How to Practice an Acoustic Piano Online (Microphone Setup)

Got an acoustic piano with no MIDI port? You can still get live grading — Super Simple Piano's microphone mode listens through your phone or laptop and grades every note you play.

How mic mode works on an acoustic

Tap the 🎤 Mic button in the floating panel. Allow microphone access when the browser asks. The badge flips to 🟢 Performance mode:

The song's audio is muted so we only pick up your real piano. As you play, pitch detection identifies each note and grades it in real time — green for hit, gray for missed.

Mic placement that actually works

Phone — prop it on the music rest with the mic facing the soundboard. Most phones have surprisingly good mics.

Laptop / iPad — sit it on top of the upright, or on a stand 1–2 m from the piano. Built-in mics work; external USB mics are clearer.

Quiet room — close doors, mute notifications, no TV. Background noise hurts pitch detection more than mic quality does.

Recommended USB mics under $50

If the built-in mic struggles, a basic USB condenser punches well above its price for piano:

Samson Q2U

Audio-Technica ATR2100x

Fifine K669

Plug in over USB, select it as the input in your browser's mic picker, and mic mode jumps in accuracy.

Single-line vs chord accuracy

Mic mode is excellent for melody work. It's softer on chords because pitch detection on multi-note input is inherently fuzzier. Use Performance mode for melodies and switch to Waiting mode (the WAIT clock icon) when you want to learn a chord-heavy section note by note.

Browser support

Mic mode works in every browser, on every device — including iPhone, iPad, and Safari, which can't use MIDI. See the browser support chart.

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Real acoustic, no cable, live feedback. Try it on any song or read the full setup guide.