Play the piano without a keyboard in Virtual Piano
Virtual Piano is a free application that allows users to play a virtual MIDI keyboard through their computer, either using an external MIDI device, playing the notes in-app or by playing predefined MIDI files. The app features a very simple to use interface that makes it accessible even to users who are not familiar with MIDI instruments.
The app performs the same sort of function as Electric Piano, and, though it’s a different instrument, EZ Drummer. It also features a number of programmable features for different sounds.
Though the app is called Virtual Piano, the “piano” part only refers to the input method that is displayed onscreen. A wide range of different instruments can be selected, with the keys of the virtual piano (or your MIDI input device) corresponding to notes on the selected instrument. These instruments are the typical selection of MIDI instruments, and the sound produced will differ depending on your system.
Full MIDI control
There are also some effects that can be applied, such as reverb, chorus, delay, and a pitch slider, enabling you to fine-tune the sound you get from your session. The app is lightweight in both storage usage and system resources, making it a viable option on practically any computer running today, even quite outdated ones.
Fun but limited
Virtual Piano is a fun tool to play with, and a good way to practice using different sounds if you have a MIDI keyboard to control it with, but the quality of sound produced by MIDI synthesisers is not good enough for professional music production. It should be noted that this is a limitation of MIDI sound, rather than the app itself.
Further adding to the fact that the Virtual Piano is not suitable for professional music production is the lack of a way to record your audio in-app. It would be possible to record the output in other software, of course, but there is no way to record the audio natively.
