How a Quiet Moment Led to Rukus

Rukus: From a Quiet Moment to a Creative Tool

Rukus began during a quiet moment that didn’t feel quiet at all. In 2022, while pursuing a career in tech sales, Brooke Muse, the creator of Rukus, taught herself guitar after work; loudly, imperfectly, and with zero shame. Like most beginners, she memorized chords the hard way, slowly building confidence through repetition. Over time, she improved.

Then life changed. 

After becoming a new mother, guitar practice was replaced with feeding schedules, naps, and long stretches of stillness. When Brooke finally found time to pick up the guitar again, something felt off. Chords that once came easily were gone. The guitar apps she tried didn’t help. They were overly academic, rigid, and frustrating to use while actually playing. What she wanted was simple: a way to practice without stopping, scrolling, or breaking the flow.

That frustration led to an idea. Brooke turned to AI to explore how she might bring it to life, and in doing so, discovered a faster path from idea to execution. That idea became Rukus.

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A Faster Path From Idea to Launch

With no formal coding background beyond basic HTML and spreadsheets, building an app once felt impossible. Traditional development paths felt expensive and unattainable.

“I looked into a few other no-code app options, but I ultimately chose Thunkable because of how easy it felt to get started. The screens I was able to play with on Thunkable immediately brought my idea to life, and with the help of AI, I started getting the hang of things fairly quickly.”

Within hours, four simple screens brought Brooke’s idea to life. The visual editor made building and iterating extremely quick, and with the help of AI and Thunkable’s customer success team, Brooke was able to take her idea and publish to the app store.

Designed for Playing, Not Studying

Rukus is for new, rusty, or experimental guitar players who just want to pick up their guitar and play. It’s a no-pressure, no-fluff guitar practice tool that guitar teachers can also use to help their students study and strengthen what they’ve learned outside of class.

Instead of lessons, levels, or theory, Rukus focuses on one core problem: the friction that comes from stopping mid-song to look up chords. The app displays chord diagrams one at a time, allowing players to practice in real time while keeping their hands on the guitar and their attention on the music.

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Looking Ahead

Rukus is just the beginning. What started as a personal practice tool is evolving into a broader vision for flexible, accessible learning. One feature currently being tested would allow users to book short, informal sessions with independent guitar teachers.

After that, Rukus will expand to ukulele and bass, following the same practice-first philosophy. The longer term vision extends beyond music to free, ad-free flashcard apps for children, and built in collaboration with cultural creators.

“In the end, Rukus helped me become a better guitar player. Simple as that. Whenever I feel rusty, a few rounds on the app brings everything back. Maybe one day my daughter will look at my guitar and think, ‘What if I could try?’ “

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Download Rukus on Google Play and the App Store