Free
Online Harpsichord
This free online harpsichord puts five octaves of plucked strings in your browser: 61 keys, played from 31 recordings of a real harpsichord. Click, tap or type to play harpsichord online, or plug in a MIDI keyboard. Like the instrument it copies, the virtual harpsichord sounds every note at one volume. A harpsichord online with nothing to install and no account.
- 61keys
- Computer keyboard or MIDI
- Free, no signup
Play the Harpsichord Online
Tap a key or press a letter to start. Note names and the octave window are in the bar above.
Tap a key or type a letter to play
Computer keys on
Harpsichord Simulator
What makes it feel like a harpsichord: an even pluck on every key and a quick stop when you let go.
61 keys from a sampled harpsichord
Thirty-one notes a whole tone apart were recorded from a real harpsichord, and each key between two of them plays its lower neighbour raised a semitone.
Play the harpsichord-
One volume for every note
A plectrum plucks with the same force however hard you press, so every key plays at one level.
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A damper on every key
Hold a key and the note rings until it fades. Let go and the damper stops it. There is no pedal.
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Note names on the keys
Show letter names, solfège or computer keys, or hide the labels.
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Octave window for your computer keyboard
Your letters reach most keys at once; the octave control slides down to the lowest bass notes.
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Recording
Record a take and hear it back at once, timed exactly as you played it.
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MIDI keyboard input
Plug in a USB MIDI keyboard and play from real keys in Chrome or Edge.
Play the Harpsichord on Your Computer Keyboard
Computer keyboard to harpsichord key map
Each row is one octave: white keys first, then the Shift keys for the sharps. By default the letters cover C2 to F6; shift the octave down to reach F1 to B1.
- C2 – B2
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 · ! @ $ % ^
- C3 – B3
- 8 9 0 q w e r · * ( Q W E
- C4 – B4
- t y u i o p a · T Y I O P
- C5 – B5
- s d f g h j k · S D G H J
- C6 – F6
- l z x c · L Z
How to Play the Harpsichord
FF to f‴ in the old note names means F1 to F6: five octaves, a common harpsichord compass.
- Find C4. Turn on note names: in the default window, C4 sits on the letter t.
- Release on time. A plucked note cannot swell, so lift each key just as the next one goes down.
- Accent with timing. Pressing harder changes nothing; hold a note slightly longer to stress it.
Harpsichord Sounds and Voices
What you hear, and what happens between your key and the string.
Harpsichord
The single stop of a sampled harpsichord, recorded note by note: the bright, plucked tone of baroque harpsichord music. The recorded instrument has no other stop, so there is one sound.
- Range
- F1–F6
- Samples
- 31
- Touch
- Same at any strength, as on the real instrument
How a harpsichord makes its sound
A key lifts a wooden jack, and the plectrum on the jack plucks the string. Release the key and the jack falls back while a felt damper stops the string. Italians call the instrument cembalo or clavicembalo; in French it is the clavecin.
How the sound engine works
Each key plays the nearest of the 31 recordings through the Web Audio API, retuned a semitone where needed. Every note gets the same gain, a released key fades out in about 120 milliseconds, and timing runs on the audio clock.
Input
- Computer keyboard
- Letters play C2–F6; the octave control reaches F1–B1; Shift plays the sharps
- Mouse and touch
- Click, tap or slide across any of the 61 keys
- MIDI
- USB MIDI keyboards in Chrome and Edge; F1–F6, one fixed volume
Free Online Harpsichord — No Download, No Sign-Up
- Plays on your device The recordings load into your browser and every note is made there. No plug-in.
- Nothing uploaded What you play and record stays in this tab and never reaches our servers.
- No account No sign-up, email or trial. Open the page and the keyboard is ready.
Harpsichord FAQ
Is this online harpsichord free?
Yes. The whole harpsichord, recording and MIDI included, costs nothing: no account, no trial, no time limit. Ads on the page pay for it.
Can I play the harpsichord with my computer keyboard?
Yes. Letters play the white keys and Shift plus a letter plays the sharp above. By default the letters cover C2 to F6; move the octave window down to reach F1 to B1.
Can I connect a MIDI keyboard?
Yes, in Chrome or Edge, which support Web MIDI. Notes outside F1 to F6 are ignored, and so are velocity and pedal messages, because a real harpsichord has neither.
Why doesn't it get louder when I press harder?
Because a real harpsichord doesn't either. Its plectrum plucks the string with about the same force at any key speed, so every note here plays at one volume.
Is there a pedal to hold notes?
No, a harpsichord has none. Hold a key and its note rings until it fades naturally; release it and the damper stops the string within about 120 milliseconds.
How many keys does this harpsichord have?
61 keys on one keyboard, F1 to F6 (FF to f‴). It is a single-manual instrument; double-manual harpsichords add a second keyboard that plays another set of strings.
How does a harpsichord make its sound?
By plucking. Each key lifts a jack whose plectrum, traditionally cut from a quill, plucks the string. When the key returns, the jack drops and a felt damper stops the vibration.
Which harpsichord sounds can I choose?
One for now: the single stop of the sampled instrument. The recorded harpsichord has no other stop, so there is no register switching and no second voice.
Is a harpsichord the same as a piano?
No. A harpsichord plucks its strings; a piano strikes them with hammers, so only the piano gets louder with a firmer touch. For hammered strings, try the virtual piano.
Do I need to download or install anything?
No. The harpsichord opens in any modern browser on a computer, tablet or phone, and the recordings load with the page. There is no app to install.