GitHub - thebabush/anki-jam: Anki Add-On to drill riffs, licks, loops, and all sorts of music things. In all keys!

3 min read Original article ↗

Anki Jam

An Anki add-on for importing loops from Transcribe! into Anki, controlling playback, and tagging cards with the source track and pitch shift.

Use cases:

  • Vocabulary building: build a vocabulary for jam sessions, practice licks in every key, and stop forgetting the cool phrases you stumble on.
  • Have fun.

Requirements

  • Anki 25 on macOS (only tested there so far, no guarantees).
  • mpv is required. Anki for macOS ships its own copy and the add-on uses that.
  • No extra Python dependencies; this repository is the whole add-on.

Installation

  1. In Anki, open Tools > Add-ons > View Files... to reveal your addons21 folder.
  2. Copy the contents of this repository into a new folder inside addons21 (for example anki_jam).
  3. Restart Anki. The add-on registers itself automatically and creates the Anki Jam deck and note type when needed.

Prepare loops in Transcribe!

Start by downloading Transcribe! and installing it.

  1. Open your song (File > Open).
  2. Show the loop line (View > Show Loop Line).
  3. Select a short phrase on the waveform, right-click the loop line, and choose New Loop From Selection. Repeat for the phrases/loops you want.
  4. Ensure the loops you want are enabled, then save the session as .xsc (File > Save).

Import loops into Anki

  1. In Anki, choose Tools > Anki Jam > Import Loops and pick your .xsc file.
  2. The importer transcodes each enabled loop with Anki’s mpv, creates pitch-shifted variants so you can practice the lick across keys, and adds them to the Anki Jam deck.
  3. IMPORTANT: every new card is suspended by default—unsuspend what you want to study.
  4. Notes are tagged with the source track and pitch shift for easy filtering.

Reviewing controls and shortcuts

  • [ / ]: Decrease/Increase speed by 0.1x (between 0.1x and 4.0x).
  • 8: Stop audio.
  • Status bar widget: shows current speed and pitch (from the card), +/- buttons for speed, and a Loop toggle (loops are on by default).
  • Browser: right-click selection > Reset riff speed to set selected Anki Jam notes back to 1.0x.
  • The playback controls live under Tools > Anki Jam as well if you prefer menus.

Practice tips

  • Keep loops small; cycle them daily to build muscle memory.
  • Use the pitch variants to move the same idea through all keys.
  • Mix in a few at a time so the scheduler can automate the routine for you.

Disclaimers

  • This is a work in progress.
  • Don't rely on me supporting this in any way.
  • I am not associated with Transcribe!, I just like their software. Buy it.
  • This repo is 80% vibe-coded, so YMMV. I did put some effort into polishing it tho (: