Metronome Drills
DrumShed™ includes 9 drill types, each targeting a specific aspect of timing, independence, or creativity. The metronome is the foundation — but these drills turn a steady click into something that actively challenges you.
The free tier includes the metronome and the Basic Metronome drill. All 9 drills are available on the Practice tier and above.
Foundation & Warmup
Basic Metronome
A clean click track with customizable time signature, subdivision, and polyrhythm mode. Use it to warm up, lock in a groove, or stay honest about your tempo. Available free.
Tempo Builder
Start at a comfortable tempo and gradually step it up over the course of the drill. Configure start BPM, end BPM, and step size. Great for pushing your ceiling without jumping straight to a target tempo.
Internal Clock
The click drops out periodically, leaving you to hold tempo on your own. When it comes back, you find out how far you drifted. Three modes: building gaps (progressively longer silences), consistent gaps, and random gaps. One of the most effective drills for building real internal time.
Timing & Rhythm
Click Displacement
The metronome plays on unexpected beats — the &s, the "e"s and "ah"s — instead of the downbeats. Your job is to hear those off-beats as the click and still play the groove correctly. Many drummers consider this the standout drill in the app.
Accent Placement
The click accents specific subdivisions within the bar, shifting your rhythmic anchor. Practice staying locked in while the metronome emphasizes beats you wouldn't naturally accent. Builds polyrhythmic awareness and the ability to play against a shifting pulse.
Polyrhythm
The click plays in a different subdivision than you are — for example, the click runs in 3 while you play in 4. Configure any ratio: 3:2, 4:3, 5:4, and beyond. A fundamental skill for odd-time playing and advanced feel work.
Feel Transitions
Switches between straight and swing feel at intervals, forcing you to transition smoothly. Invaluable for genres that mix straight and swung feels — jazz, funk, hip-hop — and for developing the vocabulary to shift feels within a song without losing the pocket.
Time Signature Builder
Cycles through multiple time signatures in the same session. Configure which signatures to cycle through and how many bars to spend in each. Builds comfort in odd time and the ability to flow between meters — 4/4, 5/4, 7/8, and beyond.
Dynamics
Dynamic Control
The click signals dynamic shifts — loud to soft, soft to loud — at regular or random intervals. Practice matching your playing volume to the cue in real time. Builds the muscle memory for dynamic expression across the kit.
Creative
Fills Drill
Practice a specific fill in context: the app plays a groove for a set number of bars, cues you to drop in the fill, then returns to the groove. Works with fills you've built in the Fill Builder — making the creation-to-practice cycle tight.
Beat Maker
Practice a specific beat in context. Works with beats you've built in the Beat Builder or Beat Architect. The drill loops your beat, tracks timing, and gives you feedback on consistency — grid view or full notation during playback.
Double Bass
Targeted double bass coordination work. Configure the pattern and tempo range to build left foot speed, control, and coordination with the rest of the kit.
Tips
- Start at a tempo that's comfortable — then set it 10 BPM slower. Accuracy before speed.
- Use Internal Clock at least once per session. It's uncomfortable at first. That's the point.
- Click Displacement takes a few sessions to click. Stick with it.
- Let the hands-free session feature choose your drills if you're not sure what to work on.