. You can hide built-in instruments too if you never use them.

Akordo will not let you hide your last remaining fretted instrument.

On iPhone and iPad, each row has a Show in Chords and Tuner switch. Turning it off hides the instrument; it moves to the Hidden filter, where you can turn it back on. Touch and hold a row for Hide, Edit, and, for custom instruments, Delete, which removes it for good.

How custom instruments affect maps

Once an instrument exists you can select it anywhere:

• Chord maps generate shapes for its string count, tuning, and fret count
• Arpeggio maps lay out patterns across its actual fretboard
• The selection is shared, so switching instruments changes both maps at once

Tips

• Match your real setup. String count must match exactly, and the tuning should be the open tuning with no capo. Your personal capo preference is set for each arrangement and vocal tuning in the chart controls, not on the instrument.
• One instrument per physical instrument. If you keep two guitars in different tunings, two instruments are clearer than one instrument with two tunings you keep switching.
• Use tunings for occasional changes. If one guitar sometimes goes to Drop D, add Drop D as a second tuning on that instrument instead.

Next steps

• Chord maps to find voicings on your instrument
• Arpeggio maps to explore patterns on its fretboard
• Open the instrument manager