Falling-Notes Piano
Watch colored bars fall onto the keyboard and play each key as its bar arrives. Slow it down, practice one hand, loop the tricky part, or switch on wait mode so the music waits for you. Or read the tune as letter names, do re mi, numbers or color notes.
Music files you open are read on this device and never uploaded. Nothing you play is recorded or sent.
How it works
Pick a demo tune or open your own file. Each bar falls down its key's column and the note sounds when the bar reaches the keyboard; a longer bar means a longer note. The right hand is green and the left hand is orange. Use Speed to slow down, Hands to practice one hand while the computer plays the other, and Loop to repeat a few measures.
Wait mode
With wait mode on, the bars stop at each note (or chord) until you play the right keys, then carry on. The keys you need are shown in yellow and named above the keyboard. Wrong notes flash red but don't stop you. At the end you see how many notes were right.
You can play with:
- The on-screen keys – tap or click; most tablets let you press several keys at once.
- Your computer keyboard – A W S E D F T G Y H U J K play one octave from C (Z and X move down or up an octave).
- A USB or MIDI keyboard – press Use a USB/MIDI keyboard. This works in Chrome, Edge and Firefox on computers and Android. Safari on a Mac and all browsers on iPhone and iPad do not support it yet; the page tells you if yours doesn't.
Reading styles
The Note names and colors tab shows the same music measure by measure as letter names, do re mi (movable do, minor keys from la), numbers in the key, or color notes (C red, D orange, E yellow, F green, G teal, A blue, B purple – the letter is always shown too). Large print adds bigger text and extra spacing, Melody only keeps just the tune, and Rhythm only turns it into "ta" and "ti-ti" words with counts for clapping. Your choices are remembered in this browser. The playing note is highlighted.
Opening your own music
You can open MusicXML (.musicxml or .xml), compressed MusicXML (.mxl) and MIDI (.mid) files – most notation programs can save them. Repeats and first- and second-time endings are played out. D.C., D.S. and coda signs, grace notes and ornaments are simplified or left out (the page lists them). MIDI files don't say which hand plays what or how notes are spelled, so the tool guesses. Only open music you have the right to use.
Good to know
The piano sound is made by your browser: clear and light, but not a concert piano. Demo tunes are traditional or by composers who died long ago; the simple arrangements are Classfern's own.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a real keyboard?
Yes, in Chrome, Edge or Firefox on a computer or Android: connect a USB or MIDI keyboard and press "Use a USB/MIDI keyboard". Safari on a Mac and iPhone/iPad browsers do not support MIDI keyboards yet, so use the on-screen keys or your computer keyboard there.
Is my music file uploaded?
No. The file is read by your browser on this device. It is not sent to Classfern or anyone else, and it is gone when you close the page.
Which files work best?
MusicXML exported from a notation program works best, because it has the note spelling, hands and repeats. MIDI files work too, but hands and spelling are guessed.
What is movable do?
Do is the key note of the piece, so the same tune has the same syllables in any key. In minor keys the key note is la, as in most US classroom methods.
How does wait mode know I played the right note?
It listens to the keys you press on the screen, the computer keyboard or a MIDI keyboard – not the microphone. A MIDI keyboard is exact; the on-screen keys are exact too.