Music Games

Music games let you play instruments with the mouse or the keyboard, follow a rhythm or hit notes in time. There are about 80, with pianos, drums, guitars and rhythm challenges like Friday Night Funkin. They're free and open in your browser with nothing to download.

What you'll find

• Pianos: Real Piano Online, Online Piano, Piano Kids or Talking Tom Piano Time.
• Drums and guitar: Virtual Drums, Drummer, Sue Drumming Game or Guitar Master.
• Following the rhythm: Magic Piano Tiles, Do not Tap, FNF Music 3D or Friday Night Funkin Music Note.
• For the youngest: Instruments for Kids and Mario Song.
• With characters: Gorillaz Groove Session, Talking Tom Piano Time or Totally Spies Dance.

Free play or following the rhythm

There are two ways to play. With virtual instruments, like Real Piano Online or Virtual Drums, you press keys on your keyboard or click and the note sounds: they're good for trying things out with no pressure. In rhythm games, like Magic Piano Tiles or the Friday Night Funkin ones, the game tells you when to press and scores you for being on time. The first kind is calmer; the second asks for reflexes.

For parents

This is a good section for those times when kids want to make noise with some purpose. For the little ones, a virtual piano or drum kit lets them experiment with no rules, and Instruments for Kids or Piano Kids are made for them. Rhythm games get frustrating fast if they don't match the child's age, so begin with the slow ones. If they have headphones, even better: they get their music and nobody else has to hear it.

Tips

In note-pressing games, don't look at the note you just played: keep your eyes on the next one. And if you want to play freely, the online piano is the easiest place to start. On the drums, learn where each sound is before you try to go fast.

It's normal to miss a lot at first in rhythm games, because they move faster than they look. Repeat the same song a few times: the notes stick in your memory, and by the third or fourth run you don't need to read each one.