MiniKeys

A tiny javascript library that plays the piano. Try it out here!

To use MiniKeys in a React app, you can use components from @minikeys/react

Install

$ yarn add minikeys
# OR
$ npm install minikeys

Using MiniKeys

Basic Setup

First, instantiate a new instance of MiniKeys, then call loadNotes with a list of sample audio files. You can then call playNote with either the midi note value or the note name (A3, C#4 etc.)

const miniKeys = new MiniKeys();

miniKeys.loadNotes([
  {
    note: 'A#2',
    url: '/samples/a2.ogg
    velocity: 'piano'
  },
  {
    note: 'A#6',
    url: '/samples/a6.ogg
    velocity: 'piano'
  },
])

miniKeys.playNoteFromName('C#4')

MiniKeys works with any number of samples. When a note is played, MiniKeys finds the closest loaded sample and tunes it to the correct frequency.

Main Functions

loadNotes

loadNotes takes an array of Samples objects, where note is the name of the note and velocity is if the sample is a soft (piano) or hard (forte) sample.

{
    note: NoteName; // 'A4', 'C#3' etc.
    url: string;
    velocity: Velocity; // 'piano' or 'forte'
}[]

loadNotes returns a Promise that resolves when all notes are loaded or if there is an error. You can provide loadNotes with a callback function to handle progress updates.

playNoteFromMidi

playNoteFromMidi takes a midi note (0-127), and a velocity value (0-127). The sample closest to the midi value is chosen, and is pitch shifted to play the correct note. The volume and correct dynamic (piano or forte) is chosen based on the velocity.

playNoteFromName

This does the same as playNoteFromMidi, but with note names (A3, C#4 etc.)

setSustain

This function takes a boolean value and behaves the same as a sustain pedal on a piano. If it sustain is set to true notes are held (including already played notes), if sustain is set to false notes are faded out (including already played notes)

Keyboard Functions

Various functions are provided for interacting with MiniKeys through the keyboard. Full documentation is coming soon!

Finding Samples

Pianobook is a fantastic community project to provide free piano (and other instruments) samples. The samples used in the example are from a Steinway Concert Grand in Kristiansand, Norway. Thank you to Pete Malkin for sampling this lovely instrument!

TODO

• Function to play multiple notes
• Add more tests
• Look into replacing compressor
• New package for chords? @minikeys/chords?
• Custom labels for piano (for showing keyboard keys)