Mehter
Keep step in an uneven rhythm.
How to play
March a mehter band through the streets of Istanbul to the beat of the drum. The band steps on its own; you tap only on the heavy beat (düm). When an arrow glows, tap that side to turn the band, and when STOP appears, hold still. Across 6 chapters and 24 stages the rhythm moves from straight 4/4 to the uneven 7/8 and 9/8, and apprentice drummer Selim's story ends at the Okmeydanı Festival. Then march for the leaderboards in the Parade of the Day and the Endless Parade.
How to play Mehter: a complete guide
Mehter is a rhythm game in which you lead a mehter band, the traditional Ottoman drum-and-zurna ensemble, through the streets of Istanbul. The band marches on its own; you only tap on the heavy beats, the düms. When an arrow glows you tap toward it to turn the band, and when STOP comes you hold back and wait. The journey starts in a simple 4/4 and works its way up to 7/8 and 9/8, the uneven "aksak" meters of Turkish music. There are 24 stages split into 6 chapters, plus the story of Selim, an apprentice drummer.
Goal
In every stage you guide the band to the square at the end of the road. Each march opens with a few count-in bars: first Get ready, then the beat numbers. After that the band sets off and walks to your drum. When you arrive, the You reached the square screen opens and you earn stars based on your accuracy.
The Spirit bar at the top shows the band's mood. Good hits fill it, mistakes drain it. If Spirit hits zero, the band falls apart (The band fell apart) and you try the stage again. A single missed beat will not end your run; the band only breaks up after a string of mistakes.
Controls and the rhythm strip
On a phone, tap the left or right half of the screen. On a computer, use ← and → (or A and D). While marching straight it does not matter which side you tap; only timing counts.
The rhythm strip at the bottom shows upcoming beats as boxes sliding toward the line. It tells you what to do and when:
| On the strip | What you do |
|---|---|
| Light box with a gold dot | A düm: tap the moment it reaches the line. |
| Dark box, no dot | A light beat: don't tap, the band walks by itself. |
| Amber box with a triangle | A turn: tap on the side the triangle points to. The arrow on the road glows too. |
| Red STOP box | Don't tap, wait. A STOP sign also appears on the road. |
Düms fall on the first beat of each bar, on the long groups and, in 4/4, on the third beat.
Timing, stars and Spirit
Each tap is judged by how close it lands to the beat: very close is Perfect!, slightly off is Good, further away is Early or Late. A düm you never tap counts as Missed, and tapping where there is no beat shows Stumbled.
- A perfect hit adds 3 Spirit, a good hit 2; waiting through a STOP adds 2 as well.
- An early or late hit costs 3, a missed düm 8, turning the wrong way or tapping on STOP 10.
- A stray tap costs only 1.
At the end your accuracy is worked out as a percentage: perfect hits count in full, good hits a little less, early or late hits only a little. 90% or more gives 3 stars, 72% or more gives 2, and reaching the square always gives at least 1. String perfect hits together and people gather along the road.
Chapters and progress
The 24 stages sit on the map, The Road through Istanbul, grouped into 6 chapters of four. Each chapter teaches one new thing:
- The Mehterhane (4/4, the heavy beat): you learn to tap only on the düm.
- Eyüp and Fatih (4/4, turns): the streets bend and you turn when the arrow glows.
- Grand Bazaar (4/4, STOP): you learn to wait in the crowd.
- Beyazıt (7/8 aksak, 2+2+3): your first uneven meter.
- Sultanahmet (9/8 aksak, 2+2+2+3): a longer uneven meter.
- Okmeydanı Festival (finale): the tempo keeps rising and 7/8 and 9/8 take turns.
Stages unlock in order; finishing one with at least 1 star opens the next. Each chapter adds a musician to the band: starting with 3, it gains a cymbal player, a second drummer, a second zurna player, the kös, the nakkare and the trumpet, ending with 9. Every new instrument is added to the music too.
Story, settings and second chance
The story is set in Istanbul in 1720. The apprentice Selim trains under Hasan Ağa, Bandmaster and dreams of marching in the procession at the festival in Okmeydanı. A short scene opens at the start of each chapter, and the book button on the map lets you watch it again. Selim and Hasan Ağa are fictional characters.
Slow tempo (practice mode) in the menu plays every stage at a slower pace. In Audio delay setup you tap along to 20 drum beats by ear, and the game measures and saves the delay of your phone or headphones. The drum rhythm follows the Sound effects setting and the zurna tune follows Music; you can switch them off separately.
When the band falls apart you may be offered a Second chance once. If you choose to watch a short ad, the march picks up a few beats earlier with Spirit at half. It is always your choice; tap Give up to go to the results instead.
Points, Parade of the Day and Endless Parade
Every accurate düm scores: a perfect hit is worth 100 points, a good hit 60. Turns are worth one and a half times as much, and waiting on STOP gives 50. Clean hits build a streak, and every 10 hits the multiplier rises, up to ×4. When the streak reaches 10, 20 and 30, a celebration appears. Each stage keeps its own best score.
The Parade of the Day unlocks after chapter 1: a parade of about 45 seconds that is the same for everyone each day. Your best score of the day goes to the daily leaderboard, and days played in a row count as a streak. The Endless Parade unlocks after chapter 3: the tempo keeps rising, the spirit slowly drains and only accurate hits keep the band going. When the band falls apart, your score goes to the main leaderboard.
Strategy
The most common mistake in the aksak meters is hitting the long group too early. Count 7/8 as "one-two, one-two, one-two-three": the last group lasts one eighth note longer and the düm lands at its start. In 9/8 the same happens on the fourth group. Listening to the zurna helps too: the melody holds its note on the long group, so the sound stretches when the düm arrives.
Tips
- Run the audio delay setup once before playing on a phone; with wireless headphones the difference is big.
- When marching straight either side works, so use whichever hand feels natural; direction only matters on turns.
- When you see a STOP box, lift your finger; tapping on it is the most expensive mistake.
- Try a hard stage in slow tempo first, then switch back once the rhythm sits.
- When Spirit is low, play safe: skip a beat you are unsure of and get ready for the next düm.
- In the finale the gaps shrink as the tempo rises; speed up the count in your head with it.
- Keeping the streak multiplies your score: in the Endless Parade, listen for the düm and tap on time instead of rushing at high tempo.
Mehter: the Ottoman tradition of drum and zurna
The Mehter is the Ottoman military band and is considered one of the oldest military bands in the world. It plays drums, kettledrums (kös and nakkare), zurna, horns and cymbals; the band marches in time, pausing on certain beats to turn left and right. In Turkish music, meters like 7/8 and 9/8 are called aksak, meaning limping: the beats are not split evenly, and one of them is held longer.
- What it is
- The official Ottoman band and the music it played
- Main instruments
- Zurna, davul, kös, nakkare, cymbals, trumpet
- Origins
- The nevbet custom of Turkic states in Central Asia
- Rhythm
- Usuls taught with the syllables düm and tek; aksak 9/8 = 2+2+2+3
- Trace in Europe
- 18th-century "alla turca" works and new orchestral percussion
- Today
- The mehter band of Istanbul's Military Museum, festivals
What is mehter?
Mehter was the official band of the Ottoman state, and the name also refers to the music it played. The institution was called the mehterhane, the musicians were mehters and their leader was the mehterbaşı. Its roots are traced to nevbet, a custom of Turkic states in Central Asia in which drums were played at set hours as a sign of sovereignty. In the Ottoman world the mehter played at palace ceremonies, receptions for envoys, festivals and official processions.
Instruments and sound
The mehter sound comes from mixing percussion with loud wind instruments. The zurna is a piercing double-reed pipe that carries the melody. The davul is a large two-headed drum: one side is struck with a heavy beater for the deep "düm", the other with a thin stick for the light "tek". The kös is a huge copper kettledrum that could be carried on an animal's back, while the nakkare are small kettledrums played in pairs. Cymbals (zil) and a trumpet (boru) complete the band. Its size was measured in "kat": a nine-kat mehter is said to have had nine of each instrument.
Usul: düm, tek and uneven meters
In Turkish music a rhythmic cycle is called an usul. Usuls are traditionally memorised and taught with syllables such as "düm" (a heavy stroke) and "tek" (a light one), which is where the game's "düm" comes from. Meters built from unequal groups are very common in Turkish music. The 9/8 usul called aksak, literally "limping", is counted 2+2+2+3: the last group is a little longer, giving the walk its distinctive lilt. The game's 7/8 follows the same idea as 2+2+3. The mehter march itself is known for its slow, measured steps and its turns to the right and left.
Its echo in Europe and today
In the 18th century Europe became fascinated with mehter music. That interest is widely credited with helping percussion such as cymbals, the bass drum and the triangle settle into European orchestras. Works written in the so-called "alla turca" style include the famous Rondo alla turca from a Mozart piano sonata and Beethoven's Turkish March.
The mehterhane was abolished in 1826 and re-established in the early 20th century. Today the best-known mehter band gives concerts at the Military Museum in Istanbul, and mehter music is still heard at festivals and cultural events.
In the game
The story is inspired by a real event: the great festival held at Okmeydanı in 1720, in the reign of Ahmed III, which lasted about fifteen days. It is described in a book called the Surname-i Vehbi and illustrated with miniatures by the painter Levnî. Selim, Hasan Ağa and their journey are fiction. Every sound in the game, including the zurna tune in the Hicaz makam, is synthesised in code; no real mehter recording is used.
How Mehter was made
Mehter turns the march of the Ottoman military band and the uneven aksak meters of Turkish music into a rhythm game. The band moves through the streets of Istanbul to the beat of the drum, from straight four-beat time to the aksak meters 7/8 and 9/8. The main idea was to teach aksak rhythm by playing it, not by reading about it.
In the first prototype, the player turned the band left or right on every correct beat and held still on STOP beats. Later it was decided that the game should be simpler but more absorbing: now the player taps only the heavy beats, the düm, while the band marches on its own in between. The number of taps dropped by about half. A strict order meter gave way to a forgiving Spirit meter: a missed beat only lowers spirit, and a good hit fills it back up.
The journey grew to six chapters and twenty-four stages, each chapter teaching one thing: the düm, turns, STOP, 7/8, 9/8 and a finale where both aksak meters alternate at a rising tempo. The band starts with three musicians and grows to nine as cymbals, a second drum, a second zurna, the great kös drum, nakkare and a horn join, each adding its own sound to the music.
All sounds are synthesized in code; there are no recorded sound files. The zurna tune is in the Hicaz makam, and every bar follows the aksak grouping of its stage. The drum is tied to the effects setting, so turning off music never removes the rhythm; with both off, the on-screen rhythm strip is enough. Phones get an audio delay setup and a slow tempo.
The story is set in 1720 and follows an apprentice drummer preparing for the festival at Okmeydanı; its scenes are drawn in code. When the band falls apart, the player may choose to watch an ad for one second chance. A simulation showed that even an imprecise player can clear all twenty-four stages. The game is available in seven languages.
Frequently asked questions
What is a düm in Mehter?
The düm is the drum's deep stroke. In the game it falls on the first beat of the bar, on long groups and on the third beat in 4/4. On the rhythm strip it is a light box with a gold dot, and those are the only beats you tap.
How do I count 7/8 and 9/8 aksak?
Count 7/8 as "one-two, one-two, one-two-three" and 9/8 as "one-two, one-two, one-two, one-two-three". The last group is one eighth note longer, so its düm comes a little later than you expect. Don't rush it.
What happens when Spirit runs out?
If Spirit drops to zero the band falls apart and the stage counts as failed. A missed düm costs only 8 and good hits refill the bar, so the odd mistake will not knock you out.
How are stars calculated?
Reaching the square earns at least 1 star. Accuracy of 72% or more gives 2 stars and 90% or more gives 3. Perfect hits count fully toward accuracy, good hits less, early or late hits the least.
What does the audio delay setup do?
Some phones, and wireless headphones in particular, play sound with a delay. During the setup you tap along to 20 drum beats by ear; the game saves the delay it measures and judges your taps with it from then on.
Does slow tempo affect stars?
No. Slow tempo plays the stage at a gentler pace, but stars are calculated the same way. Use it to learn a new meter, then switch back once the rhythm sits.
What is the second chance?
It is offered once when the band falls apart. If you choose to watch a short ad, the march resumes a few beats earlier with Spirit at 50. If you don't want it, tap Give up; the ad is never required.
Who joins the band?
In the Mehterhane the band has 3 members. A cymbal player, a second drummer, a second zurna player, the kös, the nakkare and the trumpet join in turn, so the band has 9 in the finale. Each new instrument is added to the music.
Can I play with the sound off?
Yes. The drum follows the Sound effects setting and the zurna follows Music, so either one can carry the rhythm. With both off you can still play by the on-screen pulse and the strip, but as a rhythm game it is far easier with sound.
What are the Parade of the Day and the Endless Parade?
The Parade of the Day unlocks after chapter 1. It lasts about 45 seconds, is the same for everyone each day, and your best score goes to the daily leaderboard. The Endless Parade unlocks after chapter 3: the tempo keeps rising, and the points you collect until the band falls apart go to the main leaderboard.
Is Mehter free?
Yes. No download or account needed; it plays right in your browser. Watching an ad for a hint is always your choice.
Will I lose my progress?
Your progress is saved automatically on this device. Sign in and it moves to your account, so you can continue on any device.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. The game opens full screen on phones; tap the X in the corner to exit. On iPhone use "Add to Home Screen" to play it like an app.
Can I play Mehter offline?
Yes. A game you have opened once is stored on your phone or computer and opens without internet. Leaderboards and cloud saves need a connection.
Which languages are available?
Turkish, English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French and Russian.
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