Open the piano, press any letter key, and it sounds. The bottom row of letters is the lower octave, the top row the higher one, and Shift is the sustain pedal.
Which keys play which notes
The letters are laid out like two octaves of a piano.
- Z through M are the white keys of the lower octave. S, D, G, H and J are its black keys, on the row above.
- Q through P are the white keys of the higher octave. 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 are its black keys.
- Every key on the screen shows its letter. Switch the labels to note names with the Labels control.
Sustain, octaves and semitones
Hold Shift and notes keep ringing after you let go, like a piano’s right pedal.
The left and right arrows move the whole keyboard an octave down or up. Two rows of letters can still reach every note of an 88-key piano. The up and down arrows move by a semitone, so you can play in any key without relearning the letters.
Why the first note waits for a click
Browsers keep sound switched off until you click or press a key on the page once. That is a browser rule, not a HitJam one. After the first press there is no delay.
It is a recorded piano, not a synthesized one
The grand piano is built from recordings of a real concert grand, one note at a time across all 88 keys. Hit a key harder and you get a louder, brighter recording, the way a real piano answers.
From letter keys the strike is always the same strength. With a MIDI keyboard it follows your touch.
Better: plug in a MIDI keyboard
If you own a MIDI keyboard or controller, connect it and press Enable MIDI in the top-right corner. From then on every key, how hard you hit it, the sustain pedal and the wheels come through. The letter keys keep working alongside it.
Questions people ask
- Is the online piano free?
- Yes, all of it, with no time limit and no premium version.
- Does it work on a phone?
- Yes. On a phone the keys become a pad grid sized for thumbs. It is not a full-width piano, but it plays.
- Can I record what I play?
- Yes. Press Record, play, then Stop. You can listen back and download the take as a WAV file. It is recorded and saved on your own device and never uploaded.
- Does anything I play get uploaded?
- No. The whole instrument runs inside the page and nothing leaves your computer.