FretMonster Update - Hiding Strings & New Instruments Added

Lesson #444 • Jul 11, 2022

Video lesson

Lesson Discussion

Jump in the conversation with other members of the Song Notes community! Post a comment about this lesson, ask a question, or even upload a video of your progress. All skill levels welcome!

View Comments

Jump in the conversation with other members of the Song Notes community! Post a comment about this lesson, ask a question, or even upload a video of your progress. All skill levels welcome!

To access the community forum, upgrade to premium or log in.

Editor’s notes

Hey there, friends! New updates to FretMonster I wanted to show you all in this quick video. If you’ve never seen it, FretMonster is an interactive fretboard tool I designed & coded, and it’s free to use here on my website. It gives you a dynamic map of the notes on the fretboard based on whatever key and scale you select. It also lets you label & highlight notes however you choose (e.g. showing note name vs. scale degree; showing root note only vs. 1-3-5 triads). A lot of you have wrote in over the last couple years letting me know how helpful FretMonster has been for your guitar journey, so I wanted to give it a long-overdue coat of fresh paint.

New features & updates:

  • You can now hide notes on any string, should you want to keep things uncluttered. Simply click on the string label (far left) to toggle a string’s view on/off
  • You can now use multiple instruments and various guitar tunings. I’ve added Drop D, Drop G, Cigar Box Guitar tunings, and more!
  • Added chromatic scale support
  • Added a video tutorial & various related lessons, all linked from the FretMonster page
  • Various interaction & visual polish updates

Give it a try! Use FretMonster @ playsongnotes.com/fretmonster

My Full Tutorial on FretMonster

Unlock My Secret Stash!

Gain instant access to my library of 304 print-friendly cheat sheets! Also includes my extended video lessons, jam tracks, courses, and more.

Join Song Notes Premium

Have questions? Watch video tour »

Browse Related Lessons

Click any tag below to view other lessons I've made in that category:

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Most of the lessons on my website are 100% free. If you have the means, please show your support with a tip jar contribution. I put many hours into every lesson — but it only takes you a minute to make a donation. You have my thanks!

Donate

Looking for More Song Lessons?

Featured Courses

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Coming soon is Jambox – which shows all the video jam tracks I've made. It's note quite ready for the spotlight, but check it out if you like!


Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Be sure to never miss a lesson by subscribing on YouTube. I put out 2-3 new videos every week. These include full song lessons, as well as covers, practice tips, behind-the-scenes updates. Thanks!


Recent Lessons

  • April 10, 2026

    "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty

    Learn to strum and sing Tom Petty's 1989 classic. I include a campfire version (no capo), as well as the colorful chord variations used in Key of D (capo 3) and Key of E (capo 1) versions. Rhythm & strumming tips too!

  • March 23, 2026

    "I'm a Little Crazy" by Morgan Wallen

    A step-by-step fingerstyle guide to Morgan Wallen's hit from 2025. I demonstrate a handful of ways to approach Trais-style fingerpicking, where each layer builds upon the last.

  • March 17, 2026

    [Fixed] Minor Pentatonic Cheat Sheet - Download Link Fixed!

    Back in lesson #583, I published 40 pages of scale cheat sheets... but just realized the minor pentatonic summary PDF had a broken download link! I've fixed it.

  • March 13, 2026

    Guitar Tech Tip: Change the Key of Any YouTube Video

    A must-know tip for guitarists in the modern age! I teach you how to change the key of ANY video on YouTube, allowing you to play along in standard tuning.

  • March 12, 2026

    [Updated] Strum & Riff Guide for "About a Girl" by Nirvana

    I've updated my practice notes for this Nirvana classic! Learn the rhtyhm & strumming, along with the recognizable guitar riff.

  • March 3, 2026

    Strumming Issues? Try the "Pyramid" Rhythm Drill

    This is the #1 most helpful strumming & rhythm exercise out there, in my book! It'll help you with staying on the beat, strumming smoothly, counting 8th & 16th notes, and so much more.

  • Feb 13-20, 2026

    Save Your "Favorite" Lessons, with Custom Collections!

    The biggest new feature I've added in years! Build a list of your "Favorite" lessons, organized into custom collections of your choosing. Tons of requests for this... hope you enjoy!

  • February 4, 2026

    Sing & Strum "Piano Man" by Billy Joel

    Learn how to play Billy Joel's 1973 classic on your six string! This lesson includes plenty of practical ways to simplify some of the tricky piano chords, to suit a range of skill levels.

  • Jan 26, 2026

    Member Q&A: January 2026

    Here's a round-up of the video Q&A I made for Song Notes members over the last few weeks. Plenty of handy practice tips included!

Browse All Recent Lessons →

← back to homepage


YouTube URL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc0IRQqlfxA
Thumbnail (video)
Video thumbnail for FretMonster Update - Hiding Strings & New Instruments Added
Thumbnail (pdf)
n/a
Slug
444
Lesson URL
/lessons/444/
Patreon URL
n/a
Discussion URL
https://community.songnotes.net/c/song-notes-lesson-discussion/444-updates-to-fretmonster-interactive-fretboard-tool
Add to Favorites
List of Favorites