YouTube looping and practice glossary
This glossary defines the terms used when repeating YouTube videos for practice. An A–B loop repeats one section, playback rate sets the speed, time stretching keeps the pitch when you slow down, and a speed trainer raises the tempo gradually. Each definition links to a guide that shows it in use.
What is an A–B loop?
An A–B loop repeats only the part of a recording between two points: A, where the loop starts, and B, where it ends. When playback reaches B it jumps back to A, so you can practice or replay one short passage.
See it in practice: Loop part of a YouTube video. Further reading: Loop (music) (Wikipedia).
What is playback rate?
Playback rate is the speed a video plays at compared with normal speed, written as a multiple such as 0.75× or 1.5×. The YouTube player supports rates from 0.25× to 2×.
See it in practice: Slow down a YouTube video. Further reading: YouTube IFrame Player API reference (Google for Developers).
What is time stretching?
Time stretching changes the speed or length of audio without changing its pitch. It is why a song slowed to 0.75× on YouTube sounds slower but stays in the same key, which makes slowed playback useful for learning music.
See it in practice: Slow down a YouTube video. Further reading: Audio time stretching and pitch scaling (Wikipedia).
What is a speed trainer?
A speed trainer plays a loop slowly and raises the speed a little after a set number of repeats, for example by 0.05× every 3 loops, until it reaches a target tempo. Musicians use it to build up to full speed accurately.
See it in practice: Learn a song from YouTube. Further reading: Tempo (Wikipedia).
What is mirror mode?
Mirror mode flips a video horizontally, so left and right swap. Dancers use it when an instructor faces the camera, so the moves match their own reflection instead of being reversed.
See it in practice: Learn a dance from YouTube. Further reading: Mirror image (Wikipedia).
What is an eight-count in dance?
An eight-count is a phrase of eight beats that dance teachers use to break choreography into short, learnable pieces. Looping one eight-count at a time is a common way to learn a routine from a video.
See it in practice: Learn a dance from YouTube. Further reading: Choreography (Wikipedia).
What is shadowing in language learning?
Shadowing is a language-learning technique where you repeat a sentence out loud right after a native speaker, copying their rhythm and pronunciation. Looping one sentence, often at a slower speed, makes it easier to practice.
See it in practice: Slow down a YouTube video.
What are YouTube video chapters?
Chapters split a YouTube video into labeled parts, created from a list of timestamps such as 0:00 Intro in the video description. RepeatWatch can import a timestamp list and turn every part into a saved loop.
See it in practice: Loop part of a YouTube video.
What is a loop playlist?
A loop playlist is a queue of sections, possibly from different videos, where each one repeats a set number of times at its own speed before the next starts. It turns a list of practice passages into a hands-free routine.
See it in practice: Learn a song from YouTube.