What is Groove Pizza?
Groove Pizza is a drum machine shaped like a pizza. The circle is one bar of music, each ring controls one drum sound, and each slice is a step in the beat. You click slices to add hits, and the pattern loops round as it plays.
It was made by the Music Experience Design Lab at New York University to help beginners understand rhythm. Because the beat sits on a circle, the hits join up into shapes, which makes it easy to see why some grooves feel even and others feel off balance. You can switch drum kits, change the number of slices, and export your beat as audio or MIDI.
Main Features
- A circular drum machine where each ring is a drum
- Rhythms drawn as shapes on the circle
- Acoustic, hip hop and techno drum kits
- Change the number of slices for other time signatures
- Export your beat as audio or MIDI
- Made for teaching rhythm in schools
- Runs in the browser with no account
How to Get Started with Groove Pizza
- Open the Groove Pizza in your browser.
- Press play to start the loop.
- Click slices on each ring to add drum hits.
- Try a different kit or slice count to change the feel.
- Export the beat as audio or MIDI when you like it.
Groove Pizza Pricing
Groove Pizza is free to use. It is a free tool from the NYU Music Experience Design Lab, and there is no paid plan.
Who Should Use It?
- Beginners who want to understand how beats work
- Music teachers and their students
- Producers sketching a drum pattern
- Anyone who likes to make a beat for fun
Groove Pizza Alternatives
- The Infinite Drum Machine lets you build beats from thousands of everyday sounds.
- Eigendrum is a browser drum machine that generates beats you can explore.
- Chrome Music Lab includes a simple rhythm maker among its free music experiments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Groove Pizza free?
Yes. Groove Pizza is completely free and has no paid plan.
Who made Groove Pizza?
It was made by the Music Experience Design Lab at New York University.
Can I export my beat?
Yes. You can export your groove as audio or as a MIDI file to use in other music software.
Why is it shaped like a pizza?
The circle shows one bar of music. Each ring is a drum sound and each slice is a step, so you can see the rhythm as a shape.