DownstepHow to learn a song by ear with an A-B loop
Set an A-B loop around the hard part, so the app repeats only that. Slow it down until you can play it without mistakes, then speed it up a bit at a time. In Downstep you press A and B while the song plays, and L turns the loop on and off.
Why a loop helps
When you learn a song by ear, the hard part is often a few seconds long: a fast lick, a vocal line, a drum fill. If you play the whole song every time, you hear that part once every few minutes. With a loop you hear it again every few seconds, and you can play along until your hands remember it.
Step by step with Downstep
- 1Import the song
An MP3, M4A, WAV or FLAC file, or a YouTube link (only for content you have the rights to).
- 2Set A and B
Press A where the hard part starts and B where it ends, or drag the markers on the timeline. ← and → jump 5 seconds, or 1 second with Shift.
- 3Slow it down
Lower the speed until you can play the part without mistakes. The key stays the same.
- 4Speed it up step by step
Go up 5% at a time. When it's clean at 100%, you're done.
Tips
- Start with a short loop. One phrase is enough. Then use ×2 to make the loop longer, or ½ to make it shorter.
- Go through the song piece by piece. The ◀ and ▶ buttons move the loop back or forward.
- Leave a moment before A. A second before the hard part helps you come in on time.
- Turning the loop off doesn't delete it. Press L to listen to the whole song, and again to go back to the loop.
- Find it as you left it. Each song keeps its own speed, pitch and loop.
More on the two settings: slowing down without changing the pitch and changing the key.
Try it with Downstep
Free, for Mac and Windows. No account, and your songs stay on your computer.
Guides
- How to slow down a song without changing the pitch
Time-stretching explained, and how slow to go. - How to change the key of a song
To sing in your range, or to play along in standard tuning. - How to learn a song by ear with an A-B loop
Repeat the hard part, slow it down, then speed it up.