What it is
Ultimidi is a web game designed to teach piano through short lessons, familiar songs, and a colorful musical adventure. It was created by a developer who originally prototyped a guitar note-detection system using neural networks for a university project, and later adapted that concept into a more approachable piano-learning experience.
From the developer
In the developer’s own words, from game.ultimidi.com.
Hi HN, 10 years ago, as my BsC final project I had the idea to make a quick game that used neural nets to detect notes played on a guitar, and I made a small mini-game to make use of that. I always wanted to improve on that idea, so last year I started making my own piano-learning game. You know how in most games you learn complex key combinations and sequences (i.e. Mortal Kombat fatalities), but those don't have much use outside of the game. My idea was to make a game that can be played with the piano, so you you learn notes, chords, scales simply by playing. While making it and prototyping many versions, I realised that that idea didn't work as well as I wanted, because it is hard to focus on reading notes, playing and some other gameplay logic. In the end I settled on a combination of basic beat-based notes playing and a few minigames that use the piano as input. My goal now is to add even more such minigames, for learning different sheet reading, music theory and piano playing techniques. For art, I am unfortunately not a designer and have no budget for hiring one, so I decided to go with some simple shaped art generated in bulk using AI rendering SVGs. Hopefully this is just a placeholder until I find someone to do the art for the game. You can try it out for free, it does have some extra content in the Pro version, but a lotof content is free, including the ability to directly play full songs in scrolling or sheet mode here: https://game.ultimidi.com/songs Happy to hear any feedback, especially if the MIDI connection/notes detection didn't work or something doesn't feel good. Thank you!
Editor takes
“The short, beat-based lessons make it a perfect pick-up-and-play for my commute, but without a touch-friendly interface or clear mobile save system, I'd be stuck at my desk instead of on the train.”
“The colorful musical adventure palette is charming and approachable, but the sound design feels more functional than inspiring, missing that retro chiptune spark that would make the note hits truly satisfying.”
“The core beat-matching loop is tight and responsive, but the difficulty curve is too gentle for my taste—I need a faster ramp-up and a combo system to really feel the flow, not just a casual progression.”
How to play
The core gameplay revolves around playing notes on a piano (or MIDI keyboard) in time with a beat. The developer found that combining complex gameplay logic with note reading was too demanding, so the final design focuses on basic beat-based note playing, supplemented by a few minigames that use the piano as the primary input device.
Tips
- The game is built around short, focused lessons rather than long practice sessions.
- Familiar songs are used to make learning feel more like play than study.
- The developer plans to add more minigames covering sheet reading, music theory, and specific piano techniques in future updates.
Questions
What is the main goal of Ultimidi?
To teach piano notes, chords, and scales through gameplay, making music theory practice more engaging than traditional methods.
How does the game use the piano as input?
Players play notes on a piano or MIDI keyboard to interact with the game, primarily through beat-based note playing and a few dedicated minigames.
Is this a rhythm game?
It has rhythm-based elements, but it is primarily an educational tool focused on piano learning, with minigames that reinforce musical concepts.
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