The Problem
You know the chords. You've picked voicings you like for each one. But when you play them in sequence, something feels off - the changes are clunky, your hand jumps around the neck, and it doesn't flow the way it should.
That's because most chord tools treat each chord in isolation. They help you find a good G and a good D, but they don't ask: "is this G good before this D?"
Whether it's a common chord progression like G-D-Em-C, a sad chord progression in a minor key, a 12-bar blues, a jazz ii-V-I, or something you've written yourself - any chord progression on guitar has this problem. Fretscape is the first tool that solves it.
How It Works
Fretscape solves this by looking at the whole sequence at once:
Step 1: You pick the voicings you want for your progression - say, your favourite shapes for G - D - Em - C.
Step 2: For each chord, Fretscape finds variations (voicings that sound the same but are fingered slightly differently) and works out multiple ways to finger each one. A single chord might have hundreds of voicing-and-fingering combinations.
Step 3: It checks every possible transition between every combination at every step. For a simple four-chord progression like G - D - Em - C, that's over 100,000 transitions - each one checked across 40+ physical movement factors like finger travel, anchor fingers, barre changes, and position shifts. Done in seconds.
The path with the least total effort. Sometimes that means a voicing that's technically a little harder on its own - but makes the changes before and after it dramatically easier. The overall progression flows better, even if one chord got slightly trickier in isolation.
That's the insight no other tool has: the best voicing for a chord depends on its neighbours, and sometimes the "wrong" choice for one chord is the right choice for the whole progression.
Voicing Variations: Same Chord, Easier Path
This is the idea that makes progression optimisation possible - and it's never been done before.
A "variation" is a voicing that sounds very similar to the one you chose but uses a different shape. Maybe one note moves up an octave. Maybe a finger shifts by one fret. The harmony doesn't change - but the physical path to the next chord does.
Example: You're playing G - D. Your G voicing is fine. Your D voicing is fine. But the change between them is awkward. Fretscape finds a G variation where your ring finger stays on the same fret - and now you have an anchor into D. Same G chord, same sound, much easier change.
But it's not just about voicing variations - Fretscape also considers different fingerings for each one. The same voicing can be played with different fingers, and the right fingering choice might create an anchor into the next chord that the "obvious" fingering doesn't.
The optimiser does all of this across your entire progression simultaneously. It might leave three of your voicings untouched and swap one for a variation with a different fingering - because that single change unlocks anchor fingers across two transitions.
For a four-chord progression, that means checking over 100,000 possible transitions - each one measured across 40+ physical movement factors. You'd never find the best path by trial and error. Fretscape does it in seconds.
Progression Builder
Enter any chord sequence you're working on. Fretscape finds the smoothest path through it:
Add voicings from the explorer
Search for any chord, browse the voicings, and add the one you want straight into your progression.
Lock voicings you like
Already have a fingering you love for the Am? Lock it. Fretscape works around it.
Leave a gap
Not sure what chord goes next? Drop a "?" into your progression. Fretscape figures out the key, then suggests chords and voicings that fit - taking into account the chords either side so the transitions flow naturally.
Narrow it down
Consider your settings like difficulty, excluding barres or specific fingers to find voicings that work for you.
Hear it back
Play back your progression, whether or not you've used the optimiser.
Save your favourites
Favourite your progressions so you don't forget what you were working on and come back to it at any time.
This isn't a chord progression generator that invents sequences for you. It's a chord progression builder that takes your music and makes it physically easier to play.
Build your progressionKey Detection Built In
As you build your progression, Fretscape automatically detects the key and mode. You don't need to go anywhere else - it's right there in the builder. This is also what powers the gap-filling: once Fretscape knows the key, it knows which chords will fit.
Want to go deeper? The standalone key finder explains the harmonic reasoning in plain English.
Try the key finderBuild your progression. Feel the difference.
Enter any chord sequence. See the easier path. Play through it and notice how much less your fingers have to move.