What this site is
ToolShore Music is the music section of ToolShore, a collection of free online tools. It has 15 instruments and music tools that you can play with a mouse, a touch screen or your computer keyboard: piano, organ, guitar, ukulele, violin, harmonica, flute, drums, xylophone, kalimba, a synthesizer, a theremin, a music maker, a metronome and an instrument tuner.
Each instrument has its own page with the instrument at the top, short instructions, and an article that explains how the real instrument works and how to get the most from the online version.
How the sounds are made
Every sound on this site is generated in your browser using the Web Audio system. The pages do not download recordings or audio files. A plucked string, a struck bar or a bowed note is built from simple waves, noise and filters that imitate the way the real instrument behaves.
This approach keeps pages small and fast, and it lets the instruments respond instantly to your touch. It also means the sounds are imitations. They are good for learning, sketching ideas and having fun, but they do not match the sound of any particular real instrument, and each page says so.
What it does and does not do
- It runs in current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge, on computers, phones and tablets.
- It works without an account, and it does not ask you to sign up.
- Your playing is not recorded or stored. The tuner uses your microphone only after you press its button, and the audio is analyzed on your device and is not uploaded.
- It is not a replacement for a real instrument or for lessons. Touch screens and keyboards cannot copy the feel of a real instrument.
- Sound quality and timing depend on your browser, device and speakers or headphones.
Accessibility
The instruments are built so they can be used without a mouse. Keys, strings and pads can be reached with the Tab and arrow keys and played with Enter or Space. Controls have text labels and visible focus outlines. Making music is visual and physical by nature, so some parts are harder to use with assistive technology than ordinary text. If you find a barrier, please tell us on the contact page.
The instruments
Keyboard Instruments
- Virtual Piano: Multi-octave piano with sustain and keyboard shortcuts.
- Online Organ: Sustained organ tones with selectable stops.
String Instruments
- Virtual Guitar: Six strings, chord buttons and keyboard strumming.
- Virtual Ukulele: Four strings in GCEA tuning with simple chords.
- Virtual Violin: Bowed-style tone with a sliding fingerboard.
Wind Instruments
- Virtual Harmonica: Ten holes with blow and draw notes in C.
- Virtual Flute: Breathy sustained notes with vibrato control.
Percussion Instruments
- Virtual Drum Kit: Full kit with keyboard shortcuts and a built-in beat.
- Virtual Xylophone: Colored bars tuned to a major scale.
- Virtual Kalimba: Seventeen tines tuned to C major.
Music Creation Tools
- Online Synthesizer: Four waveforms, filter and envelope controls.
- Virtual Theremin: Glide pitch and volume with a pointer or finger.
- Online Music Maker: Step sequencer with several tracks and WAV export.
Music Utilities
- Online Metronome: Tempo, time signatures, subdivisions and tap tempo.
- Online Instrument Tuner: Microphone pitch tuner with cents readout.
Advertising and privacy
The site may show advertising to cover its running costs. Read the privacy policy for how cookies, ads and your data are handled, and the terms of use for the rules for using the site.