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Free online piano keyboard

A playable piano keyboard in your browser: three octaves on a computer, two on a phone, played with the mouse, your fingers or your computer keyboard. Turn on sustain, show the note names and light up any chord or scale to see how it is built.

What you can do with this virtual piano

Play it three ways: click with the mouse, touch the keys on a phone or tablet, or play from your computer keyboard.
Sustain switch: notes keep ringing after you release them, like the right pedal of a real piano. Handy for hearing a whole chord or arpeggio.
Note names in your language: C D E F G A B in English, do re mi on the French and Italian pages, with sharps and flats on the black keys.
Chord and scale highlighter: choose a root and a chord or scale type, and the keys light up. Each highlight links to its page in the piano chord charts or the scales dictionary for the full details.

The sound is a synthesised piano-like tone generated in the browser: perfect for working out notes and harmony, not meant to replace a sampled concert grand.

Finding your way on the keyboard

The keyboard repeats a pattern of 12 keys: 7 white and 5 black. The black keys come in groups of two and three, and that pattern is your map.

C is the white key just left of each group of two black keys.
F is the white key just left of each group of three black keys.
The black keys are the sharps and flats. The one between C and D is C# or Db: two names for the same key, an enharmonic equivalent.
Between E and F, and between B and C, there is no black key: those pairs are only a semitone apart.

Middle C, written C4, sits near the middle of an acoustic piano and vibrates at about 261.63 Hz. The A just above it, A4, is the 440 Hz tuning note.

Intervals on the keyboard

The keyboard is the clearest way to see an interval: just count the keys, black and white, from one note to the next. Each step is a semitone.

Semitones	Interval	From C
1	minor second	Db
2	major second	D
3	minor third	Eb
4	major third	E
5	perfect fourth	F
6	tritone	F# / Gb
7	perfect fifth	G
8	minor sixth	Ab
9	major sixth	A
10	minor seventh	Bb
11	major seventh	B
12	octave	C

Try this: play C and E together (4 semitones), then C and Eb (3). That single key is the whole difference between major and minor.

Building chords and scales in seconds

A triad stacks two thirds. Count semitones from the root:

Major: 4 + 3 (C E G, the C major chord)
Minor: 3 + 4 (A C E)
Diminished: 3 + 3 (B D F)
Augmented: 4 + 4 (C E G#)

The major scale follows the pattern whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Starting on C, it uses only the white keys; start the same white keys on A and you get A natural minor. Play only the five black keys and you have a pentatonic scale: F# G# A# C# D#, the F# major pentatonic, which is why improvising on black keys always sounds pleasant.

Use the highlighter to check yourself: build the chord by counting, then light it up and compare.

Piano for guitarists

Guitarists often understand harmony faster on a keyboard, because every note sits in a straight line. Light up a chord here, then find the same notes in the guitar chord charts and compare the voicings. If you want to go further, the free GuitarHarmony workshop (free account) includes a chord identifier: place notes on a virtual guitar neck and it names the chord, its inversions and alternative names.

How to use it

Play a few notes. Click or touch the keys, or use your computer keyboard. On a phone, turn it sideways for wider keys.
Turn on note names and sustain. Show the note names until you know the layout by heart. Switch sustain on to let chords ring.
Highlight a chord or a scale. Pick a root and a type: the right keys light up. Play them one by one, then together.
Open the full page. Follow the link from the highlighter to the chord or scale page for inversions, intervals, the guitar version and more.

What you can do with it

Checking a melody by ear

You have a tune in your head but no instrument around. Find the first note by trial and error, then work out each next note by its distance in semitones. Write the result on blank sheet music paper.

Seeing what a chord is made of

Your song sheet says Cmaj7 and you wonder why it sounds softer than C7. Highlight both: the only difference is B versus Bb, a major seventh versus a minor seventh above C.

Ear training for intervals

Play two notes with sustain on and name the interval before counting. Start with octaves, fifths and thirds, then add fourths and sixths. Five minutes a day makes transcribing much easier.

Frequently asked questions

Is this online piano free?

Yes. It runs in your browser, free and with no sign-up. It works on computers, tablets and phones.

Can I play it with my computer keyboard?

Yes. Computer keys are mapped to piano keys, so you can play without the mouse. The mouse and touch screens work too.

How many octaves does the virtual piano have?

Three octaves on a computer and two on a phone, so the keys stay large enough to play comfortably.

How do I find middle C?

Look for a group of two black keys: C is the white key just to its left. Middle C (C4) is the C nearest the centre of a full piano; on this keyboard, turn on the note names to spot every C.

Does it sound like a real piano?

It uses a synthesised piano-like sound generated in the browser. It is clear and responsive for learning notes, chords and scales, but it is not a recorded concert piano.

More free tools

Ready to go further than the chart?

The free GuitarHarmony workshop shows every scale on the whole neck, names any chord you play and builds progressions with you. Free account, no card.

Try it free