Play Along-Keyboard - ECE4760 Final Project

Elias Hanna, Matias Goldfeld, Marek Chmielewski

Introduction

Playing the piano is a skill that some take years of practice to master. Luckily, with our play-along keyboard you can start that journey right now. We have designed a tool to help people learn the piano while actively playing classic and recognizable tunes. We have embedded LEDs into a small keyboard and designed software to guide the user, note by note, through the songs they wish to learn. Our play along keyboard allows the user to select the song they wish to play and then enters the playing sequence. The LEDs on the correct keys will light up as the sheet music is displayed on the built in display. When the correct notes are pressed all together, the LEDs and the sheet music will progress. This process continues until the player has finished their selected song. This interface allows even those who have never played a piano before start playing and working through songs of their choice. Those who are more musically inclined can simply read the sheet music displayed and practice that way, making this play-along keyboard a good learning tool for a wide range of aspiring musicians.