Meet Beam, My New Drum Notation Tool

A new app I built for writing drum notation, and why I made it.

This is a bit different to my usual transcription posts here, but I think a lot of you will find it useful. I’ve made an app for writing drum notation, called Beam, and wanted to share it here too. I’d love to hear what you think.

It’s a tool for writing drum charts and worksheets. I built it for myself and my students. The more I used it, the more it felt too useful to keep to myself, so here it is!

The goal was something quick to write notation in, flexible enough for charts, worksheets and transcribing. It also needed to focus on drums, work as a web app on any device, be easy to share, and look good. It’s inspired by tools I’ve used and liked over the years, particularly Beat Note, Groove Scribe, Soundslice, Dorico and GarageBand.

You add notes in a step grid, and Beam turns it into proper engraved drum notation. You can add articulations, annotations, sections, repeats and stickings, the things you’d typically need in a drum score, and customise the grid to match your own kit.

I’ve deliberately left out playback. I wanted something lightweight, focused on getting notation down quickly and looking good rather than trying to do everything. Beat Note, Groove Scribe and Soundslice are all great if you need playback.

I’ve been using it with my students for a while now, and it’s genuinely changed how I teach. I can make a worksheet or transcription on my iPad or MacBook during a lesson, and the student sees it update live on a second iPad or a TV in the room. At the end of the lesson I share it with the student or their parent, either as a link or a PDF.

It’s free to use. Paid plans add unlimited charts and additional export and sharing options if you need more, or if you’d like to support the app as I keep adding features.

You can try it at beamdrums.com, no sign-up needed. If you know any other drummers or tutors who might find it useful, I’d really appreciate you passing it on.

Thanks for reading, as always.

Ross

P.S. This post originally went up on my website, if you’d like to read it there too.