PAPIANO
Do I need an account to play Solo Piano?
No. Solo Piano works immediately with phone touch, your computer's QWERTY keyboard, or a MIDI controller — no sign-in required. Online features such as Multiplayer, chat, quests, and the leaderboard need a signed-in profile.
Why is there no sound when I first open the page?
Every mode streams its instrument (SoundFont) before it can play — wait for loading to finish, then press a key. If the page has been open silently for a while, browsers can also block audio until you interact with the page once; a single tap or click anywhere unlocks it.
How many keys does the piano have?
Always a full 88 keys, A0 to C8, no matter how it looks on screen. Visible Keys in the Piano panel (34 / 56 / 88 presets, or a custom width from 3 to 52 white keys via the −/+ stepper and Apply button) only changes how much of that range is shown at once — it never removes notes from what you can reach.
How do I reach octaves that are off-screen?
Drag or swipe left/right anywhere below the keybed to pan across the rest of the range, with momentum and a snap to the nearest white key. There's no separate octave-shift button — panning is how you get there.
Can I use a MIDI keyboard?
Yes. Web MIDI is a desktop-browser feature — use Chrome or Edge. Connect any MIDI controller and Papiano detects it automatically, with real velocity and sustain-pedal support. Plugging in before or after pressing the MIDI button both work, since hot-plugged devices are watched for.
Can I change the key or practice with a beat?
Yes. The +/− control in the toolbar transposes the whole keyboard, and the Metronome tool gives you a steady beat with adjustable tempo while you practice.
What instrument sounds are available?
23 built-in instruments across four categories: Piano (Concert Grand — the default — Yamaha Grand, Bright Grand, Soft Piano, Rhodes EP, Harpsichord), String (Violin, Cello, Strings, Slow Strings, Pizzicato), Orchestra (French Horns, Trumpet, Trombone, Flute, Timpani), and Other (guitars, bass, mallets, choir, organ). Switch anytime from the SoundFont menu, or upload your own .sf2 file under Custom SF2.
Can I layer two instruments?
Yes. Layer sounds a second instrument alongside the main one — for example strings sitting quietly under a piano. Layer Range (a dual-handle 1–88 slider) restricts where the second instrument sounds, such as only under your left hand.
Can I load my own SoundFont?
Yes. Under Custom SF2, upload any .sf2 file. Papiano lists every preset inside it almost instantly — even for files hundreds of megabytes large — and only decodes the real audio once you pick a preset, keeping the file's own loop points so sustained notes ring cleanly.
What do the falling notes actually show?
With no song loaded, they work in reverse from the name: the instant you press a key, a colored bar spawns at the strike line and grows upward for as long as you hold the note. Release, and it floats off the top of the screen. A bar's final height is a record of how long you held that note.
The app feels heavy on my phone — what should I try?
Switch Graphics Quality to Potato first — it's the single biggest performance lever. Then turn down or off Particles and Key Light glow, lower Reverb if audio feels sluggish, and keep any background-image Blur modest on older phones.
How do I keep my setup between sessions?
Press Save My Preset before experimenting, and Load My Preset to get back. Only Chord Detector mode and Auto Velocity remember themselves automatically — and Visible Keys resets to the full 88 on a fresh load unless it was saved in a preset.