How to play the virtual piano
- Click or touch a piano key to hear it. On a computer, focus the piano and use the letters shown on the keys.
- Play C, E and G together for C major. Turn on Chord labels to see a match, or hide Note names to practice finding the notes.
- Use Octave down or Octave up to move the range. Turn on Sustain or hold Shift to let notes ring after release. Turn sustain off to damp them, or press Stop all notes to clear the piano.
Find notes and try chords
Each group of two black keys has C immediately to its left. The white keys repeat C D E F G A B; the black keys are the sharps and flats between them. C♯ and D♭ name the same key here. Middle C is C4. The number increases when you reach the next C.
A major triad uses a root, the note four semitones above it and the note seven semitones above it: C, E and G make C major. Lower E to E♭ for C minor. Try moving the lowest C above the other notes: E, G and C still form C major, now in first inversion, shown as C/E.
Chord labels use the notes currently held or sustained, ignoring repeated notes in other octaves. They show exact matches from a small chord library, with sharp spellings. A label is a possible name, not a judgment about the harmony around it. Clear sustain between chords if earlier notes obscure the match.
Choose chords from the chord progressions guide, then play their notes here. The circle of fifths shows which chords belong to a key. To find a recording's key and tempo first, use the Key and BPM Finder.
The sound and sustain
The piano uses a generated struck tone: a fundamental and a few harmonics that fade at different rates. It is useful for hearing pitches and trying chord voicings. It does not use recordings of an acoustic piano. Hear real synth sounds in Kiln Synthesizer.
Sustain lets a released note keep decaying, like lifting the dampers on a piano. Turning it off releases those notes while leaving held keys sounding. The instrument plays up to 16 voices at once; older release tails are cleared first when it needs room. Notes fade naturally and end after 12 seconds at most. Changing octave, leaving the piano or hiding the tab clears all notes and sustain.
Questions
How do I play piano on my computer keyboard?
Click a piano key or Tab into the piano, then use the letters printed on the keys. The lower octave starts on Z and the upper octave on Q, using physical QWERTY positions. Hold several keys for a chord. Brackets [ and ] shift the keyboard down or up an octave, and Shift holds sustain.
Can I play this virtual piano on a phone?
Yes. Touch the keys to play, hold several fingers for a chord, or slide a finger between notes. The two octaves stack on a narrow screen. Tap Sustain to let notes ring after you lift your fingers.
Where is middle C, and what tuning does the piano use?
Middle C is C4, the leftmost key when you first open the piano. The tuning is equal temperament with A4 at 440 Hz. Octave down and Octave up move the visible range in steps of 12 semitones, covering C2 through C8.
Can the virtual piano identify chords?
Turn on Chord labels to match the notes you hold or sustain. It recognizes major, minor, diminished, augmented, suspended and common seventh chords, including inversions. A slash names the lowest note, as in C/E. Some note sets have several names; the display lists those matches. It does not infer a song's key or name every extended chord.
Why can't I hear the piano, or why do some notes not play together?
Press a key to start audio, then check the piano volume, your device volume and output. On an iPhone or iPad, check silent mode too. Wired headphones can reduce the delay you hear with Bluetooth. Some computer keyboards cannot register certain combinations of held keys; touch input can play those notes together. This piano generates its tone locally, without samples, recording, uploads or an account.
Link to this piano
Use this plain link to share the piano in a lesson or an article. It needs no embed or script.
<a href="https://vitricaudio.com/tools/virtual-piano">Free virtual piano</a> by Vitric Audio