Drum Notation by Beat Note5.7.1 - App Store

Beat Note - Drum Notation for Drummers, Teachers, and Content Creators

The fastest way to write, hear, practice, and share drum notation. Built by a drummer, for drummers.
FOR DRUMMERS - FROM YOUR HEAD TO THE PAGE IN SECONDS

You have a groove idea. Beat Note gets it down before you lose it.

Tap the sequencer grid to build beats. Watch them turn into clean, professional drum notation in real time. Hit play and hear exactly what you wrote - at any tempo, with a click track, on loop.

- Transcribe songs to check your ear and lock in what you hear
- Compose your own grooves, fills, and exercises from scratch
- Count in with a visual on-screen "1, 2, 3, 4" so your eyes and ears are ready together
- Use Beat Note as your in-ear metronome during rehearsals - your beats, not just clicks

"Been waiting a long time for an app like this. Clearly built by a drummer." - App Store review
FOR TEACHERS - WRITE IT, PLAY IT, SEND IT

What used to take 30 minutes in a desktop notation program now takes 2 minutes on your phone or iPad.

Write exercises on the fly - during the lesson, not after it. Play back the notation so students hear exactly how it should sound. Share a link so they can listen at home. Export a PDF they can print and bring to the kit.

- Use the sequencer as a live music whiteboard, in person or online
- Build a library of exercises organized by tag, ready for any student
- Send a shareable link or export a high-quality PDF in one tap

"What would normally take 30 minutes on a computer has become 2 minutes from my mobile device. My students love it." - App Store review
FOR CONTENT CREATORS - PROFESSIONAL NOTATION VIDEOS, IN MINUTES

Export your beat as an animated MP4 - portrait for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, or landscape for YouTube and Vimeo. Choose 720p, 1080p, or 4K. Pick a color theme. Preview before you export.

PDF, PNG, WAV or AAC audio, shareable link, and animated MP4 - all from one app.
NOTATION THAT LOOKS RIGHT

Professional drum notation, consistent across every format you export. What you see on screen is what your students get in the PDF, what your followers see in the video, and what you hear in playback.

- All standard drums, cymbals, and articulations
- Subdivisions from 8th notes to 32nd notes, plus triplets, quintuplets (5s), and septuplets (7s)
- Common and compound time signatures, including 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8
- Linear, split hands/feet, or split drums/cymbals voicing
- Sticking annotations (R, L)
- Single-measure repeat symbol (%) - renders automatically when measures repeat
ORGANIZE AND DISCOVER

- Tags, search, and sort to manage your beat library
- Discover tab: curated educational beats for all skill levels
- Beat templates to get started fast
- Customize tempo, click track, count-in, and timer
MADE BY A DRUMMER, SHAPED BY THE COMMUNITY

Beat Note was built by me - an independent developer with 35+ years behind the kit. But the direction comes from the community. Every major feature on the roadmap has been voted on, requested, and refined by drummers, teachers, and creators just like you.

Join the conversation at roadmap.beat-note.app - vote on upcoming features, share ideas, and see what's coming next. I'm here to make sure it all comes together into something that actually works.

Premium subscription required for full access. Educator and Creator tiers available. Free trial included.

Payment is charged through your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period via iTunes Account Settings.

Terms and Privacy Policy: https://www.beat-note.app/privacy-and-terms

Version History Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

IMPROVEMENTS
- Display settings: a new Display button on the Practice screen opens a popover that makes it clearer how to choose the app's color scheme.
- The Loop, Click, Tempo, Time Signature and Timer popovers have a cleaner, easier-to-read look, and the Timer picker is simpler to use.
- Measure numbers are now placed more consistently relative to the staff on screen, in exported PDFs and in videos, and repeated measures now show their number too.

BUG FIXES
- Fixed rhythm counts and sticking labels sitting slightly to the left of their notes.
- Fixed sticking marks below the staff sitting too close to the notes.
- Fixed beat titles and page numbers sometimes missing from exported PDFs.
- Fixed a crash when dismissing the Export MP4 paywall.
- Fixed a crash that could happen while an export finished.

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I'd love to hear from you! 5.7.1 Oct 2 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

NEW FEATURES
- Stacked articulations: add more than one articulation to a single note, so you can write flam accents, cheeses (flam diddles), accented diddles and ghosted diddles the way you actually play them. Tap a note in the beat editor, then pick the second articulation from the row that appears on top. Stacked notes play back and travel with your beat everywhere it goes: audio, PDF, image and video exports, and shared links. Available on snare, toms, hi-hat and ride, with the most combinations on the snare. Thanks to everyone who voted for this one on the roadmap!

IMPROVEMENTS
- Beats sync more reliably, especially after editing while offline.

BUG FIXES
- Fixed rhythm counts appearing in exported PDFs where there is no note. Thanks to Andi for reporting this!
- Fixed a triplet or other tuplet number overlapping a rest in exported PDFs.
- Fixed beats coming back after you deleted them.
- Fixed a crash that could happen when opening a beat in Practice right after the beat list refreshed.
- Fixed a crash that could happen while scrolling quickly through Discover.
- Fixed icons looking washed out or greyed, including the Play button, the tempo controls, the Edit Score menu and the My Beats card actions. This was most noticeable with Increase Contrast turned on in your iOS accessibility settings.

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I'd love to hear from you! 5.7 Aug 23 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

BUG FIXES
- Fixed a beat in Discover that would not open. The Nirvana "Come As You Are" Pre-Chorus 2 / 3 beat now loads correctly.

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I'd love to hear from you! 5.6.1 Aug 8 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

NEW FEATURES
- Beat Descriptions: A beat shows what to play. Now you can capture how to play it, too. Add a description to any beat with an explanation, a cue, or a reminder, and it appears right at the top of the practice screen so the guidance is there while you play. It's also included automatically in your PDF exports and shared beats, so those notes travel home with the groove. Edit it anytime in the app. It's perfect for teachers sending context home to students, or for keeping your own practice notes. Thanks to everyone who requested this on the roadmap!

BUG FIXES
- Long titles are no longer cut off in exported PDFs. Long titles now wrap so the full name fits the page.
- Fixed music notation overlapping the measure and exercise number labels in Focused Practice.

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I'd love to hear from you! 5.6 Jul 18 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

NEW FEATURES
- Measure Navigation: In Focused Practice, jump to the next or previous measure using the left/right arrow keys (iPad/Mac keyboard) or a swipe - no need to leave the practice view. Playback, tempo, click, and your practice timer keep running. Left/right arrows previously controlled tempo; use the up/down arrow keys for that instead.

BUG FIXES
- Fixed rhythm count labels displaying incorrectly in 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8 time signatures.
- Fixed music notation rendering issues where rests and tuplet brackets in busy measures could overlap or display at the wrong height.

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I'd love to hear from you! 5.5 Jul 14 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

NEW FEATURES
- Rhythm counting, one of the most-requested features on the Beat Note roadmap, is here! Display the count — like "1 e & a" — right on your music notation so rhythms are easier to read, learn, and teach. Tap or swipe to add counts to the notes you choose, or fill a whole bar in one tap and clear it just as easily. Works with eighths, sixteenths, triplets, and every other subdivision.

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I'd love to hear from you! 5.4 Jul 6 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

IMPROVEMENTS
- Music notation rendering improved, making beats easier to read at a glance
- Increased spacing between notes on the Practice Measure screen so measures feel less cramped and are easier to follow while practicing

BUG FIXES
- Fixed the "Measure # of #" label becoming invisible when disabled on the dark navigation bar (iOS 18 and later)

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I'd love to hear from you! 5.3.5 Jul 3 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

IMPROVEMENTS

- Improved the articulation picker with a cleaner look and feel.
- Improved share beat/export video navigation on macOS.

BUG FIXES

- Fixed an issue where playback controls could sometimes disappear. (Thanks, MichEal!)
- Fixed an issue where beat names could sometimes be lost while editing.

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones.

As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.3.4 Jun 17 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

FIXED

- Fixed an issue where looping playback could go silent after repeating several times. This most commonly affected beats with longer loops or count-in offsets, where playback appeared to continue but no sound was produced. Looping playback is now rock-solid, repeats indefinitely, and keeps the downbeat perfectly in time on every cycle. (Special thanks to Micheal for helping track down this issue and for the research that helped uncover the root cause!)

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.3.3 Jun 2 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

IMPROVEMENTS

- Switching between Bluetooth headphones, speakers, and other audio devices is now seamless during playback, so you can keep practicing without restarting the app. Thanks to Micheal for reporting this!
- If playback is interrupted by a phone call, Siri, or an alarm, Beat Note now resumes exactly where you left off, including the current loop position, helping you stay focused on your practice session.
- The lesson-sharing onboarding status indicator has a fresh new look that’s easier to spot, making it simpler to track your progress and see what steps remain to share your first lesson.

BUG FIXES

- Fixed an issue on iPad where playback controls could become unresponsive after connecting an external display via HDMI. Thanks to Dave for reporting this!

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.3.2 May 31 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

IMPROVEMENTS
- New teacher onboarding checklist now automatically appears on first launch to help educators quickly set up and discover the most valuable features and workflows.

BUG FIXES
- Fixed a crash that could occur when exporting audio if a beat name contained a forward slash (/). Beat names are now handled correctly during export. Thanks to Adam for reporting this!

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.3.1 May 25 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

NEW FEATURES
- New users now get a quick onboarding experience so Beat Note can tailor your first session to how you play and teach.
- Educators now get a guided setup checklist to help you create, customize, and share your first beat with students. Each step is tracked automatically so you always know where you stand. Includes a free PDF export for you to try.

IMPROVED
- Improved audio and visual playback alignment when using Bluetooth headphones, AirPlay, screen mirroring, and similar wireless devices. Thanks, Kaleb!

FIXES
- Fixed an issue on macOS where pressing the space bar while editing a beat name could accidentally start or stop playback. The space bar shortcut is now reserved for playback controls only. Thanks, Micheal!
- Fixed an issue on iPad where tapping "Clear All Notes" did not immediately refresh the beat grid. Thanks, Pietro!
- Fixed the articulations popover appearing too close to the edge of the screen on iPad (portrait) and macOS. Thanks, Kevin!

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes additional bug fixes, performance improvements, and stability enhancements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I'd love to hear from you! 5.3 May 20 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

IMPROVEMENTS

- Added hardware keyboard shortcuts for macOS and iPad users with external keyboards.
- Spacebar now toggles playback start/stop across all four practice and edit screens.
- Up and Right Arrow keys increase tempo by 1 BPM.
- Down and Left Arrow keys decrease tempo by 1 BPM.
- Hold Shift while using arrow keys to jump tempo by ±10 BPM, matching the existing long-press button behavior.
- Both vertical and horizontal arrow directions are supported so tempo adjustments feel natural regardless of which keys you prefer to use.

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones.

As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.2 May 7 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

BUG FIXES

- Fixed an issue where subscriptions on macOS could sometimes fail to renew properly. Thanks to Ben for reporting this!

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.1.4 May 2 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

IMPROVEMENTS
- Improved how freemium status messaging is displayed to ensure the most up-to-date subscription status is shown while editing beats
- Refined messaging for users without an active subscription for greater clarity and consistency

BUG FIXES
- Fixed an issue where the freemium status message could appear incorrectly for users with an active subscription while editing beats for some users

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.1.3 Apr 20 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

BUG FIXES
- Fixed a crash on the Edit Beat and Edit Measure screens that could occur when using Count-In.

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.1.2 Apr 11 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

This update focuses on improving stability and polishing the editing experience.

IMPROVEMENTS
- Improved navigation bar title contrast when rearranging measures for better visibility

BUG FIXES
- Fixed an issue where the navigation bar background color did not return to normal after rearranging measures
- Fixed a layout issue on older iPad models where the bottom row of measures could appear slightly cut off in the edit screen

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.1.1 Apr 9 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

IMPROVEMENTS
- Starting playback with a count-in now shows the count visually on screen, so your eyes and ears can prepare together.
- When count-in is enabled for any beat, a large on-screen “1, 2, 3, 4” will appear during playback.
- As a reminder, your count-in can be set to one or two measures.

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.1 Apr 7 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

Fixed an issue on macOS where right-clicking to access "Play From There" during playback could cause the playback controls to scroll off screen. Thanks to David for reporting this!

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.0.6 Apr 6 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

BUG FIXES
• Fixed an issue where the 7-day free trial was not properly applied to the Educator Tier Annual Subscription.

If you subscribed to the Educator Tier Annual plan expecting a free 7-day trial and were charged immediately, please contact support (Tap Settings → E-mail Derek) and we’ll make it right.

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.0.5 Feb 23 Happy New Year and thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

This update adds the ability for active subscribers to restore their purchases for those users who have an existing subscription yet still need to update based on recent subscription activity. Additional bug fixes and stability improvements are also included, with special attention to macOS and iPad reliability.

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.0.4 Jan 3 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

This update focuses on bug fixes and stability improvements, with special attention to macOS and iPad reliability.

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.0.3 12/23/2025 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

This update focuses on bug fixes and stability improvements, with special attention to macOS and iPad reliability.

BUG FIXES
- Fixes an issue where the back button disappeared on the practice screens (thanks, Hinrich!)
- Fixed a crash on macOS that could occur when exporting an audio file (thanks, Lars!)
- Fixed missing Back and “Export MP4” buttons on macOS during video export (thanks, Lars!)
- Fixed an issue where the video export screen did not close after exporting a video on macOS
- Fixed an iPad issue where the selected measure was not always visible after rotating the device while editing
- macOS now properly displays your subscription tier on the Manage Subscription screen
- Additional stability and performance improvements across the app

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.0.2 12/23/2025 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

This update focuses on bug fixes and stability improvements, with special attention to macOS and iPad reliability.

BUG FIXES
- Fixed a crash on macOS that could occur when exporting an audio file (thanks Lars!)
- Fixed missing Back and “Export MP4” buttons on macOS during video export (thanks Lars!)
- Fixed an issue where the video export screen did not close after exporting a video on macOS
- Fixed an iPad issue where the selected measure was not always visible after rotating the device while editing
- macOS now properly displays your subscription tier on the Manage Subscription screen
- Additional stability and performance improvements across the app

Remember to check out the Beat Note roadmap under the Settings screen to learn about upcoming features and vote on user-requested ones. As always, thank you for your support. This update also includes general bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → E-mail Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.0.1 12/19/2025 Thanks for using Drum Notation by Beat Note!

Version 5.0 marks a huge milestone. One of the most requested features from the Beat Note community and content creators across social platforms is finally here: Animated Video Notation Export.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Creating animated notation videos used to require hours of manual work across multiple professional programs, each with steep learning curves and expensive licenses. You’d need video editing software, screen recording tools, and notation programs, spending half a day (or more) on what should be a simple task.

Beat Note’s new Video Creator brings all of that power into a single, intuitive workflow on your phone or tablet. What once took hours now takes minutes. What once cost hundreds in software licenses is now accessible through a single subscription at a fraction of the price. Focus on your creativity, not your software.

NEW: VIDEO CREATOR

Export your notation as animated MP4 videos with professional polish:
• Export quality: 720p, 1080p, or 4K resolution
• Flexible framing: Portrait (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts) or landscape (YouTube, Vimeo)
• Smart layouts: Control measures per row/column. Notation animates measure-by-measure automatically.
• Customizable design: Adjust notation size, padding, and spacing to fit your style or social templates
• Three color themes: Black-on-white, white-on-black (dark mode), or Beat Note’s signature white-on-navy
• Live preview: See exactly how your video will look before exporting, including sample backgrounds
• Playback control: Set tempo and loop count
• Measure selection: Export only the sections you need

One tap creates your video, ready to save and sync with your performance footage.

Professional. Fast. Wherever you need it. This furthers Beat Note’s “Create once, export everywhere” philosophy. Now you can export Audio, Image, PDF, Link, and Video, all from the app you already use.

SUBSCRIPTION UPDATE

The Video Creator is available in the new Creator tier. All existing Pro subscribers are now on the Educator tier and keep full access to all previous Pro features. Your access remains the same as before.

WHAT’S NEXT

This is just the beginning. We have exciting enhancements already planned and can’t wait to hear your ideas. Check the roadmap in Settings to vote on features and see what’s coming.

As always, this update includes bug fixes and performance improvements. Have feedback? Tap Settings → Email Derek. I’d love to hear from you! 5.0 10/17/2025