Write in your browser
Click-to-place notes, keyboard step entry, drag to fix pitch. No install, autosaves to the cloud.
Now in open beta - free core forever
Jot music.
Hear it instantly.
A web-first notation pad for melodies, lead sheets, and jianpu. Write with a click, play with realistic sound, switch between staff and numbered notation anytime - no install, on any device.
jasmine-flower.musicxml
Used in classrooms and studios at Pinewood MusicCentral ConservatoryHarmonyEdfolk.collectiveRiverside Schools
Why PlayJot
The fast, friendly way to get the music out of your head.
Play with real sound
Hear your score back with warm, realistic playback. Loop a phrase, set the tempo, practice along.
Sing it to score it
Hum, play, or describe a melody and PlayJot drafts a rough score you can refine. AI as accelerator.
Staff and jianpu
First-class support for both Western staff and numbered notation. Switch views, edit either, export both.
What is PlayJot
A web notation pad that opens in a tab.
PlayJot is a web notation pad - a quiet, fast place to write music the moment a melody shows up, right inside your browser. There is nothing to download, no licence to manage, and no project files to lose.
Most notation tools were built for the desktop era: heavy installers, dense menus, and a blank page that expects a finished engraving. A web notation pad starts somewhere kinder: capture first, polish later.
Because PlayJot speaks both Western staff and jianpu numbered notation, the same web notation pad works whether you are sketching a lead sheet, a choir part, or an erhu solo.
How it works
Capture first, polish when you are ready.
01
Capture
Record audio, drop a MIDI, describe it, or start from a blank staff.
02
Refine
Tidy the rhythm, add lyrics, switch to jianpu, adjust the key - all in one workspace.
03
Play and share
Hear it back, export to PDF, MusicXML, or MIDI, or send a link anyone can play.
Built for both traditions
The same song, two ways to read it.
Folk musicians, students, and teachers should not have to choose. PlayJot keeps staff and jianpu in sync - write in one, read in the other.
Who it's for
One web notation pad, many kinds of musician.
Students
Practise sight-reading and theory without a pricey install. Flip between staff and jianpu to check you understand the note in front of you.
Teachers
Write exercises in the browser, share a single link, and let a class play the same example back on any device.
Folk and traditional players
Notate erhu, guzheng, or dizi melodies in jianpu - the way the repertoire is taught, learned, and passed along.
Songwriters
Catch a topline before it disappears. Hum it, let PlayJot draft a rough score, and tidy the rhythm later.
The lighter way
A lighter alternative to desktop notation software.
PlayJot keeps the essentials - real playback, common note values, accidentals, lyrics, key and time signatures, MusicXML in and out - while dropping the installs, updates, and licence keys.
Desktop software PlayJot web pad
Hours to install and learn Open a tab, start writing in seconds
Files trapped on one computer Scores in the cloud, on every device
Paid licences and yearly upgrades Free core, forever - no card needed
Staff notation only Staff and jianpu, in sync
Frequently asked
Questions, answered.
What exactly is a web notation pad?
It is music-writing software that runs in your browser, with no app to install. Open it on any laptop, tablet, or phone, write or edit a score, and keep every change saved automatically.
Is PlayJot really free?
Yes. The core web notation pad - writing, playback, staff and jianpu, and common exports - is free forever, no credit card required.
Can I write jianpu numbered notation?
Yes. PlayJot treats Western staff and jianpu as equal citizens. Write in either system and switch views whenever you like.
Can I import and export files?
You can import MusicXML and MIDI, and export to MusicXML, MIDI, PDF, and audio.
Jot it. Play it. Share it.
Your free web notation pad is sixty seconds away. Free core, forever. No credit card.
Start for free