Display Rhythm Counting with Music Notation
in progress
The option to have the count below the notation (like the sticking option). I probably wouldn't want it everywhere all the time, but the option to turn it on for certain sections, under fills for example.
For example: " 1 e & a 2 e & a"
Additional user feedback: "A common way my students have been introduced to BN is after I’ve sent them a link to help them learn a particular fill or rhythm in a song that they’ve been struggling with. Would be great if the count could be there on the beat. I currently have to send an annotated PDF or image alongside the link… which is fine, but having it all integrated into BN would be fantastic!
I think I'd expect the count to be everywhere by default. If I no longer wanted it on a particular screen, I'd happily just remove it. I think having the sticking below and count above (or opposite) makes sense. Avoids things getting too cluttered. I'd like the have control over where the count is displayed. My primary use case would be for fills or the first time a particular rhythm appears in a groove. An automatic option to add it everywhere would probably be pretty handy too!"
Derek Lee
I’m starting a small Early Access program for Beat Note.
A limited number of users will get early access to specific new features they request. In exchange, I ask that you show how you use the feature in your teaching or drumming by posting about it on social media.
If you’d like Early Access to a feature, please email me from inside Beat Note:
- Open the app
- Tap Settings → Email Derek
- Mention “Early Access for Rhythm Counting” in your message
That email includes your device info so I can safely turn the feature on for you in the live app.
* Early Access features are considered production‑ready, but because you’re getting them before everyone else, you might still find the odd bug. If you do, please let me know so I can fix it quickly.
Derek Lee
Update (June 2026): Rhythm counting is built and now in beta. 🎉
First, thanks for hanging in there while this sat quiet for a bit. I’ve been reworking how I handle releases so you can count on more regular updates. Greatly appreciate your patience and excited for this release!
Derek Lee
updated the status to
in progress
Derek Lee
updated the status to
planned
FYI, this feature is in beta testing now. I'm awaiting feedback from beta testers, and will incorporate that feedback before releasing this to production.
Additionally, all development work has been paused in order to resolve other critical and outstanding technical issues.
I will resume development of this in the near future. Thanks for your understanding! 🙇🏻♂️
Derek Lee
updated the status to
in progress
In development for inclusion in an upcoming 3.x release.
Derek Lee
updated the status to
under review
Derek Lee
There's still a lot to unpack here, but I had some inspiration for a solution to enter this data for a measure, so I thought I'd share that here.
The idea would be to have another edit screen (maybe "Count" or "Rhythm" or something similar) where you could select which notes you want the count to be displayed for using the same "grid" style of input as the notes and sticking.
There are still questions about where this should be displayed or if there should be an on/off toggle, etc., that I'll need to dig into later.
This is just a mockup - I know you mentioned the count could be added to the top, and it can definitely be placed there. This was just a quick mockup, so I added it to the bottom, but it can be moved easily. 👍🏻
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Derek Lee
I agree that starting with displaying the count in all locations is the simplest way to begin. 👍🏻 I have some enhancements related to sticking for toggling/etc., and haven't implemented them yet since I haven't received much feedback about the sticking feature.
Derek Lee
Thanks for this request! Some other users have also written in asking for the ability to display the count for music. Thanks for adding this here!
To clarify: by "count" you mean adding the way the rhythm would be counted out loud, correct? For example: "1 e & a 2 trip let 3 & 4 & a"
Can I ask a few more questions about this?
Where would you want to be able to see this?
- Practice Beat screen (practicing the entire beat)
- Practice Measure screen (practicing a single measure)
- Edit Beat screen (editing the entire beat)
- Edit Measure screen (editing just a single measure)
- Export Image
- Somewhere else?
For displaying the count:
- Where do you want to be able to display it? Above the notes? Or below the notes?
- What happens when there is also sticking for that measure?
- Is the count always displayed? Or would you toggle it on or off at certain times?
- Is the count displayed for measures? Or only certain measures? Or only certain notes of a measure?
There may be other criteria to consider, but those are the ones that popped into my head initially. As you can see, there's a lot to consider for this! 😅
M
Micheal Rafter
Derek Lee I just saw this and was just thinking about the counts, and usually I like them to be on top, but having option could be good like sticking. I would want ability to have counts on top and sticking on bottom, or both as possibility.
Derek Lee
Micheal Rafter Thanks for your feedback! Yes, including both rhythm counts and sticking is possible. Screenshot attached.
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