How to use the online piano
- Press Turn on sound, or click any key. Browsers only start audio after you act, and a message tells you when sound is on.
- Click or tap the keys, or use the computer keyboard: Z to M for the white keys and S, D, G, H, J for the black keys of the lower octave, then Q to U and 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 for the upper octave, with I as the top C.
- Pick a sound (soft, pure, bright or buzzy), shift the octave up or down by up to two octaves and change the volume.
- Press Turn off sound when you are done. Hold several keys to play chords of up to 10 notes at once.
Pressing A4 plays 440 Hz
The keyboard has 25 keys from C4 (middle C) to C6. Pressing the key labeled A4 plays 440 Hz, the pitch most tuning systems use as the reference. Middle C is 261.63 Hz, the C above it is 523.25 Hz, and the top C6 is 1046.50 Hz.
The pitches follow equal temperament: each key is higher than the one before by the same ratio, the twelfth root of 2, about 1.0595. Twelve keys up doubles the frequency, so A5 is 880 Hz and A3 is 220 Hz. The octave shift moves the whole keyboard by whole octaves, so with an upward shift of one the key labeled A5 on the bottom row plays 880 Hz.
How the notes are made
Each key starts an oscillator in your browser at the frequency of that note and fades it in and out so that it does not click. The sound choices are different waveforms. A sine wave is the plainest tone, a triangle is a little brighter, and a square or sawtooth wave is rich in overtones and sounds more electronic.
This is a synthesizer, not a recording of a real piano. It has no pedal, no touch sensitivity and no sample of a piano string, so it is good for finding notes, trying tunes and teaching the layout of the keys, but not for a piano performance.
Sound, keys and devices
Sound starts only after a click, so nothing plays when the page loads. If your device blocks audio or has no output, the page says so and keys stay silent. Keys that you hold stop if you switch tabs. On a phone, the keys scroll sideways in the keyboard strip when the screen is narrow.
To check pitch against a note, use the online tuner, to keep a steady beat use the metronome, and to move a song to another key use the chord transposer. The circle of fifths shows how keys relate to each other. Nothing you play is recorded or sent anywhere.
Assumptions and limits
- Notes use equal temperament with A4 at 440 Hz. Other tunings are not offered.
- Sound is generated by the browser's audio system. Timing and volume depend on your device.
- The computer keyboard layout shown is for a standard US-style arrangement. Other layouts may place the letters differently.
- Up to 10 notes can sound at once.
Frequently asked questions
How do I play the online piano with my keyboard?
Turn on sound, then press Z, X, C, V, B, N, M for the white keys of the lower octave and S, D, G, H, J for the black keys. Q, W, E, R, T, Y, U and 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 play the upper octave.
Why is there no sound?
Browsers need a click before audio can start, and some devices have audio muted or unavailable. Press Turn on sound and check your volume and silent switch.
What are the frequencies of the notes?
Each is 440 times 2 raised to the power of the number of keys from A4 divided by 12. Middle C is 261.63 Hz and A4 is 440 Hz.
Does it record what I play?
No. Nothing is recorded, stored or uploaded.