Online Harp — Play a Free Harp

What is a harp?

A harp is a stringed instrument with strings stretched perpendicular to its soundboard, plucked with the fingers rather than struck or bowed. A full concert harp has forty-seven strings spanning more than six octaves, and a pedal mechanism that lets the player change the pitch of every string in a given pitch class at once — so a harpist can move smoothly through any key without retuning. Plucked strings produce a clear, pure tone with a long, shimmering decay.

The online harp here uses a real sampled orchestral harp — General MIDI program 46 — so every note has the same long ring, the same gentle plucked attack and the same liquid fade as a physical instrument.

What does a harp sound like?

A harp sounds luminous and shimmering, with a long, singing decay. A single plucked note swells gently at the attack and then fades over several seconds, leaving a trail of overtones that gives the instrument its characteristic glow. That long sustain makes the harp the natural home of two techniques in particular: the glissando — a sweep across many strings — and the arpeggio, where the notes of a chord are plucked one after another so they overlap and ring together.

This makes the harp ideal for flowing, lyrical passages, for film-score textures and for the kind of slow, emotional melody that benefits from letting each note breathe. Try the chords page: arpeggiate any chord here and it instantly takes on a harp-like, cinematic quality.

Why play a harp online?

A concert harp is among the most imposing instruments to own — tall, heavy, expensive, and requiring years of technique to play cleanly. An online harp makes that sound reachable to anyone with a browser:

• Play any melody or arpeggio without buying or learning a physical harp.
• Shift the register with Octave and Transpose to reach the harp's warm, singing range.
• Hold Space as a sustain pedal to let the long harp decay ring on even further.
• Record what you play and download it as an MP3, all inside your browser.

It opens instantly — no install, no sign-up. The about page explains how the sound is produced.

How to play the harp on your keyboard

Play the harp with your mouse, your touchscreen, or your computer keyboard. Middle C (C4) sits under the M key, and the surrounding notes fan out from there. Because the harp's long decay is its signature, hold Space while you play to let each note ring into the next — that is how you get the flowing, cascading sound a harp is loved for. The highlighted keys below outline a rising arpeggio; press Play notes to hear it ring, then build your own.

Songs and scales that suit the harp

The harp is at its best on flowing melodies and broken chords. Try Canon in D — its rolling arpeggios were practically written for the instrument — or Für Elise, and explore the major scales and minor scales that give you the raw material for your own arpeggios. Every scale is highlighted on the same keyboard.

The other six instruments

The harp is one of seven real instruments here, all sharing one keyboard. For a different mood, head back to the online piano and try the Music Box for a delicate, fast-decaying tone or the Marimba for a warm, woody one — plus the piano, Rhodes, organ and synth.

Frequently asked questions