CharangoPalette
Chords & accompaniment maker
$7.99 · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Lay out chords and rhythm patterns to build a charango backing track in real recorded sound. Change the tempo as it plays and export the audio. 55 patterns, 12 genres.
Charango Palette is a strumming simulator for the charango (and the baritone charango). Press a chord card on the palette and it strums with real recorded sound, so you can play Andean folklore rhythm patterns. Lay out a progression, let the app play it, and export the audio. With charango and ronroco (baritone charango, a fourth lower) you can quickly pick the capo and instrument combination for any key and see the chord chart on a single screen — handy for songs in unfamiliar keys.
■ Pick a key, get the chords for the song Tap the key on the circle of fifths and the palette fills with the diatonic chords of that key plus the usual secondary chords. The app also suggests a setup: standard or baritone (ronroco), and where to put the capo. You can also transpose the progression to another key.
■ A wealth of chords to play 686 registered chord shapes. Search for the one you are curious about and play it with exactly that fingering. You can register your own shapes with a name and have them show up in search and on the palette. And when you have a shape but not its name, the app offers the chord names that fit, ready to register.
■ Press a card, hear the real thing Turn on play mode and every chord card strums when you press it. Press the right side of a card for a downstroke and the left side for an upstroke. The sounds are note-by-note recordings of a real charango and a real ronroco, 316 samples in all, captured beautifully with a NEUMANN KM184. Latency is kept low, so playing along at tempo feels good. (Bluetooth audio adds delay.)
■ Play rhythm patterns as you hold Turn on pattern play and the strumming pattern loops for as long as you hold a card, stopping when you let go. 55 presets across 12 genres: huayno, cueca, bailecito, carnaval, tobas, diablada, morenada, tinku, caporal, zamba, taquirari and chuntunqui. Change the tempo and switch patterns right on the palette. Put a Mute card on the palette to play the rhythm on left-hand muted strings.
■ Focus mode: nothing but the cards Tap Focus on the palette and the chord cards fill the screen. Scrolling and editing are off, so a stray touch can’t get in the way. Buttons at the bottom switch between your registered patterns (from the next bar if a card is held), and the tempo is at the top.
■ Build your own patterns Enter down/up and partial strokes, repique, chasquido, golpe, tapa and accents on a step grid, then loosen it up with per-stroke early/late timing, swing and humanize. Meters 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8; 16th and triplet grids; length from half a bar up. You can also duplicate a preset and adjust it.
■ Sequence an accompaniment The Sequencer tab puts chord changes and pattern switches on a piano roll and plays them back. Choose the chord entry method that suits you: per row, drag & drop or step entry. Tempo, bar count and meter are adjustable; in 6/8 the tempo display and metronome follow the dotted quarter. If a pattern’s cycle doesn’t fit the lane’s meter, the app tells you on the spot. Count-in (1 or 2 bars) and a song library for saving several songs by name are included.
■ Audio export Export the accompaniment you built in the sequencer as WAV (24-bit) or M4A and share it via the share sheet (Files, AirDrop, Messages…). Choose the whole song or the loop range, with a repeat count. You may use the exported audio freely in your own work (videos, streams, songs), including commercially; credit is optional (redistribution as a sample pack or sound library is not allowed).
■ Also • Tuner (listens through the microphone; reference pitch adjustable) • Optional degree names, diagram size, circle of fifths or grid key picker • iPhone and iPad, portrait or landscape (wider sequencer grid in landscape, more card columns on iPad) • Japanese, English, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
No account, no network. Everything stays on your device; nothing is collected or sent. Exported audio is created on the device and shared only when you choose.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
• Song library: save several “songs” (key, instrument and capo, palette, chord progression, tempo) by name and switch between them. Duplicate, rename and delete; exported audio files carry the song name. • Transpose: when you pick a new key, choose “Transpose”, “Keep chords” or “Replace with standard set”. Transposing moves the palette chords and progression to the new key intact. • Count-in: play one or two bars of clicks before the sequencer starts (the song begins exactly as the clicks end). • Pattern editor: new 8th-triplet and 16th-triplet grids. The Diablada presets have been remade in 2/4 triplets (songs using the old 6/8 versions still play as before). • Now in French, German and Portuguese (Brazil).
The developer, Satoshi Nishikawa, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Satoshi Nishikawa
- Size
- 171.2 MB
- Category
- Music
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 16.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 16.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 16.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 13.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
English and 5 more
- English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2026 Satoshi Nishikawa
