Rhythm Trainer
This rhythm trainer writes a new one-bar rhythm, lets you hear it, then scores your taps note by note: on time, early or late, in milliseconds.
Keys: Space starts and then taps, H plays the rhythm, N makes a new rhythm, ↑ ↓ change the tempo by 5 BPM. Under each note you see how many milliseconds early (−) or late (+) your tap was.
How to use the rhythm trainer
This rhythm trainer gives you rhythm reading practice one bar at a time: it writes a new rhythm, plays it for you, then scores each of your taps after a count-in as on time, early or late in milliseconds, at four levels in 4/4 and 3/4. The rhythm trainer shows one bar of rhythm on a single line. Read it first. Press Hear it to listen: you get a count-in of one bar of clicks, then the rhythm on a woodblock sound with the beat clicking underneath. Then press Tap it. After the same count-in, tap the rhythm on the big pad, with the Space bar, or on any key of a MIDI keyboard (Chrome and Edge). Tap the start of every note; rests get no tap.
When the bar ends, each note turns green (on time), amber (early or late) or red (missed), and the number under it is how far your tap was from the exact time, in milliseconds: minus means early, plus means late. The dark panel shows your accuracy and whether you tend to rush or drag. New rhythm writes another bar at the same level.
Keys: Space starts a round and then taps, H plays the rhythm, N makes a new one, and the up and down arrows change the tempo by 5 BPM. Your level, time signature, tempo and best score per level are kept on this device.
How the score works
Each tap is matched to the note it most likely belongs to, in order, so one missed or extra tap does not throw off the rest of the bar. A tap within 40 ms of the note counts as on time and scores the full point. Further away, the point shrinks until 200 ms, where the tap no longer counts for that note and the note is marked missed. Each extra tap takes away half a point. Accuracy is the points divided by the number of notes.
The timing comes from the audio clock, the same clock that plays the clicks, so the result does not depend on how busy your computer is. If every tap reads late by about the same amount, the delay may come from your sound output rather than from you: try the built-in speakers.
The four levels
| Level | Note values |
|---|---|
| 1 | Quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, pairs of eighth notes |
| 2 | Adds an eighth rest followed by an eighth note, and the dotted quarter plus eighth |
| 3 | Adds four sixteenths, eighth plus two sixteenths, two sixteenths plus eighth |
| 4 | Adds eighth-note triplets, dotted eighth plus sixteenth, and syncopations (eighth, quarter, eighth) |
Every rhythm is built from figures that each fill one or two whole beats, so the bar always adds up exactly: four beats in 4/4, three in 3/4. Two-beat figures start on beat 1 or 3 in 4/4, the way they are usually written, so the middle of the bar stays visible.
How long each note lasts
| Note | Beats (quarter note = 1 beat) |
|---|---|
| Half note | 2 |
| Dotted quarter | 1 1/2 |
| Quarter note | 1 |
| Dotted eighth | 3/4 |
| Eighth note | 1/2 |
| Triplet eighth | 1/3 |
| Sixteenth note | 1/4 |
A dot adds half the note's own value. A triplet squeezes three notes into the time of two, so three triplet eighths fill one beat.
Counting rhythms out loud
Counting is the quickest way to read a new rhythm. Say the beat numbers, and fill the gaps with syllables: eighths are counted 1 and 2 and, sixteenths 1 e and a, and triplets 1 trip let. Before you tap, count the bar once while looking at the notes, then press Hear it to check yourself.
Start slow. At 60 to 70 BPM you have time to read; raise the tempo only when you score above 90% a few times in a row. The metronome is useful for longer practice at a steady tempo, tap tempo tells you the speed of a song, and the note reading trainer covers the other half of sight reading: the pitches.
More for timing: Metronome · Tap Tempo · BPM Finder · Drums
Questions
Is the rhythm trainer free?
Yes. The rhythm tapping game runs in your browser with no sign-up, and your scores stay on your device.
Why do my taps show as late when I feel on time?
Some sound outputs add a small delay before you hear the click, and you tap to what you hear. If every tap is late by a similar amount, try the device speakers. A consistent small offset is also normal while you learn a rhythm.
Can I tap on a MIDI drum pad or keyboard?
Yes, in browsers with Web MIDI (Chrome and Edge on a computer). Any note-on message counts as a tap.
What counts as on time?
A tap within 40 milliseconds of the note. Between 40 and 200 ms it is early or late and scores part of a point; beyond 200 ms the note counts as missed.