Importance and Utility of Digital Piano

A digital piano is an electronic musical instrument that replicates the sound and feel of a traditional acoustic piano. It offers several advantages over its acoustic counterpart, such as the ability to play silently with headphones, built-in speakers for amplification, and the option to connect to external devices for recording and music production purposes. The use of Arduino in building a digital piano allows for customization, flexibility, and the integration of additional features.

Project: Creating a Digital Piano with Arduino

In this project, we will build a digital piano using Arduino. The main objectives of this project are to replicate the sound and key response of a traditional piano, provide a user-friendly interface, and enable MIDI connectivity for recording and music production purposes. The digital piano will consist of a keyboard, sound generation module, and user interface.

List of Components:

• Arduino Uno (1x): Link to purchase
• Piezo Buzzer (1x): Link to purchase
• Push Buttons (12x): Link to purchase
• LCD Display (1x): Link to purchase
• Potentiometer (1x): Link to purchase
• Breadboard (1x): Link to purchase
• Jumper Wires (Assorted): Link to purchase

Examples:

Example 1: Playing a Note

#include <MIDI.h>

int piezoPin = 9;

void setup() {
  MIDI.begin();
}

void loop() {
  int note = MIDI.read();

  if (note != -1) {
    tone(piezoPin, note);
    delay(500);
    noTone(piezoPin);
  }
}

In this example, we use the MIDI library to read incoming note values. When a note is received, the Arduino plays the corresponding frequency on the piezo buzzer for 500 milliseconds.

Example 2: Displaying Note Information on LCD

#include <MIDI.h>
#include <LiquidCrystal_I2C.h>

LiquidCrystal_I2C lcd(0x27, 16, 2);
int piezoPin = 9;

void setup() {
  MIDI.begin();
  lcd.begin(16, 2);
  lcd.print("Digital Piano");
}

void loop() {
  int note = MIDI.read();

  if (note != -1) {
    tone(piezoPin, note);
    lcd.clear();
    lcd.setCursor(0, 0);
    lcd.print("Note: ");
    lcd.print(note);
    delay(500);
    noTone(piezoPin);
  }
}

In this example, we add an LCD display to the digital piano. The display shows the currently played note, providing visual feedback to the user.