Our best rated Phone or Tablet Apps for Drummers!
Today’s cell phones are ridiculously powerful tools with capabilities that rival and often exceed an up-to-date PC. The plethora of sensors and handy format make them fantastic all around tools for musicians. Gadgets are no longer just for guitar players. Check out our selection of free apps that turn your phone or tablet into a complete drummer’s toolbox. These are our picks but we encourage you to explore beyond to find the perfect apps for your purposes. Good things come in triplets! This article is all about free Android Apps. We’ll follow up with similar articles for Apple and Windows in the near future.
Metronomes
Starting off with the first type of app that comes to mind; Metronomes. These are plentiful on Google Play. We’ve picked three metronomes that function the best for drummer’s purposes with obnoxious enough audio to be heard over the drums, and/or strong visual effects.
Drummer’s Metronome
This handy metronome earned it’s place here largely due to being one of the few specifically for drummers. A great feature is the ability to “strobe” the beat with the camera-flash. Also vibrates and has a horrible high-pitched bleep. Has a useful “Optonome” mode and high quality samples.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.stefanpledl.drummersmetronome
7Metronome: Pro Metronome
Cool, easy to follow visualizations and heaps of functions make this another handy metronome for drummers. The intuitive multi-touch user interface makes the metronome amazingly easy and fun to use.Build complex rhythms by touching, dragging, pinching or zooming.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.sandortorok.sevenmetronome
Metronomerous – pro metronome
Completely ad free, this feature-packed metronome requires basic knowledge of musical notation and a little time to get familiar with, but it’s the most feature packed metronome we tested. Program complex beat sequences and set your tempo by slide, tap, numeric input or tap-in.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mh.knoedelbart.metronomerous
Beat Counters
Google Play has tons of beat counters but most rely on screen tapping which is of little help to assist a drummer with staying in time. Here are the three that we liked the best and that also have microphone capabilities.
Simple BPM Detector
A no-frills BPM counter that simply does that and nothing else. Has a wide BPM range of 50 – 200. and can simultaneously visualize multiple BPM in the same view.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=lelloman.com.simplebpmdetector
BPM-Detector
Simply start the app, and the BPM is updated once every seven seconds. Watch as a spectrogram is generated in real-time. Peaks represent beats or other significant events.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.BPMDetector2
live BPM – Beat Detector
Well-tested beat detection engine guarantees trustworthiness. Tempo curve shows the development of tempo over time. Advanced audio spectrum analysis via FFT. Our favourite!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.DanielBach.liveBPM
Tuners
Yes, even us drummers can benefit from a good tuner. Applications include; Tuning the kit to specific pitch intervals, Tuning Batter and resonant heads to the same pitch, Tuning batter and resonant heads to different pitch, but keeping the same ratio throughout the kit and lastly to uniformly tune all the tension rods on a head.
Tuner – gStrings Free
Chromatic tuner application measuring sound pitch and intensity. Yes it’s primarily for guitar but works like a charm and is very simple and accurate. My own go-to tuner app.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.cohortor.gstrings
Pano Tuner – Chromatic Tuner
Another simple and straight forward chromatic tuner app. Quick and sensitive response, Wide range of pitch sensor. Very clear display makes it easy to see.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.soundlim.panotuner
CarlTune – Chromatic Tuner
More features than the other two, but almost as easy. displays note, frequency, octave, etc. View the current tuning in scale and how far from the standard frequency.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brainting.carltune
Drum Machines / Sequencers
Great for experimenting with grooves while sitting on the bus, or stuck at the office.
DMach – Drum Machine
DMach is a drum machine with 6 channels, a 16 step sequencer and real-time sound synthesis. Limited to 4/4 but very useful if that’s all you require. Very simple to learn and straight-forward.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simno.dmach
G-Stomper Rhythm
Tool for Musicians and Beat Producers, designed to create your beats on the go. It’s a feature packed, Step Sequencer based, Drum Machine, with Track Grid Sequencer.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.planeth.rhythm
Caustic 3
Music creation tool inspired by rack-mount synthesizers / samplers rigs.
Everything is real-time and optimized for mobile devices. Create your rack with up to 14 machines.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.singlecellsoftware.caustic
Virtual Drum Kits
Always handy to have one of these in your phone. Whether you think of something and want to try it out, or for playing around while waiting your turn at the bank.
Retro A Drum Kit
Crystal-clear sound of a retro studio drum kit, 16-bit drum samples, “Reverb”, Multi-band mixer, A set of presets of different musical styles, High level of realism
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.liperim.radrumkit
Real Drum
Simulates a real drum kit on your mobile/tablet screen. To play it, just drum your fingers on the pads of the drums and the sound is played simultaneously. Fun, light and easy to use.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=br.com.rodrigokolb.realdrum
DvDrum TOUCH!
The mobile version of the Renowned Drum Simulator DvDrum for PC. Takes advantage of Multi-touch to simulate a real drum kit, for maximum user experience and a simple Interface!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.DarkTigerDevelopments.DvDrum_TOUCH
Notation / Scoring
Handy tools for scribbling down your sudden inspirations or assisting with deciphering drum notation.
Drum Score Creator
With Drum Score Creator you can enter and play a music score! Practice while watching the score. Make your own notation without any scoring knowledge.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.nishi.drumcreator
MIDI Drum Score Player
Display the drum score while playing MIDI files. Let’s practice the drums with this app! Useful tool for extracting and viewing notation from a midi track.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gmail.kobo.hiromaru.mdsplayer
Drum Zero
Free drum tab editor. Easily create and edit drum tab and bar library. In addition to grid view, Drum Zero will also create conventional drum tab base. Our favorite!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=zero.zeroproduction.drumzero
Lessons / Tutorials
Great for beginners and experienced drummers alike. Bring your instructor along with you in your pocket wherever you go.
Real Drum Tutorials
Drum lessons. Video collection of how to play real drums. Free online video tutorials in your pocket. take your time learning the different lessons at your own pace.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.param.realdrum.tutorials
Adictum Drum Lessons
Learn to read music and experiment on the virtual drum set! The ultimate system for learning the most modern rhythmic techniques. Learn how to read music for drums.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.suonnica.adictumdrumsfree
Drum Guru
“Best App of the Year” – DRUM Magazine. Educational app for drummers of all ability levels. Highest quality educational content from the world’s best drummers.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hudsonmusic.drumguru
Rudiments
Seems weird to have the fundamentals here at the end but anyway…
Paradiddle Free
Interactive and fun way to practice rudiments. Exercise your brain to try to overcome the challenges. Do it in record time and then challenge your friends. Rhythm based game
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.Paradiddle
Rudiments by RTF
All 40 rudiments in your pocket, allowing you to practice and bring them to perfection. Features a playback mode. Built-in metronome. Improve your timing from 40 to 200 bpm.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.fussinetz.mkdrums.rudi
Rude – Drum Rudiment Training
Show notation of all 40 official rudiments, with name and order according to PAS. Visually indicate where you are in the pattern, synchronized with the built-in metronome.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skrivarna.rude.android