New Metronome App, Polly, Lets You Easily Explore Polyrhythms

If you’re looking to explore polyrhythms easily, you may want to check out a new app called Polly. Created by Brian Hutchison, the app is a metronome with a simple design for layering in up to five accents.

It has a grid with vertical lines to denote the beats per measure (up to 32), with the five separate beats represented with colored dots. Each of the five can easily change from 1 to 32 beats per measure to help identify accents, subdivisions, and polyrhythms. They can also be turned on or off individually for learning or using the app as a simple metronome.

Aside from its easy interface, Polly has some cool features, including MIDI out for driving drum machines and more. A “Shake to Randomize” option lets you quickly discover new patterns by shaking your phone.

Polly is available now for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Silicon Mac. It’s on the App Store now for just $0.99.