Pocetude
Pick your material
Choose keys, scales, patterns and rhythms. Pocetude renders real notation with audio playback instead of static PDF charts.
Scales, licks, rhythms — da capo, on schedule.
Stop forgetting what you practice.
Every other practice app is a timer or a logger. Pocetude schedules what you practice and when, using spaced repetition built for music, not flashcards. The payoff: solid muscle memory in every key, faster sight reading, and vocabulary you can improvise with.
Free to start. No credit card. Runs in your browser on any device.
How it works
Pocetude turns scales, patterns and rhythms into a practice queue that adapts to how well you actually play them.
Practice and rate
Play along at your tempo and rate how it went. Pocetude tracks your BPM progress for every exercise over time.
Let the scheduler decide
The spaced-repetition scheduler brings each exercise back right before you'd forget it, so review time goes where it's needed.
Built on research, not vibes
Pocetude's algorithm is grounded in published research on memory and motor learning. The short version:
Spacing beats cramming [1] [2]
Memory fades along a predictable forgetting curve. Reviewing material at increasing intervals, right before you'd forget it, produces far more durable learning than massed repetition.
Variety beats drilling [3] [4]
Rotating between exercises works better than playing one on repeat. Studies in motor learning and in music practice show that this kind of interleaved practice measurably improves retention.
Motor skills aren't flashcards [5]
Playing a scale is procedural memory, and it decays differently from facts: speed and accuracy fade at different rates. That's why a flashcard scheduler isn't enough for music. Pocetude schedules for motor skills.
The right challenge level [6]
Research suggests learning is fastest when practice sits at the edge of your ability: succeeding most of the time, but not always. Pocetude nudges tempo in small steps to keep you in that zone.
Small tempo steps work [7]
Music pedagogy converges on small BPM increments rather than big jumps: build speed gradually on a foundation of accuracy. Pocetude tracks tempo per exercise and suggests the next step.
Sleep does the saving [8]
Motor memories consolidate during sleep. A spaced schedule spreads practice across days, so that consolidation works for you instead of against you.
Read the full write-up on the science page →
Sources
- Wixted, J. T. & Ebbesen, E. B. (1991). On the form of forgetting. Psychological Science, 2(6), 409–415.
- Kahana, M. J. & Adler, M. (2002). Note on the power law of forgetting. University of Pennsylvania.
- Shea, J. B. & Morgan, R. L. (1979). Contextual interference effects on the acquisition, retention, and transfer of a motor skill. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, 5(2), 179–187.
- Carter, C. E. & Grahn, J. A. (2016). Optimizing music learning: Exploring how blocked and interleaved practice schedules affect advanced performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1251.
- Tatel, C. E. & Ackerman, P. L. (2025). Skill retention and decay: A meta-analysis of speed and accuracy measures over retention intervals.
- Guadagnoli, M. A. & Lee, T. D. (2004). Challenge point: A framework for conceptualizing the effects of various practice conditions in motor learning. Journal of Motor Behavior, 36(2), 212–224.
- Consensus across music pedagogy sources on incremental tempo increases of 2–5 BPM; see e.g. The Bulletproof Musician on speed development.
- Walker, M. P. (2005). A refined model of sleep and the time course of memory formation. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 28(1), 51–64.
Simple pricing
Try the practice tools for free. Pay only when you want the scheduler.
Free
0 € / forever
- Scale, pattern and rhythm exercises, configured by hand
- Real notation with audio playback
- BPM tracking per exercise
- With a free account: settings sync across your devices
Early-bird price
Supporter
3 € / per month
33 € / per year 36 € 1 month free
pay for 11 months, get 1 free
- Everything in Free
- The full spaced-repetition scheduler: Pocetude decides what you practice and when
- Practice history and progress sync across devices
- Priority support
Subscriptions will be available soon. Sign up now and you'll be the first to know.
Frequently asked questions
What is spaced repetition, and why use it for music?
Spaced repetition schedules reviews at increasing intervals, timed to just before you'd forget. It's the science behind tools like Anki, and the same memory research applies to musical material like scales, patterns and licks. Pocetude adapts it to motor skills, where speed and accuracy decay differently than facts do.
I'm working on real pieces. How does this help?
Scales, patterns and rhythms are the raw material of real music. Practicing them on a schedule builds muscle memory in every key, which makes sight reading faster and gives you vocabulary to improvise with. The runs and figures in your ensemble pieces stop being obstacles, because your fingers already know them.
How is this different from Anki with music decks?
Anki schedules facts. Pocetude schedules playing: it renders real notation with playback, tracks your tempo per exercise, and its scheduler accounts for the way motor skills, not flashcards, are learned and forgotten.
Which instruments does it work for?
Pocetude is currently optimized for single-note instruments: saxophone, trumpet, clarinet, trombone, flute and the like. Exercises are shown as standard notation with audio playback, at whatever tempo you set. It can work for piano or guitar too, but there is no chord support yet; that is planned for the future.
Do I need to read sheet music?
Basic reading helps, but every exercise comes with audio playback, so you can learn by ear alongside the notation.
Does it work on my phone or tablet?
Yes. Pocetude is a website: it runs in the browser on phones, tablets and desktops, with nothing to install and no app store. It's designed to sit on a music stand next to your instrument.
What does it cost?
The practice tools are free, like an open demo: generate scale, pattern and rhythm exercises by hand and play along. A free account adds settings sync across your devices. The full spaced-repetition scheduler costs 3 € per month or 33 € per year (pay for 11 months, get 1 free). That is an early-bird price: it will go up later, but subscribers keep their rate for as long as they stay subscribed. Subscriptions will be available soon.