PlayPiano

Find the beat

Tock keeps the beat. Tap along.

The short answer

Find the beat is a free rhythm game from the PlayPiano app. Tock clicks four times to count you in, then keeps a steady beat while you tap along on the big pad, the space bar or any letter key. A round is sixteen beats at one of six tempos, from 60 to 120 beats a minute. You see how many taps landed on time and whether you lean early or late. Nothing is stored.

Pick a tempo

Every level is open. Press Start, listen to the four clicks, then tap with the beat. Tap the pad, press the space bar or press any letter.

How a round works

  1. Count in. Four clicks, shown as 4, 3, 2, 1 as Tock swings.
  2. Sixteen beats. Tap with each click. A tap within 70 thousandths of a second of the beat is on time, within 150 is early or late, and anything else is off the beat.
  3. The result. How many were on time, which way you lean, and a beat-by-beat line.

Fourteen or more on time offers the next tempo. It is a key you can press when you want it, never a gate. Taps make no sound, so the clicks stay clear.

Questions

How do I keep a steady beat?

Listen to the clicks first and let them settle in your head before your first tap. Tap on the click, not after it: waiting to hear the sound before you move makes taps land a little late. Swaying or nodding with the beat helps. A slower tempo is easier, so start at 60 beats a minute.

Why does the game say I tap early or late?

Most people lean one way. Tapping a little early is common for people who count ahead, and a little late for people who react to the sound. The game takes the average of your taps and tells you which way you lean, so you can aim a touch the other way. A screen and a speaker add a small delay of their own, which is why the on time window is a few hundredths of a second wide.

The app has more games, from reading and ear training to rhythm and scales, and plays them with a MIDI keyboard or the keys on screen. Find the beat is a cousin of its rhythm games, in PlayPiano, a piano practice app for iPhone and iPad.

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