Your first ten minutes

You can start with your ears. A MIDI keyboard and an AI key are optional.

1. Open the app

Download the app for your Mac from GitHub Releases, unzip it, and move Cadence to Applications. Quit an older version before opening a newer one.

The current prebuilt download is for Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later. Intel users can build from source; an Intel binary is not yet release-tested.

2. Try a musical idea

Current source builds open in Learn → Your pathway. Begin Make a song your own with an original example. Library holds music and books; Studio holds writing and rehearsal; Explore holds theory, chord shapes and timing tools. The public 0.36.1 download predates this navigation. Read the workspace and coach guide.

Open Learn → Practice & review → Explore jazz, choose Piano or Guitar, then begin the original example. Compare the two harmonic routes. Isolate the bass or guide tones; imagine the destination before hearing it.

Keep going through hearing, explaining, playing and creating, or skip an activity. You do not lose access, points or a streak by stopping.

3. Choose your instrument

For piano, open Settings → MIDI and select your input. For guitar, set your tuning and capo in the instrument controls. The visual reference and listening tools work without a connected instrument.

Explore → Metronome & tuner contains the metronome and tuner. Microphone permission is needed only for listening activities.

4. Bring a piece

Open Library to import MusicXML or start a PDF draft. Opening a library piece shows its full score. Choose a passage once the piece is open.

Try Practise this piece for an opening attempt, a focused exercise and a return to the surrounding phrase. Save what you create in My compositions.

Useful shortcuts