Toy piano
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Songs and sounds
You played
♪
Play anything you like, or pick a song.
For grown-ups: the sound stays below a safe level. Check the device volume before handing it over.
Big colourful keys with toy piano, xylophone and marimba sounds, and songs where the next key lights up.
How to use
- Press the coloured keys with a finger or the mouse. Several fingers can play at once.
- Pick a song under Play along. The key to press next lights up and waits until it is pressed.
- Change the sound to a xylophone or a marimba, or turn the letters and colours off.
- Use full screen for bigger keys.
How it works
Every key makes a sound of its own height, called a pitch. Keys to the right sound higher. Going from one C to the next C, the sound gets twice as fast: it is one octave higher. The letters on the keys are the names of the notes; in Finnish and German the note B is called H.
A toy piano has small metal rods that a hammer strikes, and a xylophone has wooden bars. A struck rod or bar shakes in several ways at once: one slow shake gives the note, and faster ones add a bright click that fades quickly. The sounds here are made the same way, from a few pure tones that fade.
The songs are old ones that belong to everybody: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” uses a French tune printed in 1761, “Frère Jacques” is a traditional round, and “Little bunny in the hollow” (“Häschen in der Grube”) is a German folk song. Only the tunes are here, one key press for each note.
Frequently asked questions
Does my child need to read to play along?
No. The next key lights up and the song waits for it. Letters and colours on the keys are only extra help.
Why is there no sound on a phone?
Check the volume and the silent switch. The sound starts with the first key press; some phones play no sound in silent mode.
What happens if a wrong key is pressed?
It simply plays. The song keeps waiting for the lit key, so there is nothing to get wrong.
Can my child play without following a song?
Yes. The keys can be played freely; a song is optional.
Do the different sounds change the notes?
No. Toy piano, xylophone and marimba change the sound’s character, while each key keeps the same pitch.
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