Polytap
Keep both rhythms and hit each shared collision beat.👆
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About Polytap
Polytap turns a drummer's trick — the polyrhythm — into a game for two hands. One key wants pressing every three beats, the other every four, and because the cycles differ they drift apart and then slam back together on a shared beat, where you must hit both at once. The secret every percussionist knows is not to count both clocks: hold one as a steady pulse and let the other ride against it. The timing window never shrinks; what grows is the interference between the two lines, so the difficulty is mental rather than mechanical. Those collision beats are the payoff, worth more each time you clear one, and the goal is to feel them coming rather than read them — locking both keys within a tick or two pays a bonus for together instead of merely both. Miss a collision and the run ends outright, the one thing your lives will not cover. You can tap two pads instead of the keys, so it works on a phone, and the first cycle is a free warm-up that does not count against you.
How to play
- Press F on its own beat and J on its own beat. The two run on different cycles.
- Because the cycles differ, they drift apart and then collide on a shared beat.
- On a collision beat, press both keys together. Hit them close enough and you lock it.
- You can also tap the two pads instead of the keys, so it plays on a phone.
Strategy & tips
- Do not count both clocks at once. Hold one as a steady pulse and let the other ride against it.
- The timing window never shrinks. What grows is interference between the clocks, so the difficulty is mental, not mechanical.
- The collision beat is the payoff and it pays more each time you clear one. Learn to feel it coming instead of reading it.
- Locking both keys within a couple of ticks pays a bonus, so aim for together rather than merely both.
- Missing a collision ends the run outright, no matter how many lives you hold. Everything else only costs a life.
FAQ
What is a polyrhythm?
Two rhythms of different lengths running at the same time — here one key every 3 beats against another every 4. They line up only now and then, and those moments are the game.
Do I need musical training?
No. The first cycle is a warm-up that does not count against you, and the window stays the same width for the whole run.
Why did my run end at full lives?
Missing a collision beat is an instant loss. It is the one thing lives do not cover.