Steel guitar fretboard mapping app

Hyram Ballard · Post by **Hyram Ballard** » 22 May 2018 3:21 pm

Probably of no interest at all to the pros here but a few newbies like me just starting out may find it useful. Custom copedents, tunings, scales, intervals, chords, it looks well thought out.

https://steelsidekick.com

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Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 23 May 2018 3:51 pm

A very helpful app, even for non-noobs. Iâ€™ve been using it for about a year.

Margaret Wilson · Post by **Margaret Wilson** » 26 May 2018 6:00 pm

This looks great! I'm sad there's no Android app.

Franklin · Post by **Franklin** » 26 May 2018 8:13 pm

This is not pro or con to the app, just a comment on the learning process.....

If you are a newbie I hope someone has explained the importance of memorizing the intervals and where they are found....Intervals are a musicians math ... Look at all the 20 somethings that were allowed to use calculators in school instead of writing them over and over which prompts memorization...Now the calculator generation can no longer give us change with out looking at a calculator. Music is a series of easy to remember mathematical combinations. Why put a calculator between you and the strings? The shortest path is to memorize.

Paul

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 27 May 2018 12:01 am

Yes, Paul. Thank you for your concern.

Your recent explanation of intervalic improvisation is what prompted me to go back to this app and start using it again. It gives you the choice of using note names or scale numbers when mapping the notes. It is easier to see intervals by using note numbers rather than note name. My plan is that once I get the numbers down for one or two keys, the intervalic relationships will become apparent for all keys. I think it is starting to sink in.

Ron Pruter · Post by **Ron Pruter** » 25 Jun 2018 8:58 pm

I used to get guitars in for servicing with little note name stickers all over the fret board and think, "What a waste of time". As a teacher, I really emphasized scale degree (numbers) and intervals. So much more useful; especially in understanding chord theory. RP

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 13 Jul 2018 4:50 am

interesting review on the appâ€™s page!

Doug Cassell · Post by **Doug Cassell** » 13 Jul 2018 5:40 am

Mike Neer wrote:interesting review on the appâ€™s page!

Mike, do you have a link? I'm not finding the review on the link posted by the OP above.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 13 Jul 2018 12:24 pm

Itâ€™s on iTunes page

Godfrey Arthur · Post by **Godfrey Arthur** » 7 Aug 2018 10:58 pm

Franklin wrote:This is not pro or con to the app, just a comment on the learning process.....

If you are a newbie I hope someone has explained the importance of memorizing the intervals and where they are found....Intervals are a musicians math ... Look at all the 20 somethings that were allowed to use calculators in school instead of writing them over and over which prompts memorization...Now the calculator generation can no longer give us change with out looking at a calculator. Music is a series of easy to remember mathematical combinations. Why put a calculator between you and the strings? The shortest path is to memorize.

Paul

Thanks Paul!

And yes where is the app for Droids?

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 8 Aug 2018 10:01 pm

The Steel Sidekick app diplays chord intervals based on the tonic of the chosen key rather than the root of the chord. For example, if you want to map the notes of a Dm chord and you are in the key of C, the map will refer to the chord intervals 2-4-6 rather than 1-b3-5. This leads to some conflubstergation when you get into 4-note chords. Dm7 would show as 2-4-6-1, Dm6 2-4-6-7. If you change the key of the scale to D Minor, then you get accurate interval numbers for the Dm chord.

This is a major (and minor...) flaw with the app, and if ever an upgrade was in order... Nonetheless, I think it is a helpful tool for memorization and I still refer to it often.