It reads your handwriting.
Drop in a photo or a PDF of a chord chart, licks written as letter names, or horn voicings. Riyaz reads it in about 20 seconds a page and shows the original next to the result, so every reading can be checked.
Music Practice
Your handwritten chart, ready to rehearse.
Riyaz reads a photo of your chord chart or melody sketch, keeps the original beside it, and turns it into a chart and parts you can transpose, play back and practise.
What it does
Turn handwritten chord charts and melody sketches into playable, transposable charts and engraved parts with note names and fingerings. Free for Mac.
Chord Charts.
Sections, chords, licks and the running order of a gig chart, transposed to concert, B♭, E♭, F or bass, and to any key.
Transcribe and practise.
Engraved parts with plain note names and fingerings for trumpet, trombone, sax and more. Loop a phrase, slow it down, add a count-in, or let Riyaz wait for you to play each note on a MIDI keyboard or your horn.
Updates itself.
Riyaz checks once a day for a new version signed by us, asks first, and installs with one click.
Honest expectations
Riyaz is free for Macs on macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel. Reading handwriting needs an internet connection and is limited to a few charts a day per person; the reading is a first draft to check against the original. Tested on an Apple-silicon Mac mini; the Intel version has not been run on a physical Intel Mac.
What's new
- Two study charts in Chord Charts: Boom Boom and Ainvayi Ainvayi, bar by bar with sections
- Marks for keyboard players: licks, riffs, stabs, hits and moments to watch on the chart
- One-page print and export in a handwritten look, portrait or landscape, with templates and small adjustments
Downloads
Known issues
- Copies older than 1.6.0 were internal and have no updater; 1.6.0 is the first public build and updates itself from here on.
- Runtime verified on Apple silicon; the Intel slice has not been run on a physical Intel Mac.
Follow Riyaz
Release notes and early build calls for this product.
FAQ
How do updates work?
Riyaz checks once a day for a new version signed by us. It asks before installing, and Check for Updates is in the Riyaz menu. You never need to download it again.
Do I need an account or an API key?
No. Handwriting is read by the school's own reader. Everything else works offline.
What do I need?
A Mac on macOS 14 or later. Open the download, drag Riyaz to Applications and open it. It is signed and notarized by Apple.
Related tools
Groove Metronome
Music Practice
See every beat, practise polyrhythms and polymeters, find a recording's tempo and run a setlist, from a window or the menu bar. Free for Mac.