# Clapchart, full text > Write a rhythm or a simple melody, play it with a count-in and a moving marker, and make a play-along video and a colour chart. Free, in your browser. Every public page of https://clapchart.com, as Markdown, in sitemap order. Built from the exported pages at build time. The short index is https://clapchart.com/llms.txt. --- # Rhythm play-along video maker for music class, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 > Write a rhythm or a simple melody, play it with a count-in and a moving marker, and make a play-along video and a colour chart. Free, in your browser. ## Rhythm play-alongs for music class Write a rhythm or a simple melody, play it with a count-in and a moving marker, then make the play-along video and a colour chart. No sign up, and nothing leaves your browser. ### From a rhythm to a play-along 1. **Write it your way.** Tap notes into the grid with the mouse or the keyboard, or type it: ta ti-ti ta rest for rhythms, C5/4 D5/8 for melodies. Every bar shows whether it adds up. 2. **Play it with the class.** A count-in, a click or a soft drum pattern, any tempo from 40 to 200, and a marker that moves over the notes in time with the sound. 3. **Take it to the lesson.** A play-along video for the projector and a colour chart for colour-coded tubes and bells, made in this browser. The notation it reads, the colour convention and how playback stays in time are on [how it works](https://clapchart.com/how-it-works/). Ready-made patterns are in the [starter library](https://clapchart.com/starters/), lesson ideas in the [guides](https://clapchart.com/guides/), free flashcards, a rhythm grid and a tube chart in the [printables](https://clapchart.com/printables/), and answers in the [FAQ](https://clapchart.com/faq/). --- # How the rhythm play-along maker works, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/how-it-works/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 > The notation the play-along maker reads, the colour convention and how to change it, how playback stays in time, and video formats by browser. ## How the play-along maker works You write each part as notes in bars; the maker checks that every bar adds up, draws the notation, plays it from the audio clock with a count-in and a moving marker, and renders the same performance into a video and a chart. Here is the notation it reads, the rules in order, and what it does not do. By Clapchart. Last updated 19 October 2026. ### The notation it reads Each part is one line of text. A bar line `|` separates the bars, and so does a line break: a part may be typed one bar to a line, and a bar line at the end of a line counts once with the break. Words are separated by spaces, and every word is either a rhythm word or a note. Capitals do not matter. #### Rhythm words | Word | Means | | --- | --- | | `ta` | a quarter note | | `ti-ti` | two eighth notes | | `ti` | one eighth note | | `tika-tika` | four sixteenth notes | | `tika` | two sixteenth notes | | `ti-tika` | an eighth and two sixteenths | | `tika-ti` | two sixteenths and an eighth | | `tim-ka` | a dotted eighth and a sixteenth | | `syn-co-pa` | an eighth, a quarter and an eighth | | `ti-ti-ti` | three eighth notes (a beat of 6/8) | | `ta-i` | a dotted quarter note (a beat of 6/8) | | `ta-a` | a half note | | `ta-a-a` | a dotted half note | | `ta-a-a-a` | a whole note | | `rest` | a quarter rest | #### Notes with a pitch or a length A note word is what it is, a slash, and its length: `C5/4` is a quarter note C5, `F#4/8` an eighth note F sharp, `Bb5/2` a half note B flat, `x/8` an eighth note with no pitch and `r/2` a half rest. Lengths are 1 (whole), 2 (half), 4 (quarter), 8 (eighth) and 16 (sixteenth), written without a leading zero; a full stop after the length dots it (`G4/4.`). Pitches run from C4 to C6, with # for sharp and b for flat. #### Ties A `~` at the end of a word ties its last note to the next note of the same part, across a bar line if need be: `ta ta ta ta~ | ta ta-a ta`. A tie joins two notes of the same pitch; a rest cannot be tied. #### What happens to a word that does not read Nothing is guessed. The part stays as it was and every word that did not read is listed with its bar and place. For the line `ta tii ta | C4 x/3 ta | ta ta ta ta~` the maker says: - Bar 1, word 2: "tii" is not a rhythm word or a note. The rhythm words are listed on the how it works page. - Bar 2, word 1: "C4" needs a length, such as C4/4 for a quarter note. - Bar 2, word 2: "x/3": the length 3 is not one of 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16. A bar that does not add up, a tie to nothing and a bells note with no pitch are listed the same way under the grid. ### The rules, in the order they run 1. **Bars add up exactly.** A bar of 2/4 holds 2 quarter notes, 3/4 holds 3, 4/4 holds 4, and 6/8 holds 6 eighths. Lengths are counted in sixteenths. A bar that is short or long is marked with how much, and the board does not play or export until every bar adds up. The one fix offered is Fill with rests, and only when you press it. 2. **Ties and pitches are checked.** A tie needs a next note of the same pitch; a bells part needs a pitch on every note, from C4 to C6. Rhythm parts keep any pitch they were given but do not play it. 3. **Keep bars full (a switch, on unless you turn it off).** In the grid, a longer note takes its time from the notes after it in the same bar, and what is left of a note it cuts is written as the shorter values that remain; a shorter note leaves a rest after it; Split puts two notes in the place of one; Delete leaves a rest. If there is no room after a note, the change is refused and nothing moves. With the switch off, an edit changes only the note. 4. **Drawing.** Eighths and sixteenths are beamed within one beat (a quarter note in simple time, a dotted quarter in 6/8), so eighths come in pairs in 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4, as in most classroom material; a rest breaks a beam. A sharp or flat holds to the end of its bar, so a later natural note shows a natural sign. Notes of every part that start together line up. Up to 16 bars and 4 parts. 5. **Words under the notes.** Rhythm syllables name each note by its length (ta, ti, ta-a, ta-a-a, ta-a-a-a, ta-i for a dotted quarter, tim for a dotted eighth; sixteenths are ti on an eighth line and ka between). Counting names each note by where it starts: 1, e, &, a in simple time, and 1 to 6 with & between in 6/8. A rest is “rest” or its count in brackets; the held end of a tie is a tilde (~), the same mark as in the text notation. 6. **Playback.** The count-in plays a click on every beat for 1 or 2 bars, the first beat of the bar higher. Then the board plays as many times as you set, and again from the top while Loop is on, with no second count-in. A tempo change starts at the next bar line, or at the one after when the next is less than 0.25 seconds away. 7. **Video and charts.** The video is the same performance at the board's tempo with no loop: a 3-second title card, the count-in, every pass, and 1 second for the last note to ring. The charts print the board as written. ### Worked example: 3 bars of 4/4 at 120 The line `ta ti-ti rest tika-tika | ta-a ta~ | ta ta-a-a` at 120 beats a minute with a 1-bar count-in. A beat lasts 0.5 seconds, a sixteenth 0.125 seconds, so the count-in fills the first 2 seconds. Each note starts at its bar's start plus its place in sixteenths times 0.125, and rings until the next note (the tied quarter in bar 2 rings on through the first beat of bar 3, which does not sound again). | Bar | Syllable | Starts at (seconds) | Rings for (seconds) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | ta | 2.000 | 0.500 | | 1 | ti | 2.500 | 0.250 | | 1 | ti | 2.750 | 0.250 | | 1 | ti | 3.500 | 0.125 | | 1 | ka | 3.625 | 0.125 | | 1 | ti | 3.750 | 0.125 | | 1 | ka | 3.875 | 0.125 | | 2 | ta-a | 4.000 | 1.000 | | 2 | ta | 5.000 | 1.000 | | 3 | ta-a-a | 6.500 | 1.500 | The quarter rest in bar 1 and the held end of the tie in bar 3 make no sound, so they are not in the table. ### The colour convention, and how to change it The starting convention is red C, orange D, yellow E, green F, teal G, purple A, pink B: one colour a letter, a common choice for colour-coded tubes and bells. Open Settings and parts and choose another colour for any letter to match the set in your room; the chart, the coloured notes and the video follow it, and it is saved with the board. A sharp or flat takes its letter's colour and is printed with its sign, and every circle carries its letter in black or white, whichever reads better on that colour. - C: red - D: orange - E: yellow - F: green - G: teal - A: purple - B: pink ### How the marker stays in time Every sound is scheduled on the browser's audio clock with its exact start time, worked out as the bar's start plus its place in sixteenths times the length of a sixteenth, so nothing is added up note by note and nothing drifts. A short timer wakes every 25 milliseconds and schedules whatever starts in the next 0.25 seconds (2 seconds while the tab is in the background, when browsers slow timers); the timer decides only when to look ahead, never when a note sounds. The marker reads the same audio clock on every screen refresh, less the output delay the browser reports, so it sits on the note you hear. Everything is scheduled on the audio clock, and in our tests the drift stays under 20 milliseconds over 16 bars at 200 beats a minute. Sound starts only when you press Play: the browser's sound is switched on by that press, and nothing plays when the page opens. ### Video formats by browser | Browser | What it makes | | --- | --- | | Chrome and Edge on a computer, Android Chrome | MP4 (H.264 video, AAC or Opus sound), made in the background faster than it plays | | Safari 26 on a Mac, iPhone or iPad | MP4 (H.264 video) made in the background where its encoders offer sound as well; otherwise a recording made while the video plays once | | Firefox | MP4 where the system offers H.264 encoding; otherwise WebM, recorded while the video plays once | | Older Safari and older iPads without WebCodecs | A recording made while the video plays once (MP4 or WebM, as the browser's recorder makes), or, where even that is missing, no video: the page says so, and the PNG chart and printing still work | The maker checks the browser before it starts and says which file it will make. Videos are 1920 by 1080 (landscape) or 1080 by 1920 (portrait), at 24 or 30 frames a second. They are made in chunks with a progress bar and a Cancel button; a cancelled video leaves no file behind. The finished file stays in this browser until you save it. ### What it is not - Not a full notation program: one line per part, no lyrics, dynamics, tuplets or key signatures. - Not a sampler: the sounds are made by the browser, simple and clear rather than realistic. - Not tied to any instrument maker's colours: the convention is a starting point you can change. - Not online: nothing you write is uploaded, and there is no account. Clapchart is not affiliated with any instrument maker, publisher or music exam board. --- # Starter rhythms and melodies for music class, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/starters/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 > 20 rhythm patterns and 12 bells melodies written for music class, each with its notation, ready to open in the maker, change and play along with. ## Starter rhythms and melodies 20 rhythm patterns and 12 bells melodies, all written for this site, from first quarter notes to syncopation, 6/8 and four layered parts. Open one in the maker, change anything, and play along. ### Rhythm patterns - First stepsFirst steps. 4/4 at 88 beats a minute, 4 bars, woodblock.Steady quarter notes and a half note to land on.Rhythm: `ta ta ta ta | ta ta ta-a | ta ta ta ta | ta-a ta-a`[Open First steps in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=first-steps) - Ti-ti walkFirst steps. 4/4 at 92 beats a minute, 4 bars, woodblock.Pairs of eighth notes between steady quarters.Rhythm: `ta ti-ti ta ti-ti | ti-ti ti-ti ta ta | ta ti-ti ta ti-ti | ti-ti ta ta-a`[Open Ti-ti walk in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=ti-ti-walk) - Rest stopFirst steps. 4/4 at 90 beats a minute, 4 bars, clap.Quarter rests in every place in the bar.Rhythm: `ta ta rest ta | ti-ti ta rest ta | ta rest ti-ti ta | ta ta ta rest`[Open Rest stop in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=rest-stop) - Two by twoFirst steps. 2/4 at 96 beats a minute, 6 bars, woodblock.Short bars of 2/4 with eighths and a half note.Rhythm: `ta ti-ti | ti-ti ta | ta ta | ta-a | ti-ti ti-ti | ta rest`[Open Two by two in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=two-by-two) - Waltz stepsFirst steps. 3/4 at 100 beats a minute, 4 bars, woodblock.Feeling three beats: half plus quarter, and a dotted half.Rhythm: `ta-a ta | ta ti-ti ta | ta-a ta | ta-a-a`[Open Waltz steps in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=waltz-steps) - Echo meFirst steps. 4/4 at 88 beats a minute, 4 bars, 2 parts.Call and response: the class echoes in the bars of rests.Teacher: `ta ta ti-ti ta | rest rest rest rest | ti-ti ta ta ta | rest rest rest rest`Class: `rest rest rest rest | ta ta ti-ti ta | rest rest rest rest | ti-ti ta ta ta`[Open Echo me in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=echo-me) - Long and shortBuilding. 4/4 at 92 beats a minute, 4 bars, low drum.Half, dotted half and whole notes against eighths.Rhythm: `ta-a ti-ti ta | ta-a-a ta | ti-ti ti-ti ta-a | ta-a-a-a`[Open Long and short in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=long-and-short) - Three-beat clapBuilding. 3/4 at 104 beats a minute, 4 bars, clap.3/4 with eighths on different beats and a rest to finish.Rhythm: `ta ta ta | ti-ti ta ta | ta ti-ti ta | ta-a rest`[Open Three-beat clap in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=three-beat-clap) - March timeBuilding. 2/4 at 108 beats a minute, 8 bars, low drum.Eight bars of 2/4 to march to.Rhythm: `ta ta | ti-ti ta | ta ti-ti | ta-a | ta ta | ti-ti ta | ti-ti ti-ti | ta rest`[Open March time in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=march-time) - Sixteenth rainBuilding. 4/4 at 84 beats a minute, 4 bars, woodblock.Groups of four sixteenths, then back to quarters.Rhythm: `tika-tika ta tika-tika ta | ti-ti tika-tika ta ta | tika-tika tika-tika ti-ti ta | ta ta ta-a`[Open Sixteenth rain in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=sixteenth-rain) - Tied overBuilding. 4/4 at 92 beats a minute, 4 bars, woodblock.Notes held across the bar line with a tie.Rhythm: `ta ta ta ta~ | ta ta-a ta | ti-ti ta ta ta~ | ta ta-a-a`[Open Tied over in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=tied-over) - GallopBuilding. 6/8 at 66 beats a minute, 4 bars, woodblock.6/8: quarter and eighth gallops, three eighths and dotted quarters.Rhythm: `ta ti ta ti | ti-ti-ti ta-i | ta ti ta ti | ta-a-a`[Open Gallop in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=gallop) - Rowing beatBuilding. 6/8 at 60 beats a minute, 4 bars, low drum.Two big beats in a bar of 6/8.Rhythm: `ta-i ta-i | ta ti ta-i | ti-ti-ti ti-ti-ti | ta-a-a`[Open Rowing beat in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=rowing-song) - Syncopation cornerStretch. 4/4 at 88 beats a minute, 4 bars, woodblock.Eighth, quarter, eighth: the off-beat accent.Rhythm: `syn-co-pa ta ta | ta syn-co-pa ta | syn-co-pa syn-co-pa | ta ta ta-a`[Open Syncopation corner in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=syncopation-corner) - Dotted danceStretch. 4/4 at 80 beats a minute, 4 bars, woodblock.Dotted eighth and sixteenth pairs.Rhythm: `tim-ka ta tim-ka ta | tim-ka tim-ka ta ta | ta tim-ka ta tim-ka | ta-a ta-a`[Open Dotted dance in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=dotted-dance) - Ti-tika trainStretch. 4/4 at 80 beats a minute, 4 bars, woodblock.Eighth and two sixteenths, and the turn-around.Rhythm: `ti-tika ti-tika ta ta | tika-ti tika-ti ta ta | ti-tika tika-ti ti-ti ta | ta ta ta-a`[Open Ti-tika train in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=ti-tika-train) - Body percussionBuilding. 4/4 at 96 beats a minute, 4 bars, 2 parts.Two layers: claps over a steady drum.Claps: `ta ti-ti ta ta | ti-ti ta ti-ti ta | ta ti-ti ta ta | ti-ti ti-ti ta rest`Drum: `ta-a ta-a | ta-a ta-a | ta-a ta-a | ta-a ta rest`[Open Body percussion in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=body-percussion) - Ostinato pairBuilding. 4/4 at 100 beats a minute, 4 bars, 2 parts.Two short repeating patterns that fit together.Woodblock: `ti-ti ta ti-ti ta | ti-ti ta ti-ti ta | ti-ti ta ti-ti ta | ti-ti ta ta-a`Drum: `ta rest ta rest | ta rest ta rest | ta rest ta rest | ta rest ta-a`[Open Ostinato pair in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=ostinato-pair) - Four-layer grooveStretch. 4/4 at 96 beats a minute, 4 bars, 4 parts.Four parts, each simple, layered into one groove.4 parts: the free plan plays the first 2; all 4 are part of Premium.Drum: `ta-a ta-a | ta-a ta-a | ta-a ta-a | ta-a ta-a`Woodblock: `ta ta ta ta | ta ta ta ta | ta ta ta ta | ta ta ta-a`Claps: `rest ta rest ta | rest ta rest ta | rest ta rest ta | rest ta ta-a`Shakers: `ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti | ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti | ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti | ti-ti ti-ti ta-a`[Open Four-layer groove in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=four-layer-groove) - Round the roomStretch. 4/4 at 92 beats a minute, 5 bars, 4 parts.Four groups come in one bar apart with the same pattern.4 parts: the free plan plays the first 2; all 4 are part of Premium.Group 1: `ta ti-ti ta ta | ti-ti ti-ti ta ta | ta rest ta rest | ta-a-a-a | rest rest rest rest`Group 2: `rest rest rest rest | ta ti-ti ta ta | ti-ti ti-ti ta ta | ta rest ta rest | ta-a-a-a`Group 3: `ta-a-a-a | rest rest rest rest | ta ti-ti ta ta | ti-ti ti-ti ta ta | ta rest ta rest`Group 4: `ta rest ta rest | ta-a-a-a | rest rest rest rest | ta ti-ti ta ta | ti-ti ti-ti ta ta`[Open Round the room in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=round-the-room) ### Melodies for bells and tubes Every melody stays between C4 and C6 and prints as a colour chart in the convention you choose. - Three tubesFirst steps. 4/4 at 90 beats a minute, 4 bars, bells (pitched).Only C, E and G: three players, one tube each.Bells: `C5/4 E5/4 G5/2 | G5/4 E5/4 C5/2 | E5/4 E5/4 G5/4 E5/4 | C5/1`[Open Three tubes in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=three-tubes) - Bell towerFirst steps. 4/4 at 96 beats a minute, 4 bars, bells (pitched).Skips up and down the C chord, with A and F as neighbours.Bells: `C5/4 E5/4 G5/4 E5/4 | D5/4 F5/4 A5/2 | G5/4 E5/4 C5/4 E5/4 | D5/2 C5/2`[Open Bell tower in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=bell-tower) - Step up, step downFirst steps. 4/4 at 92 beats a minute, 4 bars, bells (pitched).Five notes up by step and back again.Bells: `C5/4 D5/4 E5/4 F5/4 | G5/2 G5/2 | F5/4 E5/4 D5/4 C5/4 | C5/1`[Open Step up, step down in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=step-up-step-down) - Pentatonic pathBuilding. 4/4 at 92 beats a minute, 4 bars, bells (pitched).C, D, E, G and A only, with eighth notes.Bells: `C5/8 D5/8 E5/4 G5/4 E5/4 | A5/4 G5/4 E5/2 | D5/8 E5/8 G5/4 E5/4 D5/4 | C5/1`[Open Pentatonic path in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=pentatonic-path) - Morning bellsBuilding. 3/4 at 104 beats a minute, 8 bars, bells (pitched).Eight bars of 3/4 with a dotted half to end each phrase.Bells: `G4/4 C5/4 E5/4 | D5/2 C5/4 | A4/4 G4/4 E4/4 | G4/2. | G4/4 C5/4 E5/4 | G5/2 E5/4 | D5/4 E5/4 D5/4 | C5/2.`[Open Morning bells in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=morning-bells) - Raindrop stepsBuilding. 2/4 at 100 beats a minute, 4 bars, bells (pitched).2/4 with eighth-note pairs falling by step.Bells: `G5/8 E5/8 G5/8 E5/8 | D5/4 C5/4 | E5/8 E5/8 D5/8 D5/8 | C5/2`[Open Raindrop steps in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=raindrop-steps) - Echo valleyBuilding. 4/4 at 88 beats a minute, 4 bars, bells (pitched).A short figure played twice, then answered.Bells: `G4/4 A4/4 C5/2 | G4/4 A4/4 C5/2 | D5/4 C5/4 A4/4 G4/4 | A4/2 G4/2`[Open Echo valley in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=echo-valley) - Little boatBuilding. 6/8 at 60 beats a minute, 4 bars, bells (pitched).A rocking 6/8 melody in dotted quarters.Bells: `C5/4. E5/4. | G5/4 E5/8 C5/4. | D5/4. F5/4. | E5/4 D5/8 C5/4.`[Open Little boat in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=little-boat) - Waltz of the bellsBuilding. 3/4 at 108 beats a minute, 4 bars, bells (pitched).A falling 3/4 phrase and a jump up to G.Bells: `E5/4 D5/4 C5/4 | G5/2 E5/4 | F5/4 E5/4 D5/4 | C5/2.`[Open Waltz of the bells in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=waltz-of-the-bells) - Sharp turnStretch. 4/4 at 88 beats a minute, 4 bars, bells (pitched).G, A and B with an F sharp leading back to G.Bells: `G4/4 A4/4 B4/4 G4/4 | F#4/4 G4/4 A4/2 | B4/4 D5/4 C5/4 A4/4 | G4/1`[Open Sharp turn in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=sharp-turn) - Lullaby lightsStretch. 4/4 at 72 beats a minute, 4 bars, bells (pitched).Long notes and a tie into the last bar.Bells: `E5/2. D5/4 | C5/2 G4/2 | A4/4 C5/4 E5/4 D5/4~ | D5/1`[Open Lullaby lights in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=lullaby-lights) - Two-part chimeStretch. 4/4 at 84 beats a minute, 4 bars, 2 parts.A tune over low bells: two groups, two parts.Tune: `C5/2 E5/2 | D5/2 G5/2 | E5/4 D5/4 C5/2 | C5/1`Low bells: `C4/1 | G4/1 | C4/2 G4/2 | C4/1`[Open Two-part chime in the maker](https://clapchart.com/?starter=two-part-chime) ### Using the starters Opening a starter makes a new board from it; your other boards are not touched. The text under each preview is the starter in the maker's own notation, so you can also copy it into a part. The rules behind the notation are on [how it works](https://clapchart.com/how-it-works/). Clapchart is not affiliated with any instrument maker, publisher or music exam board. --- # Guides for rhythm play-alongs in music class, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/guides/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 > Guides for music teachers: running a play-along in a 30-minute lesson, layering four rhythm parts, and printing colour charts for station work. ## Guides for the music room Three guides for the teacher who builds rhythm and bells lessons around a play-along: a whole lesson in 30 minutes, four layered parts with one class, and colour charts for small-group stations. - [Running a play-along in a 30-minute lesson](https://clapchart.com/guides/play-along-in-a-30-minute-lesson/)A minute-by-minute plan for teaching a rhythm or a bells melody with a play-along video, from the warm-up echo to the performance and the exit check. - [Layering four rhythm parts with a class](https://clapchart.com/guides/layering-four-parts/)How to build a four-part rhythm piece with a class one layer at a time: choosing the parts, teaching each, the order to add them and what to do when it falls apart. - [Printing colour charts for station work](https://clapchart.com/guides/colour-charts-for-station-work/)How to print colour charts and one-bar cards for small-group stations: paper sizes, the colour convention, setting up stations and rotating groups. The rules the maker follows are on [how it works](https://clapchart.com/how-it-works/), and the patterns named in the guides are in the [starter library](https://clapchart.com/starters/). The [play-along maker](https://clapchart.com/) is where you build your own. --- # Running a rhythm play-along in a 30-minute lesson, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/guides/play-along-in-a-30-minute-lesson/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 > A minute-by-minute plan for teaching a rhythm or bells melody with a play-along video: echo warm-up, rote teaching, three passes and a short performance. ## Running a play-along in a 30-minute lesson Give 5 minutes to an echo warm-up, 8 to teaching the rhythm by ear and then on the board, 10 to the play-along in three passes (slow with the marker, at tempo, then the video), and the last 7 to a short performance and a check. Make two videos before the lesson: one slow, one at the final tempo. By Clapchart. Published 19 October 2026. Last updated 19 October 2026. ### The plan, minute by minute | Minutes | What happens | What you use | | --- | --- | --- | | 0 to 5 | Echo warm-up: you clap a bar, the class claps it back, 6 to 8 times | Your hands; the maker on Loop with a click if the class rushes | | 5 to 13 | Teach the new rhythm by ear in syllables, then show it on the board | The notation preview with syllables under the notes | | 13 to 23 | Three passes of the play-along: slow with the marker, at tempo, then the video | The maker at a slow tempo, then the full-tempo video | | 23 to 28 | Perform it: half the class plays, half listens, then swap | The full-tempo video | | 28 to 30 | Exit check: two or three children clap bar 3 alone | The colour chart or the board | ### Before the lesson Write or open the board, set the time signature and play it through once yourself. Keep it short: 4 bars is plenty for a new rhythm, 8 for one the class half knows. Make two videos. The first at a slow tempo with a 2-bar count-in, for the learning passes; the second at the tempo you want by the end. Name them clearly so you can find them on the classroom computer. Print the colour chart if bells or tubes are involved, and put the instruments out before the class arrives so the first minutes are not spent handing them round. Choose the words under the notes to match how your class already counts. Rhythm syllables suit younger classes and anyone taught ta and ti-ti; counting suits older classes who will read notation in other settings. Do not switch systems in the middle of a unit. ### Teaching it: sound before symbol The order matters more than the minutes. The class hears and echoes the rhythm before they see it, then reads it, then plays it with the video. Clap a bar, say it in syllables, have them echo. When every bar can be echoed, show the notation on the projector with the syllables underneath, and point to each note as you say it. Only then start the play-along. A class that meets the notation first spends the lesson decoding instead of playing. On the first pass, play the board in the maker rather than the video: the tempo can be lowered on the spot, and Loop keeps it going while you walk round. A tempo change starts at the next bar line, so you can slow down without stopping. On the second pass, raise the tempo. On the third, switch to the full-tempo video so the class gets used to the title card and the count-in they will hear in the performance. ### Worked example: Ti-ti walk with a class of 7-year-olds The starter Ti-ti walk is 4 bars of 4/4: quarter notes with pairs of eighths. Before the lesson, set it to 76 beats a minute with a 2-bar count-in and make the slow video, then set it to 92 with 1 bar and make the second. In the warm-up, echo the first bar, ta ti-ti ta ti-ti, three times, then bar 2. At minute 5, show the notation with rhythm syllables: the class reads bar 1 aloud together, then claps it. By minute 13 they clap all 4 bars with the maker at 76 and the marker on screen. The video at 92 closes the lesson, with the class split in two halves for the performance. The exit check asks two children to clap bar 2, which has the most eighths. ### Common mistakes - Starting at the final tempo. A rhythm learned too fast stays ragged; the slow pass is what makes the fast one clean. - Showing the notation first. Echo it until it is secure by ear, then show what they already know. - Too many bars. Eight unfamiliar bars in one lesson is a reading exercise, not a play-along. - No count-in. Without one, the first bar is always late; keep 2 bars until the class comes in together. - Skipping the listening half of the performance. Hearing the other half play is when most children notice their own rushing. ### Adapting it With a younger class, stretch the echo warm-up to 8 minutes and play only 2 bars. With an older class, swap the exit check for a short written one: show the chart with one bar covered and ask them to clap it from memory. For a mixed class, add a second part from the starters with a steady drum on every beat, and give it to the children who need the pulse most. ### Sources - [National Core Arts Standards: Music](https://www.nationalartsstandards.org/), National Coalition for Core Arts Standards. The Perform and Respond strands this plan works towards: rehearse, refine and present, then evaluate the performance. Last reviewed 19 October 2026. - [The Kodály approach](https://www.oake.org/), Organization of American Kodály Educators. The sound before symbol sequence: echo the rhythm first, read it second, which is the order of the plan. Last reviewed 19 October 2026. Clapchart is not affiliated with any instrument maker, publisher or music exam board. ### Frequently asked questions **What tempo should the first pass be?** Slower than feels necessary: around 70 to 80 beats a minute for a new rhythm with eighth notes, and 60 for sixteenths. Make a second video at the final tempo for the end of the lesson. **One bar or two bars of count-in?** Two bars for the first lessons with a new piece, or with younger classes, so everyone has heard the pulse before they play. One bar once the class knows it. **What if the class cannot keep up with the video?** Stop the video, go back to echoing one bar at a time, and play the board in the maker with Loop on at a slower tempo. The marker shows where they are while you walk the room. --- # Layering four rhythm parts with a class, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/guides/layering-four-parts/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 > How to build a four-part rhythm piece one layer at a time: choosing parts, teaching each, the order to add them, and what to do when it falls apart. ## Layering four rhythm parts with a class Build the piece from the bottom up: teach the slowest, steadiest part first, add one part at a time, and only add the next when the parts already playing hold for 2 full passes. Give each part its own sound, and use the maker's mute switch to rehearse any combination. By Clapchart. Published 19 October 2026. Last updated 19 October 2026. On the free plan a board plays 2 parts; 4 parts on one board are part of Premium. With 2 parts, teach the drum and woodblock pair from this guide, then make a second board for the claps and shakers and play the two boards to two halves of the class. ### Choosing four parts that fit Four parts work when each one has its own job. One holds the pulse in long notes, one fills every beat, one sits between the beats, and one moves fastest. If two parts do the same job they blur together and nobody can hear which one went wrong. Keep every part short (1 or 2 bars that repeat) and write the whole board as 4 bars so the loop is easy to follow on the screen. | Part | Job | Example bar (4/4) | | --- | --- | --- | | Drum | The pulse, in long notes | `ta-a ta-a` | | Woodblock | Every beat | `ta ta ta ta` | | Claps | Between the strong beats | `rest ta rest ta` | | Shakers | The fastest, the colour | `ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti ti-ti` | ### The order to add them Start with the drum part on its own, with everyone playing it on their knees, so the whole class owns the pulse before it is handed to one group. Then the woodblock part, against the drum. Then the claps: the off-beat part is the hardest to hold, and it is far easier with two steady parts under it. The shakers come last, because the fastest part is the one most likely to rush, and by then there is a lot of steady sound around it to pull it back. In the maker, mute every part but the one being taught, play it on Loop, then unmute the next. The marker runs over all four staves together, so the class can see where their own line is while hearing the others. A muted part still shows on the screen, which helps a group get ready to come in. ### Worked example: Four-layer groove The starter Four-layer groove is exactly the four parts in the table, 4 bars long at 96 beats a minute. Lesson one: everyone learns the drum and woodblock parts on knees, then the class splits in two for those parts, with the claps and shakers parts muted. Lesson two: recap, then add the claps group with the other two playing. Lesson three: add the shakers, rehearse every pair of parts with the others muted, and finish with all four and the video. If a pair falls apart, mute everything but that pair and loop it at 80 until it holds, then put the other two back. ### When it falls apart It will. The usual cause is one part speeding up, and the usual culprit is the fastest part. Stop, say which part went, and loop just that part with the drum. Do not restart all four straight away; the class needs to hear the two parts lock together again first. If the off-beat claps keep landing on the beat, have that group say “rest ta rest ta” out loud for a pass before clapping it. ### Common mistakes - Adding the next part too early. Two clean passes of what is already playing, every time. - Giving the pulse to the quickest readers. The pulse needs the steadiest players, not the quickest. - Parts that are too long. A 4-bar part that changes every bar is a reading test; a 1-bar part that repeats is a groove. - Four parts with the same sound. Different sounds let children hear their own layer. - Going straight to the video. Rehearse with the maker, where any part can be muted and the tempo lowered, and save the video for the run-through. ### Sources - [National Core Arts Standards: Music](https://www.nationalartsstandards.org/), National Coalition for Core Arts Standards. Ensemble performance in the Perform strand: performing a part while others play different parts. Last reviewed 19 October 2026. - [Web Audio API](https://www.w3.org/TR/webaudio/), W3C. The audio clock the maker schedules every part on, which is why four parts stay locked together however long they loop. Last reviewed 19 October 2026. Clapchart is not affiliated with any instrument maker, publisher or music exam board. ### Frequently asked questions **Which part should a struggling group get?** The steadiest one: a half note or quarter note pulse on the drum. It is the part everyone else leans on, so it needs the group that will not stop, not the group that reads fastest. **How many children to a part?** In a class of 30, about 7 or 8 to each of four parts. Fewer than 4 to a part and one hesitant child leaves a gap you can hear. **Should every part have a different sound?** Yes, where you can. In the maker each part has its own sound, and in the room each group should sound different too: drums, woodblocks, claps and shakers, so the class can hear the layers apart. --- # Printing colour charts for station work, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/guides/colour-charts-for-station-work/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 > How to print colour charts and one-bar cards for small-group music stations: paper sizes, the colour convention, setting up stations and rotating groups. ## Printing colour charts for station work Print one colour chart of the whole piece for the board, and one-bar cards for the stations: 4 cards to an A4 or US Letter page, printed at actual size, cut on the dashed lines. Give each station one bar or one part, rotate groups every 5 to 6 minutes, and end with the whole class playing from the chart. By Clapchart. Published 19 October 2026. Last updated 19 October 2026. ### Two printouts, two jobs The colour chart is the whole piece on one page: every part's rhythm on a line, each pitch under its note as a coloured circle with its letter, bars numbered, and the colour key at the top. It is for the board, the projector, or the front of the room when everyone plays together. The one-bar cards break the same piece into single bars, one to a card with its bar number, so a small group can work on one bar without the rest of the piece crowding it. Every circle prints its letter, and sharps and flats print with their sign, so a child who cannot tell two colours apart, or a chart printed in black and white, still reads correctly. Colour helps; it is never the only cue. ### Paper and printing | Paper | Size | Where it is the default | | --- | --- | --- | | A4 | 210 by 297 mm | Most of the world | | US Letter | 8.5 by 11 inches (216 by 279 mm) | The United States and Canada | Choose the paper in the maker before printing; the chart is laid out for that page, not stretched onto it. In the print dialog choose actual size, or 100 percent, never fit to page. Print a test page first and check the colours against your instruments: some printers turn yellow pale and purple dark, and the colour key at the top makes that easy to spot. ### Setting up the stations Plan one station per bar for a 4-bar piece, or one per part for a layered one. Each station gets its card, the instruments that bar needs (only those, so nobody plays a wrong note by reaching for a spare one), and a job: play the bar 4 times in a row without stopping, then say it in syllables, then swap instruments inside the group. The cards show the syllables under the notes when the board has them turned on. ### Worked example: Bell tower in four stations The starter Bell tower is 4 bars for bells in 4/4 using C, D, E, F, G and A. Print its colour chart once on A4 for the board, and its cards: 4 bars make one page of 4 cards. Station 1 has bar 1 (C, E, G, E) and the C, E and G bells; station 2 has bar 2 (D, F, A) and those three; station 3 has bar 3; station 4 has bar 4 (D then C). With 28 children that is 7 to a station. Groups rotate every 6 minutes, so after 24 minutes every group has played every bar. The last minutes are the whole class reading from the chart with the play-along video. ### Common mistakes - Printing at fit to page. The chart comes out small and the circles crowd; print at actual size. - Charts in one convention, instruments in another. Match the colours in the maker's settings to your set before printing. - Every instrument at every station. Put out only the notes each card needs. - No job at the station. A card on its own is a puzzle; a card with “4 times without stopping” is practice. - Skipping the whole-class finish. The stations are the parts; the piece is the point. ### Sources - [ISO 216: Writing paper and certain classes of printed matter, trimmed sizes, A and B series](https://www.iso.org/standard/36631.html), International Organization for Standardization. The A4 size, 210 by 297 millimetres, that the A4 charts are drawn for. Last reviewed 19 October 2026. - [National Core Arts Standards: Music](https://www.nationalartsstandards.org/), National Coalition for Core Arts Standards. Reading and performing from notation in small groups, the goal of the stations. Last reviewed 19 October 2026. Clapchart is not affiliated with any instrument maker, publisher or music exam board. ### Frequently asked questions **Why does my chart print smaller than the page?** The print dialog is scaling it to fit. Choose actual size, or 100 percent, and the paper size you chose in the maker. The charts are drawn for that paper with margins already inside them. **Our tubes use different colours. Does the chart still work?** Set each letter's colour in the maker's settings to match your set before printing. The chart, the coloured notes and the video all follow your choices, and every circle still carries its letter. **Should I laminate the cards?** If they will be used more than once, yes: station cards are handled a lot. Print on card or thick paper first so the colours stay strong under the film. --- # Free music class printables: rhythm and colour, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/printables/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-21 > Free printables for music class as PDFs on A4 or US Letter: rhythm flashcards, a blank rhythm grid of 4 bars a line and a colour tube chart from C to C. ## Printables for music class Three free sheets to print for the music room: rhythm flashcards, a blank rhythm grid and a colour tube chart. Each is a finished PDF on A4 or US Letter, made in your browser with nothing to fill in first. Last updated 21 October 2026. Made by the Clapchart team. ### Sheets to print - [**Rhythm flashcards: ta, ti-ti, rest and ta-a** Free rhythm flashcards for music class: ta, ti-ti, the quarter rest and ta-a, drawn large on four cards, with the syllable and the beats on the backs.](https://clapchart.com/printables/rhythm-flashcards/) - [**Blank rhythm grid, 4 bars a line** A free blank rhythm grid for writing rhythms: lines of 4 bars on a one-line staff, beats numbered, with a writing line for syllables, in 4/4 and in 3/4.](https://clapchart.com/printables/blank-rhythm-grid/) - [**Colour tube chart, C to high C** A free one page colour chart for colour-coded tubes and bells: eight tubes from C to high C with their letters and colours, and the notes on a staff.](https://clapchart.com/printables/colour-tube-chart/) Want a chart of your own rhythm or melody? The [play-along maker](https://clapchart.com/) prints any board as a colour chart, notation or one-bar cards, and the [starters](https://clapchart.com/starters/) give you 32 to begin from. Clapchart is not affiliated with any instrument maker, publisher or music exam board. --- # Print rhythm flashcards: ta, ti-ti, rest, ta-a, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/printables/rhythm-flashcards/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-21 > Free rhythm flashcards for music class: ta, ti-ti, the quarter rest and ta-a, drawn large on four cards, with the syllable and the beats on the backs. ## Rhythm flashcards: ta, ti-ti, rest and ta-a Four large flashcards with the first rhythms a class reads: ta, ti-ti, the quarter rest and ta-a, with the syllable and the beats on the back of each card. They are for music teachers and classroom teachers who want cards to hold up, sort or clap from in the next lesson. Last updated 21 October 2026. Made by the Clapchart team. ### Download the PDF Free, with nothing to fill in first. 2 pages, made in your browser. Free downloads carry a small credit line in the footer of every page: Made with Clapchart, clapchart.com. ### What is on the page - Page 1, the fronts: four cards, each with one rhythm drawn large on a one-line staff, as the class sees it in the notation. - Page 2, the backs: the syllable in big letters, the note's name and how many beats it lasts. - Print both pages on one sheet, double-sided, flipping on the long edge, and each back lands behind its own front. - Dashed lines to cut along, and a small number in the corner of each card so a set stays together. To write your own rhythm or melody and print it as a colour chart, notation or one-bar cards, or make a play-along video of it, use the [play-along maker](https://clapchart.com/). More sheets are on the [printables page](https://clapchart.com/printables/). Clapchart is not affiliated with any instrument maker, publisher or music exam board. --- # Blank rhythm grid to print, 4 bars a line, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/printables/blank-rhythm-grid/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-21 > A free blank rhythm grid for writing rhythms: lines of 4 bars on a one-line staff, beats numbered, with a writing line for syllables, in 4/4 and in 3/4. ## Blank rhythm grid, 4 bars a line A sheet of empty one-line staves, 4 bars to a line with every beat marked and numbered, and a line under each for the syllables or the counting. It is for pupils composing or taking down a rhythm by ear, and for teachers planning a rhythm before typing it into a board. Last updated 21 October 2026. Made by the Clapchart team. ### Download the PDF Free, with nothing to fill in first. 2 pages, made in your browser. Free downloads carry a small credit line in the footer of every page: Made with Clapchart, clapchart.com. ### What is on the page - Page 1 in 4/4: 6 lines of 4 bars, 24 bars in all, with bar numbers over each bar. - Page 2 in 3/4: the same layout with three beats in each bar. - Under every bar, the beats as small ticks with their numbers, and a dotted line to write ta, ti-ti or 1 & 2 & under the notes. - A line for a name and the date at the top of each page. To write your own rhythm or melody and print it as a colour chart, notation or one-bar cards, or make a play-along video of it, use the [play-along maker](https://clapchart.com/). More sheets are on the [printables page](https://clapchart.com/printables/). Clapchart is not affiliated with any instrument maker, publisher or music exam board. --- # Colour tube chart to print, C to high C, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/printables/colour-tube-chart/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-21 > A free one page colour chart for colour-coded tubes and bells: eight tubes from C to high C with their letters and colours, and the notes on a staff. ## Colour tube chart, C to high C A one page wall chart of the eight notes from middle C to high C: each as a tube in its colour with its letter, the colour named, and the same notes on a treble staff. It is for music rooms using colour-coded tubes or bells, and there is a blank row to colour in when your set uses other colours. Last updated 21 October 2026. Made by the Clapchart team. ### Download the PDF Free, with nothing to fill in first. One page, made in your browser. Free downloads carry a small credit line in the footer of every page: Made with Clapchart, clapchart.com. ### What is on the page - Eight tubes, C to high C, stepped by length like a real set, each in its colour with its letter. - The colour's name under each tube, so the chart never relies on colour alone. - The eight notes on a treble staff, C4 to C5, each notehead in its colour with its letter below. - A blank row of eight outlined tubes with their letters, to colour in to match the set in your room. To write your own rhythm or melody and print it as a colour chart, notation or one-bar cards, or make a play-along video of it, use the [play-along maker](https://clapchart.com/). More sheets are on the [printables page](https://clapchart.com/printables/). Clapchart is not affiliated with any instrument maker, publisher or music exam board. --- # Rhythm play-along maker questions, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/faq/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 > Answers about Clapchart: writing rhythms and melodies, tempo and count-in, the colour convention, video files, printing charts and privacy. ## Questions about the play-along maker Writing rhythms and melodies, the colour convention, video files and printing, answered plainly. The notation rules are on [how it works](https://clapchart.com/how-it-works/), and the [maker](https://clapchart.com/) is where you try it. ### Frequently asked questions **What does it make?** From a rhythm or a simple melody that you write, it makes three things: playback in the browser with a count-in and a marker that moves over the notes, a play-along video with sound for the projector, and printable charts: a colour chart for colour-coded tubes and bells, the notation, and one-bar cards for station work. **How do I write a rhythm?** Use the grid: choose a note and pick its length, make it a rest, dot it or tie it to the next note, by mouse, touch or keyboard. Or open the text box and type rhythm words such as ta ti-ti ta rest, with a bar line | between bars. Each bar says whether it adds up, and nothing plays until every bar does. **How do I write a melody?** Add a bells part and give each note a pitch from C4 to C6: press a letter from A to G, step it up or down, and add a sharp or a flat. In the text box, write each note as pitch and length, such as C5/4 for a quarter note C or F#4/8 for an eighth note F sharp. **What happens when a word in the text does not read?** The part is left as it was and every word that did not read is listed with its bar and its place, such as Bar 2, word 3, with the reason. Nothing is guessed or filled in for you; fix the words and use the text again. **What does the tempo count?** Beats a minute, from 40 to 200. In 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 a beat is a quarter note; in 6/8 a beat is a dotted quarter, so 6/8 at 60 plays one dotted quarter a second and a bar every 2 seconds. A change of tempo while it plays starts at the next bar line. **Which colour does each note get?** The starting convention is red C, orange D, yellow E, green F, teal G, purple A and pink B, a common one for colour-coded tubes and bells. Every colour can be changed in Settings to match your own set. A sharp or flat takes its letter's colour and always prints with its sign, and every circle carries its letter, so colour is never the only cue. **Which video file will I get?** The page says before you start. Where the browser can encode H.264 with WebCodecs (current Chrome, Edge and Safari, and Firefox on most systems), it makes an MP4 in the background, faster than it plays. Where it cannot, it records the video while it plays once in real time, as WebM, or as MP4 where the recorder makes MP4. If a browser can do neither, it says so and the charts still work. **Does the video have sound?** Yes. The count-in, the backing and every part are rendered into the video's sound track with the same sounds you hear in the browser, timed to the same marker. The video opens with a short title card, then the count-in. **Why is the marker in time with the sound?** Every note is scheduled on the audio clock, not on a page timer, and the marker reads that same clock on every screen refresh, less the delay the browser reports for its speakers. Over 16 bars at 200 beats a minute it stays within a few thousandths of a second of the notes. **How do I print the colour chart?** Choose A4 or US Letter under Charts and cards, then print the colour chart from the page, or save it as a PNG or a PDF. Print at actual size, or 100 percent. The one-bar cards print 4 to a page with dashed lines to cut along. **Can I use more than one part?** Yes. A board can hold up to 4 parts, each with its own sound, for layered play-alongs; the free plan plays 2. Parts can be muted while you teach them one at a time. **Where are my boards kept?** In this browser only. Boards are written, played and saved on your device and never uploaded, and there is no account. Save a backup file to keep a copy or to move to another computer. If the browser blocks storage, the maker still works for the visit and says that nothing will be kept. **Can I send a board to another teacher?** Yes. Choose Share this board under Your boards and copy the link. It carries the board in the address after #, which never reaches any server; whoever opens it sees the board as Shared with you and nothing is saved on their side until they choose Keep a copy. Untick Include names to leave out the title and part names. **Can I keep it on my phone and use it offline?** Yes. On an iPhone or iPad, open the site in Safari, tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen. On Android and on a computer, choose Install Clapchart in the menu or at the foot of any page when your browser offers it. After one visit online the maker, the starters and the printables open without a connection, and PDFs and videos work offline once one has been made. **Is it free?** Writing, playing, printing, the PNG colour chart and a landscape video of up to 30 seconds are free, with 2 parts and 3 saved boards. Premium adds full-length videos with no mark, portrait videos, PDF charts and cards, 4 parts and more saved boards. **Are the starter rhythms and melodies free to use in class?** Yes. The 20 rhythm patterns and 12 melodies were written for this site. Open one, change it as you like and use it in your lessons. **Who is behind it?** Clapchart is an independent tool for music teachers. Clapchart is not affiliated with any instrument maker, publisher or music exam board. --- # About the rhythm play-along maker, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/about/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 > What Clapchart is: a browser tool that turns a teacher's own rhythms and melodies into play-along videos and colour charts, who it is for, and what it is not. ## About Clapchart A tool for the music teacher who makes rhythm play-alongs by hand: write the rhythm or the melody once, and get the play-along, the video and the chart. ### Why we made it A play-along video is one of the most useful things in a music room, and one of the slowest to make. Teachers build them slide by slide, nudging a marker across the notes and lining the timing up by eye, then start again when the class needs it slower. Colour charts for tubes and bells are often bought one song at a time, in somebody else's arrangement and somebody else's colours. We built Clapchart so the teacher's own material comes first. You write the rhythm or the melody the way you teach it, and the maker plays it in time, draws it, and turns it into a video and a chart. The same board makes a slow version for the first lesson and a full-speed one for the performance. ### What it does It reads a grid you fill with the mouse, touch or keyboard, or text you type in rhythm syllables or note names, and tells you exactly what does not add up. It draws the notation with syllables or counting under the notes, plays it with a count-in and a moving marker scheduled from the audio clock, makes play-along videos in landscape or portrait, and prints colour charts and one-bar cards for stations. The rules are written out on [how it works](https://clapchart.com/how-it-works/), and the [guides](https://clapchart.com/guides/) turn them into lessons. ### How it treats your work Everything happens in your browser. What you write is never uploaded, there is no account, and every video and chart goes from your browser straight to your own downloads. Your boards are saved in this browser, and a backup file keeps a copy you control. ### On your phone On an iPhone or iPad: open the site in Safari, tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen. It then opens like an app, and works offline after your first visit. ### What it is not - Not a full notation program. One line per part, written for the rhythms and short melodies of a class lesson. - Not a song library. The starters were written for this site; the rest is yours to write. - Not tied to one instrument maker. The colour convention is a starting point you can change to match your own set. - Not a guesser. A word or a bar it cannot read is shown to you, never filled in. ### Contact Questions, and reports of a rhythm that was read or played wrongly, go to socialreminderinfo@gmail.com. Include the text of the part and the time signature, so we can play it the same way. Clapchart is not affiliated with any instrument maker, publisher or music exam board. --- # Premium for the rhythm play-along maker, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/premium/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 > Premium adds full-length and portrait videos, PDF charts and cards, 4 parts and 50 saved boards. Writing, playing and the PNG chart stay free. ## Clapchart Premium The maker is the free product: writing, playing, printing, the PNG colour chart and a 30-second landscape video. Premium adds full-length and portrait videos, PDF charts and cards, 4 parts and more saved boards. ### What Premium adds - Play-along videos of any length, with no site mark - Portrait videos (1080 by 1920) as well as landscape - PDF colour charts, notation and one-bar cards on A4 or Letter - Up to 4 parts on a board for layered play-alongs - Up to 50 saved boards in one browser Weekly, yearly and lifetime plans are available. #### Free forever - The grid and text editors, playback with count-in, backing and loop - The notation and colour chart on screen, printing, and the PNG colour chart - A landscape play-along video of up to 30 seconds, with a small site mark - 2 parts on a board - 3 saved boards, with backup export and import ### Choose a plan Loading plans. Subscriptions renew automatically and can be cancelled anytime from the link in your receipt email. Access is tied to this browser; keep your receipt email for account recovery. Already subscribed elsewhere? [Restore access](https://clapchart.com/restore/). ### Frequently asked questions **What stays free?** The grid and text editors, playback with count-in, backing and loop, the notation and colour chart on screen, printing, the PNG colour chart, a landscape video of up to 30 seconds with a small site mark, 2 parts and 3 saved boards with backup export and import. No account is needed and nothing you write leaves your browser. **What does Premium add?** Videos of any length with no site mark, portrait videos at 1080 by 1920, PDF colour charts, notation and one-bar cards, up to 4 parts on a board and up to 50 saved boards. It does not change how anything is played or drawn. **What happens to boards with more parts, or more boards, than the free plan keeps?** Everything is kept. The first 3 boards stay editable and the others open read-only; parts past the first 2 are shown, muted and read-only. You can still play and print them. --- # Privacy: your boards stay in your browser, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/privacy/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 > How Clapchart handles what you write: boards are written, played, saved and turned into videos and charts in your browser, and nothing is ever uploaded. ## Privacy: your boards stay in your browser How Clapchart handles what you write: boards are written, played, saved and turned into videos and charts in your browser, and nothing is ever uploaded. Last updated 19 October 2026 ### What you type Clapchart asks only for what a play-along needs: the rhythms and melodies you write, a title, and your settings such as the tempo and the colours. It never asks who you are, and it has no field for your name, your school, your email or anything about your pupils. ### What stays on your device Every board is played, and every video, image and PDF is made, in your browser. There is no server side to this site: it is a set of static files. What you write and any backup file you choose are read on your device and never sent anywhere. The only files the maker fetches are its own code and, for a PDF, its print font, from this site. A video being made is kept in this browser's private storage for this site until you save or discard it, and removed after. Your saved boards are written to your browser's own local storage, under keys beginning with `rhythmboard` and nowhere else (one of them is a short test that storage works, removed straight away). They belong to one browser on one device: they do not follow you to another computer, they are not backed up by us, and nobody else can read them. Clearing site data for this site removes them permanently. Use Save a backup file to keep a copy; that file is saved wherever you choose and is yours to keep or delete. ### No accounts There is no sign up, no sign in, no email capture and no password. Every page, including the maker and its downloads, works without identifying yourself in any way. ### What is collected No account, no advertising identifiers, and nothing you enter. Standard web server logs kept by the static host may record the request for a page, its time and a network address, in the ordinary way any web server records a request. ### Page counts If page visit counting is switched on for this site, visits are counted through Cloudflare. The count sets no cookie, cannot follow you to another site, and records that a page was opened, never what you typed. ### Purchases If paid plans are offered, a purchase is handled by RevenueCat and Stripe, who receive what a payment needs, such as your email address and card, and never your boards. An anonymous purchase id is stored in this browser so your access is recognised here. ### Typeface Headings, charts and videos are set in Lexend, by The Lexend Project Authors, under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, and the music symbols are drawn from Bravura, by Steinberg Media Technologies, under the same licence. The files are served from this site, so no font service sees your visit. The licences sit at [/fonts/OFL.txt](https://clapchart.com/fonts/OFL.txt) and [/fonts/OFL-Bravura.txt](https://clapchart.com/fonts/OFL-Bravura.txt). ### Cookies Clapchart sets no cookies of its own and carries no advertising or cross site tracking scripts. ### Changes If this policy changes in a way that affects what is collected, the change will appear on this page. ### Contact Questions about privacy go to socialreminderinfo@gmail.com. Since nothing is stored on a server, most requests are answered by telling you which local storage keys to clear. --- # Terms of use for the rhythm play-along maker, Clapchart URL: https://clapchart.com/terms/ Last reviewed: 2026-10-19 > The terms that apply when you use Clapchart: what a play-along made from your own music can be relied on for, your data, refunds and what stays free. ## Terms of use The terms that apply when you use Clapchart: what a play-along made from your own music can be relied on for, your data, refunds and what stays free. Last updated 19 October 2026 ### What this is Clapchart is a writing and playback tool. It plays, draws and prints the rhythms and melodies you write, by the fixed rules on the how it works page. It does not correct your music, so a play-along is only as right as what you wrote: listen to it once before you use it with a class. Where a word or a bar does not read or does not add up, the page shows it and waits for you; nothing is filled in. What you write is what plays and prints. ### Names used Titles on a board are the ones you type. If you write out a published song, check that you may use it in the way you intend; the starters on this site were written for it and are yours to use in class. Clapchart is not affiliated with any instrument maker, publisher or music exam board. ### What is free These stay free with no account. A paid tier adds the extras listed on the Premium page. Nothing free is moved behind a gate to make room for it. - The grid and text editors, playback with count-in, backing and loop - The notation and colour chart on screen, printing, and the PNG colour chart - A landscape play-along video of up to 30 seconds, with a small site mark - 2 parts on a board - 3 saved boards, with backup export and import ### Your data Anything the site remembers is stored by your own browser on your own device. You can clear it at any time, we cannot recover it, and it does not follow you to another device. Save a backup file to keep a copy of your boards. ### Refunds Not happy with a purchase? Email [socialreminderinfo@gmail.com](mailto:socialreminderinfo@gmail.com) within 14 days of a first purchase, or within 7 days of a renewal, and we will refund it. Send the message from the email address you used at checkout, and include: - the email address used at checkout (if you are writing from a different address) - your access code, shown on the [Premium](https://clapchart.com/premium/) page while you have Premium on the browser you purchased from - roughly when you purchased, and which plan (weekly, yearly or lifetime) - the last 4 digits of the card, if you have the receipt handy That is everything needed to find the purchase and process the refund. This policy does not limit any statutory rights you may have. ### Acceptable use Use the site to make play-alongs, videos and charts for teaching and practice. Do not scrape it at a rate that degrades it for other people. ### Warranty and liability The site is provided as it is, without warranty of any kind. To the extent the law allows, Clapchart is not liable for any loss arising from its use or from reliance on a video or chart it makes, including printing costs. Play a board through before a lesson. ### Contact Questions, and reports of a rhythm that was read, played or drawn wrongly, go to socialreminderinfo@gmail.com. Send the part as text with its time signature. Anything that breaks a stated rule is a defect and gets fixed.