Blocks, Playback & Orientation

OUMTA is built around a simple idea:

You should never have to guess where you are in a song.

Blocks, playback, and orientation are tightly connected.
Once you understand how they work together, everything else in OUMTA becomes predictable and logical.

Blocks as points of orientation

A block is more than a container for bars and beats.

It is an anchor point.

Each block represents a clearly defined section of a song and answers three questions at the same time:

Which section is this?
How long does it last?
What comes next?

By splitting a song into meaningful blocks, an abstract timeline turns into a sequence of clearly readable markers.

Playback moves through blocks, not bars

During playback, OUMTA does not think in raw time.

It moves from block to block.

The playhead always shows:

the current block
the progress within that block
the next section

This makes the flow of a song readable at a glance — even with complex arrangements.

Instead of watching numbers, you keep the song structure in view.

Selection defines the starting point

At any given moment, exactly one block is selected.

This selection is not just visual.
It defines where playback starts after the count-in.

This allows you to:

rehearse specific sections on purpose
jump straight to problem spots
restart at meaningful points instead of from the beginning

Orientation starts with a conscious decision.

Visual clarity over microscopic precision

OUMTA prioritizes clarity over microscopic accuracy.

Blocks use:

color
relative width
a consistent layout

to make structure readable at a distance and under pressure.

Precise timing still matters —
but it never hides the big picture.

Orientation reduces mental load

In traditional setups, musicians often have to:

count bars in their head
remember repetitions
anticipate transitions mentally

OUMTA offloads that work.

When structure becomes visible and audible, more attention is freed up for:

timing
dynamics
interaction with other musicians

You don’t play better because you see more.
You play better because you have to think less.

How this connects to the rest of OUMTA

Everything else builds on this model:

the Player visualizes blocks during playback
the Block Editor defines how each block behaves
guides and patterns add context inside blocks
navigation and shortcuts move between blocks

Once blocks make sense to you, the rest of the app feels consistent.

Next up is the Player —
where you’ll see how this structure works during actual playback.