Using ReadRhythm
Upon loading the app, you should be taken to the “Settings” menu. If this is not the case and you are instead taken to the main ReadRhythm screen, press the “i” on the lower right side of the screen to go to this menu.
From this menu, the first two groups of options are those with which we are primarily concerned. The first group of options relates to picking and customizing the rhythm exercise you will perform:
– “Random excercises” and “Fixed exercises” allow you select from various rhythms with which to practice. As the name would suggest, the “Random exercises”, selected by difficulty level, generate a random pattern within that level’s difficulty each time. The “Fixed exercises”, selected by rhythmic pattern, let you practice that specific rhythmic pattern.
– “Favorites” allows you to select from the exercises you have added to your “Favorites” list. This can be done by tapping the level name or exercise name in top left of the app’s main screen, and selecting “Add to favorites”.
– “Exercise options” allows you to change parameters of your ReadRhythm exercise practice and performance. Options such as “Test count”, which will change the number of times a rhythm must be performed in performance mode, can be found, as well as options to add or remove accents in irregular meters, and add swing to the rhythms in the app.
– “Extra challenges” allows you to add in options (such as higher default tempos and stricter grading) to make the exercises more difficult. A description of each can be found by pressing it.
The second group relates to app options:
– “Tapping” allows you to customize the options for entering in rhythms, such as “Microphone” mode, in which you can clap or strike a drum instead of tapping on your iPad, and “Left-handed” mode, in which the controls are mirrored to facilitate rhythmic entry for those who are left-handed. In this sub-menu you can also change the “Tock” and “Tick” sounds in the app.
– “Metronome/beats” allows you to similarly customize the sounds of the app’s metronome, as well as the visualization of the metronome’s pulse.
– “Player sounds” similarly allows customization of the “Tock” and “Tick” sounds heard when the player taps the iPad during an exercise.
– “Display” allows the user to change the appearance of the app’s main screen as well as its startup behavior.
When an exercise is selected, press “Done” on the top right of the settings screen to return to the app’s main screen. From this screen you can practice the rhythm exercise selected (by pressing the play triangle in the middle of the screen), or perform the exercise while being graded by the app (done by tapping at the bottom of the metronome. In addition, pressing the “>” arrow near the bottom right of the staff allows you to either go to the next exercise (in “Fixed exercise” mode) or generate a new random rhythm within the same difficulty level (in “Random exercise” mode).
If one particular bar is giving you trouble, you can zoom in and practice just that bar by double tapping its measure in the staff (if the measure you wish to focus on is short enough, the app will repeat it twice in the staff). Press the “<” button near the bottom left of the staff to return to the entire exercise.
To change the tempo at which you practice and perform your exercise, you can either slide the weight on the metronome’s pendulum up and down, or tap the BPM number to quickly add and subtract 1, 5, or 10 BPM or jump to common tempos.