Samurai Sounds
Ear Training that Frees Your Instrument
NOW PLAYING · Key of C
Do · Re · Mi
over I (major vamp)
Tip: in SHU, stay on one key until it feels easy, then tap Next.
Customize your drill
You already know these
These famous songs use the cell you just finished — — or one of its inversions, to start the song or its chorus hook.
Try to play them by ear. You may have to repeat one note several times.
How It All Works
You’re not drilling random intervals. Each cell is a small piece of melodic language — a common shape in famous songs your ear can own and recall — and the game moves it through all twelve keys the way the research says actually sticks: spaced, interleaved, and pulled from memory instead of read off a page.
Every cell and every drill here stands on multiple peer-reviewed studies of how the brain actually learns — and every detail was engineered so your practice compounds: you retain far more from each session instead of watching it leak away. This free game is only the doorway. If you want to learn as fast as the science allows, the most important guide in the system is Sensei’s 9 Training Habits.
How to play
- Hit Begin to hear the cell in a key — then sing or play it back by ear.
- Check yourself against the notes shown, but reach for them from memory first.
- Switch cells (and open Inversions) to keep the shapes and keys shuffling.
Prefer paper?
The best neuroscience research says musical progress happens fastest when doing this ALL in your head — but honestly, that’s super tough for most people and unreasonably difficult for beginners. We provide a paper crutch to walk you through the process until it FEELS comfortable (and that may take a while depending on how much you practice and if you follow our Sensei’s 9 Training Habits).
When that day comes and you feel comfortable with all 12 keys, graduating to mental gymnastics is your best choice. Until then, we hope you’ll find these packs helpful.
Where to start
- 3-cell pentatonic
- 4-cell pentatonic
- 3 & 4 cell diatonic
- 3-cell chromatic
- 4-cell Beastly Bebop
ONE-TIME FOUNDING OFFER — NEW STUDENTS ONLY
Before you enter the dojo, start with the cells.
The Pentatonic 3-Note Cells pack is the fastest way to turn five notes you already know into a language your ear owns. Yours right now for $9 — normally $14.
- 7 pentatonic cells × 6 orderings = 42 sequences, carried through all 12 keys.
- Treble, alto and bass — every instrument.
- The matching Practice Journal, so you can see every cell you own and every one you don’t.
- Built off Brecker’s 12×12 — it plugs straight into everything else we make.
This founding price lives on this screen only. Once you enter the dojo it goes to $14 — no countdown tricks, just the founding-student rate, and it ends 15 August 2026.
At checkout, enter code FOUNDER — that is what takes it to $9.
Not ready to buy? Take The Samurai Practice Method — free. It is the map the whole method hangs on.
Instant download. Any instrument. Keep it forever, even if you unsubscribe.
Keep what you just earned
Three keys down — that is real progress on your first cell. Add your email and it is kept, session after session. Without it, each visit starts from zero.
You’ll also receive a brief training series: how to get far more out of the minutes you already practise. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
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Welcome back
Since you were last here, did you practise in your head — away from the horn? Mental practice. Studies suggest vividly visualising a passage — fingers, breath, articulation — can improve retention. It is not a substitute for playing, and the effect sizes vary; it is a way to keep working when the horn is not in your hands. For more: Sensei’s 9 Training Habits.
Choose your dojo
| White Beltfree | Apprenticemember | Warriorpro | Roninsoon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Belt Path (P1–P6) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pentatonic 3-note cells | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Pentatonic 4-note cells | — | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Diatonic 3-note cells | — | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Diatonic 4-note cells | — | — | 30 | 30 |
| Chromatic cells | — | — | 9 | 9 |
| Beastly Bebop cells | — | — | — | ✓ soon |
| Inversions of cells | 0 | 30 | 617 | 617 |
| Practice mode | Shu one key | + Ha 12 keys | + Ri 12×12 | + Ri |
| “First note only” | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Max tempo | 160 | 200 | 280 | 280 |
| Everything to practice cells × inversions × 12 keys | 36 | 576 | 8,088 | 8,088 |
| Progress saved & synced | with email sign-in | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Full pricing — monthly, annual, and founding lifetime — is at the store.
See pricing & get it ›That code isn’t valid for your email.