You can fingerpick on your browser. Can you strum or fingerpick an acoustic guitar inside the browser? Yes please! You can interact with it using either a touch screen or a mouse, and you can even map your computer’s keyboard to act as the keys of a more traditionel instrument. It is also tuned to standard and has been modelled based off a dreadnought shaped guitar. No need for any extra hardware here; just a realistic sound that you can jump right into playing some music on.
Start with the chord selector. To get started just tap one of the 12 buttons corresponding to chords. You then have your current harmony selected. As you choose a chord, it displays the fingering on the neck diagram. This provides you with an exact idea of where to place your virtual fingers. It indicates finger positions with circles and open strings with an “o”. The “x” denotes which string(s) is not played in this particular chord. This allows you to see what’s going on within the chord as you play it.
How to Use the Browser Guitar
To create strums, simply drag your finger (or cursor on the computer) from one string to another across the sound hole. Whether you drag up or down determines which way the strum goes. Dragging down makes it a downstroke and dragging up makes it an upstroke. How fast you go determines how fast you are strumming. Slowly means well separated notes. Faster gives you a tighter rhythmical strumming sound. You can tap your fingers on single strings to pick out individual notes within the selected chord.
If you want to play on the keyboard, it’s fully mapped out as well. To select chords one through twelve, use the number keys 1; 0 along with the equals and minus signs. Upstrokes is done with the up arrow key while downstrokes are done with the down arrow. There are also some specific letters that can be used to switch between the automatic accompaniment modes. Press ‘P’ to turn on the standard strum pattern. Press ‘B’ for the boom-chick pattern. Press ‘T’ for the Travis picking pattern, and press ‘O’ to activate the chord progression demo mode. The help panel is toggled on and off with the question mark key.
There are also three accompanying machines to get you grooving along with the widget. There’s the Boom-chick button that plays one beat on the bass note then strums a chord. It is ideal for folk or country styles. Then there’s the Strum button that plays a classic down-down-up-up-down-up pattern on loop. Finally, there’s the Travis pick button that generates a fingerstyle, walking-bass-style roll with the thumb picking out bass notes and the fingers chiming over them. It all follows your chosen chord and capo settings. Then there’s the Progression button that walks up through a C, G, Am, Em progression. So right away, you’ve got a fully backed track.
The Capo slider enables you to alter the key that you play. Dragging it from 0 to 5 clamps a virtual capo down on the neck. It then increases the pitch of every string by semitones. You can use this to play in higher keys, but it will not help you learn new chord shapes. The neck diagram shows where the capo position is. As you move the slider around, it moves up or down on the frets. It is handy when you’re singing along and want to match the key of what you sing.
On the lower right, you’ll find volume control. Change the master volume using the slider. So, you can play it as loud or as quiet as you like, wherever you are. Next to that is the Fullscreen button. It increases the size of the instrument so it takes up your whole screen. This gives you more space to view the neck diagram and chord indicators easily. The Help button displays a brief overview of all the controls and features. It is a handy reference point if you wish to refresh yourself with how the strumming mechanism works or simply need a reminder about one of the keyboard shortcuts.
Below are some suggestions on making the best use of it. See if you can alternate fingerpicking and strumming to alter the textures in each. Use the capo to expand your range of tone whilst maintaining known chords shapes. Play around with the accompaniment machines to try some alternative rhythmic feels. Developing Travis picking mode is especially interesting for finger independence. Boom-chick pattern is excellent for driving rhythm.
Immediate audio feedback is provided as the instrument responds directly to what you do. When a string is plucked, it lights up for a moment, which visually confirms that it was indeed struck. A readout lets you know exactly what chord is being produced at that time along with any modifiers currently in play. If you finger pick specific notes on the neck, it will indicate those note names as well. This creates a nice feedback loop where you can see how your physical movements turn into sound.
There’s no need to know any musical theory to use it. With one touch of a key or tapping a button you create music. The visual guide along the neck shows you where to place your fingers. Want some rhythm but don’t know where to begin? No worries, there’s that too. Choose your chord, select a pattern and hear what happens.
Get familiar with the available controls. Move the capo to a different fret and listen to how the sound changes. Press the progression button and watch the chords sequence into place. Use the keyboard arrows to perform downstrokes and upstrokes without lifting your hands off the home row. It’s all very responsive and designed to provide instant satisfaction.
Pick a C major chord, hit the strum button and get started. Feel out the rhythm as you drag the mouse over the strings. Try picking out a melody line on each string individually. Practice and play around with the virtual acoustic guitar. It brings the feel of a real instrument into your browser. Just follow where it leads you.