Free percussion practice app

Build the measure. Count it. Stick it. Rep it.

Rhythm Repper is a free browser-based rhythm builder that helps percussion students see, hear, understand, and repeat one measure at a time.

Launch Rhythm Repper → View the App Guide

No account · No download · Works on phones, tablets, Chromebooks, and computers · Free forever

The Rhythm Repper Read panel: one engraved 4/4 measure of sixteenth notes, an eighth plus two sixteenths, a dotted eighth and sixteenth, and two sixteenths plus an eighth — with a Count row reading 1 e & a and an R/L sticking row beneath every attack. — One measure, engraved — with its counting and sticking generated underneath.

Count 1e&a 2e&a 3e&a 4e&a

Stick RLRL R·LR L··R LRL·

Counting 1 e & aEastmanTa ka di miOff Sticking AlternateNatural Start hand RightLeft

One measure, and everything the app generates under it: the count in the system you teach, the hand on every attack, and any single R or L overridable by tapping it.

What Rhythm Repper is

One measure, turned into a complete practice loop

Rhythm Repper turns one measure of rhythm into a complete practice loop. Choose a correctly notated rhythm cell for each beat, see the finished measure on the staff, add counting and sticking, and practice it with a steady rhythmic check.

It is built for learning and practicing rhythm—not for writing scores. Every choice stays inside a controlled vocabulary designed for beginning and intermediate percussionists, so students can focus on reading, coordination, and timing instead of fighting notation software.

Who it's for

Students, band directors, and studio teachers

Students

Recreate a difficult measure, see how it counts, choose the sticking, hear it correctly, and repeat it until it feels secure.

Band directors

Project one measure for the class, compare counting systems, model sticking choices, and move students from supported practice toward independent time.

Percussion instructors and private teachers

Build focused exercises for lessons, isolate a student's trouble spot, and use the check-and-rhythm formats to create a clear practice sequence.

Make it. Read it. Rep it.

Three panels, one measure between them

The Make panel: seven beginner presets — Quarters, Eighths, Four 16ths, 8th + two, Two + 8th, Offbeats, Rest + three — above a dropdown for each of the four beats, each showing filled and hollow dots for its attacks and rests. — **Make it** Choose a complete rhythm cell for each beat or begin with a preset. Rests, beams, note values, and triplets are engraved automatically.

The Read panel: the engraved measure with a Count row, an R/L Stick row, and controls for counting system, sticking logic, and starting hand. — **Read it** See the completed measure with Standard, Eastman, or Takadimi counting. Generate natural or alternating sticking from either hand, then tap any R or L to make an exception.

The Practice panel: tempo at 88 BPM, Hear set to Both, a sixteenth-note subdivision check with one-measure count-in, practice format set to 4–2–1, and the sequence strip showing 4 check, 4 rhythm, 2 check, 2 rhythm, 1 check, 1 rhythm. — **Rep it** Set the tempo and choose Check, Rhythm, or Both. Practice continuously or use the checked 4–2–1 format to gradually own the space between the notes.

Key features

Everything one measure needs

Beat-by-beat rhythm-cell builder
Correctly engraved percussion notation
Straight-sixteenth and eighth-note-triplet vocabulary
Beginner rhythm presets
Standard, Eastman, and Takadimi counting
Natural and alternating sticking
Right- or left-hand lead
Editable individual stickings
Check-only, rhythm-only, or combined playback
Quarter-note, eighth-note, or sixteenth-note checks
Loop and checked 4–2–1 practice formats
One-measure count-in
Tempo and volume controls
Keyboard-friendly transport controls
Responsive layouts for phones, tablets, Chromebooks, projectors, and computers

Built for the classroom

Use Rhythm Repper to:

Put a troublesome measure on the board without preparing a worksheet
Help students connect notation, counting, sticking, and sound
Compare different counting systems without changing the rhythm
Demonstrate natural versus alternating sticking
Begin with the check, add the rhythm, and remove the check without changing tempo
Turn one measure from the music into a focused repetition assignment
Give beginners a controlled rhythm-building environment with no account or installation

The full Rhythm Repper page with Ta ka di mi selected: the same engraved measure, now counted ta ka di mi across each beat, with the teaching note naming the system's origin at Ithaca College. — The same measure in Takadimi — switch the counting system without touching the rhythm.

Why it's different

Most rhythm tools do only one part of the job.

A notation app writes the measure. A metronome supplies a click. A worksheet shows the counting.

Build the rhythm
Four beat cells from a controlled vocabulary — no notation software to fight.
Read the notation
Real engraving, with beams, flags, rests, and dots placed for you.
Understand the counting
Standard, Eastman, or Takadimi under every attack — or hidden entirely.
Choose the sticking
Natural or alternating from either hand, with any single R or L overridable.
Hear the relationship to the check
Check only, rhythm only, or both — at a quarter-, eighth-, or sixteenth-note check.
Repeat the measure with purpose
Loop it, or work the checked 4–2–1 format until the check is no longer holding it up.

Free, private, and easy to open

No account. No download. No paywall.

Rhythm Repper requires no student account and does not create student profiles or practice histories. Open it in a modern browser and start practicing.

Ready to rep?

Build one measure, understand what is happening inside it, and repeat it until it is clean.

Launch Rhythm Repper → Read the App Guide