Playing with NOTE

Play with the onscreen keys, touch the scene, or use A–K on your computer keyboard. W, E, T, Y and U play the black keys. Z and X move the octave. Choose an instrument in Sound and a world in Scene.

Key and scale

Key / transpose shifts your keyboard, MIDI input, scene notes, and accompaniment together from C. Choose D to play the same fingering two semitones higher. Free keeps every chromatic note available; In key snaps your playing to the selected scale. The scale buttons are available only in In key mode. Changing key transposes the accompaniment immediately without restarting its loop. For imported MIDI, set Original MIDI key to the file’s source key (defaults to C). Load MIDI accepts local .mid and .midi files, preserves tempo changes and sustain, and uses your selected sound; drum tracks are omitted. Imported files clear on reload unless included in a saved setup.

First sound

Tap a key to enable audio. Grand piano and Felt download piano samples on first use; Rhodes, Organ, Waves and Glass are synthesized. If a piano download fails, choose it again to retry. MIDI keyboards require a browser that supports Web MIDI and a secure HTTPS connection. Onscreen and computer keys work without MIDI.

Your setups

In Library, choose Setups. Name and save your current instrument, effects, scene, visual settings, key, tempo, and accompaniment. Opening a setup restores those choices, including an imported MIDI accompaniment. Setups stay in this browser on this device. Loaded songs and sampler audio are not included.

Phrase loops

Choose Loop on the bottom rail, then Record phrase. Recording starts with your first note. Finish loop sets the end at the next whole beat and repeats your phrase. Choose Overdub to add another layer, then Finish overdub. Undo removes the last layer; Pause releases loop notes; Clear starts over. You can keep playing over a loop, change sounds, and adjust tempo. Loop notes retain their recorded pitches. Loops stay in this tab; use Record to keep the performance as a take. Leaving the tab or interrupting audio pauses playback.

Recording and downloading

Choose Record, then Film + sound or Sound only. Stop opens your take in Library → Recordings. Press Stop when you finish. There is no fixed time limit; very large takes stop at the recording buffer limit. If the take shelf is nearly full, download and delete earlier takes before starting another recording. Changing worlds ends a film take; putting the app in the background also ends a recording. For a continuous film, stay in one world and keep this tab and its window visible. Avoid minimizing or covering Safari while filming.

Finished takes save automatically in this browser. Wait for “Saved in this browser” before leaving. Play a take in Library → Recordings. Open its Options to rename or download it. If saving fails, the take stays in this tab: use Retry save or download it before leaving. Browser cleanup, clearing site data, and private browsing can remove local recordings. Keep local library requests storage protection where available; downloads are still the best backup. A download button requests a save; check Downloads or Files to confirm it completed.

Film exports as MP4 when the browser supports it, otherwise WebM. Sound exports as M4A or WebM; WAV is 24-bit stereo audio. MIDI contains instrument notes, not microphone slices, imported songs, or the rendered sound. The metronome is not included. If audio or graphics are interrupted, check the partial take before deleting it.

Download and delete old takes to free memory for another recording. Deleting an undownloaded take asks for confirmation. The exact length and resolution a device can record smoothly depend on its browser, available memory, and graphics performance.

Your audio and privacy

The instrument processes microphone recordings and imported sounds in your browser. The application does not upload them. Samples and songs are held temporarily in this tab. Setups, included MIDI accompaniments, and finished takes are stored locally in this browser and are not uploaded. Your latest instrument settings are saved in local storage. A different browser or device has a separate library. Browser caches may retain the instrument's downloaded assets.

This version includes no advertising, analytics, accounts, or third-party tracking scripts. It requests its scripts, graphics assets, piano samples, and demos from the same site. The hosting service receives ordinary web requests and may keep access logs such as IP addresses and request times. Microphone and MIDI access are requested when you choose those controls.

Motion and access

Menu animations respect your reduced-motion preference. The scenes remain animated musical visuals; choose a calmer scene and stop playing when needed. Menus support Tab, Shift–Tab and Escape. Tab to the piano, use Left/Right to choose a key, and hold Space or Enter to play. Focus the tempo value and use Up/Down to adjust it. Page zoom remains available outside the playing surfaces.

Credits

Piano: Salamander Grand Piano V3 by Alexander Holm, under CC BY 3.0. Selected stereo velocity layers were trimmed with tail fades; see the sample preparation notes and license.

Thank you to stagebench by wustep, an independent benchmark for recreating a stage keyboard as a browser instrument, which helped fine-tune the instruments.

Play → Backing offers eleven original backing arrangements for playing over. Each loops using your selected instrument; use Stop inside the scene to end it early. See source and adaptation notes. Pool uses Three.js; its MIT license is included. Pool toy models were made for the instrument.

Report a problem

When sending feedback to the person who shared NOTE with you, include your device, browser version, chosen sound/world, and the steps that caused the problem. Do not include private recordings unless you intend to share them.