Piano roll explained.

What is a piano roll?

A piano roll is a grid where the horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis is pitch (with a piano keyboard reference on the left side). Notes are drawn as horizontal bars - their position determines when they play and what pitch they are, and their length determines how long they sustain.

The name comes from the old player piano rolls - paper scrolls with punched holes that controlled mechanical pianos. The concept is the same: a visual map of what note plays when.

Piano roll vs. step sequencer

The step sequencer is great for quick patterns, especially drums. Each cell is a fixed step with a fixed length. The piano roll gives you more freedom:

• Variable note length. In the step sequencer, every note is the same length. In the piano roll, you can draw short staccato notes or long sustained notes.
• Precise timing. Notes can be placed between grid lines for swing, syncopation, or humanized timing.
• Chromatic pitch. The piano roll shows all notes, not just those in a scale. More freedom, but also more room for dissonance.
• Velocity per note. Control how loud or soft each individual note is.

In DAWG, you can switch freely between Simple mode (step sequencer) and the piano roll without losing your work. Start in Simple, switch to the piano roll when you want more detail.

When to use the piano roll

• Melodies. When you want notes of different lengths - held notes, quick runs, legato phrases.
• Chords. Stack notes vertically to create chords, then control voicing and inversions precisely.
• Basslines with groove. When you want the bass to slide, swing, or have varied rhythm.
• MIDI recording. When you play a MIDI keyboard, the performance records directly into the piano roll with natural timing and velocity.
• Fine-tuning. After building a pattern in Simple mode, switch to the piano roll to adjust individual notes.

Basic piano roll workflow

1. Select a melodic instrument - Bass, Synth, Groove, etc.
2. Switch to piano roll mode - DAWG calls this the DAW view.
3. Draw notes - tap or click to place a note, drag to set its length.
4. Adjust pitch - move notes up or down to change pitch.
5. Set velocity - control how hard each note hits.
6. Listen and iterate - the pattern loops while you edit.

Tips for piano roll beginners

• Start with the scale constraint on. Even in the piano roll, you can lock to a scale so you don't have to worry about wrong notes.
• Use the quantize grid. Snap notes to the grid to keep timing tight. You can always nudge them off-grid later for a more human feel.
• Less is more. A simple melody with 4-5 notes is often more effective than a busy 32-note run. Leave space.
• Listen to the rhythm. Melody is as much about when notes happen as what pitch they are. Try moving the same notes to different time positions.