Drum Notation by Beat Note 4+

Absolute game changer for drum teachers & students!

I’m a full time drum teacher and I’ve been looking for solution like this for a long time and am so grateful to have found this app. It has become a tool I use every day for both preparing material for lessons / class sessions as well as using the app on the fly to write notation and playback the audio if we have a difficult section we need to zoom in on and master at a slow tempo. Not only am I able to write beautiful notation on my iPhone and iPad but I am also able to export the music into a pdf or display the notation for students to follow for learning to read new rhythms and exercises. The design is beautiful, the app is very efficient and runs perfect on all devices. It’s also become an amazing tool for my personal drum practice sessions to capture ideas that I have on the fly, the sequencer is so easy to use and it gives you intuitive access to different articulations and the ability to write in sticks as well as separate the hands and feet as voicing on the notation! It saves me a ton of time and my students are improving thanks to us being able to use this in our rehearsals. Not only is the app amazing as it stands right now but the developer (one man team!) is the coolest, he’s a drummer with tons of experience as well and he’s super transparent with his planned features and has created a super cool community for users to submit feedback / ideas and ask any questions. Thank you for creating this app for us!

Developer Response ,

Hi Cflair33,

Thank you so much for your detailed and enthusiastic review! I'm thrilled to hear that Beat Note: Drum Notation has become such an integral tool in your teaching and personal practice. It's incredibly rewarding to know that the app is helping you prepare materials, tackle difficult sections with your students, and capture ideas on the fly.

I'm especially glad you find the notation export features, the ability to display for student follow-alongs, and the intuitive sequencer helpful. Some features are more mature than others, and your feedback confirming which ones are intuitive and effective is invaluable. It helps ensure I focus on improving areas that need it while maintaining what works well.

Knowing that Beat Note saves you time and contributes to your students' improvement is fantastic news! I'm dedicated to making the app as useful and effective as possible for drum educators like yourself, and your review motivates me to keep enhancing it.

Thank you for your positive feedback about my involvement and the community we are building together. I'm passionate about drumming and committed to continuous improvement based on user feedback. If you have any more suggestions or ideas, please don't hesitate to share them!

All the best,
Derek

Helped me with my band

This app is for drummers and made by drummers which is unique compared to others I researched. The thought that went into it shows. The ability to hear how a groove is ‘supposed’ to sound was game-changing and eye-opening. I can read music and drum notation just fine but the audio component here was a missing link for me. I use this app to write my own grooves per the song needs and per my ability (versus slavishly trying to replicate the pro drummer on are a recording..:). practicing w the app lets me methodically add complexity if I cleanly handle the simplified groove that I entered. I also use the beats as an in-ear click track (but it is my beats, not clicks) when rehearsing with the band. My bandmates have remarked how much steadier I sound. So many applications of this amazing app. One more: if you are the type that gets distracted by standard click-clicks of metronome (i do) this app is for you! My only beef is I wish the developer would make more youtubes and turn the blog into videos.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Long Overdue — and Absolutely Worth It

Beat Note is exactly the kind of app drummers have needed for years. It simplifies the process of creating drum charts and worksheets in a way that’s intuitive and efficient—something traditional notation software has always struggled with, especially for drum set writing.

With Finale sunsetting and Dorico still falling short in this area, Beat Note is stepping in at just the right time. Even better, the developers are clearly invested in improving the app. I sent in a few suggestions and got a thoughtful, detailed reply with links and explanations tailored to my questions. That kind of responsiveness is rare—and hugely appreciated.

While it’s still growing and missing a few features, it's already a powerful tool and shows every sign of becoming the future of drum notation. Highly recommended.