Synthesia

Support » Showing labels

This guide will show you the different ways you can label the keys and notes in Synthesia.

1

To open the label controls menu, click the La icon on the toolbar.

The Key Labels/Note Labels toggle at the top allows you to change between the menu to set the Key Labels and the Note Labels. (Note: as you're toggling back and forth between Key and Note Labels, the pane looks the same. Be sure you've picked the correct one.)

Enabling the Only show labels on my notes option will limit the labels shown to only the keys or notes that belong to the part(s) you've chosen to play yourself.

The remaining steps in this guide describe each type of label.

2

Octaves will label the C in each octave with its octave number indicated in Scientific Pitch Notation.

Finger Hint Numbers show the numbers that correspond to which finger you should use to play the note. The number 1 indicates your thumb, and the number 5 is for your pinky finger.

3

Virtual Piano Mapping shows which keys to press on your typing keyboard when you don’t have a digital piano connected. These only appear if you’ve selected a part to play yourself.

If you're using Synthesia with a non-English typing keyboard, this forum post describes how to customize the virtual piano mapping to match your keyboard layout.

English Note Names displays labels on the notes using letter notation with the English convention: C D E F G A B C. Labels are spelled according to the current musical key in the song, so you may begin to see double-sharps and double-flats when playing songs written in the less common musical keys.

4

Scale Number shows the scale degree of the note according to the song's musical key. D is the second scale degree in the C Major scale, so each D would be labeled with a 2. Notes outside of the scale are left unlabeled.

Fixed-Do Note Names display the labels using the European fixed do solfège system. This uses names like Do, Re, and Mi that are always relative to the C Major Scale. So, Do always corresponds to C.

Movable-Do Note Names show the labels using the European moveable do solfège system. This uses the same words as fixed-do, but here Do corresponds to the first scale degree of the song's musical key. So, if the song were written in E Major, each E would be labeled Do.

Finally, Simple Names will show A B C D E F G on only the white keys or notes regardless of the song's key signature. No labels are shown on the black keys or notes in this case.


Be sure to check our list of Guides for more step-by-step instructions on getting the most out of Synthesia!