A few days ago we published a long post about why FretsNotes took almost two months to build. The short version: we chose depth over a quick MVP. Writing it drove home something obvious — the work doesn’t stop at launch. So we ran a quick follow-up sprint and just shipped two things that matter for actually sticking with practice: streaks and notifications.

Streaks: the habit is the whole game

Learning the fretboard isn’t about one heroic session — it’s about showing up for a few minutes a day. So FretsNotes now tracks your practice streak: how many days in a row you’ve practiced. It’s a small number, but it changes how the app feels. Missing a day costs something now, and that little bit of friction is exactly what turns “I should practice” into “I practiced.”

Reminders that nudge, not nag

A streak is only useful if something reminds you before it breaks. So we added practice reminders — a daily nudge at a time you choose (7 PM by default). The part we cared about most was doing it respectfully:

• One reminder a day. Not a stream of notifications.
• Skipped on days you’ve already practiced. If you’ve done your reps, we stay quiet — nothing’s more annoying than being reminded to do the thing you just did.
• Streak-aware. When you’ve got something going, the reminder says so — “Keep your 5-day streak alive.”
• Off in one tap. Don’t want them? Settings → Notifications, done.

These run entirely on your device, so they work offline and don’t depend on a connection. The honest truth about notifications is that the hard part isn’t sending them — it’s earning the right to, and not abusing it. We’d rather send one well-timed nudge than ten you learn to ignore.

Push: so we can tell you what’s new

We also added push notifications, live on iOS today and rolling out on Android. Beyond reminders, this is how we’ll let you know when something is genuinely worth your attention — a new course series, a new exercise mode, the kind of thing you’d actually want to hear about. Same rule applies: opt-out anytime, used sparingly.

Still building

This was the plan all along: ship something real, then keep making it better. Streaks and reminders are live now in the iOS and Android apps — and the whole platform stays free during the beta, browser included.

Want to feel it for yourself? Try every exercise in your browser — no install — or request early access to the full app. And keep an eye here; we’ll keep sharing what we ship.