Play For Me: Tutorial Guide
Learn how to use all features of the Play-For-Me tool to create music using hand gestures
Getting Started
Welcome to Play For Me!
Play For Me is an innovative tool that lets you create chord progressions with hand gestures. This tutorial will guide you through all its features, from basic setup to advanced recording options.
At its core, Play For Me lets you:
- Select chords with hand gestures through your webcam
- Choose from various chord patterns and rhythms
- Customize your performance with different instruments
- Record your musical creations and download them
Quick Start:
- Enable your camera
- Select a key, chord pattern, and rhythm
- Make a closed fist gesture over a chord cell
- Listen to the generated 8-chord progression
An overview of the Play For Me interface
Camera Setup & Gesture Control
Enabling Your Camera
The camera is essential for Play For Me to detect your hand gestures. Here's how to set it up:
- Enable Camera: Click the "Enable Camera" button in the Gesture Control section. Your browser will ask for permission to access your webcam.
- Position Yourself: Make sure there's good lighting and your hand is clearly visible in the frame.
- Test Hand Detection: Move your hand in the frame and you should see it being tracked with purple outlines.
Understanding Hand Gestures
Closed Fist
Making a closed fist over a chord cell will select it as the root chord and start playing the 8-chord progression.
Chord Grid & Music Basics
Understanding the Chord Grid
The chord grid displays a 3×3 matrix of chords based on your selected key. Each cell represents a different chord in the key.
The chord grid with Roman numeral notation and chord names
What Happens When You Select a Chord:
- The selected chord becomes the "I" chord (tonic)
- An 8-chord progression is generated based on your chosen pattern
- The progression plays with your selected rhythm and instrument
- Each chord in the progression is highlighted as it plays
Selecting Musical Key
The key determines which set of chords will be available in the grid. Different keys will create different moods and tonalities.
Circle of Fifths
The Circle of Fifths selector helps you choose a musical key
Quick Music Theory:
- Major Keys: Generally sound bright, happy, or uplifting
- Minor Keys: Often sound more melancholic, serious, or dramatic
- Uppercase (I): Major chord
- Lowercase (i): Minor chord
Instrument & Tempo Settings
Choosing Your Instrument
Play For Me offers different instrument options to change the sound of your chord progressions.
Piano
Guitar
Setting the Tempo
The tempo (BPM - Beats Per Minute) controls how fast your progression plays. Different tempos can dramatically change the feel of the same chord progression.
Tempo Slider
Drag the slider to adjust the speed of your progression
Chord & Rhythm Patterns
Chord Patterns
Chord patterns determine the sequence of chords that will play after you select a root chord. They're organized by music genre.
Pattern Selection
Choose a specific 8-chord pattern within your selected genre
Genre Examples:
- Pop: Includes patterns like I-V-vi-IV (the "4-chord" pop progression)
- Rock: Often uses power chord progressions and blues-influenced patterns
- Jazz: Features ii-V-I progressions and more complex harmony
- Blues: Includes 12-bar blues patterns and variations
- Latin: Features distinctive rhythmic patterns and harmonic movements
Rhythm Patterns
Rhythm patterns control how your chords are played rhythmically - whether with even timing, syncopation, or other rhythmic features.
Rhythm Pattern Selection
Choose a specific rhythm pattern within your selected genre
Rhythm Type Examples:
- Straight Eighths: Even, regular rhythm (common in pop)
- Syncopated: Emphasis on unexpected beats (funk, Latin)
- Shuffle/Swing: Uneven eighth notes (blues, jazz)
- Backbeat: Emphasis on beats 2 and 4 (rock, R&B)
Recording Your Music
Record-For-Me Feature
The Record-For-Me feature allows you to capture your chord progressions as audio or text files that you can save and share.
Recording Controls
Recording controls let you start, stop, and manage your recordings
Recording Process:
- Enable Camera: Make sure your camera is enabled
- Start Recording: Click the "Start Recording" button
- Play Chords: Make fist gestures to play chords that will be recorded
- Stop Recording: Click "Stop Recording" when finished
- Review & Download: Listen to your recording and download it if desired
Download Options
After recording, you can download your creation in several formats.
Download Options
Generate a PDF with musical notation of your chord progression, download the chords as a Text file, or download the audio file as a WAV file!
Example of the downloading options
Audio Player
Preview your recording before downloading it
Example Chord Progressions
Here are some example chord progressions you can try with different settings to get started. These examples show how the same chord pattern can sound different in various keys and with different rhythm patterns.
Pop Examples
Classic Pop Ballad
Settings: C Major, Pop 8: I–V–vi–IV, Straight Eighths, 80 BPM
Rock Examples
Classic Rock
Settings: D Major, Rock 8: I–bVII–IV–I, Rock Eighths, 110 BPM
Jazz Examples
Jazz Progression
Settings: C Major, Jazz ii–V–I Extended, Swing Eighths, 120 BPM
Blues & Funk Examples
Blues Progression
Settings: E Major, 12-Bar Blues Condensed, Shuffle Feel, 92 BPM
Quick Reference Guide
Setup Steps
- Open the Play-For-Me page
- Select your instrument (piano/guitar)
- Set your desired tempo (BPM)
- Select a musical key
- Choose chord and rhythm patterns
- Enable your camera
- Make sure your hand is visible
Playing Steps
- Position your hand over a chord cell
- Make a closed fist gesture
- The 8-chord pattern will play
- Current chord will be highlighted
- Wait for pattern to finish or try another cell
Recording Steps
- Make sure your camera is enabled
- Click "Start Recording"
- Play chord progressions with gestures
- Click "Stop Recording" when done
- Review your recording
- Download as WAV, TXT, or PDF