N'keybDrum

The computer started out as a means of helping technology development and achieved the performance of the tool with the most uses. It's also a popular means of entertainment and learning. Equip it with a pair of speakers, as well as application like N'keybDrum and you can learn to play drums in a fun and easy to use environment.

One of the first things that needs to be mentioned is that the application stopped receiving updates some time ago, so you might experience some functionality issues. This is strictly related to the application itself though, your system remaining intact.

The application comes equipped with four major sections so you can play and learn various instruments the fun way. You can access all of them through a main window that does not close whilst an included tool is up and running.

You can use the application simply to create some beats using your mouse and keyboard with the help of the play mode. The keyboard layout can be brought up so you know what keys to press, but there's sadly no implemented recorder so you can save your jam sessions.

Similar in design, the learn mode comes equipped with slightly more options, such as notes display, with audio feedback giving you an idea of how they sound like. Add the possibility to take advantage of default MIDI instruments and a large amount of time is spent only going through all of them.

For more help, a customizable metronome lets you adjust numerator, denominator, quarter, bar, as well as tempo so you get a sense of rhythm. What's more, an interactive learning method displays components of a drum kit, along with corresponding name, with the possibility to have the application play several tunes while highlighting drums so you can play along or better understand.

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that N'keybDrum is not really what you'd expect from an application designed to help you play drums. Sure, it's fun and highly-interactive, with no other devices required and a rich library of sounds, but several functionality issues, as well as the poor visual design keep it far from being a proper teacher.