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Simple keyboard using the tone() function

A three-key musical keyboard using force sensors and a piezo speaker.

Last revision 09/02/2022

This example shows how to use the tone() command to generate different pitches depending on which sensor is pressed.

Hardware Required

  • Arduino Board

  • 8 ohm speaker

  • 3 force sensing resistors

  • 3 10k ohm resistors

  • 100 ohm resistor

  • hook-up wires

  • breadboard

Circuit

Connect one terminal of your speaker to digital pin 8 through a 100 ohm resistor, and its other terminal to ground.

Power your three FSRs (or any other analog sensor) with 5V in parallel. Connect each sensor to analog pins 0-2, using a 10K resistor as a reference to groud on each input line.

circuit

Schematic

schematic

Code

The sketch below reads three analog sensors. Each corresponds to a note value in an array of notes. If any of the sensors is above a given threshold, the corresponding note is played.

Here's the main sketch:

The sketch uses an extra file, pitches.h. This file contains all the pitch values for typical notes. For example, NOTE_C4 is middle C. NOTE_FS4 is F sharp, and so forth. This note table was originally written by Brett Hagman, on whose work the tone() command was based. You may find it useful for whenever you want to make musical notes.

To make the pitches.h file, either click on the button just below the serial monitor icon and choose "New Tab", or use Ctrl+Shift+N.

Then paste in the following code:

1/*************************************************
2

3 * Public Constants
4

5 *************************************************/
6

7#define NOTE_B0  31
8#define NOTE_C1  33
9#define NOTE_CS1 35
10#define NOTE_D1  37
11#define NOTE_DS1 39
12#define NOTE_E1  41
13#define NOTE_F1  44
14#define NOTE_FS1 46
15#define NOTE_G1  49
16#define NOTE_GS1 52
17#define NOTE_A1  55
18#define NOTE_AS1 58
19#define NOTE_B1  62
20#define NOTE_C2  65
21#define NOTE_CS2 69
22#define NOTE_D2  73
23#define NOTE_DS2 78
24#define NOTE_E2  82
25#define NOTE_F2  87
26#define NOTE_FS2 93
27#define NOTE_G2  98
28#define NOTE_GS2 104
29#define NOTE_A2  110
30#define NOTE_AS2 117
31#define NOTE_B2  123
32#define NOTE_C3  131
33#define NOTE_CS3 139
34#define NOTE_D3  147
35#define NOTE_DS3 156
36#define NOTE_E3  165
37#define NOTE_F3  175
38#define NOTE_FS3 185
39#define NOTE_G3  196
40#define NOTE_GS3 208
41#define NOTE_A3  220
42#define NOTE_AS3 233
43#define NOTE_B3  247
44#define NOTE_C4  262
45#define NOTE_CS4 277
46#define NOTE_D4  294
47#define NOTE_DS4 311
48#define NOTE_E4  330
49#define NOTE_F4  349
50#define NOTE_FS4 370
51#define NOTE_G4  392
52#define NOTE_GS4 415
53#define NOTE_A4  440
54#define NOTE_AS4 466
55#define NOTE_B4  494
56#define NOTE_C5  523
57#define NOTE_CS5 554
58#define NOTE_D5  587
59#define NOTE_DS5 622
60#define NOTE_E5  659
61#define NOTE_F5  698
62#define NOTE_FS5 740
63#define NOTE_G5  784
64#define NOTE_GS5 831
65#define NOTE_A5  880
66#define NOTE_AS5 932
67#define NOTE_B5  988
68#define NOTE_C6  1047
69#define NOTE_CS6 1109
70#define NOTE_D6  1175
71#define NOTE_DS6 1245
72#define NOTE_E6  1319
73#define NOTE_F6  1397
74#define NOTE_FS6 1480
75#define NOTE_G6  1568
76#define NOTE_GS6 1661
77#define NOTE_A6  1760
78#define NOTE_AS6 1865
79#define NOTE_B6  1976
80#define NOTE_C7  2093
81#define NOTE_CS7 2217
82#define NOTE_D7  2349
83#define NOTE_DS7 2489
84#define NOTE_E7  2637
85#define NOTE_F7  2794
86#define NOTE_FS7 2960
87#define NOTE_G7  3136
88#define NOTE_GS7 3322
89#define NOTE_A7  3520
90#define NOTE_AS7 3729
91#define NOTE_B7  3951
92#define NOTE_C8  4186
93#define NOTE_CS8 4435
94#define NOTE_D8  4699
95#define NOTE_DS8 4978

Learn more

You can find more basic tutorials in the built-in examples section.

You can also explore the language reference, a detailed collection of the Arduino programming language.

Last revision 2015/08/11 by SM

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