Quick facts

What this app does

Tempo Ladder guides a percussionist through one controlled slow–fast–slow tempo sequence. The app manages the tempo while you supply the rudiment, exercise, excerpt, scale, or other musical material.

What you can practice

  • Gradual tempo increases and decreases

  • Consistency across repeated measures

  • Physical resets between tempo changes in Step Mode

  • Seamless measure-boundary tempo changes in Nonstop Mode

How to use it

  1. Set the starting BPM, peak BPM, BPM step, and measures per tempo.

  2. Choose Step for one click-only reset measure before each new tempo, or Nonstop to play through every change.

  3. Press Start and play after the opening one-measure count-in.

  4. Follow the current and upcoming tempo display.

  5. Pause and resume in place, or reset to return to the start.

The starting tempo appears at both ends of the ladder, and the peak is played exactly once. Copy link creates a shareable setup URL for a student.

Controls and accessibility

Tempo Ladder supports keyboard controls, visible focus, reduced-motion preferences, phone and tablet layouts, classroom displays, and a best-effort screen wake lock while playing.

Privacy

Tempo Ladder requires no account or backend. Settings stay in your browser's local storage and do not leave the device.

Help and feedback

When reporting a problem, include the app name, build, page URL, browser, what you expected, and what happened.

About

Tempo Ladder is a forever-free Backwerd Rhythm Shop practice app.

© 2026 Backwerd Rimshot, LLC. All rights reserved.