Yokai Music — A playground for making music make sense
Six interactive modules to learn music by ear and by hand — synth sound design, chord progressions, theory, rhythm dictation, ear training and a music blog. Free, no install.
What is Yokai Music?
Learn how music works by actually touching it
Yokai Music is an interactive learning lab where you learn music theory by making real sound, not just reading words and diagrams. Turn a synthesizer’s knobs and hear the waveform change, drill chords by ear in a listening game, build a sense of rhythm through play, and stack chord progressions yourself in Chord Lab.
Every module is built so you confirm “why does it sound like that?” with your ears, not your eyes. Instead of reading one concept and moving on, you change the sound right away so the principle actually sticks.
Who it’s for
You can start even if you can’t read notation or you’re brand new to music. From beginners curious about synths, to learners shoring up ear training, harmony and rhythm, to creators who want to experiment with progressions and write songs — it’s made for learning by play, at your own pace.
The blog collects music theory and history, listening notes and making-of write-ups in Korean, English and Japanese, so the feel you build by hand in the modules connects to the concepts in words.
No install, no login, no cost
Every module opens right in your browser. No app to install and no account to create — open a link and it makes sound. What you make is saved on your device, and you can export it as MIDI or share it by link.
- SynthLab — Learn synthesizer sound design hands-on: waveforms, filters, envelopes, a real synth, a sequencer and quizzes.
- YokaiMSG's Blog & Music — Music history and theory, recommendations, making-of notes and original music — organized by category.
- Chord Lab — Chord Progression Studio — A composing studio that handles chord suggestions and voicing for you. Choose each chord with the reason it fits, then download it as a MIDI file for your DAW.
- Theory Lab — Interactive Music Theory — Learn music theory one idea per screen — press the keyboard and hear it. Scales, intervals, chords and progressions as bite-size interactive lessons.
- Rhythm Lab — Learn Rhythm & Write It Down — Learn how rhythm is built — beats, bars, note lengths, backbeats, syncopation — then write down what you hear on a step grid and get it graded cell by cell.
- Ear Trainer — A game-style ear trainer for single notes, chords and scales — played with real instrument sounds (piano, e-piano, violin, guitar).
Blog
- What Is Voicing? Why the Same Chord Sounds Different When a Pro Plays It
- Splice — Why and How to Use It, and What a Sample Subscription Actually Buys
- Samples and Sampling — Making Music Out of Someone Else's Sound
- What Are Tensions? 9 · 11 · 13, the Rainbow of Jazz Harmony
- Harmonic Functions — Seven Chords, Three Jobs
- Minor-Key Harmony — the Grammar of Shadows, and the V That Borrows Brightness