Easy Rhythm Training and Practice for Musicians

Onyx Apps has announced the release of iKeepTime 1.2, an update to their rhythm training app aimed at musicians for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Extremely accurate, the app let's the user tap along with a metronome at any bps setting. Users get immediate feedback on their tendencies to drag or rush the beat, their overall accuracy in maintaining the beat expressed as a percentage, and their ability to accurately continue the beat when the click of the metronome is silenced.

iKeepTime is an invaluable tool for training, practice and measurement; every musician would benefit from its use. Those who play drums, bass, or rhythm guitar are likely to consider it a must-have app. It provides an inexpensive, highly effective means of improving a musician's ability to keep the beat accurately, but it also identifies the numerous bad habits that are so easy to pick up. While some have a tendency to drag or rush at particular tempos or time signatures, others will gradually go from slow to fast, or vice versa. iKeepTime provides three kinds of visual feedback to help the user master the art of keeping time.

As the app launches, the user sees a large circular meter with a red needle pointing straight up, and gauge markings in a semicircle. Below the meter is the tap pad, where the user taps in time with the metronome played through the speaker. As the user taps along with the metronome, the needle moves left or right, depending on whether he is behind or ahead of the beat, and by how much. While the needle indicates how slow or fast the user is tapping, a digital readout provides a continuous, cumulative accuracy score. Finally, a linear LED meter displays instantaneous, non-cumulative accuracy.


iKeepTime is simple to operate, with only three user-selectable settings. A slider provides a digital reading of the beats per second (bps) setting of the metronome. Values available are from 40 to 200 bps, in increments of 5. A second slider chooses Practice or Quick Test mode. In Practice mode their is no time limit - the user can continue practicing for any duration, and stops by holding his finger on the tap pad. Quick Test mode is preset for 16 measures, after which the metronome will stop. In both cases, stopping the metronome displays the user's Accuracy Score. For example: Overall Accuracy 83.2%, Perfect 42.86%, Good 46.03%, Missed 11.11%.

The third and final slider selects Easy, Medium, or Hard testing. At the Easy setting the metronome click track is heard at all times. At the Medium setting the metronome follows a 12 beats on, 4 beats off pattern. At the Hard setting the metronome is heard for 8 beats, then silent for 8 beats. Advanced students may disable the audio metronome altogether, by simply lowering the device's volume control.

Feature Highlights:
* One of the most accurate devices available to measure the ability to maintain tempo
* Offers Easy, Medium, and Hard modes to gradually increase difficulty
* The perfect tool for every musician, particularly those in a rhythm section
* Tempi are variable from 40 to 200 beats per minute (BPM)
* Tempo meter displays tendencies to drag or rush
* Overall accuracy score shows proficiency, particularly percentage of beats missed
* A silent, 1 measure, visual countdown helps develop an internal metronome
* The perfect co-application for Onyx Apps' DjembePad African drum app for iPad
* An amusing and challenging game for musicians and non-musicians alike

While some may decry click track precision in a live performance, and argue that there's more to good rhythm than simple accuracy, iKeepTime has much to teach the novice or experienced musician. It offers an opportunity to objectively (and privately) explore one's strengths and weaknesses, to practice, and to improve. With the ability to set, maintain, and express one's internal clock more expertly comes higher levels of musicianship, and "tighter" group performances. Even classical players know intuitively that their Rubato, Rallentando, or Accelerando will be more musical depending on how accurately they can leave and return to the tempo.

"Tempo is both literally and figuratively the heart of music," observed Eugene Klein, CEO. "Mastering tempo is essential for good musicianship, and iKeepTime will help improve any player's rhythm skills."


Pricing and Availability:
iKeepTime 1.2 is $4.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Music category. Review copies are available upon request.

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