Virtual Piano

Virtual Piano is a free online piano you play right in your browser. Click the keys with a mouse, tap them on a phone or tablet, or type on your computer keyboard. You can play chords, hold notes with sustain, record a tune and play it back. When you want something to practice, Songs mode teaches six public-domain melodies note by note and then scores your timing. There is nothing to download and no account to make.

How to play

The keyboard shows four octaves on a desktop screen, three on a tablet-sized window and two on a phone. Use the Octave buttons (or the Left and Right arrow keys) to move up and down the range, from C1 to C8.

• Mouse or touch: click or tap a key to play it. On a touch screen, press several keys at once for a chord, or slide a finger across the keys for a glissando.
• Computer keyboard: Z X C V B N M play the white keys of the octave shown next to Octave, and S D G H J play the black keys between them. Q W E R T Y U I O P carry on one octave higher, with 2 3 5 6 7 9 0 as the black keys. Holding several letters at once plays a chord.
• Sustain: switch Sustain on, or hold Space like a sustain pedal, and notes keep ringing after you let go of the key.
• Labels: the Labels button cycles between key letters and note names, both, or a clean keyboard with no labels.
• Record and Play back: press Record, play something, press Stop rec, then Play back to hear it with the same rhythm. Your last recording is saved in your browser.

Every note is synthesized in the browser with a soft hammer attack, a bright start that mellows, and a longer ring on low notes than on high ones, much like a real piano string.

Songs: Learn mode and Play mode

Pick a song from the list: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Ode to Joy, Jingle Bells, or the opening of Für Elise. Notes are shown as bars above the keyboard, labeled with the key to press.

• Learn mode lights up the next key in yellow and waits for you. The song only moves on when you play the right note, so you can go as slowly as you like. At the end you see how many wrong notes you played, and your fewest is saved.
• Play mode drops the notes toward the keys in time with the music. Hit each note as it reaches the line. Within 60 milliseconds is Perfect (100 points), within 130 is Great (70) and within 200 is Good (40). Anything later is a miss.
• Stars: 90% accuracy or better earns three stars, 70% earns two and 40% earns one. Your best score and stars for each song are saved.
• Listen plays the melody for you first, and Slow speed spreads the notes out when you are still learning a tune.

Tips

• Learn first, then score. Run a song in Learn mode until you can play it with no wrong notes, then switch to Play mode.
• Keep your hand in place. Most of the songs sit inside one octave, so rest your fingers on Z X C V B on a keyboard and you rarely need to look down.
• Use Slow speed. Timing windows stay the same, but the notes come further apart, which makes three stars much easier on a new song.
• Use headphones. Bluetooth speakers can add a delay that makes your timing feel late.

FAQ

Is this virtual piano free?

Yes. Virtual Piano is completely free to play online, with no download, no sign-up and no sound files to load.

Can I play chords?

Yes. Press several letters at once on a computer keyboard, or hold several keys with your fingers on a touch screen.

Does it work on a phone or Chromebook?

Yes. On a phone you get two octaves at a time with octave buttons to move around, and touching the keys won’t scroll the page. On a Chromebook or laptop you can also use the letter keys. If you hear nothing on a phone, check that silent mode is off.

Can I record what I play?

Yes. Press Record, play, then press Stop rec and Play back. The last recording stays saved in your browser until you record a new one.

Enjoy music and memory games? Try Simon, which plays a growing sequence of tones for you to repeat, or test your recall with Sequence Memory. For more ideas, see our list of the best browser piano games.