GuidesAir instruments

Air instruments: play music in the air with your hands

Air instruments are played with your hands in front of the iPhone's front camera, without touching the screen. There are seven: Chords, Penta, Halo, Theremin, Bellows, Handpan and Rails, each with its own way of turning a hand into notes. You can sing while you play, and your voice lands on its own layer called Voice. The Air instruments are free and marked Beta.

You need: The front camera, your hands in the picture and some light. Put the phone down so you have both hands free.

Steps

  1. Open Air instruments

    Tap Add layer and choose Air instruments ("Played with your hands in front of the camera").

  2. Pick an instrument

    Choose one of the seven. Each has a short explainer that shows the moves.

  3. Show your hands

    Until the camera sees a hand, the recorder says Hold a hand up to the camera.

  4. Play and sing

    Record while you play. The instrument and your voice can land as two layers: the instrument, and a layer called Voice with your singing.

How each instrument is played

  • Chords Beta

    The left hand chooses the chord by the number of fingers you show, from I to VII; a fist is a rest. The right hand shapes it: one to four fingers for the voicing, the thumb for an octave lower, the height of the hand for the volume.

  • Penta Beta

    Each finger is a note, from the thumb (low) to the little finger (high). Straighten a finger to play it, curl it to stop; several fingers make a chord. The left hand plays an octave lower.

  • Halo Beta

    Twelve notes form a ring around your palm, the lowest at the top, going clockwise. Reach a finger out through the ring to play the note in that direction.

  • Theremin Beta

    Slide one hand left and right for the pitch, without steps. Lift the other hand to play louder, drop it to fade.

  • Bellows Beta

    Pull your hands apart: wider is higher. Press your palms together to stop. It snaps to the song's key unless you turn that off.

  • Handpan Beta

    The notes lie in front of you, low on the left, high on the right. Rest a hand on one to hold it, or strike it from above for a harder hit.

  • Rails Beta

    Two bars, one per hand, low on the left and high on the right; higher up means a higher note. Hold a hand in a field to play it; both hands make a chord.

Good to know

  • Which camera?

    The front camera, so you see yourself while you play.

  • Do they cost extra?

    No. The Air instruments are free, like the other instruments.

Try it

Musaic - Recording Studio is free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. Musaic Pro adds lyrics, animations, chord detection and Fix audio, and removes the watermark.

Download on theApp Store

Related guides

Written for Musaic 1.4.0.