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How to Play MIDI Files on a PC Keyboard

Musical instrument digital interface, or MIDI, is a language that external musical instruments--such as USB keyboards--send to your computer's sound card. When you're playing MIDI files, you're not actually playing notes, but rather, you're sending signals that are being transferred into notes by your computer. You no longer need an external instrument to play MIDI files because you can use the keyboard connected to your laptop or PC. All you need is the right software and some knowledge about the piano, and you can be playing and recording your own piano music within minutes.

Instructions

    • 1

      Click one of the links in References to download a free piano keyboard PC software program.

    • 2

      Click the "Download Now" button after being directed to the download site.

    • 3

      Use your unzipping program to run the download. If you don't have an unzipping program, you can download a free one called Jzip at Jzip.com.

    • 4

      Click the file that ends in ".exe" once to highlight it. Click "Extract" after that, and choose your Desktop as its extraction location.

    • 5

      Double-click the new "Setup" icon on your desktop and follow the wizard for installation instructions and help. Save the program to your desktop for easy recall access.

    • 6

      Double-click the new desktop icon to open your new PC keyboard program. Using the program's diagram, press the various keys on your keyboard to play keyboard MIDI. Play around to get a feel for which keys make which notes.

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Digital Music

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