What is a Piano Roll?

A piano roll is a visual interface used in digital audio workstations (DAWs) and MIDI editing software to create and edit musical notes. It displays notes in a grid format where pitch and timing can be arranged precisely.

In a piano roll, time is shown along the horizontal axis, while pitch is displayed on the vertical axis, often alongside a small piano keyboard. Notes appear as rectangular blocks that can be placed, moved, lengthened, or shortened to control when a note starts, how long it lasts, and which pitch is played.

The piano roll is widely used for programming melodies, chords, basslines, and drum patterns using MIDI data. It allows producers and composers to edit musical performances with high precision, adjust velocities and timing, and experiment with different musical ideas during production.