A band, generated on your device
BackingBand builds each part from the chord chart and plays it with sampled instruments, right on your iPhone or iPad. No account, no sign-up.
A backing band for every chord chart.
Pick a chart, press play, and a band plays it with you. Drums, bass, and keys or guitar, generated on your iPhone or iPad.
iPhone & iPad · iOS 16.6 or later
What it looks like
What you can do
37 charts in 8 genres
Jazz, Blues, Rock, Pop, Funk, Soul / R&B, Latin, and Reggae. Every built-in chart is free to play.
Edit bar by bar
Tap a bar to change its chord. Split a bar into two, three or four chords.
Tempo, key and style
Set the tempo. Try the chart in any key. Pick one of 37 styles and the whole band re-arranges.
Mix the band
Set each instrument’s volume, mute or solo it, or swap its sound. Mute an instrument in one section only.
Loop and import
Loop a passage from A to B. Paste an irealb:// link from iReal Pro to import its chart.
Dark and light themes. English and Simplified Chinese.
Styles, by genre
The styles the built-in charts are set in.
Jazz
- Swing
- Bebop
- Jazz Ballad
- Modal Jazz
- Soul Jazz
- Straight Ahead Jazz
- Boogaloo
- Even Jazz Ballad
- Second Line
- Afro 12/8
- Long Notes
Blues
- Slow Blues
- Shuffle Blues
- Minor Blues
- Smooth Blues
- Slow Minor Blues
- Blues Rock
- Boogie Rock
- Minor Blues Ballad
Rock
- Classic Rock
- Hard Rock
Pop
- Indie Pop
- Clean Pop Rock
- Power Pop
- K-Pop
- J-Pop
- Pop Ballad
- Triplet Ballad 12/8
Funk
- Classic Funk
- Disco Funk
Soul / R&B
- Neo Soul
- Classic Soul
Latin
- Bossa Nova
- Latin Jazz
- Samba
Reggae
- Roots Reggae
- Ska / Rocksteady
Free and Pro
Free
$0
- Play all 37 built-in charts
- Edit chords, change tempo and style
- Mix, mute and loop
- Try any key while you play
- Save up to 5 charts
Pro
$14.99 once
- Save unlimited charts
- Keep a chart in any of the 12 keys
- The full chord palette: maj7, m7, sus, extended and colour chords
- Set a chart to 3/4, 6/8, 5/4 or 7/8
- One-time purchase, no subscription
$14.99 is the US price. The App Store shows the price for your country. The dominant 7th is free, and charts in any time signature play for free.
Questions
Is BackingBand a subscription?
No. BackingBand is free to download. Pro is a one-time purchase ($14.99 in the US) with no subscription and no recurring charge. The App Store shows the price for your country.
What is free?
Playing all 37 built-in charts, editing chords, changing tempo and style, mixing and muting instruments, A-B looping, and saving up to 5 charts. Pro adds unlimited saved charts, keeping a chart in any of the 12 keys, the full chord palette, and the 3/4, 6/8, 5/4 and 7/8 time signatures.
Which devices does it run on?
iPhone and iPad with iOS 16.6 or later.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no sign-up. Your charts and settings stay on your device. Purchases go through your Apple ID.
Can I import charts from iReal Pro?
Yes. In the Library, tap New, then Import from iReal Pro, and paste an irealb:// link. From a playlist link, the first chart is imported. Repeats and endings are written out so the chart plays straight through. Charts that change time signature partway through cannot be imported yet.
Is the band recorded or generated?
Generated. BackingBand builds the drums, bass, and keys or guitar parts from the chord chart and the chosen style, and plays them on your device with sampled instruments. Change a chord, the key or the style, and the band follows.
How do I get help?
Email backingband@farlumen.com, or send it from the app: open any chart, tap the gear icon (Quick settings) in the bottom toolbar, then tap All settings, then tap Send feedback. The support page explains how to restore a purchase.
Bring a band to your next practice.
Free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.