OFFICIAL TUTORIAL

How to Play Gesture Synth Weld

Gesture Synth Weld is a free, browser-based hand gesture music synthesizer. Your left hand picks the chord, your right hand shapes the sound — no downloads, no hardware, no accounts. This is the official guide: every gesture, mapped.

100% free 0 installs · webcam only 3 play modes 120s recording

⚡ Quick start — playing in 30 seconds

1

Allow camera

Click "Enable Camera" and grant permission. Video stays on your device — nothing is uploaded.

2

Left hand: show fingers

1–5 fingers play scale degrees I–V. Special combos below reach VI and VII.

3

Right hand: join in

Both hands must be visible for sound. Raise your right hand for volume.

4

Record & share

Press Record for up to 120 seconds, then download — or share straight to apps on mobile.

Watch it play: the four moves cycle on their own — or tap the dots — each step is one gesture you already read above.

LEFT
RIGHT
A major

Left hand: 1 finger (I) · Right hand: raised for volume

LEFT
RIGHT
A → D

Left hand: 4 fingers (IV) — harmony moves, right hand stays

LEFT
RIGHT
…silence

Left fist = mute. Open the hand and the chord comes back

1–7
No camera? Press 1–7

Keyboard mode: keys 1–7 play I–VII, no webcam needed

Defaults out of the box: key of A · Major locked · fixed Major-Triad style. Change key in the toolbar, everything else in Settings.

👈 Left hand — harmony (scale degree)

Each finger count is a different scale degree. Examples in A Major:

FingersDegreeGestureIn A Major
1IAny 1 finger raisedA
2iiAny 2 fingers (not the VI combo)Bm
3iiiAny 3 fingers (not the VII combo)C#m
4IVAny 4 fingers raisedD
5VAll 5 fingers raisedE
SpecialviIndex + Pinky ONLY (middle / ring / thumb down)F#m
Specialvii°Index + Pinky + Thumb ONLY (middle / ring down)G#dim
0 (fist)All fingers curledMute — resumes when fingers return

🤚 Major / minor via wrist tilt

By default the mode is locked to Major ("Scale notes only"). Switch to Scale+Tilt in Settings and your left wrist becomes the switch: tilt left = minor, tilt right = major. The toolbar key selector (C–B) transposes everything.

🎹 Three ways to play

🪕 Theremin

Right-hand height = pitch (C3→C6), left-hand height = volume. Continuous gliding, no chords.

🎹 Mono Piano

Left-hand finger count picks the note (root / 3rd / 5th / octave / 9th); right hand triggers it.

⌨️ Keyboard (no camera)

Desktop only. 1–7 degrees (hold to play) · [ / ] minor/major · 8/9/0/- style · Shift octave down · ↑/↓ volume · ←/→ filter · Space stop. Recording is audio-only.

Worth knowing: Arpeggiator (Off/Slow/Normal/Fast) sweeps chord notes like a harp · Auto Bass adds a root note two octaves down with its own volume · Metronome (BPM 40–240, several time signatures — audible in recordings when on).

🔴 Recording your performance

Press Record: a 3-2-1 countdown, up to 120 seconds, a 3-2-1 wrap-up before it stops. Capture audio only, full video (camera + neon skeleton), or skeleton animation (privacy-friendly, no camera feed). Aspect ratios 9:16 / 16:9 / 1:1 for TikTok, YouTube, Instagram.

Sing along: enable the mic to sing over your chords, then download — or share straight to apps on mobile. Finished takes also auto-save to My works in your browser, so your music is there when you come back.

❓ Gesture Synth Weld FAQ

Is Gesture Synth Weld free?

Yes — free to play and record, no sign-up. MIT-licensed open source (GitHub).

Do I need a camera?

No — Keyboard mode (desktop) plays the synth with physical keys only: no permission, no model download. On a phone? There is no app to install — the URL is the app.

Which browsers work?

Chrome 90+, Edge 90+, Firefox 90+, Safari 15+. Chrome or Edge recommended for the smoothest hand tracking.

Is my video uploaded anywhere?

Never — hand tracking runs locally on your device; the camera feed leaves nothing behind.

What is Gesture Synth Weld vs a generic "gesture synth"?

Gesture Synth Weld is this site's two-hand instrument — left hand harmony, right hand expression — with 3 modes, arpeggiator, auto bass and built-in recording. Not a hardware glove, not a DAW plugin. New to the category? Start with what a gesture synth is.

Enough reading — your hands already know what to do.

▶ Open Gesture Synth Weld and play

Gesture Synth Weld — official tutorial. Play · Gesture Synth · About · Privacy · Contact · MIT License. Not affiliated with third-party tutorial sites using our name.
Hand icons: Sannita + MichaelFrey via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0), OpenMoji (CC BY-SA 4.0).