Chrome Music Lab - Song Maker Tutorial | Piano Letter Notes

Chrome's Song Maker is growing in popularity, so i decided to make a tutorial on how to use the letter notes, posted on this website, to create songs in Chrome Music Lab - Song Maker.
I will try to keep it as brief and simple as i can, if you don't understand something please leave a comment and i'll try to explain better that part.

How are the letter notes formatted here?

First, let's learn a bit about how the songs are written here, and what are the "Octaves".
An average piano / keyboard has keys for 4-5 octaves, as you can see in the picture above. Octaves 4, 5 and sometimes 6 are use to make the melody in a song. Octaves 1, 2, 3 are used to make the bass in a song.

The songs listed here are formatted like this (it's for Megalovania):

RH:5|--d---------------d-------|
RH:4|dd--a--G-g-f-dfgcc--a--G-g|

RH:5|--------d---------------d-|
RH:4|-f-dfg----a--G-g-f-dfg----|
LH:3|------bb--------------AA--|


The numbers in front of each line represent the Octave. RH and LH, means "right hand" and "left hand", it's helpful for people who play the songs on pianos, so in Song Maker you can ignore them.

One dash (-) between notes represent an empty space in Song Maker

1. The Song Maker settings.

You need to set the Scale to "Chromatic", to have all 12 notes on each octave. Also set the Range to "3 octaves" (you can only use 3 octaves at a time in Song Maker, but some songs posted here use more, in that case make only the high octaves (4, 5, 6) in Song Maker, it should sound ok)

With the Start on option you can choose what octaves to use for a song:
  • Low - you have octaves 2, 3, 4
  • Middle - you have octaves 3, 4, 5
  • High - you have octaves 4, 5, 6
For most songs Middle setting is what you'll need, for some of them that reach notes from Octave 6 you need to use High. The Low setting you may never use...

2.  How to use the letter notes in Song Maker

Now that you know about octaves, you need to know where each letter note needs to go. The picture above shows you exactly where each note goes.

Here's also a close-up with the letters

3. Example song

Here's an example of how a Megalovania looks in Song Maker.

4. Alternatives

If you want a more complex alternative to Chrome Music Lab you can try Signal. It is very similar to Song Maker but it has all the octaves and it let's you download the songs too.

86 Comments

Are the letter notes posted on this page wrong? Are they too hard or you know how to improve them? Leave a comment with your opinion.

  1. make a harder version of fortnite og theme pls. or longer version

    ReplyDelete
  2. tutorial for onlinesequencer.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's pretty straight forward, i guess you can figure it out on your own. But I'll do a tutorial for it too in a couple of days.

      Delete
  3. can you do the fc barcelona anthem?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi! This might have a simple answer, but I was wondering why I don't have any black key notes on my song maker? For instance, the blue bar skips the purple bar and goes to the magenta bar. Do you know why?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's in the guide. Go to Settings and set Scale to Chromatic. Also set Range to 3 Octave.

      Delete
  5. ive noticed that i only can have 3 octaves at a time when most songs have more then 3. some have all 7 in and ive seen a song with 8 and i was wondering how i could make that in chrome music labs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You technically have 6 octaves, but not at the same time.
      Low:2,3,4 octaves
      Middle:3,4,5 octaves
      High:4,5,6 octaves

      Delete
  6. you can't. only thing you can do is make only the lines that start with RH:, this are the notes for the melody, LH are the notes for bass. Most songs will sound decent even if you cut out the bass parts.

    ReplyDelete
  7. can someone make John Denver take me home country roads for me

    ReplyDelete
  8. can you give me the link to the song in chrome music lab please?

    ReplyDelete
  9. can you do old town road

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sorry if this is a dumb question, is there a way to sustain notes? Like, instead of multiple in a row going, "Ding, ding, ding," it goes, "Diiiiiiiing,"?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. don't think there's any way to do that, at least i'm not able to find any setting for that in Song Maker

      Delete
  11. I'm confused... which note is a b flat???

    ReplyDelete
  12. can you make you spin me right round by dead or alive?

    ReplyDelete
  13. On the Bonetrousle with the chrome music lab... I don't understand it tho....

    ReplyDelete
  14. may you please do sono chi no sadame for chrome music lab?

    ReplyDelete
  15. can you make fnaf 4 i got no time

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi! Could you please do everything I wanted by Billie Eilish? Thanks, appreciate it!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hewwo! Can you please do Alone by Alan Walker? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm not sure if it said this on here, but I realized that it makes it a lot easier to use the music keys on this site if you make the "Split beats into" section in settings 4.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I dont get this is does not make sens

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. read the guide carefully, you will get it for sure

      Delete
  20. It seems you can only review a song by starting at the very beginning...every time. Is there a way to start reviewing/listening to a song somewhere other than the beginning.

    ReplyDelete
  21. hey put the full megalovania song played in chrome music lab

    ReplyDelete
  22. can you do the ninjago theme song or Weekend Whip by The Fold

    ReplyDelete
  23. how do you get inside chrome music lab

    ReplyDelete
  24. how to play Darkside?

    ReplyDelete
  25. That example is not correct the first two notes should be D not D#.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I can't use 3 octaves when I'm on the high setting thing, does anyone know why this is happening?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Can you please add Naruto Shippuden opening 10

    ReplyDelete
  28. do megaloglamour plz

    ReplyDelete
  29. on in the hall of the moutain king there is a one octave is that low middle or high?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lower than low :), you can't play that octave in chrome music lab

      Delete
  30. can you do join us for a bite on it?

    ReplyDelete
  31. how do you do more than three octaves

    ReplyDelete
  32. please do among us background music? thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  33. https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Song-Maker/song/5157742828847104

    ReplyDelete
  34. hi so mine doesn't have blue so the song above sounds ok but I'm not sure if I should have blue or its meant to be dark green thanks

    ReplyDelete
  35. umm i was wondering how to do sharps and flats on it

    ReplyDelete
  36. What are the areas for the notes?

    ReplyDelete
  37. How should I make “The reason why” by Ayasa on chrome music lab

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. try this notes:
      https://pianoletternotes.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-reason-why-by-ayasa-easy-version.html

      You may need to shift the whole song one octave lower to make it fit in chrome music lab

      Delete
  38. hall of fame please

    ReplyDelete
  39. Is there a way to use Indian scale on this?

    ReplyDelete
  40. can u add letter to my 13 year old self by laufey?? i want both easy and medium ver :)

    ReplyDelete
Post a Comment