Virtual Piano

About the Virtual Piano & Musical Synthesis

The HayaBoost Virtual Piano is a full-featured, zero-latency Web Audio instrument and numbered musical notation (Jianpu / 简谱) workstation designed for musicians, students, educators, and developers. It features 37 chromatic keys spanning three full octaves (C3 to C6 / MIDI notes 48 to 84), multiple synthesized instrument models, real-time waveform visualization, interactive keybinding mapping, and an automatic number melody sequencer.

How Web Audio Synthesis Works

Unlike conventional web pianos that rely on heavy, pre-recorded audio sample files (which suffer from slow download times and click artifacts), this virtual piano synthesizes sound waves in real time via the browser's native Web Audio API (AudioContext):

• Grand Piano: Combines a primary sine wave oscillator with secondary triangle and sawtooth harmonics, shaped through an exponential decay gain envelope (ADSR) to mimic the percussive hammer strike and resonant acoustic decay of physical piano strings.
• Electric Piano (Rhodes Style): Employs dual harmonic oscillators with a subtle low-pass biquad filter and bell-like attack transient, recreating vintage analog tine resonance.
• Music Box / Celesta: Uses high-frequency pure sine tones with rapid decay and resonant overtones, creating a bright metallic chime.
• 8-Bit Retro Synth: Utilizes clean square waves with fast release curves reminiscent of classic 1980s gaming sound chips (such as the NES 2A03 and Game Boy PAPU).

The Mathematical Physics of Equal Temperament Tuning

Modern Western music utilizes the 12-tone Equal Temperament (12-TET) tuning system. In this system, the frequency ratio between each adjacent semitone is exactly the twelfth root of two: \( \sqrt[12]{2} \approx 1.059463 \).

Using standard concert pitch where the tuning reference note A4 is calibrated to \( 440\,\text{Hz} \), the fundamental frequency \( f \) of any MIDI key number \( n \) is computed dynamically using the formula:

f(n) = 440 × 2^{(n - 69) / 12}

For instance, Middle C (C4, MIDI key 60) evaluates to \( 440 \times 2^{-9/12} \approx 261.63\,\text{Hz} \), while High C (C5, MIDI key 72) equals \( 523.25\,\text{Hz} \), precisely double the frequency of Middle C.

Numbered Musical Notation (Jianpu / 简谱) Quick Guide

Numbered musical notation is one of the most widely used musical transcription systems across Asia and music education. Instead of five-line staves, pitches in a major scale are represented by Arabic numerals 1 through 7:

• Higher Octave: Indicated by a dot above the digit (e.g., 1̇) or numerals 8, 9, 0 (or prefix +1). Play with 8, 9, 0 or Q-].
• Lower Octave: Indicated by a dot below the digit (e.g., 1̣, 5̣) or suffix dot (e.g., 5.). Play with Z-M.
• Sustained Beats: Represented by hyphens (-) or spaces, extending the duration of the preceding note.
• Accidentals (Sharps): Notated with # (e.g., #1, #4), triggering the corresponding black piano key.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)