Sheet Music Display

The sheet music display writes every note you play onto a grand staff, live, and names the chord above it. Mouse, touch or MIDI — The Ultimate Piano notates it as it happens. It is equally useful for checking yourself against a score and for connecting the notes on the page with the keys under your hands.

Score writes your playing in standard musical notation — the written language of music used worldwide.

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How the Sheet Music Display Works

The sheet music display updates in real time with every note you play. As you press keys on the keyboard (mouse, touch, or MIDI), the staff redraws instantly and shows:

• Note positions – Each note appears at its correct position on the staff
• Accidentals – Sharps and flats are spelled according to your key signature setting
• Chords – Multiple notes played together appear stacked vertically as a single chord

No conversion step and no recording is needed — the notation is live while you play.

Grand Staff & Single Staff Options

The score renders on a grand staff by default, and you can switch to a single staff in Settings. The grand staff combines 2 staves — one treble and one bass clef — exactly like printed piano sheet music.

Grand Staff

The Grand Staff is on by default and shows treble and bass clefs together, just like piano sheet music. Right-hand notes sit on the upper (treble) staff and left-hand notes on the lower (bass) staff.

Single Staff

Disable Grand Staff in Settings to show a single staff. The clef switches automatically based on the pitch range you are playing, giving one continuous view across the full keyboard range:

• Treble Clef – Higher notes (right hand)
• Bass Clef – Lower notes (left hand)

Key Signature

The key signature dropdown sets how notes are spelled on the staff. Use the Key Signature dropdown in the header bar (next to the Metronome button) to pick the key, and the score respells accidentals to match it. The Ultimate Piano offers 15 key signatures, from 7 flats to 7 sharps — covering all 24 keys (12 major and 12 minor).

Available keys:

• All 12 major keys: C, G, D, A, E, B/Cb, F#/Gb, Db/C#, F, Bb, Eb, Ab
• All 12 minor keys: Am, Em, Bm, F#m, C#m, G#m/Abm, D#m/Ebm, Dm, Gm, Cm, Fm, Bbm

How it affects note spelling:

• In C Major (no sharps or flats): the black key above C appears as C#
• In F Major (one flat): the same key appears as Db

This lets you read notes the way they would appear in actual sheet music for your chosen key.

Chord Detection

Chord detection names the chord you are playing above the staff in real time. Enable Show Chord Names in Settings, then play 3 or more notes together and the sheet music display shows the chord name — for example "Cmaj7", "Am", or "G7". Chord detection works with any input method: mouse, touch, or a connected MIDI keyboard.

Basic chords:

• Cmaj (3, 5) – C major chord = major 3rd + perfect 5th
• Cm (♭3, 5) – C minor chord = minor 3rd + perfect 5th
• C7 (3, 5, ♭7) – C dominant 7th = major 3rd + perfect 5th + minor 7th
• Cmaj7 (3, 5, 7) – C major 7th = major 3rd + perfect 5th + major 7th

Extended chords:

• Cmaj9 (3, 5, 7, 9) – C major 9th with all extensions
• C9 (3, 5, ♭7, 9) – C dominant 9th

Voicings: The intervals are listed in pitch order from the bass note upward, which reveals the actual voicing of the chord:

• Close voicing: Cmaj (3, 5) – notes stacked within one octave
• Open voicing: Cmaj (5, 3) – the 5th below the 3rd shows a spread voicing

This visual breakdown helps you understand both chord construction and how different voicings are built.

Interval Detection

Interval detection labels the distance between exactly 2 notes. When you play a two-note interval, the display shows it in scale-degree notation above the staff, covering both simple and compound intervals.

Simple intervals (within one octave):

• Interval: 3 – Major 3rd (4 semitones)
• Interval: ♭3 – Minor 3rd (3 semitones)
• Interval: 5 – Perfect 5th (7 semitones)
• Interval: ♯4/♭5 – Tritone (6 semitones)

Extended intervals (beyond one octave):

• Interval: 9 – Major 9th (14 semitones)
• Interval: ♭9 – Minor 9th (13 semitones)
• Interval: 11 – Perfect 11th (17 semitones)
• Interval: 13 – Major 13th (21 semitones)

Interval detection helps you learn to recognize intervals by ear and to understand the building blocks of every chord.

Position Options

The sheet music display can sit in any of 4 positions around the keyboard, so it never covers the keys you need. Move the score window to your preferred location:

• Below the keyboard (default)
• Above the keyboard
• Left or Right side

Adjust the position in Settings → Display → Score Position.

Use Cases

• Learning to read music – See how your playing translates to notation
• Checking accuracy – Verify you are hitting the right notes
• Understanding intervals – See the visual distance between notes
• Chord recognition – Learn chord names as you play them
• Live streaming – Show real-time notation and chord names in your piano stream

Tip: Combine the sheet music display with the Recorder to capture what you play, then review both the audio and the visual representation of your music.

Related: Play along to full scores you load in the Sheet Music Player. Explore chords and scales in Learning Mode. Use the Recorder to capture your playing. See score in Streaming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the sheet music display work with mouse and touch input?

Yes. The sheet music display updates in real time with any input method — mouse, touch, or a MIDI keyboard. Every note you play appears instantly on the staff.

What is the difference between single staff and grand staff?

Single staff shows one clef that switches automatically based on your pitch range. Grand staff combines 2 staves — treble and bass clef together — like traditional piano sheet music, covering the full keyboard range.

How does chord detection work?

3 or more notes played together trigger chord detection: The Ultimate Piano identifies the chord and displays its name (for example "Cmaj7") along with its interval structure above the staff. For exactly 2 notes, interval detection shows the interval between them instead. Both work with any input method.

How many key signatures does the score support?

15 key signature settings are available, ranging from 7 flats to 7 sharps. That covers all 12 major keys and all 12 minor keys, so accidentals are spelled correctly for whatever key you choose.

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