The Groove Pizza

Abstract

The Groove Pizza is a widely used web application that enables users to program drum patterns on a circular grid. This visualization scheme supports playful rhythm exploration using mathematical concepts like shapes, angles, and patterns. Symmetries and patterns in the visual domain correspond to those in the aural domain and vice versa, giving novice musicians multiple paths into an understanding of rhythm. We discuss the musical and pedagogical design of the Groove Pizza. We then present a variety of real-world drum patterns and discuss how a circular visualization scheme illuminates their structure and functioning.