Enter the world of the online virtual harpsichord. In your browser, you have a bright plucked keyboard instrument at your fingertips. The 3D model you see is detailed with a painted flower design, gilt trim and a blue-black case. It’s a two-manual (keyboards) harpsichord with 49 keys per manual from C2-C6. Zoom in and out; turn the harpsichord around.
What you hear are not just electronic sounds but recorded harpsichord samples. Play it using your computer keyboard. Use your fingers if you’re playing on your tablet or phone. Or use a mouse. You don’t need to install or download anything. There is no start button. Play the initial note, and the sound is on. Once the recordings are ready, the bottom message changes to Recorded instrument sound. Tap the top corner question mark for sound credits and guide.
How to Play the Online Harpsichord
Most of the controls is below the instrument. Below the 3D model are two manuals labeled I · Lower & II · Upper. These show all 49 of the keys and their note names. Tap or click on any key to pluck it. Hold down the key to let the note ring. Tap the key for a shorter note. All notes fade out in a few seconds. That’s because they mimic a plucked string. They fade away on their own after a few seconds, even if you keep holding the key. On a smaller screen, each keyboard scrolls left-right. It begins centered around C4.
Alternatively, you can play the keys on the 3D model. The upper manual is the higher back row. Drag over the 3D keys for a quick run through. Watch as each glows and dips.
The 25 notes of the lower manual range from C3 to C5 are represented by specific letters that play on a computer keyboard. They are A, W, S, E, D, F, T, G, Y, H, U, J, K, O, L, P,;, Z, X, C, V, B, N, M, and the comma. Each letter is one semitone higher then the previous. To play these on the upper manual, hold down the shift key and then press the letter. On screen each key displays the letter it represents. Use your finger or the mouse to play the lowest and highest notes. Sound is the same for both manuals and they are always playable together. This means you can play chords on one manual while playing a tune on the other.
The harpsichord occupies its own frame on the page. Once inside this frame, click before you begin playing on the keyboard. There are six chord buttons that play full three notes chords; they are C, Dm, Em, F, G and Am. The C chord is based on the note C (on C3). These is played using the number keys 1 through to 6 from the keyboard. They play on the chosen manual. In other words, the one you were playing last. Alternatively, use the I · Lower and II · Upper buttons to choose a manual.
Below the model are words PLAYING and a bar where the note or chord you have just played appears. To make it happen you press the Space bar or the Play button (which is the one with PLAY written on it). This will play the chosen sound on the chosen manual. As long as you keep the button pressed, the sound continues to play. Each time you choose a new note or chord there is an option called Hold sound which allows them to ring out fully. No need to hold anything down. When Hold is engaged, then a further click on any other chord or key takes over from the previous one. Use the Stop button ■ or the Esc key to turn everything off immediately.
The Expression slider has a range of 10-100. This determines how loud the notes play. The overall character is set by three presets. Default or natural is the brightest. Concert is the biggest echo, a touch on the strong side. Gentle is a darker tone that plays softer with more room. With each one, the Room and Expression sliders move for you. Room goes from 0 to 50. It adds an echo of a room. Overall level is set by the Volume slider in the lower right.
Go into PLAY A LITTLE where you can learn a piece. Choose one of: Morning walk; Ode to Joy; or Twinkle, Twinkle. Hit ▶ Listen and you’ll be able to listen to that tune played by the harpsichord on the chosen keyboard. The Tempo slider adjusts the speed. The range is from 40 to 180. The range is from C3 to C4 for all three pieces. Each fits comfortabley beneath their letter key.
Click Game mode. Once you start, it uses the manual you’ve selected. It says Tap the green note. The next key turns green on the keyboard and on the 3D model. Next, boxes marked play now, NEXT, and THEN show the upcoming notes. They mark ⇧ when you need Shift for the upper manual and they show the letters too. Game mode waits for you. As soon as you play the right note it moves on. How far you have come is shown by a progress bar and a counter. At the end it says Beautiful. Play it again? There is an Again button. To leave early click Game mode again or press Stop.
The ● Record button also captures what you’re playing from the instrument. There’s no need for a microphone. When it says ■ Finish, click the button again. You can then download your recording by clicking the Save take link.
Scroll or pinch to zoom, drag the background to rotate the moddern model, and click Rotate 3D to spin it around. It even continues to play while you’re doing that. Click ⌂ to return to the start view. Turning Rotate 3D off has the same effect.
If you’re new to this online virtual harpsichord, try playing a note or two on the lower manual using just the letter keys. Use the number keys for C, Dm, Em, F, G and Am chords too. Get comfortable playing Twinkle, Twinkle slowly in Game mode. Once you feel confident about that, press Shift and then play the melody on the upper manual instead.
