# PercussionTutor — World Rhythms Reference App

> World percussion rhythms encyclopedia with practice tools and educational content. (iPhone/iPad app by FunkyDrumTutor.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/percussiontutor/id518086179 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [FunkyDrumTutor](https://appshunter.io/developer/518086182)
- Category: Music, Education
- Price: $14.99
- Rating: 4.90/5 from 266 App Store ratings · 101 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 9.0 · 440 MB
- Released: 2012-04-20
- Data updated: 2026-08-30
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/percussiontutor/id518086179/reviews.md

## What is PercussionTutor?

MODERN DRUMMER MAGAZINE (October 2015 issue):
“This is a must-have for anyone wanting an encyclopedia of world percussion rhythms at their fingertips.”

PercussionTutor is an educational app for dedicated world percussion enthusiasts. The app and its free companion book feature a unique library of world rhythms and instruments played by leading percussionists and drummers. A time stretching feature and a metronome give the users the option to practice at their own pace.

NO IN-APP PURCHASES! Make sure to buy the app now and get all the future content for free. We will release updates on a regular basis adding new rhythms and videos.

Damian Erskine (bassist, educator, writer for NoTreble.com):
“PercussionTutor is truly fantastic and a blast to play along with”. (full review on NoTreble.com)

Lincoln Goines (electric and acoustic bassist) writes: “This app is an engaging and informative way to check out the original funk. A great tool for musicians, dancers, and all lovers of rhythm”.

Percussive Arts Society: “The interactive application is very thorough [...]. Navigation is simple and the layout is logical and easy to grasp.” 

PercussionTutor will allow you to approach South American, Caribbean and West African music in a different way. This app offers you more than a simple play-along. It includes standard notation, videos and specific claves. We also took the outmost care to capture the natural feeling of all those drumming traditions. 

For the batá rhythms we even developed a random playback engine that will simulate an actual batá performance.

This app puts you in a live playing situation - just like you learned your mother language. You will sound more natural and more alive and you will awaken to new rhythmic possibilities. It's also a great tool for other musicians, dancers and performers who want to immerse themselves into centuries-old traditional languages.


FEATURES:

- Over 80 rhythms (some rhythms include a basic and a more advanced version)
- Rhythms from Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Peru, West Africa, ...   
- ALL drums can be turned on and off individually
- audio time-stretching feature
- 59 videos
- over 50 percussion instruments
- Sheets of all the rhythms included in the app and in the free book
- A description of all the rhythms
- MORE RHYTMS COMING: we are working on a lot more content to be released on a regular basis!


FEATURED MUSICIANS: 

* Louis Bauzo, performed with Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Paul Simon 
* Greg Askew, performed with Tito Puente
* Luiz Ebert
* Jérôme Goldschmidt, performed with Tito Puente, M. Santamaria & Chico O’Farrill
* Marcos Napa, performed with Perú N. 
* M. Monaco, performed with Al Di Meola
* Oswald Simmonds
* Reynaldo Alcantara 
* Richard Byrd, performed with Babatunde Olatunji
* Rudy Walker, performed with Pharaoh Saunders, Randy Weston 
* Victor Rendón, performed with M. Santamaria, Xavier Cugat Orchestra


FEATURED RHYTHMS:

**Cuba - Popular Music**
- Afro
- Bolero
- Cha Cha Cha
- Mozambique
- Pachanga
- Pilon
- Salsa 1, 2, 3, 4
- Songo 1, 2 & 3
- Timba

**Cuba - Folk Music** 
- Abakua Havana
- Afra
- Agüeito
- Azogano Part 1, 2
- Columbia Part 1
- Conga
- Guaguanco
- Guiro
- Iyesa
- Makuta
- Mozambique
- Palo
- Yambu
- Yuca

**Cuba - Batá Drums**
- Lalubanche
- Latopa
- Ogun
- Auguere (part 1)
- Auguere (part 2)
- Imbaloke
- Babaluaye (part 1)
- Babaluaye (part 2)
- Kuru Kurubete
- Ewe Masiboroñu
- Borotitilawa
- Dada
- Oggue
- Agayu Part 1,2,3 & 4
- Oferere
- Ibejis
- Akete Obba
- Odudua
- Iya Mase
- Yacota
- Ñongo
- Chachalokafun
- Iyesa
- Echu
- Olokun

**Spain - Flamenco**
- Bulerías 
- Soleá por Bulerías
- Tangos

**Brazil**
- Baião
- Bossa Nova
- Samba Batucada
- Samba Enredo
- Samba Pagode
- Samba Reggae
- Xaxado

**Dominican Republic**
- Jaleo
- Merengue
- Pambiche

**Puerto Rico**
- Xica
- Holandes & Holandes fast version
- Plena

**Peru**
- Festejo
- Zamacueca
- Vals Peruano
- Lando
- Afro

**West Africa**
- Fanga
- Saa
- Lamban
- Sounou

## Key features

- Extensive library of world rhythms
- Individual drum track control
- Audio time-stretching
- Integrated metronome
- Standard notation and descriptions
- Instructional videos
- Authentic instrument sounds

## Chart rankings

- #43 in Top Paid · Music (US App Store)

## What do users think of PercussionTutor?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🎵 Authentic recordings by real musicians, not MIDI sequences
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 🎓 Excellent educational resource with detailed sheet music and videos
- 🔊 High-quality sound and professional production
- 🎯 Ability to mute individual instruments for focused practice
- 💰 Outstanding value for the price
- 🌍 Comprehensive collection of Latin, African, and Brazilian rhythms
- 🎬 Accompanying instructional videos demonstrating proper technique
- 📊 Detailed historical and cultural information for each rhythm
- 🎹 Versatile tool for musicians across different instruments
- 🔄 Loop variations that provide musical interest and realism
- ✅ No intrusive in-app purchases

**Cons**

- 🐛 Timing misalignment with metronome in some rhythms
- 🔊 Audio distortion when tempo is increased moderately
- 🎵 Pitch changes when adjusting tempo (no time-stretching)
- 📱 Crashes when using external USB audio interfaces
- 🔇 No individual volume control for instruments
- ⚠️ Some Brazilian rhythms poorly executed (Maracatu, Samba Reggae)
- 🎚️ Limited tempo range for some rhythms
- 💥 App crashes when switching between other audio apps
- 🎯 Audio loss when changing audio apps and returning
- 📊 Transient smearing when slowing tempo significantly
- 🔊 Some conga players rush slightly

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Metronome timing is 2 clicks ahead of actual rhythm
- Audio distortion when moderately increasing tempo
- Crashes with external USB audio interfaces (RME Babyface, RME Babyface Pro, Motu 828es)
- No audio output with some USB interfaces despite no crash
- App crashes when opening other apps
- Audio loss when switching between audio apps
- Incorrect sheet music for Clave Tiñosa
- Transient smearing and rhythm attack blurring at very slow tempos
- Occasional app crashes during normal use

**Most requested features**

- More Colombian rhythms (Cumbia, Bullerengue, Vallenato, Porro, Currulao, Mapale)
- Brazilian genres expansion (Choro, Forró, and variations)
- Individual volume controls for each instrument
- Visual playhead/bar indicator moving through sheet music in real-time
- Count-in before rhythm starts
- Metronome function for all rhythms
- Tempo adjustment without pitch change (time-stretching)
- Higher tempo limits for certain rhythms
- Dominican Bachata rhythm
- West African dance rhythms
- 6/8 bell patterns and rhythms
- Puerto Rican rhythm corrections and additions (Cuembé, Yubá, Seis Corrido)
- Salsa 2-3 and 3-2 pattern variations
- Practice timer to track time per rhythm
- Better graphics and authentic instrument photos
- Integration with DAW apps like GarageBand
- Free trial version before purchase
- Middle Eastern percussion sounds

## Recent user reviews (10 of 101)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/percussiontutor/id518086179/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Splendid

*2026-04-28*

Great selection of impeccably recorded grooves, with notation and in well-written descriptions. So glad I found this.

### 5/5 — Fantastic Resource!

*2025-12-15, version 5.6*

This is one of the most used apps on my phone, fantastic resource and play-a-long. Love it!

### 5/5 — Potentially the best app for latin rhythms.

*2025-11-13*

I love this app!!! I use it for practice and to work through ideas for song writing. It’s my practice buddy, my play-along backing track, and my study partner. I really hope you keep adding more rhythms. This app is a masterpiece thank you.

### 5/5 — Superb resource

*2025-07-29, version 5.5*

I am a lecturer at a major Music college in the UK. I recommend this app to all of my students who are interested in Latin music. The level of detail and the quality of the research is absolutely superb.

### 5/5 — Nice!!

*2025-07-25*

Simple and easy to use, with great sounding loops by real musicians. If you're planning on expanding your Brazilian offerings, I'd love to see choro genres (slow choro, fast choro, maxixe, polca, xote, etc) plus forró! eBatuque recently jacked up its prices and switched to a subscription model, so if you guys offered an alternative I'd happily recommend this app to all the choro players I know.

### 5/5 — Must have

*2025-06-16*

Appli indispensable à tout percussionniste ou passionné de rythme

### 5/5 — Great!

*2025-05-18*

Great for practice and play along. Hopefully more rhythms available soon. Could definitively use a bar going through the sheet music to see in real time where the beats are.

### 5/5 — So worth it!

*2025-05-01*

Actually has feel, because these are recordings of actual musicians playing all the parts, not midi sequences. Each loop is of ample length - sometimes longer to get some variation when applicable - for instance guanguanco loop is longer to allow quinto doing some soloing and variation. There is the ability to mute each part, change tempo (some digital artifacts of course, since these are recordings being slowed down or sped up, not midi sequences, but very usable). Many other features like every part notated, and videos of musicians playing the parts.  I haven’t come across in-app purchases, also great.

### 5/5 — Get’s me Going…and that’s Great!

*2025-03-29*

I’m an older person taking conga lessons. This app is invaluable at helping me understand the music; learn parts, and keep and exceed pace. Excellent.!

### 1/5 — Ruim

*2025-03-17*

Eles deviam pelo menos indicar que nao é pra iniciantes

## Frequently asked questions about PercussionTutor

### What does PercussionTutor do?

PercussionTutor is an educational app that provides a comprehensive library of world percussion rhythms and instruments. It allows users to explore various drumming traditions through standard notation, videos, and authentic audio recordings, offering a deep dive into global rhythm.

### What are the key features of PercussionTutor?

Key features include over 80 rhythms from diverse regions like Cuba and West Africa, individual drum track control, an audio time-stretching feature for practice, 59 videos, over 50 percussion instruments, and sheets for all rhythms. It also includes descriptions of rhythms and a unique random playback engine for batá rhythms.

### How much does PercussionTutor cost?

PercussionTutor is a paid app with no in-app purchases. By purchasing the app, users receive all current content and will get all future content updates for free. This model ensures access to all new rhythms and videos released regularly.

### Who is PercussionTutor for?

This app is designed for dedicated world percussion enthusiasts, musicians, dancers, and performers who want to immerse themselves in centuries-old traditional drumming languages. It's also a valuable tool for anyone interested in exploring South American, Caribbean, and West African music.

### What kind of rhythms can I find in PercussionTutor?

The app features rhythms from various global traditions, including Cuba (Afro, Bolero, Cha Cha Cha), Brazil, Puerto Rico, Peru, and West Africa. It offers a wide selection of popular music rhythms and provides both basic and more advanced versions for some rhythms.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 5.6 — 2025-10-24

We are back with a new collection of traditional rhythms from Colombia, recorded by Jim Lopez: Cumbia, Jalao, Mapalé, Garabato, Porro, Bambuco Viejo, Bunde, Tamborito, and Abozao.

### 5.5 — 2024-05-29

We are back with this overdue update, more coming soon! Thanks for your continued support!

- UI update
- (very minor fixes)

### 5.4 — 2020-04-09

We added a special clave section.

### 5.3 — 2019-12-14

#España-lanzamiento de flamenco

Viajamos a Valencia y pasamos una semana con el increíble cajonero Sergio Martínez. Grabamos 12 estilos de flamenco diferentes que serán lanzados los próximos meses. También incluimos una sesión de trio, una en PercussionTuror, con el guitarrista José Manuel León y el cantante Rafael Vargas.

Se incluyen 3 estilos esenciales de flamenco (9 ritmos en total con 9 vídeos):

-Bulerías
-Soleá por Bulerías
-Tangos

Como prometido hace 7 años esta actualización es gratis sin compras irritantes/pesadas dentro de la aplicación o cualquier modelo de suscripción codicioso.

### 5.2 — 2019-10-04

- we added 3 new Batá rhyhtms: Latopa Part 2, 3 & 4
- (very) minor bug fixes

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-30.*