I've been performing as a singer-songwriter for over 15 years. Weddings, house concerts, bars and cafés. I also happen to be a developer. And I've always been the kind of musician who likes his stuff sorted — people sometimes call me an "office artist."
The problem
I was never messy. But my chord charts were everywhere: iA Writer, Evernote, Apple Notes, Notion. Some songs existed in multiple apps in slightly different versions. Setlists were handwritten in a booklet I kept in my guitar case.
I wanted one source of truth. Not five apps and a notebook.
The WordPress version
When I started playing regularly with a buddy, we needed a shared place for our chord charts — keys, capo positions, guitar tunings, with separate settings per player. So I built a simple WordPress site for the two of us.
It worked surprisingly well. We used it for every gig. But it was basic, built for two people, and WordPress made every small change feel heavier than it needed to be.
The rebuild
At the end of 2025, something shifted. New songs, new personal growth, new ambitions. 2026 felt like the year to give long-cherished dreams a real shot.
So I took everything I'd learned and rebuilt it as a proper app — for every gigging musician who wants their chord charts and setlists organized:
- Chord sheets with chords above lyrics — the way you'd read them on stage
- Key, capo, tuning — stored per song, visible at a glance
- One-click transpose
- Drag-and-drop setlists
- Works on any device — no app store required
No MIDI. No backing tracks. No feature bloat. That became Fretlist.
Why not OnSong or BandHelper?
They're powerful tools — but built for a different kind of musician. I didn't need powerful. I needed simple. Web-based, no learning curve, built by someone who actually plays live.
If that sounds familiar, give Fretlist a try — it's free to get started.
What happened when I shared it
I kept procrastinating on posting about it. But 2026 is the year of not being afraid, so I shared it on Threads.
Over 30 musicians signed up overnight. The messages were all the same: "I've been dealing with the exact same problem."
Turns out there's a whole group of gigging musicians who don't need a complex music production tool. They just want their chord charts organized and accessible on stage.
Where it's going
Fretlist is still early. I'm building it with a small group of musicians who actually perform live. Their feedback shapes what gets built next.
If your chord sheets are spread across too many apps and notebooks — I built this for people like us.