LessonCues

Practice speed

Slow down part of a YouTube video, then build back up

Loop the hard part at a speed you can manage, and let the speed trainer raise it a little on every repeat until you’re at full speed.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcuts work when you’re not typing in a field. If you clicked the video, click anywhere on the page first — the YouTube player keeps its own keys.

Play / pause
SpaceK
Seek 1s (hold Shift for 5s)
←→
Seek 0.1s
,.
Set start at the playhead
I
Set end at the playhead
O
Move start 0.1s earlier / later
[]
Move end 0.1s earlier / later
{}
Preview clip
P
Toggle loop
L
Save clip
Enter
Show this help
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  • Free, no sign-up to try
  • Nothing downloaded
  • Plays in YouTube’s own player

How it works

How to practise a YouTube section at a slower speed

  1. 1

    Clip the hard part

    Paste the video link and set the start and end around the section you want to practise.

  2. 2

    Set the speed

    Open Practice and set the speed, for example 0.7×. Or turn on the speed trainer: start at 60% and add 5% per loop.

  3. 3

    Loop it and save

    Add a pause between loops or a lead-in if it helps. Save, and the link opens with the same practice settings next time.

Why not just use YouTube’s speed setting?

YouTube’s player has a speed menu, but it applies to the whole video, it forgets your setting, and you still have to find the section again on every repeat. Here the speed belongs to the clip: the section, the loop and the speed are saved together, and the link opens ready to practise.

Practice controls

  • Speed from 0.25× to 2×, in 0.05 steps, so 0.85× is possible, not just 0.75× or 1×.
  • Speed trainer: choose a starting percentage and a step per loop; it stops at your set speed.
  • Repeat count: play the section a fixed number of times, then stop.
  • Pause between loops: a few seconds of silence to play, sing or say it back.
  • Lead-in: start a little before the section to catch the beat.

Pitch and sound

Speed changes happen in YouTube’s player. In most browsers it keeps the pitch the same while slowing down, so music stays in tune; very slow speeds can sound a little rough.

Questions

How slow can I play a YouTube section?

Down to 0.25×, a quarter of normal speed, and up to 2×.

What is a speed trainer?

It plays the first loop slower, for example at 60% of your chosen speed, and raises the speed by a step you choose on each loop until it reaches 100%.

Can students use my practice settings?

Yes. When you share the clip, it opens with your speed and loop settings. Viewers can change them for themselves and reset back to yours.

Related

Try it with your own video

Paste a YouTube link at the top of this page. It takes less than a minute.

Paste a link to start