Byell Harmony 4+

Powerful & insightful tool for fretboard harmony

I was intrigued after first stumbling upon this app on the AppStore- I liked the idea of neck diagrams conveying harmonic function, the concept of filters , the chord/scale progression functions, etc.- My only hesitations were the purchase price, and the lack of ANY reviews whatsoever , positive or negative, to help me make the decision to buy ( or not…)
I took the plunge regardless, and am I glad I did! This app has gotten under my skin in a good way- after several sessions with guitar in hand and Byell running on the laptop, I can report that this app has floored me each time with it's usefulness in analyzation and discovery of fretboard harmony, and has become my favorite for assimilating new music as well as getting new perspectives on what I thought I already knew.
The user interface is rather spartan, but it keeps the focus on the diagrams. It's amazing how many different approaches to chords /scales & arpeggios you can explore- The note shapes and colour system are initially an eyeful, but it's possible to simplify diagrams by using the filters to cook things down to exactly what and where you are 'working'.
After a few sessions, I found the shapes and colours 'sticking'- these visualizations where still there after the computer was shut down. Very helpful, indeed!
The chord progression window is awesome for comparison of scales/chords- there is no provision for rhythm, but use of a footswitch, analog or midi, effectively solves this issue.
At this early stage ( I've had Byell Harmony for just 5 days) the only thing I feel is lacking is a way to print; perhaps a sort of 'clipboard' or work area to combine diagrams for printing…
I've had to use screenshots to print, and though this works ok, it's a drag to have to use time in other apps to make hardcopy. If ( and hopefully 'when') printing is added to the long list of powerful and intuitive features, I would wholeheartedly give this app 5 stars.
If you are on the fence about using ca.$45/259kr. ( or about the price of dinner and a movie ) for a fretboard harmony visualisation program, know that this is well worth it!
I hope to see this app grow/update, and have already felt a productive kick in the right direction in my guitar playing and acquisition of new chops based on my time working with Byell harmony.
Awesome! Lay the money down, and wrap your head around this one- you will be glad you did.