Know what you are hearing
ChordLilt synthesizes notes in your browser. Playback uses twelve-tone equal temperament with A4 at 440 Hz: each semitone has the same frequency ratio, and an octave doubles frequency. This provides a consistent reference for the displayed pitches.
The generated sound is not a recording of an acoustic piano or guitar. Its purpose is to make pitch relationships audible. Tone color, speaker response and headphones can affect your impression without changing the requested notes.
Start, compare and stop
Choose a playback control to allow the browser to start sound. Play together lets you hear a chord as a block; Play in sequence separates its notes so you can follow their order. Scale playback follows the selected direction and the stated scale convention.
Stop ends the current playback. Starting a new example should give you one clear comparison; stop first if you are unsure what is still sounding. Adjust the on-page volume and your device’s output to a comfortable level.
Read octave numbers when comparing pitches
C4 and C5 have the same pitch-class name but are an octave apart. A chord inversion can move a note to another octave while preserving the chord’s root and quality. Read the complete pitch labels when a voicing sounds higher than expected.
C major in root position may be C4–E4–G4. A close first inversion is E4–G4–C5. The changed bass is E4; C is still the harmonic root. A root highlight therefore stays with C rather than following whichever key is lowest.
If the browser does not produce sound
Check the device volume, output destination and any muted-tab setting. Then choose Play again. Browsers may require a fresh interaction before an audio context can run. A suspended or unavailable output should be treated as a playback problem, not as a different musical answer.
You can continue reading, editing, saving and exporting when audio is unavailable. The visual reference is not dependent on a successful sound connection. If the problem persists, preserve important work as JSON before changing browser settings or reloading.
Understand timing limits
The metronome provides a browser-generated pulse and a visual beat cue. Device load, background-tab behavior and output latency can affect how precisely you perceive the sound or display. The page does not record your performance, measure your timing or grade what you play.
For a controlled listening comparison, keep the same register, duration and volume. Compare one change at a time: E versus E-flat, B versus B-flat, or one bass position versus another. That makes the musical difference easier to identify than changing every control at once.
Keep the tuning reference with your export
SVG diagrams and PDF practice sheets contain notation and labels, not audio. The tuning note on a reference explains the pitch system used when it was prepared. A saved JSON collection keeps editable selections for later playback.
If you are comparing with an instrument that uses another reference pitch or a different tuning system, expect possible differences. ChordLilt is not listening to your instrument and cannot tell you whether it is in tune.
Sources and methods
- Web Audio API 1.1
- ChordLilt product contract
Put it into practice.
Explore these notes and relationships in the interactive tools.