Colored Note Tubes: Play Online, Learn and Play Along
Tuned percussion tubes are plastic tubes cut to length, one note each. Hand them out, put the play-along on the board and watch for your color – the tube to play lights up on screen.
No microphone is used. Sounds are made on this device. Nothing you play is recorded or sent.
Play along with a tune
Pick a starter tune or find one of over 2,000 free, out-of-copyright pieces. The notes scroll past and the tube to play lights up. Slow it down, or use wait mode so the music waits for you.
Beginner lessons
Five short lessons: first notes, then simple tunes. Every step says how it is assessed – the page grades what you tap on the screen, and you, a teacher or a parent judge your playing on a real note tubes. Progress is kept in this browser only.
Find C, D and E, hear high and low, and learn to make a ringing sound.
Assessed: Graded by Classfern · Self-assessed
Your first tune uses just three notes: E, D and C.
Assessed: Graded by Classfern · Self-assessed · Teacher or parent judgment
Add G – it is two letters up from E (E, F, G).
Assessed: Graded by Classfern · Self-assessed · Teacher or parent judgment
Five notes next to each other: C D E F G. The tune moves step by step.
Assessed: Graded by Classfern · Self-assessed · Evidence kept at home (listed only)
Use all eight tubes from C to the high C, then play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
Assessed: Graded by Classfern · Teacher or parent judgment · Self-assessed
About colored note tubes
Colored note tubes – also called tuned percussion tubes – are hollow plastic tubes, each cut to the length that gives one note. The longest tube is the lowest note. Tap a tube gently on your other hand or your knee; never on people, tables or other tubes. A C major set of eight (C to high C) plays most first tunes; extra tubes add the sharps and flats, and bass tubes (or end caps) play an octave lower.
Sets from different makers use different colors. Classfern uses the same note colors on every music page (C red, D orange, E yellow, F green, G teal, A blue, B purple), so if your tubes are colored differently, go by the letter printed on each tube.
How it works
Choose your set under Your instrument, then tap or click the tubes. On a computer the letters A–G play them (hold Shift for the higher one), or Tab to a tube and press Enter. Kids’ mode makes everything bigger and turns the color notes on; the setting is shared with the other music pages. In the play-along the tube to play next lights up, and the box beside the scrolling notes says which tube it is and where to find it.
Color notes
Every note name is printed on its tube, so color is never the only clue. The colors are:
C red · D orange · E yellow · F green · G teal · A blue · B purple
Sharps and flats are dark gray with their names on them.
| Set | Notes (as written) | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| 8 tubes (C major set, C to high C) | C4 – C5 (8 tubes) | as written |
| 13 tubes (C to high C with the sharps) | C4 – C5 (13 tubes, every half step) | as written |
| Bass tubes (C to high C, an octave lower) | C3 – C4 (8 tubes) | as written |
Ideas for the classroom and home
- One note each: give every child one tube and put the play-along on the board – they play when their tube lights up.
- Pentatonic jam: use only C, D, E, G and A. Any notes sound good together, so children can make up their own tunes.
- Copy me: play three notes on the screen, and the class copies them on their instruments.
- Wait mode at home: the music waits for each note, so a beginner can go at their own speed.
Good to know
The sounds are electronic, not recordings of a real instrument, so they are close but not exact. Library pieces were converted by computer and only the melody line is used. The lessons’ tunes are traditional (public domain); the simple versions are Classfern’s own. Where the music comes from.
Frequently asked questions
Does it use the microphone?
No. The tubes on screen, the computer keyboard and wait mode work without a microphone. Nothing you play is recorded, saved on a server or sent anywhere.
My tubes are different colors. Does that matter?
No. Makers use different colors, so go by the letter on each tube. Classfern uses the same note colors on every music page: C red, D orange, E yellow, F green, G teal, A blue and B purple. You can switch the colors off.
Why are some tunes missing, or need a note I do not have?
The search only lists tunes that fit the range of the set you chose. Sets without sharps and flats cannot play every tune: if a note is missing, the page says so – use Change key, or choose a set with sharps and flats.
How are the lessons graded?
Each step says how it is assessed. Finding tubes and playing tunes on the screen, and the listening questions, are graded by Classfern. Playing your real instrument is self-assessed or judged by a teacher or parent, because the page cannot hear you. A recording you keep at home is only listed. Your progress stays in this browser.
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