Tune up your tones!

Do you find Chinese tones perplexing?

You're familiar with the struggle...

● You're not even sure whether your tones are correct or not—hopefully people will understand you anyway,

● You feel a wave of self-doubt every time you speak because your tone mishaps make you second-guess your fluency,

● You mix up tones, turning a conversation about "car racing" (sàichē) into an unexpected chat about "traffic jams" (sāichē),

● Native speakers are confused by your pronunciation, as misplaced tones morph your intended message into a puzzle.

If these tone troubles make you want to pull your hair out…

You're far from alone!

Everyone grapples with mastering the nuances of Chinese tones.

● Translating your thoughts into Chinese, all while trying to remember the correct tonal patterns, feels like juggling while riding a unicycle...

● Integrating correct tones into sentences naturally, without pausing to mentally rehearse each word...

● Distinguishing between the subtleties of rising and falling pitches...

And you're supposed to do all this while holding a conversation with a native speaker?

It might seem like a Herculean task, destined to always be just out of reach.

Now there's a pathway to pitch perfection!

What if you could hear the tones clearly?

What if you could pronounce the tones in normal speech with confidence?

What if you could stop making embarassing tonal errors so often?

It's all possible when you sign up for the
May 30-Day Tune-Up Your Tones Challenge

With your coach...

Here’s what the challenge entails:

We’ve crafted a 30-day program designed to drill the tones into your muscle memory so you can pronounce them correctly without having to think about it. You'll see a huge improvement by the end of the program, and you'll also have the tools and knowledge to continue improving!

This program is created to bury the tones deep in your brain in an effective and practical way.

Each day has specific tasks for you to complete, which are designed to:

1. help you understand how tones work in more detail,

2. embed the correct pronunciation of the tones in your muscle memory,

3. give you a few tonal anchors: words that you know you know, that you can use as a reference for other words with the same tones.

Just 30 minutes a day is all it takes.

All you have to do is show up and do the tasks we give you each day.

The results?

By the end of the month, this experience will deepen your intuitive understanding of tones, enabling you to:

● Accurately distinguish and produce the correct tones naturally...

● Incorporate these tones into your speech, enhancing fluency and comprehension.

What You'll Get...

The concept is simple yet brutally effective!

Every day, for 30 days, you’ll receive a few tasks to complete.

Days 1-4: The Priming Phase

The first few days will consist of audio and video lessons—foundational knowledge to carry you through the rest of the challenge.

We’ll review the basics: how the tones sound in isolation, basic tone change rules, etc.

But we’ve found that most people can say their “mā, má, mǎ, mà” in isolation. The trick is getting the tones right in context, when they’re combined with other tones. And that requires practice, not knowledge.

Days 5-30: The Drilling Phase

So for the rest of the 30-day challenge, you’ll spend your 30 minutes each day doing intensive speaking drills, practicing two-tone combinations until they feel natural.

We'll give you the audio files you need for each day, and you just have to do your reps. Just like a basketball player shoots free throws for reps to build muscle memory for free throws, you'll do tone combos for reps to build muscle memory for tones.

We don’t want you to just "know" about tones. We want you to train your ear to hear them accurately, and train the muscles in your mouth to produce them reliably.

AND

Each week during the challenge, I'll be conducting a few group Q&A/coaching sessions. I'll vary the times to accommodate for different time zones.

Plus, you'll get access to the Tone Tune-Up Community—a whole cohort of people going through the challenge along with you. Find an accountability partner, ask questions, and share tips—our communities are always super lively, and many people have made friends with people they met in the community.

The Results

By the end of the challenge you’ll have practiced each two-tone combination correctly a thousand times.

Yes, you read that right: one thousand times.

Imagine how much you’ll improve with that amount of practice dedicated to just the tones!

You’ll also have a record of how you’ve improved, because you’ll be recording yourself a few times throughout the challenge.

 

Ready to Transform Your Tones?

We've meticulously organized the entire challenge, so all you need to do is show up and dive in!

Here's what you need to know to join us:

● Start date: May 1st

● Daily time commitment: 30 minutes

● Total duration: 30 days

The investment in your tonal transformation is just $97 — equivalent to a couple of sessions with a professional tutor.

All materials (written and audio), video lessons, activities, and community interaction are included.

And lifetime access means you get to keep everything, even after the challenge is finished.

Click the "Enroll Now" button to sign up today.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What level is the challenge for?

No matter your level, if you're struggling with tones, this challenge is for you. By the end, you'll have an "anchor word" for each tone combo—a word you know you're pronouncing correctly, which you can then use as a tonal reference for other words with the same tone combo.

How can I access the challenge?

Mobile, desktop, laptop, tablet... The challenge is super user-friendly and you'll be able to log on from anywhere!

What exactly will I learn? How will this challenge help me?

During this challenge, we'll start by reviewing the basics: individual tones in isolation, basic tone change rules, etc. After that, we'll explain in-depth how tones can change in context, and specifically in two-tone combinations. Many of these changes are subtle, but mastering them will significantly improve your pronunciation and make you sound much more natural to native speakers.

After that, you'll drill those two-tone combinations until you bury them into your muscle memory. That means it will be effortless and automatic, and you'll know instinctively how to pronounce tones in context. You'll get daily videos from John, giving you things to focus on specifically while you're practicing. By the end of the challenge, your tones will be significantly better and more natural-sounding.

What's so special about this method anyway?

Most Chinese learners understand what tones are intellectually. But when speaking, they try to "layer" the tones over the syllables, and have to mentally think about which tone each syllable is supposed to be while they're trying to talk.

This doesn't work, and is extremely stressful for you as a learner. Why? Because there's a LOT of stuff to think about and it's impossible to hold everything in your head at the same time while you're speaking. It's also not a natural way of speaking. Native speakers don't have to think about tones, after all!

With the "Tune Up Your Tones" challenge, you'll drill those tones until they come out naturally, just like a native speaker! The magic of these drills is that they move fundamental tasks like pronouncing tones into your muscle memory. The tones will now feel like an inherent part of the words, rather than something additional layered on top.

As you complete your reps each day, the tones will begin to lodge themselves into your subconscious. It doesn't happen right away - in fact it may take a few weeks for you to feel the real effects. But by the end of the challenge, you'll have a command of tones that will amaze you.

I'm not sure I can commit for 30 days

Your daily tasks should only take 30 minutes. The principle of the challenge is, "do a little each day and big results will follow." 30 minutes is a pretty manageable amount of time to devote to your Chinese.

You can break it up into 5 minute chunks throughout the day:
• 5 minutes after breakfast
• 5 minutes on your lunch break
• 5 minutes before dinner
• 5 minutes while waiting for the bus...whenever is convenient for you!

The secret sauce is the consistency - working at it for a little bit of time every day. You'll be amazed at the massive progress you make from simply showing up every day to give focused attention to one aspect of your Chinese!

What if I decide the challenge isn't for me?

All of our products come with a 30-day money back guarantee. If you are unsatisfied with it for any reason, reach out to me at any point during the challenge and I'll issue you a full refund.

How long do I have access to the course after the end of the challenge?

How does "lifetime access" sound? While the challenge is 30 days, you will have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like.

What exactly does "lifetime access" mean?

In practical terms, it means the course materials will be available online for as long as Outlier is in business. If we do ever go out of business or otherwise need to remove the course for any reason, we'll make the material available for you to download for a period of at least 6 months.