Play the mandolin online You can play a virtual mandolin directly in your browser. It’s a really nice detailed 3D model of the instrument complete with eight strings in four pairs. They is tuned G G D D A A E E. Zoom in and out and turn it around so you can see it from all sides on the screen. All notes are recorded on a mandolin not synthesised.
Play it using your computer keyboard. Use your fingers if you have a tablet or phone. Or, you can just use a mouse. You don’t need to install or download anything. The first thing it tells you at the bottom is Tap, hold, or use your keyboard. Then when you do play a note it turns the sound on and changes the message to Recorded instrument sound.
How to Use the Virtual Mandolin
Once it has recorded everything, it give the sound credits and lets you open a brief guide by tapping the question mark in the top corner. As the guide explains: “Choose a note or string course to play, strum a chord, or activate Tremolo for repeated picking.”
To pick one of the four string pairs just click on them on the 3D mandolin. On the model, both strings in that pair move synchronously. There’s also a handy button row containing the same four courses labelled G3, D4, A4 and E5. When you tap one of these notes it ring out and fades naturaly like a plucked string should.
Below the course buttons there’s a grid containing 34 note pads from G3 upwards to E6 in semitones, with their note names underneath. These 27 notes from C4 up to D6 (a semitone above) is also represented on a computer keyboard where they’re all played using the letters: A W S E D F T G Y H U J K O L P; Z X C V B N M,. Each time you move up a semitone the next letter appear. The mouse or touch plays the lowest and highest pads.
The mandolin itself is contained within a frame on the page. Click into this area first then begin playing from the keyboard. Six buttons on the CHORDS row is labelled C, Dm, Em, F, G and Am and the number keys 1 to 6 sound these chords from the keyboard. They each selects a complete three-note chord that you can then strum away to a basic song with ease.
The word for the note or chord you just played appear under the model, in a bar under the word PLAYING. The Pluck Button (Space bar) picks the selection above again. Hold down the Space bar for a rapid tremolo of quick repeated picks. Letting go stop the tremolo.
The Tremolo Button works the same as the one above but on its own. One click and your selection will repeat. While this is engaged, tapping another note, string, or chord changes the tremolo to pick up and keep repeating that new sound. Another click stops it. The Stop Button (Esc key) stops everything at once.
The Pick speed setting controls how fast the tremolo plays in picks per second, ranging from 2 to 16 with a starting setting of 8. It can be adjusted on the fly. The Pick Slider controls the intensity of each pick on a string from 10 to 100, starting at 65. The overall character is set by three presets. The default setting is Natural, and it is the brightest. Warm offers a darker, softer tone with a little more room. Concert adds in the biggest echo. It also adjusts the Room slider for you on each preset. Room goes from 0 to 50 and adds the echo of a room around the mandolin. Level can be adjusted overall with the Volume slider at the bottom right.
In the PLAY A LITTLE menu select one of the tunes: Twinkle, Morning steps or Ode to Joy. Tap ▶ Listen to get the mandolin to play it back and tap it again to turn it off. Use the Tempo slider (40-180) to adjust the pace.
Tap the ◇ Game mode icon. The green note panel will appear; the next note flashes green on the pads, and the boxes that say NEXT and play now show what is coming up along with the matching keyboard letter. As long as you hit the correct note, game mode waits for you then continues when you do and displays a counter showing where you are at. Once you’ve played through the tune, you’ll see the Lovely. Play it again? message. Tap Game mode any time you’d like to exit.
The ● Record button records whatever you’re playing directly from the instrument, without using a mic. Tap this when it says ■ Finish take, and there’s a Save take link to save your recording.
To explore the virtual mandolin in more detail click on ↻ Rotate 3D. You can then zoom in/out by pinching/scrolling and rotate the instrument by dragging in the empty area surrounding the model. Clicking on the ⌂ button resets you back to the original view. Toggling Rotate 3D off will also do this.
Beginners should of choose the four courses running from G3 upwards to E5. Select the Natural preset. Use the number keys for the C, F and G chords (1, 4 and 5). Engage Tremolo and set Pick speed to 8. Listen to your chord shimmer away. Once comfortabley with this, play Ode to Joy in Game mode, slowly.
