Gelato Chord · for iPhone
A song starts with a chord.
Seven chord keys, a melody plate, and sounds from real instruments. Play a progression with one thumb and a melody with the other.
Free to play. $4.99 once for the full version.
iOS 17+ · No ads, accounts or subscriptions.
Listen
A few sounds to start with
Made with Gelato Chord's own sounds and audio engine. Tap play to listen.
Find your chords
Choose a key. Seven labeled keys play its chords, with smooth changes between them.
Add a melody
Sweep the melody plate, bend a note, or turn the voicing wheel for a richer chord.
Build a song
Record an idea for free. The full version adds strum, arpeggios, drum grooves and loops.
What is free?
Start free. Keep playing.
Free
$0
- Play mode in every key and scale
- Keys, melody plate, voicing wheel and bend
- Grand Piano, Rhodes and Saw
- Quick record and share
Full version
$4.99 once
Everything free, plus:
- All 59 sounds
- Strum, Lead, Arp and Repeat modes
- Eight-layer loops with drum grooves
No subscription. Apple sets prices outside the US.
Explore every feature
- Keys and melody plate
- The seven chord keys respond to where you press: near the top is louder. The melody plate has twelve strings from your scale, with chord tones lit up. The bend strip moves sounding notes by up to a whole tone.
- Five playing modes
- Play holds a chord. Strum rolls its notes at slow, medium or fast speed. Lead plays one note per key. Arp plays a pattern at your tempo. Repeat pulses the whole chord. Play mode is free.
- Voicing and scales
- The Open, Sus, Home, Rich and Full positions color the chord without changing its bass. Choose from ten scales, triads or 7ths, and octave controls.
- Sounds and effects
- The 59 sounds include 24 sampled instruments and FM sounds. Reverb, delay, chorus and a sub-bass option shape the sound. Every preset is matched in loudness.
- Recording and loops
- Record to an .m4a file and share it. The full loop recorder has tap tempo, a count-in, eight drum grooves and up to eight layers, each with its own sound and mode.
See more screenshots
Good to know
Is Gelato Chord free?
Yes. The whole instrument works for free in Play mode: the keys, the melody plate, the wheel, the bend strip, every key and scale, quick record, and three sounds (Grand Piano, Rhodes and Saw). One $4.99 purchase adds Strum, Lead, Arp and Repeat, the loop recorder, and all 59 sounds. No subscription.
Is it like an Omnichord or a HiChord?
It borrows the best ideas from both. Like the HiChord, the keys always play the right chords for your key. Like the Omnichord, there is a strip of strings for the other thumb, so you can strum and play melodies over the chord. It is an iPhone app, so it fits in your pocket and costs a lot less.
Do I need to know any chords?
No. Choose a key and the seven keys become its seven chords, named on the caps. Any order sounds good, and the chords glide into each other the way a good player's hands would.
What sounds does it have?
Fifty-nine, from real recorded instruments (a 1977 Rhodes, a Wurlitzer, a Steinway grand, strings, a concert harp, vibraphone, a tenor sax and more) to FM synths, basses, organs and pads. Every sound is matched in loudness, so switching never makes you reach for the volume.
Can I record what I play?
Yes. Record captures everything to an audio file and opens the share sheet; recordings also land in the Files app. With the full version you can build loops over a drum groove, up to eight layers, each with its own sound and mode.
Does it need the internet or an account?
No. Gelato Chord never connects to the internet, has no account and no ads, and collects nothing.