1.15

What's new in 1.15

• Steady tone sooner: hold a fingerboard note for 3 seconds (was 5) and it keeps sounding after you let go, steady with no vibrato, like a tuning fork. Tap anywhere to stop it.

Open the app at https://trix69.github.io/violin-toolkit/ , or download violin-toolkit.html below to use it offline as a single file.

1.14

What's new in 1.14

• Tidier key choice on the fingerboard: the 24 keys now fold into one button showing the current key. Tap it to pick another major or minor key from a window. Prefer the old two rows? Settings > Key list > All keys.
• Intonation right on the fingerboard: next to the key button, a menu switches between Equal, Just and Pythagorean. It's the same setting as in Settings.
• Tips for the key button and the intonation menu in the fingerboard tour (Settings > Help > Show tips again to see them).
• Small fixes: your appearance is only remembered once you choose one, and the key window works better with screen readers.

Open the app at https://trix69.github.io/violin-toolkit/ , or download violin-toolkit.html below to use it offline as a single file.

1.13

What's new in 1.13

• Steady tone on the fingerboard: hold a note for 5 seconds and it keeps sounding after you let go, steady with no vibrato, like a tuning fork. Tap anywhere to stop it. A new tip in the fingerboard tour explains it.
• Light appearance by default for new users. Your saved choice in Settings stays as it is.
• Small phones: the "Fingerboard" title no longer crowds the tabs on very narrow screens.

Open the app at https://trix69.github.io/violin-toolkit/ , or download violin-toolkit.html below to use it offline as a single file.

1.12

Metronome

• New − and + buttons beside the dial jump to the next 10 BPM (for example 83 → 90, or 83 → 80).
• On a keyboard, ← and → move the tempo to the next 5 BPM.

Other changes

• The "Save for offline use" reminder no longer pops up. How to use the app offline is still in Settings > Offline.
• In Pitch Check, the message when the microphone can't be used is shorter ("microphone unavailable"), so it fits on screen.

Download violin-toolkit.html to use the whole app as a single file, or open https://trix69.github.io/violin-toolkit/

1.11

Pythagorean intonation. Settings > Intonation now has a third choice: Equal, Just or Pythagorean. In Pythagorean every note is built from pure fifths, starting from A, so the open strings fit the scale exactly, and leading tones and sharps sit high, the way many violinists play. The fingerboard plays and places each note this way, Pitch Check measures against it, and the tuner tunes the strings in pure fifths. The fingerboard heading shows "Pyth." (五度 in 中文).

Sound after switching apps (iPhone). After you left Violin Toolkit for another app and came back, the metronome, notes and reference tones could stay silent until the app was force-quit. Each tool now starts its sound fresh when you return. The tuner and Pitch Check also turn the microphone off when you leave and back on when you return.

Also

• In Pitch Check the fingerboard heading leaves out "Pitch Check", so the verdict ("A4 · in tune") is no longer cut off.

The standalone file below works offline in any browser. For the installed app, open Settings and tap "Check for updates".

1.10

Symbols, explained. The metronome's Symbols window now has 135 symbols in 13 groups: notes, rests, bowing, articulation, left hand, dynamics, tempo, expression, ornaments, repeats and jumps, accidentals, clef and time, and more. Tap any symbol to see what it means and how to play it, in English or 中文. The symbol you're reading about is highlighted in your chosen colour.

Just intonation. Settings > Intonation lets you choose between equal temperament (the default) and just intonation. In just intonation the fingerboard plays each note as a pure interval above the key's tonic and moves the notes to match. The open strings are tuned in pure fifths from A. Pitch Check measures against those pitches, and the tuner's Violin mode tunes the strings in pure fifths. The fingerboard heading shows which one is on.

Also

• Changing A4 updates the fingerboard straight away.
• Screen readers announce the symbols as buttons.

The standalone file below works offline in any browser. For the installed app, open Settings and tap "Check for updates".

1.09

Sound on silent. On iPhone and iPad (iOS 16.4 and later) the metronome, the reference tones and the fingerboard notes now play even when the ring/silent switch is on silent, like a music app.

Settings on the welcome screen. The welcome screen now has a Settings button, so you can switch language (English / 中文) before choosing a tool.

Calmer beat flash. If your device is set to reduce motion, the beat flash only pulses the metronome tab, with no full-screen flash.

Also

• The metronome tab's "playing" dot stays visible while it pulses.
• The app icon fits Android's round icon shape.
• The beat flash no longer shows over open windows.
• Shorter wording in the offline note.

The standalone file below works offline in any browser. For the installed app, open Settings and tap "Check for updates".

1.08

Beat flash for the metronome and a new icon.

New

• Beat flash: the screen flashes in your Settings colour on every metronome beat, brighter on accents, and keeps flashing while you look at the fingerboard. Turn it off in Settings › Beat flash. Above 168 BPM the flash is gentler, to stay under the safe limit for flashing screens.
• New app icon: a violin and bow drawn with a brush pen. To see it on your home screen, remove the app and add it again.

Improved

• The "Use offline" sheet is shorter.

Open the app · installed copies update through Settings › Check for updates.

1.07

Fixes for 1.06.

Fixed

• Tuner: 1.06 showed its verdict twice ("In tune." under "In tune."). The second line is for screen readers and is hidden again.
• Solfège: note names keep their case where labels are in capitals: "Tuning pitch (La4)" in Settings, "Fa5" in Pitch Check, "Sol string" in the tuner. With pitch names the tuner line now reads "G string · 4ᵗʰ".

Download

violin-toolkit.html below is the whole app in one file. Open it in a browser, no install needed. For the microphone (tuner, Pitch Check), the web app works best.

Installed copies update through Settings › Check for updates.

1.06

Fingerboard tips, a quieter tuner for screen readers, and polish.

New

• Fingerboard tips now explain the positions and Pitch Check separately. The Pitch Check tip shows an example: F on the E string in C major, in tune, sharp and flat.

Improved

• Tuner with a screen reader: the verdict ("In tune." / "Flat. Raise the pitch.") is spoken once, instead of the hint being rewritten many times a second.
• Pitch Check: the disc always stays fully inside the board.
• First-use tips: on phones held sideways, a tip sits beside what it points at when there's room; tips are placed even if the browser skips a screen refresh; a tip that fits the screen is never pushed off the top.

Removed

• Unused "clicks per beat" code in the metronome. It had no control; the metronome sounds the same.

Already finished the fingerboard tour? Use Settings › Help › Show tips again to see the new tips.

Open the app · installed copies update through Settings › Check for updates.