Rhythm
A loop that never stops. Tap along with it, then play it alone: three tries, the best one counts.
Five games drawn at random, one try each →Five games drawn at random.
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How to play a rhythm back from memory
Playing a rhythm back takes two things: holding on to it, and playing it at the right moment. The first is easier than it looks, the second is where everyone slips.
To hold on to it, say the rhythm out loud while you listen. “Ta, ta, tam” sticks better than a mental picture, because your mouth keeps the length of the silences along with the length of the hits. The loop itself never stops: you hear it come round once, then you tap ALONG with it while it is still sounding. That pass is what puts the rhythm in your hand, before you have to remember anything.
Then the model goes quiet and the loop keeps turning. That is the moment you find out whether you were following the pulse or reacting to the sound: the first carries on by itself, the second stops. Keep the beat with your foot through the whole listen and do not stop when the model disappears. Your hand then follows your foot, which is already in the tempo.
You get three tries per round and the best one counts. So the first is free: take it without thinking, it cannot cost you anything, and it tells you where you stand. The level climbs as long as you hold on, and three failed rounds end the run.
Do you have to be a drummer?
Not at all. Clapping along to a song is enough. The mini-game measures steadiness and placement, never technique, and it never asks you to read notation.
Why am I always slightly late?
Because you are reacting to the sound instead of following the pulse. The fix is to keep the beat with your foot through the whole listen, without stopping. Your hand then follows your foot, which is already in the tempo. The mini-game tells you when that is the case, in milliseconds, rather than just marking you wrong.
What are the three tries for?
To let you miss the first one. Only the best of the three is kept, so a wasted try costs nothing: it is there to find the tempo, not to be scored. It is also what makes the fast levels playable, since almost nobody gets them first time.
How do you move up a level?
The tempo rises and the figure gets more involved as you hold on. The most useful thing is to keep counting under your breath even as it speeds up: the counting is what gives out first, never the hands.
Five games drawn at random, one try each →Five games drawn at random.