For drummers
A metronome for drummers who write their own bars
The click is your job. A metronome that can only play four even beats is not much help when the chart changes meter every eight bars.
The problem
What normally goes wrong
Charts change meter but the metronome does not.
Build the section as one long pattern with phrase breaks where the bars change. It loops the way the chart reads.
You need to practise holding time without the click carrying you.
Random-beat training at low intensity is free. Pro adds higher intensities and whole silent cycles while the visual count keeps running.
The click sound cuts through badly in headphones next to a loud kit.
Choose three sound families free. Pro unlocks all nine, including natural percussion and a mapped drum kit, plus custom accent, beat and soft recordings.
Changing tempo mid-practice means stopping.
Nudge tempo one BPM at a time or swipe for large jumps, all while playback continues.
Try it
This is the editor. It works right here.
Tap blocks to change them, add beats, pick a preset, press play. The app is this, with your patterns saved and a lot more sound.
Stopped
Common uses
What you can practise
- Learning a chart that changes meter between sections
- Independence work with muted beats forcing you to hold the pulse
- Practising fills that cross a bar line in odd meters
- Building a set list of patterns for a rehearsal, saved and colour-coded
- Playing to a click on stage from the Lock Screen
Questions
Can I keep playback going while I edit the pattern?
Yes. Tempo changes, beat edits and switching between saved sets all happen without stopping the click.
Does it work with the screen off or from the Lock Screen?
Yes. Playback continues in the background and can be controlled from the Lock Screen and Live Activity.
Can I make the click louder than my kit?
Output level is adjustable and the five sounds have deliberately different frequency profiles, Tiny Thunder and Royal Clave cut through a loud room far better than a plain sine click.
Complex rhythms are finally fun to build.
Free to download. AnyBeat Pro is one purchase. No subscription. No ads.
Download AnyBeat freeRelated reading
How to practise odd time signatures without losing the pulse
A practical method for counting and internalising 5/4, 7/8, 11/8 and other odd meters, by grouping them into small cells instead of counting to eleven.
TheoryAdditive meter: what 6-6-6-7 actually means
Additive meter builds a bar from unequal cells. Learn to read, count and programme groupings like 2+2+3 and 6-6-6-7, then hear how the cells lock together.
TheoryPolyrhythm vs polymeter: the difference, with examples
Polyrhythm divides one span of time in different ways. Polymeter runs different bar lengths over one pulse. Hear the difference and practise each one.