Pluck — a harp tuned to the pentatonic scale

Pluck is a minimal string instrument in your browser. Nine horizontal strings stretch across the screen, lowest at the top, highest at the bottom. Strum your finger across them and each one bends, vibrates, and keeps ringing for several seconds. Tuning is pentatonic, so any combination sounds in tune. Slow strums become arpeggios, fast ones become flourishes.

How to play

Tap to start the audio (browsers require a user gesture). Tap a string to pluck it, or drag across them to strum. Where you pluck along the string changes the pitch — left is lower, right is higher. Plucking one string also makes its harmonic neighbours ring in sympathy, like a real harp.

Why it's satisfying

A real harp is intimidating. Pluck strips it down to the essentials and tunes everything to the pentatonic, so even a random gesture sounds musical. The strings keep oscillating long after you stop, sympathetic harmonics shimmer underneath, and the whole instrument breathes. Multi-touch lets you hold a chord while soloing on top.

About

Pluck is part of Alcy, thirty free contemplative micro-games in your browser. Other audio games: Bubble Pop, Ripple, Chime, Loop Maker.