Rhythm Lab User Reviews

Rhythm Lab
Rhythm Lab
Jonathan Ensminger

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Leave a Review Rhythm Lab
  • Fantastic App

    Like some of the other reviewers, this is app is SOOO underrated. It’s the only app I have ever found - and I use a lot of apps as a music teacher - that has a both hand rhythm option.
    I bought this app many years ago but still come back to it time and again. It’s also a very solid and stable app.
  • Great App for students!

    I am a piano and voice teacher and one of the things students struggle with most is reading rhythm. This app allows you to create whatever 8 measure rhythm pattern you want and then test if you can tap it correctly! It’s great for assessing student literacy!! Also, big shout out to the developer/creator Jon! He took the time to meet with me on zoom to address some problems I was having with importing rhythms I had created in Finale. Super nice and responsive to users! So happy to have this app in my tool box for teaching!!
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  • Custom pattern entry is slow and confusing

    The editor affordance gives no feedback as to where the cursor is or how the notes are being input. The difference between insert, edit and measure modes seems inconsistent. Beams and triple groupings are incorrect (a triple 16th in 4/4 doesn’t work and constantly resets to an eighth note).

    After half an hour of struggling to enter a single measure of rythmn dictation, I gave up. It’s easier to do it by hand.

    Maybe this app is better at showing example rhythm, seems geared towards British music curriculum. I didn’t look at that very much because I just wanted a quick tool to check rythmn dictation.
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    Developer Response

    Hello, coldnebo, Thank you for your review. Feel free to use the Contact page at https://www.rhythmlab-app.com/contact/ with any concerns - I'm more than willing to help you. There are help pages with explanations of how to use the Custom Screen Insert Mode (https://www.rhythmlab-app.com/knowledge-base/screens/custom-screen/custom-screen-insert-mode/_ , and the Edit, and Measure Tools (https://www.rhythmlab-app.com/knowledge-base/screens/custom-screen/custom-screen-editing/). They are actually not difficult, and are designed to be quick. Placement of the cursor in Insert mode is done with a quick tap, while insert is done with a long press. Edit mode uses a drag of the finger anywhere in the white space to select any contiguous group of notes, which produces the standard edit context menu. Measure editing simply requires a tap inside the measure you want to edit. Please contact me to explain what you mean about beams being inaccurate. Beaming is done in Edit Mode, and is completely dependent upon the user's choice of which notes to beam or flag. Tuplets follow the MusicXML convention of replacing the "normal" number of notes (for example, two 8th notes) with an "actual" number of notes (for example, three 8th-note tuplets). You would need to send me a screenshot of a 16th-note triplet reverting to an eighth note, because I am unable to reproduce that. If it's a bug that you've discovered, I'd appreciate the opportunity to find it and fix it. Otherwise, I have no idea what you are referring to. I will be producing a video soon to demonstrate actual examples of editing functions and it will be placed with the growing number of help / quick tip videos. Perhaps an in-app tutorial screen on the Custom Screen would also be helpful.
  • Great

    I love this app. It’s so underrated. Perfect to learn basic music and rhythms. The one thing that I think should be clarified is that when creating your own pattern, you need to click on the white space below the scale. I use it to practice patterns with a steel tongue drum.
  • Fine for 1 handed rhythms, not good for 2 handed rhythms

    I was quite impressed at first, but as a piano teacher I need my students to move quickly onto 2 handed rhythms, and this is where the app glitches.

    The rh line doesn’t capture the full note length when you are holding down your finger on the pad. The lh line does the opposite and registers a fully held note value when you’ve lifted your finger after a tap.

    I’ve cleaned the screen, and I’ve used the iPad in different orientations and the same issues present, so it’s not a problem with my touch screen
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  • BAD

    THIS GAME IS JUST HORRIBLE ITS SOOO BAD

    Developer Response

    I'm sorry Rhythm Lab did not meet your expectations. If you have a specific concern, please use the contact page on the Rhythm Lab website. I do my best to address all concerns. If you were expecting a game, you need to understand that Rhythm Lab is not intended to be a game.
  • Excellent versatile & customizable rhythm instruction app

    I have been using RhythmLab for the last three or four months, and I must say I am very impressed with it. I am a professional musician and private music instructor, and this excellent application has perfectly filled a need I had for an interactive and fun rhythm instruction application to use with my students. The app comes with many pre-designed patterns which can be used immediately, but what I especially like is having the ability to create and save my own custom patterns from scratch to fit the needs of my students. Once you get used to the way the interface works (which doesn’t take very long) you can start creating rhythmic patterns and categories for them specifically for what your needs are.

    I am equally impressed by the very quick and responsive support I have gotten from Jon since I have started using this program. Some of the YouTube videos for RL are a bit outdated, so there were three times I requested help when I was unable to figure out how to do certain functions. Jon very cordially responded to me quickly each time, not only with written instructions but also with screenshots to make it crystal clear what I needed to do. He really stands behind his product, which is to say the least very impressive in this day and age when so many other app creators aren’t doing the same.

    Rhythm Lab has become an indispensable tool for my private teaching. If you are a teacher your students will love it because it’s like playing a video game, but they are learning and improving their rhythms by doing so! If you are a music student you can benefit and improve your rhythm reading as you tap the rhythms and get immediate feedback as to whether or not you were tapping them correctly. It’s exactly what I needed, and I recommend it highly.
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  • Professional grade rhythm training

    Very impressive. Lots of patterns and styles. The multi-input is well done. So many great ideas and brilliantly executed. One can feel oneself working hard and improving quickly.
  • IPad Air II

    App is very buggy on iPad Air II. Tapping not sounding/registering both in self-testing runs, and also - in auditioning playback (using the ear icon) the rhythm notes are not all sounding consistently with the patterns. As a result, can only use the app without audio. This iPad Air II is under 2 years old, and app should work, according to the app specs, it simply can't execute the patterns in normal tempos when they are being tapped on the iPad (and even when not being tapped they don't always sound). Hope it gets fixed. Could be such a useful tool.
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  • Fabulous rhythm trainer

    I have been playing piano for a while, but my intrinsic rhythmic feel is off a bit and I have purchased quite a few training apps hoping to improve. Not quite satisfied, I found Rhythm Lab and am now amazed.

    The design is simple yet intuitive, there are plenty of patterns to choose from diverse categories, but even better you can access an infinite number of patterns by utilizing the simple to use create function.

    This app is a great resource for both students and teachers, but anyone interested in improving their rhythmic understanding and precision should definitely consider Rhythm Lab. Heck, you can even practice paradiddles and play a 3 finger drum set for more comprehensive challenges.

    I mentioned my rhythmic challenges, and since using this app on a daily basis, I already have quantifiable proof of improvement, which is essential for me to reach my playing goals.

    Superb app, well done!
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