Musicianly, the brainchild of guitarist and songwriter Scott Quillin, is excited to share the remarkable journey that led to the creation of their groundbreaking FretboardGPS app. Born out of a lifelong passion for music and a desire to empower fellow musicians, FretboardGPS is set to revolutionize the way guitarists and songwriters navigate the fretboard.
Quillin’s journey as a musician began at a young age, as he vividly recalls being moved by Elton John’s Your Song when he was just four years old. His musical path took a significant turn in middle school when he discovered rock music and relentlessly begged his parents for a guitar. Unlike many others whose interests waned with time, Scott’s determination was unwavering. He insisted that a guitar was all he wanted, and on a magical Christmas morning just days after his 14th birthday, he received a Peavey T-15, complete with an integrated amp.
Scott’s dedication to mastering the guitar led him to immerse himself in perfecting technique, phrasing, and developing his unique style. His early “instructors” were legendary guitarists like Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen and Akira Takasaki. Over time, he began writing his own music and honing his improvisation skills, earning a reputation among his peers as an innovative guitarist.
In 2010, Scott and a friend embarked on songwriting sessions, but their contrasting guitar skills and approaches hindered their creative flow. This challenge inspired Scott to develop a solution that would instantly display chord possibilities based on entered notes within a particular scale. Thus, the concept of FretboardGPS was born.
As Scott and his friend continued to refine the app, they realized the importance of making the user experience intuitive, ensuring that musicians of all levels could harness its power. In parallel, Scott initiated the AltTunings Project on YouTube in 2016, using his mastery of FretboardGPS to explore and create music in various tunings. His efforts received tremendous praise from fellow guitarists and musicians.
Buoyed by the positive feedback, Scott decided to shift his focus back to developing a suite of music apps enabling guitar players, songwriters, and educators to interact with the data themselves, leading to the birth of Musicianly, LLC in 2021. During this period, Scott solicited valuable feedback from select musicians and guitar players, including award-winning songwriter and composer Don Ross. Don generously volunteered his assistance to ensure the data is both academically sound and meets the requirements necessary for use in an academic setting. He stayed on as a consultant and is still an invaluable member of the team.
After three years of dedicated app development, Musicianly is now prepared to introduce the FretboardGPS app to the world. To make the mobile version a reality, they have launched a Kickstarter to bring their idea and concept to the masses.
To fund these ongoing needs, Musicianly is launching products such as the Mastering the Fretboard book series, composer cards, and desktop web experiences, all designed to unlock new horizons in music and songwriting. With your support, they can continue their mission to revolutionize music for guitarists and songwriters.
“We are thrilled to share our journey with the world, and we are excited to take this final step with your support. Together, we can bring the FretboardGPS app and other innovative products to musicians everywhere,” said Quillin.
To support Musicianly’s Kickstarter campaign and learn more about their mission, please visit Musicianly or Kickstarter.
