Ahh good catch! I had that in a previous version, but some users who imported their backups told me to just let it all land in Fretlist as-is. So I built the matching titles feature to handle things afterwards. But looks like it’s still a needed feature — I’ll take the suggestion. Updating the docs today.
Cheers,
DJ
Hi John,
I just had a flick through this post and want to congratulate you for both the impressive amount of work you have put into this, which looks like it is targeting a demand out there, but more importantly for the way you have gone about collaborating within the
Community- Checking with the team first and then your positive interactions with the members.
‘Vibes’, as we used to say on the old forum 
I’m afraid this ol’ dinosaur is stuck in his ways and happy with his ‘system’ (copy/paste UG info into Word, then edit the chords in colour directly into the lyrics line where they are sung), so would not be a product for me.
The following remark did make me think however:
That implies that whenever you are happy with development there will be a cost to use it. If I was contemplating using it in the future, I’d be reluctant to go to the hassle of importing and organising all my songs, knowing that there would be an unknown charge for continuing using it after the launch.
Have you thought about maybe offering those who have been test-driving your product and offering feedback/suggestions to improve it, free post-launch membership?
None of my business really, but it’d be a classy move, and likely to pay for itself in the long run.
Good luck with the continuing project and I hope this takes off for you
Cheers 
Hey Brian,
Thank you, really. I’ve put so much into this and comments like yours genuinely keep me going. that kind of encouragement lands.
Your question deserves a proper answer so here goes.
Honestly, I’m far from thinking about payments right now. The product isn’t where I want it to be yet, and I’d rather focus on building something great and earning trust first. Pricing comes later.
Of course the end goal is to turn Fretlist into a sustainable product with revenue. That’s the only way i can keep building it for years. But i want it to be community-driven and something people genuinely want. Still in the product-fit exploration phase, and honest questions like yours help me know I’m on the right path.
About rewarding early users, that’s exactly where my head is at. Still pondering the details, but the people who are here now, giving feedback and shaping the app, are priceless. Early adopters will always get a great deal. Something meaningul.
More importantly: your data is always yours. You can already export everything in any format, any time. That’s a core principle for me. I’m building a modern alternative to apps that lock you in. It would be hypocritical to turn around and do the same thing. If at any point you want to leave, you take everything with you. Who am I to say otherwise?
Right now the focus is on shaping the app, and that only works when real musicians are actually using it. A truly by-musicians-for-musicians approach. Slow growth, built properly.
Thanks again for asking, it helped me think this through more clearly 
— DJ
Cheers for the speedy and comprehensive reply, John
It really does confirm to me that you’re on the right track
I did think twice about posting, as we all can become ‘precious’ about our projects, musical or otherwise, but clicked reply when I saw you were from NL. Most folk I’ve met from there have a remarkable ‘openness’ when it comes to speaking their mind, matched by their tolerance for listening to the opinions of others 
Good luck with the development 
Thanks for inviting me to speak openly about it. Maybe it’s the musician thing, the open heartedness. But you’re right, we do get precious about our projects. Not a day has passed this year that I haven’t been working on Fretlist. Putting it out there is scary, but the only way to find out if there’s a real need for it.
In a way it’s like releasing music. You pour your heart in, and those who love it will love it. If not, fine too. I try my best and the rest is up to the world. It would be amazing if it works out. And if it does, it’s lovely that people have had the chance to follow the journey from the start.
For now, have a great day! 
Thanks for letting us try this and suggest upgrades. Seems easy enough to import songs from songbook pro. It even added just my new songs from different backups. Would it overwrite the old one, if I had made changes to a song?
With the setlist function, how do I go to the next song in the set in play mode? I seem to have to navigate manually? I am probably missing something.
Hey Phil,
Great to have you on board! Glad to hear importing your SBP backup went well. I spent a lot of time optimizing the Fretlist import feature, so happy to hear it works for you!
When you import duplicates, you have the option to skip them or compare the versions with the Matching Titles tool. You can either decide to keep the existing one in your library, replace it with the new one, or keep both.
Does that information help? Always happy to assist if needed. Sent me a DM or email.
Thanks for trying it out!
Cheers,
DJ
Yes, thanks, that’s great.
I found out that if you push play while the setlist is showing, it allows you to choose the next song. Is it possible to have the next song start playing after some preferably changeable delay period, to avoid having to remember to push play on your phone, while remembering the song etc. or start playing after a short duration pushing the button to move to the next song in the set? Things that seem easy enough in your living room, often get messed up when standing in front of others.
Sorry, I forgot to answer the second part of your question!
When you start Play Mode in a setlist you can indeed swipe (on phones/tablets) to the next song or when at a laptop, you can use the arrow keys.
The next song won’t automatically play. But that’s actually a nice idea that I haven’t thought of intil now. Noting that down, thanks for the suggestion!
Hey everyone!
Quick update for those following along.
Frets shipped today! Visual chord diagrams for every song in your library. The most-requested feature since I opened Early Access, and the one I spent the most time getting right. Since this community is so much about practicing, I hope you’ll like it!
Here’s how it looks in dark mode
A few things worth mentioning about this new feature:
[Chords:mandolin] blocks or ChordPro {instrument: banjo} and {define:} directives.Huge thanks to everyone in this thread with whom I’ve been talking personally in the DM and over email. And @telemann1, I tried to keep your KISS push in the back of my mind when I build this .
There’s a longer blog article on my website and a docs page covering everything it can do.
Fretlist is still free during Early Access while I’m building the product further, you can try it here. If you have any ideas or found anything that breaks or feels off, let me know!
As always, you can export everything to any format. No lock-in. What’s yours is yours.
Cheers, DJ
Thanks for this although it looks like it’s picking up my strumming notation and bar ends. See below.
Thanks Stuart, this is exactly the kind of report I need.
Two real bugs in there. The parser is grabbing your strumming notation (DU) as if it’s a chord, and it’s not stripping the bar markers (|G|, |D|) before looking up the chord. Both fixable. I’ll get them sorted ASAP.
This is exactly why I launch publicly. Real users with real chord sheets find things I’d never catch on my own. The forum has shaped Fretlist more than any other channel, and it’s posts like yours that keep doing it 
. Genuinely grateful!
Cheers, DJ
EDIT:
@Stuartw, should be fixed! Please have a look and let me know 
Hey everyone! Hope you’re having a great weekend ahead of you 
Been wanting to post this for a while: folders just shipped in Fretlist!
A lot of you here have been asking for this since pretty much the start, so I owe you all a thanks, haha. The conversations in this thread and the DM’s genuinely shaped how it works.
Group however you like, bulk-select a whole batch with right-click, search still covers everything across folders.
I’d love to hear what you make of it once you’ve had a go, especially if you’ve got a big library that’s been getting unwieldy. Anything that feels off, just say.
Here’s the docs for reference.
Cheers, DJ
Hey everyone!!
Small update for those following along with the thing I’m building since the beginning of this year. My last post was in May, so it’s been a while. I released a single (Keep Smiling), took a holiday, and spent the rest of the summer on the biggest thing I’ve built for Fretlist yet, Fretlist for Bands! First, what shipped since May, besides a whoooole bunch of bug-fixes and optimizations, haha. For which I can thank @Mustela, @telemann1, @mundeli, and @stitch among others .
Full ChordPro support. The Fretlist editor now handles the whole spec: sections, {define:} for custom chord shapes, {chorus} repeats, {start_of_grid} directives, the lot. Write in Chords over Lyrics or ChordPro and switch between them freely. 
Blog
Chord grids. Chart a song as bars and chords with no lyrics: intros, turnarounds, jazz charts. Repeats, endings and strum patterns all render, and grids transpose with the song. This one’s basically for @LievenDV, hope you love it! Guide.
Smart editor. Colors your chord sheet as you type, a quick inserts toolbar and a slash-command for fast editing. Guide
Chord diagrams for any stringed instrument. Guitar and ukulele ship with full libraries. Add mandolin, banjo, cavaquinho, anything with strings, in any tuning. Guide
Show and hide. Lyrics, chords, grids and tabs each switch off on their own. Singer sees words, guitarist sees the chart. Guide
Follow Me. Press Play on your phone and the tablet on the stand follows along. Nothing to pair. Guide
Fretlist for Bands is the big one. One shared library for the whole band, every member with their own capo, instrument and notes on top. I’m opening it to a small group first. If you play with others and want in early, message me here.
1 November. In April some of you asked what happens when this stops being free, and I said Early Access users get a fair deal and your data is always yours. So: Fretlist stays free. The free plan is 50 songs, 3 setlists and every feature, offline and Play Mode included. On 1 November there will also be paid plans for people who need more: Solo Pro at 24 euros a year, Fretlist for Bands at 58 euros a year. Everyone who signed up before 1 November then gets half price for life, if they claim it before 1 December. Already over 50 songs? You keep every one. A plan only limits how much more you add.
I wanted you to hear that here first, not from a pricing page. Thanks for the bug reports since May, a lot of the above exists because you kept writing.
As always, you can always export everything to any format. No lock-in. What’s yours is yours.
Here’s that single he mentioned and didn’t link. Hope I’m not overstepping by sharing it. I quite enjoy it.
nice update!
will check in detail as soon as I get more time but indeed, I love the grid function!
Thanks for the support Nate
Let me know what you think!
I’ve been using Fretlist for a few months and love it! Saves having a folder full of paper and having to riffle through to find a song.
It’s also easy to use. I was away with friends recently and for the first time ever I entertained with the guitar, and we ended up having a couple of evenings of songs and singing. And what was useful with Fretlist was I had some requests for the second evening so downloaded the requested songs and made a playlist. With the Play function I was able to do songs such as Space Oddity and Dancing Queen which I hadn’t played before well enough for everyone to join in!
It’s also very easy to alter the key, and to view different capo positions.
No affiliation, just a Fretlist fan!
The only problem is I now have 63 songs on my list 
Richard
Richard, this made my week haha. Your first time entertaining with the guitar, a second evening because people wanted more, and Fretlist on the stand for it. That’s the picture I had in my head when I started building this. Space Oddity and Dancing Queen on a Play Mode debut is no small thing either!
And don’t worry about the 63. You keep every single one of them, that was the promise from the start. The free plan only ever limits adding more, never what you already have. So carry on adding, and if the ceiling ever gets in the way, you were here early, so Pro is €12 a year for you. But nothing changes for you on 1 November, whatever you do. But we’ll carry this conversion on by email.
Btw, would you mind if I quoted you somewhere? “No affiliation, just a Fretlist fan” is better than anything I could write about it myself.
Cheers!
