Tune up, keep time,
record the idea

Cantivy brings together seven tools for specific musical tasks: tuning, locating notes, testing chords, marking the pulse, consulting scales, organizing the harmonic field, and transposing a sequence. You can use everything in your browser without installing a workstation to make a first draft.

This is different from a service that receives the phrase “make a gospel sertanejo song in G major” and returns a finished song. Today, Cantivy does not offer that kind of automatic complete-song generator. It also does not promise to create vocals, lyrics, arrangement, mixing, or mastering from a command.

What is being developed are features that may bring these tools closer to AI-assisted processes. Since those functions are not yet available, do not treat this page as a launch announcement. Use what already exists to make verifiable decisions: choose G major or another key, set 68 or 104 BPM, test a sequence of three or four chords, and record the result for 30 seconds.

A good first goal is small. Instead of trying to produce an entire song, create a four-measure introduction. Then compare two versions and write down the difference. You can change only the tempo, final chord, inversion, or register of the melody.

The first tool is the tuner. It uses your device’s microphone to compare the captured sound with a pitch reference. The response depends on the environment, microphone, instrument volume, and distance between the sound source and the device. To begin, close other tabs that might use the microphone, stay approximately 30 centimeters from your phone, and check all six guitar strings one at a time with the online guitar tuner. Standard tuning is E, A, D, G, B, and E, from the sixth string to the first. If a reading close to 82.41 Hz appears for low E, play it again and confirm it by ear.

The second tool is the virtual piano. Use it to locate notes, test a melody, and compare intervals. Play G, A, and B to create a short motif in G major. The third is the chord generator, which helps you build combinations within a key. In C major, you can try I–V–vi–IV, represented by C–G–Am–F, without copying the lyrics or complete chord chart of a song. Open the virtual piano and then try the chord generator.

The other four tools are the metronome, scale generator, harmonic-field consultant, and transposer. Use the metronome at 60 to 72 BPM for a ballad or contemplative worship song, and at 90 to 110 BPM to test a forró idea. Scales show the available notes. The harmonic field organizes the chords in a key. The transposer moves the same idea from D to E, F, or another key without requiring you to redo the entire analysis.

Try this test now: choose a key, play four chords for four beats each, set 68 BPM, and record the passage. Then transpose the sequence two semitones higher. If your voice feels strained, return to the previous key. The tool provides the change; your ear decides whether it works.

This material is for people who have started playing guitar, keyboard, or another instrument and still get lost when choosing chords. It also serves people who write melodies on their phones, produce simple demos, and want to test an idea before opening a workstation. You do not need to read sheet music. You only need to recognize notes, count beats, and record what you heard.

If you play pop, use the chord generator to test a foundation in G major. Play each chord for two measures and leave space for the vocal. Record a melody with five or six notes before adding embellishments. A register change in the chorus may work better than a sequence with many chords.

If you play rock, set between 90 and 110 BPM before thinking about the groove. Test 104 BPM, play a short sequence, and count “1, 2, 3, 4” without speeding up. Then imagine the bass marking the beats and the guitar answering the vocal. The exercise separates the pulse problem from the arrangement problem.

In blues, the focus can be rhythmic subdivision and movement between chords. Play only two chords for eight measures and vary your right hand. If the foundation works with two chords, add a third. This way, you do not confuse a rhythm difficulty with a harmony difficulty.

Anyone looking to create gospel music with AI can also start with a key that is comfortable for the voice, such as G, A, or E major. Test a four-chord progression between 60 and 72 BPM. Cantivy does not generate a finished gospel song. It provides support for creating a foundation, analyzing harmonic movement, and developing an original idea without copying the complete lyrics or chord chart of a protected work.

For someone who already plays, artificial intelligence works best as decision support rather than as a substitute for the musician. You can ask for tempo suggestions, compare modes, organize references, or review a progression. Then play the idea and check whether it fits the melody, the vocal range, and the chosen style.

Use a six-step workflow. First, record four measures on your phone played at 82 BPM. Second, identify the probable key. Third, check the chords in the generator. Fourth, test two variations on the virtual piano. Fifth, sing the same melody over each version. Sixth, choose one change and record again. If the passage feels static, change only one element: bass, inversion, chord duration, or tempo.

This control prevents a confusing evaluation. If you change four chords, speed up from 68 to 104 BPM, and change the melody at the same time, you will not know which decision improved the passage. Make one change per recording. Name the files “idea-68bpm,” “idea-76bpm,” and “idea-inversion.” In 10 minutes, you will have comparable material.

Your ear remains the final criterion. A suggestion may look correct on paper and feel uncomfortable when you sing it. In Brazilian popular music, a passing note can change the character of a chord. In worship music, the space between phrases can communicate more than a sequence full of chords. Use technology to generate options, not to accept any result without listening.

Genre defines choices that a generic prompt often hides. Forró calls for attention to the pulse, bass pattern, and imagined accordion response. Sertanejo may depend on the space between the vocal and guitar. Pagode requires care with rhythmic subdivision, syncopation, and each instrument’s function. That is why simply saying “create a Brazilian song” does not provide enough direction.

Before choosing chords, describe three things: tempo, instrumentation, and intention. For example, write “congregational gospel at 68 BPM, male vocal, keyboard and guitar” or “forró at 104 BPM, short melody, triangle and marked bass.” For pagode, write “92 BPM, two chords in the verse, vocal forward, and right-hand variation.” Then consult Brazilian musical genres to compare the characteristics of rhythms, instruments, and accompaniment patterns.

In MPB, you can experiment with major-seventh chords, inversions, and bass movement. In pagode, work with a short sequence and rhythmic variations. In sertanejo, test a melody with few notes and change the register in the second passage. In forró, compare 96 and 104 BPM without changing the chords. The tool helps you test, but identity comes from the specific decisions you make for each genre.

Make a worksheet before opening any tool: genre, BPM, key, main instrument, and passage length. A complete example would be “sertanejo, 82 BPM, G major, guitar, four measures.” This worksheet turns a broad intention into an exercise you can perform and review.

In the first minute, tune your instrument and choose a comfortable key. Play the tonic and sing along for three seconds. If your voice feels too low or too high, use the transposer to test another key. On guitar, check all six strings; on keyboard, play the tonic and third to feel the center of the key.

In the second minute, set a tempo with the metronome. Use 68 BPM for a more contemplative idea, 82 BPM for a sertanejo ballad, or 104 BPM for a more upbeat forró groove. Count four beats before starting. Do not try to solve the arrangement, lyrics, and recording at the same time.

In the third minute, open the chord generator and choose three or four chords within the key. Test I–V–vi–IV. Then change only the final chord to vi or IV. Play each chord for four beats and notice whether the sequence naturally returns to the first chord.

In the fourth minute, play the sequence on the virtual piano or your instrument. Record a four-measure melody, even if it has only three notes. Start with the tonic on the first beat and test the third or fifth in the second measure. Do not correct everything during the first recording.

In the fifth minute, listen to the recording twice and write down one decision: keep, simplify, or change. If the melody does not fit your voice, transpose the sequence. If the foundation feels static, change the rhythm before adding chords. If you want to study the reason behind the sequence, visit the free music lessons. To keep practicing, read the Cantivy articles and check the plans and pricing when you need to understand what is available on the platform.

Reserve the first five minutes for tuning, key, and tempo. During the next five minutes, create two sequences. The first can use I–V–vi–IV. The second can keep the first two chords and change the last two. Record each version for eight measures without changing the BPM.

Use the next five minutes for the melody. Choose three to five notes from the scale. Sing a two-measure phrase and answer it with another two-measure phrase. Repeat the same idea once. Then change only the final note to create a sense of closure or continuation.

During the final five minutes, compare the recordings. Give a score from 1 to 5 for three criteria: vocal comfort, pulse clarity, and sequence interest. Do not treat this score as a definitive artistic evaluation. It is meant to help you decide on the next test. If the voice received 2, transpose. If the pulse received 2, reduce the number of changes. If the sequence received 2, try another inversion or another chord within the harmonic field.

When you finish, save four pieces of information: key, BPM, sequence, and main observation. A record such as “G major, 76 BPM, G–D–Em–C, chorus more comfortable in the second version” lets you resume the work tomorrow without starting from zero.

Cantivy already offers seven browser-based tools for tuning, playing, testing chords, setting tempo, consulting scales, organizing harmonic fields, and transposing ideas. You can use this set as a drafting bench for composition and study.

AI-assisted creation becomes more useful when you combine suggestions with real performance. Play the sequence, sing the melody, record a passage, and make one change at a time. The chosen Brazilian genre also needs to appear in the tempo, rhythm, register, and instrumentation.

Start with a goal that fits into 15 or 20 minutes. A four-measure melody already lets you evaluate key, pulse, vocal range, and harmonic movement. Then you can decide whether it is worth creating a verse, chorus, or introduction.

• Tune the instrument with your device’s microphone and confirm it by ear.
• Choose a key and tempo using concrete numbers.
• Test a progression of three or four chords.
• Record a four-measure melody.
• Compare two versions by changing only one element.
• Record the key, BPM, chords, and next decision.
• Use the tools to compare options, not to replace your listening.