The FretTime Phase 2 Kickoff

July 20, 2025

Milestones & Momentum ->

Yesterday was a moment I’ll remember for a long time. After 14 days of focused development, FretTime Phase 1 went live at frettime.com. 🎉

The UI looks pretty good. All the parts work. Real musicians will use it. Maybe? I hope. (I admit I didn’t put a bunch of eggs into the idea-validation basket).

Part of this comeback story involves level-up coding, so that’s a big part of what I’m doing right now. Just reviewing basics, learning some new stuff, and putting in my reps. Adding a little more complexity every day.

But, baby steps or not, finishing Phase 1 felt like a major victory. Now, there’s momentum.

Of course, momentum is often a “use it or lose it” game. And, of course, I want to use it! Phase 2 kicks off today, and I don’t want to slow down. The foundation of the app is pretty solid, the vision is clear, and the next two weeks can transform FretTime from an impressive first attempt to “holy crap, this is actually professional-grade software.”

That’s the goal, anyway. Let’s see if I can pull it off!

What We’ve Accomplished

I believe FretTime Phase 1 delivered exactly what it set out to do:

✅ Core Architecture – Next.js 14, TypeScript, Tailwind, and Zustand state management
✅ Practice Organization – Separate practice areas and projects with color-coded task cards
✅ Task and Todo Management – Create, complete, and organize Todos within Task Cards
✅ Timer System – Built-in timers for each task with start/stop functionality
✅ Responsive Design – Mobile-first approach that works everywhere
✅ Modern UX – Dark/light mode, smooth animations, context menus
✅ Data Persistence – localStorage keeps your practice plans safe
✅ Production Deployment – Live on Vercel with a custom domain

The technical execution was super smooth. No major bugs, with a clean codebase and proper TypeScript throughout. But more importantly, the user experience feels right. At least it feels right to me.

Hopefully, as interest builds around it other folks will test it and comment on how it feels. Maybe some musicians will even try fitting FretTime into their practice workflow. We’ll see!

Where We’re Heading

FretTime Phase 2 runs from July 20 to August 3 – another focused 14-day sprint. The goal isn’t just to add features; it’s to see if FretTime can take on the air of a professional productivity tool while staying true to a musician’s mindset.

I want to build something that helps practice time become more visible and intentional so that users can feel more organized and see genuine progress over time. That means we’ll be adding a reporting dashboard! I can’t wait.

Phase 2 Focus: The Essential Features

Global Focus Timer

This timer will be a dedicated countdown timer for time-boxing practice sessions. You can use it to set focused blocks of time, using any interval, and stay in a flow state without constantly checking your individual task timers. Perfect for musicians who want to practice with intensity and boundaries.

Analytics Dashboard

This feature is the big one. It will provide a comprehensive view of how practice time is actually being spent, with multiple perspectives:

• Time segmentation – Daily, weekly, monthly practice patterns
• Flexible roll-ups – View by practice area, project, task card, or individual todos
• Visual insights – Charts and graphs that reveal practice habits
• Progress tracking – See improvement trends and identify neglected areas
• Goal setting – Set time targets and track achievement

Drag & Drop Task Management

The dnd feature will let you reorder todos within cards, move cards between areas, and reorganize on the fly. Because practice plans evolve, your tool should adapt as quickly as your musical ideas do.

Enhanced Timer Intelligence

• Smart notifications for when focus sessions end
• Automatic session logging for detailed analytics
• Cross-midnight session handling for late-night practice warriors
• Timer state persistence for syncing across browser sessions

Performance & Polish

• Faster load times and smoother animations
• Keyboard shortcuts for power users
• Improved mobile experience with better touch interactions
• Export capabilities for practice logs and session data

The Bigger Picture

Every feature being built serves the core mission: to help musicians practice more intentionally.

Phase 1 helped us organize practice sessions. Phase 2 will make those sessions measurably more effective. I hope that by August 3, FretTime will be taking on the scope of a serious tool for practicing musicians.

Ready for another 14-day sprint? Follow along on X [@stcybrdgs] for updates, feature previews, and the inevitable 2 AM debugging sessions that make shipping software so satisfying. There may be some fails in there, too. We’ll see.

Music + code, let’s go! 🎸🚀