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 (: