Accompaniment styles

The accompaniment style decides what the piano, bass and drums play behind your chords. Tap or click the style name in the player controls a...

Playback tempo

Change the tempo in the player controls. Tap or click the tempo to open it, then use + and −, drag the slider, or tap the metronome icon in ...

Set the number of repeats

Repeats set how many times the player runs through the form of the song. They are not the repeat barlines written inside the chart. Tap...

Mixer - change playback instrument

The Mixer reshapes iReal Pro's backing band. Open it from the Player controls: on iOS and Android tap the chart, then tap the Mixer button (...

Practice mode

The Practice controls allow automatic tempo increase and/or transposition at each repeat. iOS, Android: Tap on the chart, then tap the ...

Chord diagrams for guitar, piano, ukulele and chord scales

iOS, AndroidSelect a song and tap the Chord Diagrams button in the Player controls menu (lower right corner)Tap the appropriate button for G...

Play a song

Choose an accompaniment style, then set the key, the tempo and the repeats. Tap or click Play to start the backing track. From a keyboa...

Count in

The count-in settings live in the Mixer, alongside the reverb. Open the Mixer from the player controls, and scroll if you do not see them.&n...

Loop a section

Select at least two measures to loop, so you can drill a tricky section over and over. On iPhone, iPad, and Android, press and hold a m...

Record yourself with iReal Pro

iReal Pro records you playing along with the backing track and mixes the two into a single audio file. It works on iPhone, iPad, Android, an...

AirPlay

AirPlay is a system control on iPhone and iPad, not a setting inside iReal Pro. Open Control Center, press and hold the audio card at the to...

Change instrument to guitar/piano

2026 updateiOS v2026.3.4 or higherAndroid v2026.3.1 or higherMac 2026.3.1 or higherWindows 2026.4 or higher All styles will now show al...

Create your own accompaniment styles

There is currently no way to create your own accompaniment style. The styles are recorded performances rather than patterns you can edit.&nb...

Two different playback styles in one song

Four Jazz styles play two feels and switch by themselves. Latin/Swing, Bossa/Swing and Swing Two/Four switch between sections, as do the Blu...

Playback position

As the song plays, the measure being played highlights so you can keep your place. You can choose its color, or hide it altogether. Tap...

Playback position

As the song plays, the measure being played highlights so you can keep your place. You can choose its color, or hide it altogether. On ...

Record a song with GarageBand

The recorder built into iReal Pro captures one pass through one microphone. For overdubs, effects, or editing, let GarageBand do the recordi...

AirPlay

You need an AirPlay receiver on the same network as your Mac: an Apple TV, a HomePod, or any supported speaker. Choose it from the volu...

Metronome

In Player controls > Mixer, change the sound of the Drums to either Click or Click 2 & 4.Select the click sound you want for Cli...

Troubleshooting - No sound on Mac or Windows

Work down this list on Mac or Windows, and stop when the sound comes back. 1. Check the computer's own volume. 2. Check the volume slid...

"Jazz Practice" accompaniment style

It is called Jazz - Long Notes in current versions of the app. The style is unchanged: the instruments hold each chord rather than playing a...

Waltz

Open the Editor and set the time signature to 3/4. There is generally no need to change the barlines, but a bar holding more than three chor...

Embellished chords

The Embellished Chords option in the Mixer controls how closely the voicings follow your chord symbols. With it off, the band plays the symb...

Accompaniment styles vs. style indicator

Two things are called the style, and they do unrelated jobs. The accompaniment style is what the band plays. Choose it from the player ...

Troubleshooting - Audio output device missing

iReal Pro lists only the audio devices that macOS has already recognized. If yours is not there, select it once at the system level: hold Op...

Connect a Bluetooth speaker/headphones

Pair the speaker or headphones in your device's own settings. There is nothing to switch on inside iReal Pro. Bluetooth costs battery, so tu...

AirPlay 1 Offset

Only first-generation AirPlay receivers, an AirPort Express and its contemporaries, need this. They hold a fixed two-second buffer, so the a...

Connect a Bluetooth speaker/headphones

Pair the speaker or headphones in your device's own settings. There is nothing to switch on inside iReal Pro. Bluetooth costs battery, so tu...

Chord scales with treble/bass clef

Turn on Chord Scales to see the recommended scale for every chord on a staff. Tap the chart to show the Player controls, tap the Chord Diagr...

Switch the Chord Scales to bass clef

Read the chord scales in the clef that suits your instrument. Switch between treble and bass clef in the Chord Scales panel, or in Settings ...

How to use iRig/Apogee Jam with iReal Pro

An iRig, Apogee Jam, or similar adapter plugs your guitar or bass into your device. The recorder in iReal Pro will pick it up, and on Mac yo...

Chord on off-beat

The player places chords on the beat, so iReal Pro does not play a chord that falls on an off-beat eighth note. Some players have worke...

Background audio

iReal Pro keeps playing in the background, so you can switch to another app (a PDF of the melody, a page of lyrics, or other practice materi...

Connect a Bluetooth speaker/headphones

Pair the speaker or headphones in your device's own settings. There is nothing to switch on inside iReal Pro. Bluetooth costs battery, so tu...

Troubleshooting - Can't change tempo

While playing, you cannot change the tempo when you have Practice mode enabled with a tempo set to some value.You need to turn the tempo off...

Adjust tuning

The backing tracks are tuned to A4 = 440 Hz. You can set it anywhere between 415 and 466 Hz to match an instrument at a different pitch.&nbs...

Adjust tuning

The backing tracks are tuned to A4 = 440 Hz. You can set it anywhere between 415 and 466 Hz to match an instrument at a different pitch.&nbs...

Control with Apple Watch

There is no separate Apple Watch app. Start a song on your iPhone and it appears in the watch's Now Playing app, where you can play it, paus...

Hide sidebars

The Mac and Windows window has three parts. The sidebar on the left holds your library or a playlist and its song list. The middle shows the...

Brushes (drums)

For the drums to play brushes rather than sticks, choose one of these Jazz styles: Ballad Even, Ballad Melodic, Ballad Swing, Ballad Double ...

Auto-hide the player controls

On iPhone, iPad and Android, open iReal Pro Settings and find Auto-Hide Controls under General Settings. It was called Default to Full Scree...

Troubleshooting - AirTurn doesn't work with PED

iOSTurn OFF Airturn in iReal Pro.RESET PAIRING: Pairing must be reset whenever switching from one device to another or when switching betwee...

Practice tips

iReal Pro has several features to personalize and sharpen your practice. Automatic transposition and tempo increase shift the key and r...

Enable AirTurn

AirTurn Bluetooth pedals send key commands, so they can turn pages and start playback. Other pedals may work too, but test any pedal before ...

External keyboard

Pair an external, Bluetooth, or built-in keyboard with your device (v2024.4 and higher) and editing gets much faster. It works with an Apple...

Customize keyboard shortcuts

macOS lets you create your own keyboard shortcut for any menu command in any app. That is useful when a shortcut you rely on system-wide col...