Online Piano Keyboard is a free virtual piano with all 88 keys, from A0 at the bottom to C8 at the top: 52 white keys and 36 black keys, the same range as a full-size acoustic piano. It runs in your web browser with nothing to sign up for, download or install, and it works on computers, tablets and phones. Play it with a mouse, a touch screen, your computer keyboard or a MIDI keyboard.
Ways to play
Mouse and touch screen
Click a key to play it, or hold the button down and drag across the keys for a glissando, the quick sweep up or down the keyboard. On a touch screen, tap with several fingers at once to play chords. The keyboard is a strip you can scroll to reach the highest and lowest notes, and it comes in three key sizes.
Computer keyboard
Two rows of your computer keyboard play the white keys, starting from C at Z and at Q, and the keys just above each row play the black keys, in the same pattern as a piano. Together they cover more than two octaves:
| Note | C | C# | D | D# | E | F | F# | G | G# | A | A# | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower row | Z | S | X | D | C | V | G | B | H | N | J | M |
| Upper row | Q | 2 | W | 3 | E | R | 5 | T | 6 | Y | 7 | U |
Where a piano has no black key, between E and F and between B and C, the computer key in that spot is skipped. Past B, both rows run on into the next octave: the lower row with , L . ; and / (C up to E), and the upper row with I 9 O 0 P [ = and ] (C up to G). The left and right arrow keys move everything down or up an octave, and the space bar holds the sustain pedal. While you learn the layout, switch the key labels to computer keys.
MIDI keyboard
A MIDI keyboard plugged into your computer plays the piano too, with velocity sensitivity and its sustain pedal, in Chrome, Edge, Opera and Firefox. Safari does not support MIDI keyboards in the browser, so on a Mac, use one of the others. If your browser asks for permission to use MIDI devices, allow it.
Sounds, sustain and volume
The main sound is a sampled grand piano: the Salamander Grand Piano, a Yamaha C5 recorded by Alexander Holm and released under the CC BY 3.0 license (see licenses). It has four velocity layers, so on a MIDI keyboard soft and hard playing sound different, not just quieter or louder. Two more sounds, an electric piano and an organ, are synthesized in your browser.
The sustain pedal keeps notes ringing after you let go of the keys, like the right pedal on an acoustic piano. Hold the space bar, use the on-screen pedal button, or press a MIDI sustain pedal. A volume control sets the overall level.
Key labels and middle C
You can label the keys with note names (C D E), solfège (Do Re Mi), the computer key that plays each one, or nothing at all. Every C is the white key just left of a group of two black keys, and middle C (C4) is the fourth C from the left, near the center of the keyboard. The A above it, A4, is the standard tuning pitch of 440 Hz. For a full tour, read about the piano keys.
Record, download and share
Record what you play and play it back to hear how it sounds. From there you can:
- Download it as a MIDI file, which stores the notes you played rather than the sound, so music software can open it, edit it or play it with a different sound.
- Download the audio, in browsers that support recording audio.
- Copy a share link that plays your recording for anyone who opens it. The recording lives inside the link itself, so saving the link saves the recording.
Playing on a phone or tablet
- Turn your phone sideways. The piano is much easier to play in landscape.
- Choose a key size that suits your fingers: bigger keys are easier to hit, smaller ones fit more of the keyboard on the screen.
- Use several fingers for chords, and slide one finger along the keys for a glissando.
- No sound? Turn up the volume and check that your phone is not set to silent.
First songs to try
A good first song uses only a few notes, moves mostly between neighboring keys and repeats its phrases, so your hand can stay in one place while you learn it. The song pages show each melody as letter notes and have two modes: Listen plays the song and lights up the keys, and Practice lights up the next key and waits for you to press it.
- Hot Cross Buns needs only three notes: E, D and C.
- Mary Had a Little Lamb adds just one more, G.
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star uses the six white keys from C up to A.
- Ode to Joy, the theme from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, moves almost entirely step by step.
If you are starting from scratch, learn the piano keys and hand position first, then play your first song one step at a time.
Chords and scales
The chord finder lights up and plays 15 chord types on any of the 12 roots, inversions included, and the scale finder shows and plays major, minor, pentatonic, blues and chromatic scales in every key.
Frequently asked questions
Is Online Piano Keyboard free?
Yes. It is free to use, with no signup, no download and nothing to install. Open the page and start playing.
Does it work on phones and iPads?
Yes. Tap the keys with one or several fingers; a phone is easier to use turned sideways. MIDI keyboards are supported in computer browsers, so on an iPad you play by touch.
Does it work on a Chromebook?
Yes. A Chromebook runs it in Chrome like any other computer, so you can play with the touchpad, the touch screen if it has one, its keyboard, or a MIDI keyboard plugged into it.
Can I connect a MIDI keyboard?
Yes. Plug it into your computer and play in Chrome, Edge, Opera or Firefox; velocity and a sustain pedal both work. Safari does not support MIDI keyboards in the browser.
How many keys does it have?
All 88 keys of a full-size piano, from A0 to C8: 52 white keys and 36 black keys. The keyboard scrolls, and you can choose one of three key sizes.
How do I play chords on a computer keyboard?
Press the keys together. In the lower row, Z, C and B play C, E and G, a C major chord; V, N and the comma key play F major, and B, M and the period key play G major. Some computer keyboards cannot register every three-key combination, so if a note drops out, try the upper row, where Q, E and T play C major.
Can I record what I play?
Yes. Record a take and listen back, then save it as a MIDI file or as audio where your browser supports recording audio, or send it to someone as a link.
Is anything I play uploaded?
No. A share link carries the recording inside the link itself, so nothing is uploaded or stored on a server. There are no accounts, so keep a recording by downloading it or saving its link.