Virtual Flute (Recorder) Online
This virtual flute is a keyboard with the sound of a soprano recorder, the flute most people first learn at school. It has 27 fixed keys, from C5 to D7, the same range as the instrument, all on screen at once with no octave switching. A note sounds for as long as you hold the key and stops when you let go, like the end of a breath, and a gentle vibrato comes in after the attack.
How to use it
- Tap the keys with your fingers or click them with the mouse. A note keeps sounding for as long as you hold the key, and you can play several at once.
- On a computer, Z X C V B N M play C D E F G A B from C5, and Q W E R T Y U I O go from C6 to D7. The sharps sit on the row above each one: S D G H J and 2 3 5 6 7 9.
- Under Key labels, show note names (C D E or Do Re Mi), computer keyboard shortcuts or no labels at all, so you can play from memory.
- Tap Record, play, then tap again to stop. Then use Play, ↓ MIDI, ↓ WAV or Share.
- On a phone, tap Full screen (if your browser allows it) and turn the phone sideways: the keys get wider and easier to hit.
Help and explanations
The sound is synthesized on your device by adding harmonics and a little breath noise. It is not a recording of a real flute, and you don't blow into the microphone: you play it on the keys. Use it to work out a tune by ear before music class, hear how a melody on the page should sound, or play a duet. Anything you play can be recorded, downloaded as MIDI or WAV and shared with a link.
Easy songs to play on the virtual flute
These public domain tunes fit in the first octave and use only white keys. The computer keys are in brackets.
Hot Cross Buns: B A G, B A G, G G G G A A A A, B A G (M N B, M N B, B B B B N N N N, M N B).
Mary Had a Little Lamb: E D C D E E E, D D D, E G G (C X Z X C C C, X X X, C B B).
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: C C G G A A G, F F E E D D C (Z Z B B N N B, V V C C X X Z).
Virtual flute and a real recorder
Soprano recorder music is written an octave lower than it sounds. That is why the recorder's low C, with every hole covered, shows up here as C5, and the top D of the fingering chart as D7. The note names match your sheet music; only the octave number changes.
This page doesn't show which holes to cover. For that, open the recorder fingering chart, with Baroque and German systems, and check your instrument with the recorder tuner. If you play the concert flute, the flute fingering chart is the one you want.
Tips
- Before you pick up your recorder, play the song here with note names showing: you memorize the order of the notes first and then only have to think about fingerings.
- In Settings, Chord or scale lights up the keys of a scale and Listen plays it for you. The C major scale, from C5 to C6, is the first one most recorder players learn.
- Start slowly with the metronome and raise the tempo a little at a time.
- For a duet, one person plays the melody here and the other accompanies on the online piano.
Frequently asked questions
How do I play the virtual flute with my computer keyboard?
Z X C V B N M play C5 to B5, and Q W E R T Y U I O play C6 to D7. The sharps are on S D G H J and 2 3 5 6 7 9. Esc releases every note. It works by key position, so the same physical keys work whatever your keyboard layout.
Do I have to blow into the microphone?
No. You play the virtual flute on the keys, like a keyboard with a flute sound. The microphone is only used, if you want, in Challenge: play the note, to check a note you play on a real recorder.
Is it a real recorder sound?
It's a sound synthesized on your device, not a recording: the harmonics of a soprano recorder, a little breath and a light vibrato. The MIDI file uses the General MIDI Recorder instrument, so it opens with that sound in MuseScore or your music app.
Can I practice with my own recorder?
Yes. Open Challenge: play the note, turn on the microphone and play the note the site asks for on your recorder: it recognizes the note by its sound, on your device, without recording.
Is it free? Do I need to install anything?
It's free and runs in the browser on phones, tablets and computers, with no sign-up and nothing to install.