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How to Play Flappy Note

Flappy Note is a pitch-training game with Flappy Bird-style visuals and vocal training mechanics. Control a bird by matching musical notes with your voice as you navigate through gates representing different scale degrees.

🎮 Game Mechanics

The Objective

Guide your bird through gates by singing the correct pitch. Each gate displays a solfege syllable (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti) that tells you which note to sing. When you match the target pitch with your voice, the bird rises and glows to show you're on pitch. Stop singing or sing the wrong note, and the bird falls.

What are Solfege Syllables?

The game uses solfege syllables - a musical system where each scale degree has a name:

Do - The root note (1st degree)
Re - 2nd degree
Mi - 3rd degree
Fa - 4th degree
Sol - 5th degree
La - 6th degree
Ti - 7th degree

These syllables help you learn the relationships between notes in a scale, which is fundamental to ear training and sight-singing.

Visual Feedback

Bird glows and rises when you're singing the correct pitch
Chevron arrows appear after 1 second of being off-pitch, pointing up or down to guide you
Score increases each time you successfully pass through a gate

⚙️ Settings & Configuration

Root Note Selection

You can choose any of the 12 chromatic notes (C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab, A, A#/Bb, B) as your root note.

Tip: The default root note is D, but if this is too high or too low for your vocal range, pick a different one! There's no "correct" choice - choose what's comfortable for your voice. Most male voices work well with C-F, while female voices often prefer F-A.

Scales & Modes

Practice different musical patterns:

Major Scale - The classic "Do Re Mi" scale (great for beginners)
Natural Minor - Darker, more melancholic sound
Harmonic Minor - Minor scale with a raised 7th degree
Melodic Minor - Ascending and descending variations
Pentatonic Major - 5-note scale common in folk music
Blues Scale - Classic blues sound with flatted notes
Chromatic - All 12 notes (advanced challenge!)
Church Modes - Dorian, Mixolydian, etc.
7th Chords - Major 7th, Dominant 7th, Minor 7th, and more

Direction

Ascending ↑ - Notes go up the scale (Do → Re → Mi...)
Descending ↓ - Notes go down the scale (Ti → La → Sol...)
Random 🎲 - Notes appear in random order (advanced ear training)

🎧 Using the Root Drone

The Root Drone is a continuous reference tone that plays the root note (Do) and its harmonics in the background.

Benefits of Using the Drone

Helps you develop relative pitch by giving you a constant reference point
Improves your ability to hear intervals and relationships between notes
Makes it easier to stay in tune, especially for beginners
Trains your ear to recognize harmonic relationships

Important: The drone can interfere with pitch detection, especially if you're playing through speakers. For the best experience, use headphones when the drone is enabled. This prevents the microphone from picking up the drone sound and confusing the pitch detector.

🎯 Who Is This Game For?

Beginner singers learning to match pitch and develop vocal control
Music students practicing ear training and solfege
Choir members improving their ability to find and hold notes
Vocalists warming up or practicing scales in a fun way
Anyone curious about music theory and pitch relationships

💡 Tips for Success

Start simple: Begin with Major Scale in ascending direction before trying harder modes
Find your range: Adjust the root note until you're singing comfortably in the middle of your range
Use headphones: Especially when using the drone feature for better pitch detection
Watch the arrows: If chevrons appear, they'll guide you to adjust your pitch up or down
Practice regularly: Even 5-10 minutes daily will improve your pitch-matching skills
Listen to the reference: Click the gate to hear what the target note should sound like
Be patient: Pitch-matching is a skill that develops over time

🐛 Feedback & Issues

Found a bug? Have a feature request? Want to share your experience?

Please leave feedback in our GitHub Issues . We'd love to hear from you!

Troubleshooting: If the game isn't detecting your pitch accurately:

Make sure you've granted microphone permissions
Use headphones to prevent feedback
Reduce background noise
Try adjusting your distance from the microphone
Sing louder or with more sustained tone

🎵 Ready to Play?

Start Playing Flappy Note →