I’m always trying to find ways to practice smarter instead of just harder.
That idea led to the creation of my ChordChaser app, a practice tool that plays chords so you can train your ears, intonation and harmonic awareness while playing. I use it even more than I had expected to, both for my own practicing and with students – it’s really quite powerful and versatile.
Recently I made two free practice books designed specifically for ChordChaser:
A trombone warmup book
An arpeggio exercise book (for both bass clef instruments and treble clef players)
The books are free, and both are meant to turn everyday technical exercises into musical practice with harmonic context.
Let’s take a quick look.
Free Trombone Warmup Book (play with ChordChaser)
A warmup is the daily diagnostic tool for your chops as well as making them ready for whatever you throw at them during the day. But warmups often become mechanical:
buzz a bit
some long tones
run a scale
done.
Using chords during warmup changes this.
When you hear the harmony underneath your notes:
• intonation improves
• your ears wake up immediately
• long tones suddenly have a musical purpose
One of my favorite tricks is to let ChordChaser play chords while buzzing on the mouthpiece or playing simple warmup patterns. There are countless ways to challenge both chops and ears with the app!
👉 Download the free ChordChaser trombone warmup book
Free Arpeggio Book for ChordChaser
👉 Download the free arpeggio book for treble clef instruments
👉 Download the free arpeggio book for BASS CLEF instruments
Arpeggios are essential. But they are often practiced in a way that doesn’t resemble real music, or you run out of steam before covering all 12 keys.
C major
F major
Bb major
stop… think… next key…or coffee break…
With ChordChaser the chords simply keep moving. The app moves through the circle of fourths (or chromatically, you decide), which means you actually practice all twelve keys instead of giving up halfway.
The result:
• you find the keys that need extra attention (spoiler alert: B and Gb)
• your ear understands the harmony with the musical context from ChordChaser
• arpeggios start sounding and feeling like music instead of homework
Practicing arpeggios while hearing the chord underneath is also fantastic for intonation.
How to Use the Arpeggio book with ChordChaser
Open the app and set to:
Open the ChordChaser app and set it to:
☑️ Randomizer mode
☑️ Fixed order: Circle of fourths
☑️ Select the chord that matches the current exercise
☑️ 4 bars per chord (click the metronome icon to toggle between bars & beats or duration in seconds)
Then press Start and follow the patterns in the PDF. The app provides the harmonic context while you focus on playing.
What is ChordChaser?
ChordChaser is a versatile ear-training and harmony practice app designed for all instrumentalists and singers.
It can:
• generate random chord progressions for improvisation practice based on the chord types you select
• help you recognize chord qualities
• provide harmonic context for scales, arpeggios and exercises
In other words, it gives you a practice partner that never gets tired of playing chords.
And yes — the app is free.
