Spiral Piano: Explore Microtonal Equal Temperaments

Read Articleadded Dec 31, 2025

Microtonal Spiral Piano is an interactive tool for exploring equal-tempered microtonal scales beyond 12-TET. It features curated temperaments (19, 24, 31, 53-TET) tied to historical and global traditions, playable via a spiral interface and two-tier keyboard mapping. Sound design controls and 2D/3D visualizations support hands-on discovery of microtonal harmony.

Key Points

  • Bridges Western music with non-Western and historical tunings via equal temperament systems (N-TET).
  • Supports 12-, 19-, 24-, 31-, and 53-TET, each chosen for distinct musical traditions and interval qualities.
  • Interactive spiral interface enables clicking/tapping and drag-based microtonal glissandi.
  • Keyboard mapping uses two octave tiers (Z-/ lower, Q-P higher), with guidance for guitarists.
  • Built-in sound design and visual tools (wavetable, unison, filters, ADSR; 2D/3D visuals) aid exploration of microtonal harmony.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment of the Hacker News discussion is overwhelmingly positive. Users expressed delight and strong approval for the Microtonal Spiral Piano's concept and desktop execution, often describing it as 'very cool' and 'awesome'. While some constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement were provided, particularly regarding mobile usability and UI consistency, these were offered in a supportive tone and did not diminish the high praise for the instrument's innovation and quality.

In Agreement

  • The instrument is delightful and satisfying to interact with, even casually running a finger across the keys.
  • It is 'very cool' and 'awesome' when used on desktop browsers.
  • The concept of bridging modern Western music with historical and global tunings is highly appreciated.
  • The visualizers (2D geometric for chord shapes and 3D tower for harmonic structure) are valuable tools for understanding N-TET modes.
  • The project is considered high-quality and deserving of more visibility, with a suggestion for it to be featured in 'Show HN'.

Opposed

  • Clicking on keys in the spiral layout does not trigger the same visualizations in the right panel as using keyboard input, leading to inconsistency.
  • The keys could be designed as 'pizza-slice-shaped' for easier pressing.
  • The instrument is unusable on mobile browsers, as the page centers and cannot be scrolled horizontally.
  • There's a suggestion for adding 'shift' as a modifier for key behavior, possibly for effects like reverb.
Spiral Piano: Explore Microtonal Equal Temperaments