Jake of the Web

Turn your computer keyboard into an piano/synthesizer. It automatically records whatever you play and saves it for playback.


Keyboard Music

A downloadable app for your iPhone that will recognize a song being played in the background, and tell you the artist and title of the song. This service is currently free via the iPhone, although it has traditionally cost about $1 per identification or $4/month unlimited. Next week I'll talk about similar options for people who don't want to shell out for an iPhone.

Shazam!
Shazam! for the iPhone

A virtual recording studio with free instrument loops. Pick a key (the default is G to make it simple for you) and the site provides the right chords to use. Because they provide the chords and you simply choose their order, it's easy to make it sound good. Guitar, drums, bass, electric guitar and piano, with dozens of loops for each instrument.

A great site for people who want to write or record music, but don't play an instrument or can't keep a band together. You could also closely approximate a song you like by instructing the site to play the proper chords. A fun site to play around with or to use for something real.

Jam Studio