I reviewed 20 options in the apps stores to find the three best metronome apps. And these are not three apps to choose from. You’re going to want to have all three because they each do something different, very well.
The best metronome apps are ones that are easy to use and help players develop their internal sense of time. This includes options for subdivisions, a tap the tempo feature, and advanced tools and settings like gap click or tempo tracking.
I chose the following metronome apps from so many out there because they address the issue of ease of use and how well they help drummers develop a strong sense of time. At the end of the article, you’ll find a couple of more apps that are very good and may interest you, too.
1. Gap Click
For $2.99, this app is the best metronome for drummers on this list. So if you had to choose one, this is it.
App Download Information and Links
The concept is simple for this metronome app. Set the number of bars with click and then set the number of bars without the click. Play along to the click to feel the tempo and maintain it on your own until it comes back in.
Metronomes are great for showing you the tempo, but the best metronome app is going to do more. It helps drummers, and any musician, develop a good sense of time by providing a baseline and then space to match it without the reference.
The great thing about the gap click concept is that when the click comes back in, you immediately know if you are rushing the tempo or slowing down. This helps you make quick adjustments and think about what was causing the fluctuations.
Gap Click Metronome App Summary
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to use and navigate the features. | Limited number of time signatures. |
| Tap the tempo is easy and accurate. | No set list to save tempos. |
| Variety of percussion sounds for the click. | |
| Gap feature is great for developing a strong sense of time. |
Tips and Exercises for Practicing With Gap Click Metronome App
Set three bars of click and one bar of gap. You can get a lot done with this configuration because a lot of musical phrasing is in multiple of four bars, and the timing issues often coincide with phrasing.
When a drummer deviates from the drum beat to play a fill or accent a musical movement with the ensemble, the chance for rushing or slowing down increases. Using gap click to train yourself to be aware of the ends of phrases will change the game for your internal metronome.
To level up the exercise, remove a bar of click and add a bar of gap. As you get down to one bar of click and three bars of gap, your timing needs to be really accurate to come back in with the click.
Don’t worry much if you are off when the gap ends and the click starts. This stuff is hard, which is why it’s worth it to do and improve. Focus on the difference and try to spot the moment in your groove when the difference occurs. This will help to train your awareness.
Related: 4 Strategies for Drumming With a Metronome
2. Beat Mirror
The Beat Mirror is a tempo detector, not a metronome. It listens for the strong accents to determine the tempo you are playing and displays both the beats per minute and a graph of your timing.
Beat Mirror is $4.99 for iOS. It’s not much for an app that does so much for you, but it’s a huge drawback being only available for iOS.
Android Alternative – Simple BPM Detector
This is a great app to use as a real time assessment of your progress. All you have to do is set a target tempo and watch the beat track go up or down as you speed up or slow down.
It’s nice that you can develop good timing without the machine doing so much for you. In this sense, the Beat Mirror is helpful in similar ways as the Gap Click because it allows you to take the training wheels off and groove.
Beat Mirror Metronome App Summary
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Provides real time feedback about your tempo. | It’s not a metronome with audible or visual clicks |
| Set target tempos to compare the line graph that tracks your performance. | Only available for iPhone or iPad. |
Tips and Exercises for Practicing With Beat Mirror
Use the Beat Mirror app with the understanding that good time is not the same as perfect time, and perfect time is not always good. The best time is whatever you do to make the groove feel right for the song, so listen to what you are playing and reference the app.
You can pair an iPad to a smart TV and display it for a rehearsal. This allows everyone to see how the tempo fluctuates, which might be the goal for certain parts of a song. Some parts might push while others lay back.
Related: How to Practice Drums If You Want to Be Great
3. Soundbrenner
The Soundbrenner is the only wearable device on this list. It starts at about $80, and you can download the free app to use with or without the device.
This metronome system can be used as a standalone device, the app by itself, or both with the device paired to the app. The app is intuitive to use, and the instructions for the wearable are very clear and simple.
Out of the long list of metronome apps on the market, this one is a great tool even without the wearable.The only drawback is that the setlist is limited unless you purchase a monthly subscription to Soundbrenner Plus for $2.99 a month.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to use app and device. | The “click” can get lost when the playing gets louder or more involved. |
| The wearable changes the way you focus on the source of the tempo. | The wearable is about $80, depending on the model and sale price. |
| It has several time signature possibilities. | The set list is limited to 10 songs unless you purchase the plus membership for unlimited cloud space. |
| The app has a library for storing setlists. |
Tips and Exercises for Practicing With the Soundbrenner Metronome App
Find the best place to wear the device. It may be that, for you, the best place is on your wrist, your arm, or even your leg. It comes with a larger leg strap, so this is an option you should try out.
Once you get comfortable, play along to the vibration of the Soundbrenner wearable and be mindful of how you perceive this new source of tempo. It’s different from listening for the click.
The vibration can form new pathways in your brain that can expand your awareness of tempo. Although I’m not a neuroscientist, it’s safe to assume that the brain can benefit from a variety of related stimuli, like touch from vibration combined with hearing a sound, to strengthen neural transmission.
Best Metronome Apps That Didn’t Make the Cut
These metronome apps are very good apps and I still keep them on my devices for the occasional need. Each one has the standard features and something about them that’s different from the other metronome apps.
Time Guru Metronome App
The Time Guru metronome app is super simple and standard by design, but it has a random mute feature that rocks. The random mute is a type of gap click that’s unpredictable as to when it happens in the click cycle.
Random mute does just what it says. As you play to the metronome, clicks are randomly muted. I’ve found that this allows the click to disappear.
If you’ve played to a click long enough, then you’ve experienced the disappearing click. In fact, when you first start to lose it in the soundscape, it will likely startle you. You’ll hear it at that movement if the absence throws you off, but it’s a cool feeling because it’s a sign of progress.
The Time Guru is one of the most beneficial metronome apps because it can help you develop a lack of reliance on the click. This is different from the Gap Click app because you can’t predict it and it’s a click here and there.
Pro Metronome App
The Pro Metronome is free with in-app purchases. These purchases are upgrades that can be bought individually or as a package for $3.99 (at the publishing of this article).
Out of all of the metronome apps on this list, the upgraded pro version has the most features, including gap click, playlists, random mute, and more.
The additional features include a practice mode with automatic tempo control, tone generator, AirPlay, and polyrhythm cycles. These are all really cool features, but this metronome app didn’t make it to my top 3 because it can be overwhelming.
Final Thoughts
The best metronome apps do a few things really well. Most importantly, they are easy to use and help players develop their internal sense of time.