As anyone who is a student of 4 strings knows, the metronome is a necessity when it comes to practicing. I have encouraged many if not all of you to spend approximately $20 for a decent metronome. Well if you own an iPhone, a great metronome would cost you a mere fraction of the amount!

I’ve tried a bunch of metronomes built for the iPhone but rather than discuss the weak points of the others I would prefer to talk about the positives of the one I found to be the best. Tempo by Frozen Ape is a metronome that would probably cost you over $100 as a stand alone. So how much will you find it for in the app store at the time o this writing? $1.00 is all you pay for this feature rich time keeper.

To me, a great metronome doesn’t need complex rhythms but rather it needs a flexible placement of accents along with multiple subdivision properties. This app offers 5 subdivision options as well as a very easy touch system of adding accents.

It also gives you a tempo range from 20-250 bpm. And if you’re a stage guy you can even put together a set list with tempos for your shows. The sound can be turned off and an abnoxious red light can be programmed to flash if that is your desire.

Metronomes of the $20 price range won’t often give you the option for tap tempo but this one does and it will even give you the option to change the sound characteristics of the click.

In short this has become my go to metronome. It has even replaced my Dr. Beat.