DAVID BARRAS
Creative Direction & Digital Design
Simple Solo Guitar App
Many beginners start playing guitar with the dream of one day being able to improvise and solo like their favorite musicians The idea of soloing can seem mysterious to a beginner and it can be hard to know where to start. Simple Solo presents the pentatonic scale, a good starting point for those learning to play, in a simple, straightforward fashion.
ChatGPT was used to write the code for this beta.
Learning to Solo Simplified
A good place for a beginner to start is the pentatonic scale. The pentatonic scale only consists of five patterns that repeat down the fretboard, but learning them individually and learning how they connect can be daunting at first. Most apps present the scale in its entirety or allow the user to isolate individual patterns, but it's still necessary to see how those patterns connect together.
The pentatonic scale for E major shown in its entirety
The simple goal, then, was to present the patterns so the user could focus on individual patterns while still seeing how they connected in sequence.
ChatGPT and Coding
I used ChatGPT to generate the code for a quick, inexpensive proof of concept. It took a some trial and error, but in the end I learned a bit more about coding and was able to begin tweaking some of the SwiftUI elements myself. With my prompting, ChatGPT was also able to provide detailed guides listing all styles, variables and functions in the app, which will make subsequent revisions easier.
In keeping with the philosophy of taking a simple approach to presenting the material, the app design is intentionally minimal and simplified, making it easy for the user to focus on learning how to play.
The projected release date is in the third quarter of 2025.
Scale selection is made easy by choosing a key or selecting an easy chord progression.
Once in the scale screen, a simple interface makes it easy to focus on individual patterns while still seeing the scale as a whole on the fretbaord.
