Steve Reich's Clapping Music is now an app. Developed by the London Sinfonietta, Queen Mary University of London, and Touchpress, Steve Reich’s Clapping Music offers an interactive experience in learning and understanding rhythmic patterns through Reich’s seminal work. The app is now available for download for free from the App Store, on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch; click here to download. (You can hear a recording of Clapping Music performed by Steve Reich and Russ Hartenberger on the 1987 Nonesuch release Early Works.) You can watch a video about the app below.

In the new app, users learn to play the iconic piece, in which two performers clap a single but constantly shifting pattern for the entirety of the work. By tapping in time users progress through all of the rhythmic variations, their accuracy measured as they touch the screen. For those who perfect their Clapping Music skills, there is the opportunity to pit themselves against London Sinfonietta percussionists in competitions to perform live with the ensemble. If users slip and lose their place, or their accuracy falls too low, it’s game over.

There are educational in-app videos explaining the compositional technique behind both Clapping Music and Electric Counterpoint. Users can also watch Steve Reich explaining these works plus there are recommendations for wider listening to learn more about his music.

Conceived by the London Sinfonietta and realized with Touchpress and Queen Mary University of London, the app has come about through a grant from the Digital R&D Fund for the Arts. The £7million fund supports collaboration between arts organizations, technology providers and researchers. It is a partnership between Arts Council England, Arts and Humanities Research Council and Nesta.

For more information on the app and its development, visit clappingmusicapp.com.