I Tried Every Practice App I Could Find — and That’s Why I Built My Own

Like many musicians, I kept losing track of what I was actually working on. I wanted to see my repertoire at a glance, track how much I was working on each piece, review my notes over time, and understand how I was really progressing — not just how many minutes I had practiced. So I started looking. And I tried everything I could find. Some apps were beautifully designed but lacked features. Some had the features but were clunky or confusing to use. Most were mobile-only. Many didn’t even let me write proper notes.

Eventually, I gave up and opened a spreadsheet. While I was drafting columns for my pieces I remembered: I’m a software developer. If nothing out there met my needs… maybe I could build something that did. In fact, this was an idea that I had years ago. So why not now?

What I Was Looking For (But Couldn’t Find)

Here’s what I needed — and what, strangely, none of the apps I tried seemed to offer:

• A way to track how much time I spent on specific pieces
• A clear overview of my full repertoire, with status and difficulty
• The ability to break pieces into sections (movements, passages, phrases)
• Support for different practice types — technique, sight-reading, improvisation, etc.
• A comfortable place to write notes and reflections — not just tiny phone text boxes
• The option to manually log time without using a timer
• Meaningful statistics — not just streaks, but real trends over time
• The ability to revisit old logs and reflect on how things felt months ago
• An app that worked on desktop, not just as a phone app
• A space that felt like it was built by someone who actually practices music

None of the apps I tried had all (or even most) of these. Some didn’t even have any of them.

So I Built Cadenso

At first, I didn’t plan to build an app. I just wanted a system that made sense — something that could replace my increasingly messy spreadsheet. But the more I worked on it, the more I realized how much I actually needed — and how much was still missing in the tools that were out there. So I kept going.

I added proper repertoire tracking, with metadata like composer, difficulty, and status. I built support for breaking pieces into sections, because that’s how musicians actually practice. I made it easy to log different types of practice: technique, sight-reading, improvisation — and even track technique work by key and type, like scales, chords, or arpeggios.

I made sure everything worked on desktop — because that’s where I do my serious thinking and writing. And I made space — real space — for notes. Not just a single-line field buried in a timer.

Not for Everyone — But Exactly What I Needed

Maybe some people just want a quick way to log minutes. That’s fine. But for musicians who want to reflect, review, and grow with structure — who want to see their practice evolve over time — I think Cadenso can be something more.

It’s not gamified. It doesn’t promise to make you a better musician. But it will give you the space and clarity to become one — on your own terms.

If You’ve Been Looking for Something Like This

…you’re not alone. Over the years I’ve seen the same questions repeatedly:

“How do you track your practice?"
"Is there an app that lets me log repertoire?"
"Does anything exist for serious musicians?”

Now it does.