Modes Guitar for macOS
A fretboard workspace for the Mac. Tap the notes you're fingering to find out what you're playing, lay any scale out in CAGED or three-notes-per-string positions, browse playable chord shapes in any tuning, and practise it all against a built-in metronome — in a sidebar app that sits happily beside your DAW or lesson plan.
- Scale & Chord Finder straight on the neck
- CAGED & three-notes-per-string positions
- Playable chord shapes in any tuning
- 20 tunings, plus your own custom tuning
- Practice metronome & Notification Center widgets
Screenshots
Includes light and dark screenshots that follow the website theme.
![](../../assets/images/Bezels/MacBook Air 13" - 4th Gen - Midnight.png)
Features
- Scale & Chord Finder: Tap the notes you're holding down straight onto the neck. Modes Guitar names the chord in real time — major, minor, diminished, augmented, extended, suspended and more — and ranks every scale that fits by note coverage. Filter by scale family to narrow the list, then jump straight to that scale's chords.
- Scales on the Fretboard: Pick a root and a scale and watch every scale tone light up across the neck. Switch to CAGED positions or three-notes-per-string runs, drag a box up and down the neck to change position, and narrow the notes to triad, seventh, pentatonic or the full scale to see the shape behind the shape.
- Chord Shapes: Every degree of the scale gets real, playable grips, complete with open- and muted-string markers, barre indicators and a fret-number gutter when the shape sits up the neck. Step through positions along the neck, choose an inversion, or force any scale tone into the bass for slash chords.
- 20 Tunings, Plus Your Own: Standard, Drop D, Drop C, E♭ Standard, DADGAD, Open G, Open D, seven-string, baritone, four- and five-string bass, ukulele, banjo (five-string, tenor and plectrum) and mandolin. Shapes, grips and note names are recalculated for the tuning you choose, and retuning keeps your fingering so you can hear what the same shape becomes. Or build your own: pick 3 to 8 strings and tune each one by ear, starting from any preset.
- Practice Metronome: A full metronome comes along for the ride: time signatures, subdivisions, swing, per-beat accents, four click voices, adjustable volume and haptics, plus quick tempos and saved presets for the passages you're drilling.
- Widgets: Keep the metronome in Notification Center and start or stop it without switching apps, and get a fresh Scale of the Day and Chord of the Day to work on.
Designed for Guitarists
- Runs entirely on device — no account, no ads, no tracking
- No internet connection required
- Light and dark appearances throughout
- A sidebar app that sits beside your DAW or lesson plan
- Localised in 11 languages
Whether you're a guitarist learning modes, a bassist mapping a new tuning, a teacher building exercises, or a songwriter chasing the next chord, Modes Guitar puts the whole fretboard on your Mac. Try free for 7 days — after the trial, unlock full access with a one-time purchase. No subscriptions.
Fretboard & Tuning Reference
A complete reference of the tunings, positions, chord tools and metronome features behind the app.
Tunings
Shapes, grips and note names are recalculated for the tuning you choose. Retuning keeps your fingering, so you can hear what the same shape becomes. Notes are listed low string to high.
| Tuning | Notes (low → high) | Strings |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | E A D G B E | 6 |
| Drop D | D A D G B E | 6 |
| Drop C | C G C F A D | 6 |
| E♭ Standard | E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭ | 6 |
| DADGAD | D A D G A D | 6 |
| Open G | D G D G B D | 6 |
| Open D | D A D F♯ A D | 6 |
| Seven-String | B E A D G B E | 7 |
| Baritone | B E A D F♯ B | 6 |
| Bass (4-String) | E A D G | 4 |
| Bass (5-String) | B E A D G | 5 |
| Ukulele | G C E A | 4 |
| Banjo (5-String) | G D G B D | 5 |
| Banjo (Tenor) | C G D A | 4 |
| Banjo (Plectrum) | C G B D | 4 |
| Mandolin | G D A E | 4 |
Build your own tuning too: pick 3 to 8 strings and tune each one by ear, starting from any preset.
Fretboard Positions
Lay any scale out across the neck and change how much of it you see. Drag a box up and down the neck to move position.
Position Systems
Note Subsets
Chord Shapes
Every degree of the scale gets real, playable grips in the current tuning.
- Playable grips — open- and muted-string markers, barre indicators, and a fret-number gutter when the shape sits up the neck.
- Positions — step through the shapes along the neck.
- Inversions — choose which chord tone sits in the bass.
- Slash chords — force any scale tone into the bass.
Practice Metronome
A full metronome for the passages you're drilling.
Widgets
Reach the metronome and a daily dose of theory without switching apps.