Will Steve Reich Clapping Music Game App Improve World's Rhythm?

On 9th July, acclaimed app developer Touchpress releases a groundbreaking new game for iPhone and iPad to improve people's rhythm. Created in partnership with the London Sinfonietta and Queen Mary University of London, Steve Reich's Clapping Music (iOS, free) challenges you to play Steve Reich's iconic minimalist work – a piece of music performed entirely by clapping. The game aims to explores how gaming technology can be used to develop rhythmic skills that lead to a wider appreciation of music.

Touchpress' RPS Award-winning classical music apps The Orchestra and Beethoven's 9th Symphony are regarded by the music industry as important milestones in the evolution of digital music consumption, with The Wall Street Journal calling them 'exquisitely designed and intelligently organized.' Now, on Touchpress' fifth anniversary, the company is once again rethinking how music can be communicated.

Composed in 1972, Clapping Music is a simple idea but challenging to pull off: two people play the same basic rhythm, with one pattern shifting by a beat every few bars. This collaboration creates a complex, evolving polyrhythm. In the game, users tap in time with the constantly shifting rhythmic pattern, and progress through all of the variations. Accuracy is measured as the user plays – if they slip up or their accuracy falls too low, it's game over. The app also includes interviews with Reich, where he explains the compositional technique behind both Clapping Music and Electric Counterpoint, another of his works, and users can submit their high score for the chance to perform Clapping Music live on stage with the London Sinfonietta.

Steve Reich's Clapping Music comes hot on the heels of the second app in Touchpress' momentous partnership with the world-renowned Juilliard School, Juilliard String Quartet (iOS, $13.99/£10.49). Released worldwide on 24th June, the app gives people people unprecedented access to the Grammy Award-winning Juilliard String Quartet as it performs Franz Schubert's Death and the Maiden. With multiple camera feeds, the app presents an invaluable tool for both serious students and casual listeners. Users can take their place in the quartet to see every detail of the performance, and even highlight individual instruments to discover the interplay between the musicians and how a quartet is put together.

Touchpress CEO Sam Aspinall commented: 'With these exciting new releases, we're showing that, five years on, Touchpress remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what apps can do. Every product we make strives to be more than just an app: we want to create premium, educational – and thrilling – digital experiences. Clapping Music and Juilliard String Quartet are excellent examples of Touchpress' commitment to apps that matter.'

For more information:

Steve Reich's Clapping Music – clappingmusicapp.com

Juilliard String Quartet – digital.juilliard.edu/string-quartet

The Orchestra and Beethoven's 9th Symphony – visit touchpress.com/music