Google has added a new instrument to its Chrome Music Lab: Song Maker. As the name implies, Song Maker is all about making songs. It’s essentially an easy to use sequencer that lets you draw melodies in the browser (though it doesn’t feature some of the automation in the Music Lab’s Melody Maker tool).
It’s no FL Studio, but it’s fun and you get to choose between a few instruments like a piano, strings, woodwinds, a synth and a marimba. There’s also a small rhythm section that lets you add drums to your songs. Some of the more nifty features include the ability to attach a Midi keyboard to your computer to play the instruments and a recording feature that will translate your singing into notes.
Google says it’s launching Song Maker in concert with Music in Our Schools Month, an initiative of the National Association for Music Education.
Once you created your masterpiece, Song Maker gives you a permalink so you can easily share it with the rest of the world. While you’re at it, also have a look at the other instruments in the Music Lab. I’m particularly fond of Kandinsky, which translates your drawings into music.
And once you have graduated from Sound Maker, there’s all kinds of more complex browser-based sequencers that you can experiment with, too, including the likes of Soundation. Sampulator and Acid Machine.