papiermusique.fr provides you with this pretty piano that can be used online in your web browser. You have nothing to install. Just click on the keys to play ! Of course, it is not a Steinway Model D or a Bösendorfer Imperial, but it will perfectly fulfill its role as a small vocal guide. Its only purpose is to let you play the tunes that come to mind.
Using The Piano
You don't really need an instruction manual. just play your music by pressing the keys...You can click on the notes with the mouse, but the computer keyboard can also be used as a mini-piano. In this case, with a QWERTY keyboard, the C scale starts on the keys A,S,D,F,G... (with an AZERTY, use Q,S,D,F,G).
If your screen is small, open your browser window wide to see as many keys as possible. In addition, you can access the full range of the keyboard by using the scroll bar at the bottom of the piano.
Please note that if your internet connection is too weak, you will have to wait a few moments for the sounds to be loaded. An ADSL, cable or FTTH broadband connection is therefore strongly recommended. On smartphones and tablets, always prefer Wi-Fi or 4g...
the buttons at the bottom right of the keyboard allow transposing. This is very handy for singers who want to use our virtual piano as a rehearsal instrument. The keyboard then adapts perfectly to the chosen scale.
Best of all, you can change the visual appearance of the keyboard by clicking on the small green startup light in the top right corner of the keyboard.
Data Sheet
Virtual Piano V1.0
Polyphonic keyboard, 3 octaves and a half (44 keys), playable with mouse, computer keyboard, fingers on smartphones et tablets.
Transpose capacity: -20 to +24 semitones.
OS Compatibility: Windows, Linux and Mac.
Browser Compliant: Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, Edge and IE11...
Full HTML5
The virtual piano v1.0 from papiermusique.fr builds on the very good audio programming libraries: midi.js.
From Handheld Organ to Virtual Piano
The 19th century saw a large number of free reed harmoniums blossom in churches and then in schools and other establishments. Practicality prevailed over the acoustic and sound qualities of the small positive organs of yesteryear. Harmoniums and other free-reed instruments were sturdy and relatively accurate, without the need for frequent tuning.
The handheld free reed organs of that time were manufactured according to the same principle of bellows. Unlike the church harmonium, on which the air is compressed by a pedalboard, the bellows of the tiny instrument is moved by one of the musician's hands. Only one hand can therefore play on the keyboard, unless of course a third person is delegated to this task alone . While these handheld harmoniums have been replaced by other systems in the West, they are still very present in Indian music, with a switching mechanism that allows the 22 notes (shrutis) of Indian music to be played on only 12 keys per octave.
Electric keyboards were dominant in the 20th century until the 1970s. These large cases contained an electric engine that produced the necessary air overpressure. They often weighed several kilos or tens of kilos, were almost indestructible but offered musicians only a rather ridiculous pitch range... sometimes barely more than an octave!
Then, the miniaturization of electronics turned (as in many fields) the weight/capacity ratio of keyboards upside down. The era of synthesizers saw the development of instruments at a very low price (and of very uneven quality) and replaced the harmonium of the past by entertaining instruments with multiple sounds. The old French name "guide-chant", which used to designate pocket keyboards has disappeared. Now, we just talk about "keyboard" or "synthesizer"...
Computers, tablets and smartphones are taking us to the final stage in the evolution of these keyboards. Virtualization of the concept participates now in the very wide dissemination of this universal instrument. So, virtual piano doesn't replace the hardware instruments but can be a great alternative to it in some cases. Through an application or a simple web page like the one you are reading right now, everyone can easily pianoze their favourite melody on their computer or smartphone. Awesome !
This virtual piano, which papiermusique.fr offers, allows all singers to rehearse effectively, even in minimalist conditions. Don't forget, however, that its primary vocation remains playful, so that everyone can "play" music !
