Why I Built FlowGroove Between Rehearsals
Hi, I’m a solo developer who’s played in cover bands for 10 years.
And every single rehearsal was the same chaotic mess.
The Problem That Wouldn’t Go Away
You know the drill:
- Paper setlists that got coffee-stained or lost
- Someone forgetting to write down the BPM for “Wonderwall”
- Arguing over key changes (“Was it F#m or Gm?”)
- Switching songs taking 5 minutes while the band stood around
- No sync between my phone, the guitarist’s tablet, and the drummer’s laptop
The chaos was killing our vibe. We spent more time organizing than playing music.
I tried existing solutions. They were either:
- Too complex (needed a degree to set up)
- Too expensive (monthly subscriptions for a hobby?)
- Too buggy (crashed mid-rehearsal, great)
The Breaking Point
One Tuesday night, after our third rehearsal in a row was derailed by someone losing the setlist, I had enough.
I’m a developer. I build things for a living. Why couldn’t I build something for my band?
So I did.
Building FlowGroove
I built FlowGroove between rehearsals and my day job. Late nights. Weekends. Lots of coffee.
My requirements were simple:
✅ 3 seconds to add a song — If it takes longer, it’s too slow
✅ Auto-detect BPM & key — No more manual entry
✅ Real-time sync — Change on my phone, update on everyone’s devices
✅ Works offline — Basement rehearsals have no WiFi
✅ Dark mode — Don’t blind the band during gigs
✅ Free for indie musicians — Because we’re all broke
The Tech Stack
I chose Flutter because:
- One codebase for web, iOS, and Android
- Fast development cycle
- Beautiful UI out of the box
- Firebase integration for real-time sync
Firebase Firestore handles the sync. Changes propagate in <500ms. Tested on 3G, WiFi, and everything in between.
What I Learned
Building a product solo is hard. But it’s also rewarding.
Technical lessons:
- Real-time sync is trickier than it sounds
- Offline-first architecture is a must for musicians
- Dark mode isn’t just black background — it’s contrast
Business lessons:
- “Free” doesn’t mean “no value” — it means “different value”
- Musicians will donate on Ko-fi if you’re authentic
- Launch on platforms like TinyLaunch matters for indie makers
Where We Are Now
FlowGroove is live. It’s free. And it works.
- Real-time sync: <500ms delay across devices
- Auto BPM detection: Type the song, get the data
- Offline mode: Full functionality without internet
- Stage-ready dark mode: High-contrast for dim venues
What’s Next
- iOS app (working on the Apple Developer License)
- More integrations (Spotify, YouTube for auto-metadata)
- Advanced setlist features (transposition, capo support)
- Band collaboration tools (shared libraries, comments)
Support the Journey
If this story resonates with you, or if FlowGroove helps your band, consider supporting development on Ko-fi.
Every donation keeps the servers running and the coffee flowing.
Thanks for reading. Now go make some music. 🎸
Have questions? Email me or report issues on GitHub.