LessonCues

Practice speed

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

Loop the hard part at a speed you can actually keep up with. The speed trainer then nudges it up a little on each repeat until you’re back 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, or pause it
P
Toggle loop
L
Create a new clip, or save changes to an open one
Enter
Start a new clip
N
Mark while playing: press at the start, again at the end. Saves a new clip, or with “Several parts” on, adds a part
M
Show this help
?
  • 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 on either side of the bit you’re struggling with.

  2. 2

    Set the speed

    Open Practice and pick a speed, say 0.7×. Or turn on the speed trainer, starting at 60% and adding 5% each loop.

  3. 3

    Loop it and save

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

Why not just use YouTube’s speed setting?

You can, but it applies to the whole video, it doesn’t remember what you chose, and you still have to find your place again on every repeat. Here the speed is saved with the clip, along with the section and the loop, so the link opens ready to practise.

Practice controls

  • Speed from 0.25× to 2× in 0.05 steps. So 0.85× is an option, not just 0.75× or 1×.
  • Speed trainer: pick where to start and how much to add each loop. It stops going up once it reaches your speed.
  • Repeat count: play the section a set number of times, then stop.
  • Pause between loops: a few quiet seconds to play, sing or say it back.
  • Lead-in: start slightly before the section so you catch the beat.

Pitch and sound

YouTube’s player does the slowing down. In most browsers the pitch stays the same, so music stays in tune, though very slow speeds can sound a bit rough.

Questions

How slow can I play a YouTube section?

As slow as 0.25×, which is a quarter of normal speed. The fastest is 2×.

What is a speed trainer?

It plays the first loop slower than your chosen speed, at 60% for example. Each loop after that is a step faster, by an amount you choose, until it reaches 100%.

Can students use my practice settings?

Yes. A shared clip opens with your speed and loop settings. Students can change them on their own screen and reset back to yours at any time.

Related

Try it with a video of your own

Paste a YouTube link at the top of this page. Your first clip takes about a minute.

Paste a link to start