HomeGuitar duels

Duels

Same exercise. Two guitarists. Best run wins.

Get paired with another guitarist and a random exercise. You both have 48 hours and as many runs as you like; only your best one counts. Win, and your rating climbs.

Find a duelWhat a duel is

Free with your Riff Quest account. Bring a microphone for the playing drills.

per duel
48 h
per duel
same exercise, both sides
1v1
same exercise, both sides
duels at once
3
duels at once

What it is

A practice session with a rival on the other side

Two guitarists, one exercise, two days. Each of you plays it on your own time; the duel compares your best runs and moves a rating.

  • A rival, not a schedule
    You are paired with another guitarist and the same exercise. Each of you plays it whenever it suits you within 48 hours.
  • Your best run is your answer
    Play it as often as you like. Only your best run counts, so every extra attempt is another shot at a cleaner one.
  • Anonymous until it ends
    You never see who you are up against or what they scored until the duel is settled. You chase your own best, not a number.
  • A rating that follows you
    Wins and losses move an ELO rating, the one chess made famous: beat someone better and it climbs further.

The duel rating is a ladder of its own. The points you log from practice go to the monthly practice leaderboard.

In the app

Everything you need, nothing you should not see

A running duel is one card on the Duels page.

  • The clock
    The bar along the top is the 48 hours running down, and the time left sits beside the exercise.
  • Your best, and only yours
    Your top score, its accuracy and tempo. The other side stays three question marks until the duel is settled.
  • Attempts, both sides
    A tick for every run either of you sends, so you know whether you are up against someone grinding or someone who has not started.
  • Beat your best, or Ready
    Play again, or lock in what you have. Both ready, and the result comes straight away.
A running duel in Riff Quest: Finger Permutations 3-2-4-1 with 17 hours 59 minutes left, your best of 4210 at 91% and 100 BPM after 3 attempts, against an anonymous opponent shown as three question marks after 2 attempts, with Beat your best and Ready buttons

Why it exists

A drill is easier to quit than a rival

Practising alone, a drill ends when I get bored of it. Put somebody on the other side of the same drill, and I play it three more times to see if I can squeeze out a cleaner run. That is the whole idea of a duel.

Two choices shaped it. The opponent stays anonymous until the end, so nobody can wait to edge past a score they can see. And there are 48 hours instead of a live match, because guitarists practise at very different times of day.

Michael Apfel

Michael Apfel

Guitarist & Creator of Riff Quest

Frequently asked questions

How a run is scored, note by note, is shown here: Interactive guitar practice

Is it free?

Yes. Duels come with a free Riff Quest account, like the rest of the app. The only prize is rating: no items, no coins.

Do I need a microphone?

For the playing drills, yes: only runs scored by the microphone count. The ear-training quizzes and the click hunt on the fretboard are answered on screen, so they need none.

Can I pick the exercise or the opponent?

No. Both are drawn for you: the exercise at random from the duel pool, the opponent as the next player in the queue. It keeps the matchups honest.

What if my opponent never plays?

Then you win, as long as you played at least once. A player who never sends a run loses the duel, whatever the other side scored.

Is the tempo fixed?

No. You can play a drill at whatever tempo you can keep clean, and faster runs can score higher. Accuracy still decides most of it.

When do I get a rating?

Everyone starts at 1000, and your rating appears after your first finished duel. The top 20 players are listed in the duel ranking.

Same drill. Who plays it cleaner?

Find a duel

Free account. Bring a microphone for the playing drills.