The Official Guide to NoteFluent

The Core Idea: Reading, Not Naming

Traditional methods teach you to slowly identify notes one by one. NoteFluent is different. By showing you a constantly but gently shifting musical line, it trains your brain to instantly recognise the relationships between notes - the intervals, the shapes, the patterns. This is the key to true fluency.

Your goal is simple: play along with the notes you see. As you do, you'll stop translating and start reading.

Customising for Your Instrument

Because every instrument and musician is different, NoteFluent lets you choose from several clefs and set your own note range.

The Easiest Method: Use a Preset

The quickest way to get set up is to use one of the built‑in instrument presets.

1. Click the Note Range button (found at the top‑right of the main controls).
2. In the setup panel, simply click the icon for Guitar, Violin, or Cello.

The app will instantly select the correct clef and a standard playing range for that instrument. Please contact us if you'd like your instrument to be added here.

For All Other Instruments

1. Choose Your Clef First. On the main control panel, select your primary clef: Treble, Bass, or C Clef.
   What is the C Clef? It's used by instruments like the viola (Alto Clef), or for the higher registers of cello and bassoon (Tenor Clef). When you select the C Clef, you can drag the symbol up or down to change its position.

2. Set Your Custom Note Range. After selecting your clef, click the Note Range button.

   • Click the Edit button. The outer two notes will become draggable "handles."
   • Drag these handles up or down to set the highest and lowest notes for the exercise.
   • When you're happy with the range, click Apply.

Tips for Success

Relax!

Over time, you'll begin to be able to; listen to the notes from the app, feel your way around your instrument, see what the next note is going to be, and notice when the notes start moving - so that you have a full eight beats to prepare for that new note instead of being surprised by it. The more you let go of impatience and trust the process, the better you'll be able to be aware of all those things at the same time!

Be Consistent

It's much better to practise for five minutes every single day than to spend a long time on certain days with gaps on other days. You can build a streak with just two minutes of using this app every day - even this short amount, every single day over a few weeks, will make a noticeable difference!

Tracking Your Progress

Create a free account to unlock powerful progress‑tracking features.

Saved Settings & Statistics

When you're logged in, all your settings - clef, tempo, custom range, difficulty, note pitches, etc - are saved automatically. The next time you visit, you can pick up right where you left off. Your dashboard will show you how much you've practised and display your weekly progress on a chart.

Build Your Streak

Practise for at least two minutes in a day to count towards your consecutive day streak. It's a great way to stay motivated!

Offline Sync

If your internet connection drops, NoteFluent keeps working. Any practice time is saved locally to your device and automatically syncs to your account the next time you're online, so you never lose your progress or break your streak.
(make sure you don't delete your cookies or cache until you're back online)

Customise Your Practice

Once you're comfortable, you can personalise the settings to target specific areas and adjust the difficulty.

Advanced Range Settings

• To practise with more ledger lines, first use the Max Ledgers Above/Below dropdowns. This makes more space available for extra ledger lines, allowing you to drag the highest and lowest notes further up or down when you enter Note Range Edit Mode.
• To save screen space, reducing the numbers in the Max Ledgers dropdowns reduces the total vertical space taken up by the music display.
• Quick Tip: To quickly reset a custom note range and your ledger line settings, simply switch to a different clef and then immediately switch back.

Controlling the Difficulty

• Maximum Interval: This setting is key to developing true intervallic reading, and controls the largest possible leap between adjacent notes. Start with a "Third" to train your brain to instantly recognise basic intervals. As you become fluent with these, you can gradually increase this setting to get used to larger jumps.
• Difficulty Level: This sets the maximum distance an individual note is allowed to move when it changes position. On "Slow," the allowed up or down movement for each notehead starts small and increases very gradually. On "Fast," this limit increases much more quickly, allowing for larger movements sooner and making the pattern more unpredictable.

Adjusting the Starting Notes

• Drag Individual Notes: You can drag and drop notes anywhere within your custom note range before pressing Start. This is powerful for focusing your practice. For example - you can set the notes within a register where you find reading more difficult; or create a varied starting pattern to challenge yourself immediately, rather than waiting for the notes to spread out from a single pitch.
• Quick Tip: You can always see your custom note range indicated by the vertical arrow on the left of the music.
• Start on Middle C: This checkbox is an option for Treble and Bass Clefs, and provides a quick way to set this common reference point (if allowed by the custom note range).

NoteFluent Practice Strategies

Match Your Repertoire

Look at the pieces you're currently learning. What's the lowest and highest note? Set your Note Range to match - you'll be practising exactly what you need!

Advanced Challenge

Try an unfamiliar clef within your instrument's range. For example, most musicians can't read any of the C Clefs - this is a great test of your ability to rely purely on interval recognition, the ultimate sight-reading skill!

A Note on Accidentals

Don't worry that the app doesn't test sharps and flats - this app is inspired by a method I've used for decades with a simple whiteboard and magnets to help students master reading intervals - and it's proven to be incredibly effective! (Key signatures planned for a future update)

Instrument-Specific Guidance

For Pianists

"But I need to read two hands at once!"

This is true! However, practising one hand at a time with NoteFluent is incredibly valuable at every level. By training your brain to recognise intervals rather than label individual notes, you'll transform your sight-reading in both hands.

Getting Started with Fingerings

The most common question I get from pianists about using this app is about fingerings: "How do I know which fingers go on which notes?" Here's what works:

• Complete beginners: Set a 5-note range (one finger per note). Try Middle C to G with your right hand, using fingers 1-5.
• Comfortable with basics: Expand to 6 notes (like C to A). Don't stress about "correct" fingerings - as you anticipate patterns, you'll naturally discover efficient finger movements.
• Remember: You'll improve even if you used just one finger (or your nose!). The key is regular practice, not perfect technique.

Target Your Weaknesses

• Most pianists find bass clef more challenging - if that's you, give your left hand extra practice time!
• Advanced players: Challenge yourself by setting your range exclusively to notes with ledger lines - either very high or very low.

For String Players

Start with One String

Currently, the minimum range spans a fifth, which means including two open strings on most instruments. Set all notes to the lower open string and keep Maximum Interval at a third - you'll mostly stay on one string with occasional moves to the higher open string.

For example, violinists: set your range from open A to open E, place all notes on A, and practise at a comfortable tempo.

Level Up Your Positions

Intermediate and advanced players can systematically master different positions:

• Practise reading exclusively in 1st position, then 2nd, then 3rd...
• This rapidly builds position fluency across your entire fingerboard.

Guitarists:

Since you only read two or three notes per string in open position, set your range to cover two strings (e.g., open B to G on the high E). Start all notes on B (or C if you prefer) and find a gentle tempo that works for you.