Last week we transcribed part of The Weeknd’s “The Hills.” When you transcribe by ear, one of the big steps is matching the note you hear to its actual name (e.g., C, F♯, E♭). You hummed a note, found that note on your instrument, then moved on to the next one. But here’s the problem. You don’t always have an instrument with you. Though there are loads of online pianos around, many people don’t actually play piano! So, unless you’re transcribing a song in C (that’s all the white keys on the piano), it’s more difficult than it needs to be.

We wanted an easy way to help you transcribe—something web-based, simple to use, and not designed with a specific instrument in mind. So we built it! It’s like an online piano without the piano… a keyboard without those keys… we call it NoteBoard. It’s a super-simple online instrument, perfect for learning to transcribe by ear. Just click on the notes and they’ll play, or use a few easy keyboard shortcuts. Ready to give it a try?

Play NoteBoard