Graphite Piano Keyboard With MaKey MaKey and Scratch

During the MaKey MaKey Build Night at Boise State University's Albertsons Library, attendee and student, Scott Schmader, learned Scratch to develop this awesome piano. Use the Hands Free MaKey MaKey Ground Bracelet he developed for maximum keyboard fun!

Supplies:

• MaKey MaKey kit (including the white wires)
• Extra set of alligator clips
• Pencil
• Paper
• MIT’s Scratch (a free online visual program editor)

Draw a piano on a piece of paper. It can be any shape or size, but the keys must be filled in heavily enough for the pencil graphite to conduct electricity.

Draw “pads” on the top of the paper and connect them to the keys.

Connect the alligator clips to the pads on your keyboard.

Connect the white wires to letters W, A, S, D, F, and G on the underside of the MaKey MaKey.

Connect the alligator clips to the front conductors and white wires of the MaKey MaKey. It does not matter which order they are connected. Remember to also add a ground wire to hold or attach to your ground bracelet.

Replicate the program shown. The colors indicate the category each command is found in. In order to broadcast ‘C,’ a new message must be created.

Duplicate this smaller program until you have one for all twelve keys.

Edit each key to be pressed (as well as broadcast message and note to be played) to match the setup you have with your physical piano.

Note: when you reach the button labeled “CLICK” on your MaKey MaKey, use the “mouse down?” command instead of “key _ pressed?”

Press the green flag and rock out!