Guide
How to Play Gesture Synth
Gesture Synth is a hand gesture synth: your webcam turns into a musical instrument. No hardware, no downloads — your hands pick the chords. Here is every gesture, verified against the open-source engine.
Learning from the community
Gesture Synth went viral on short video, and the community is the fastest way to learn. Watch how other players use the hand gestures, then practice the same songs here:
- indecisive.eric’s gesture synth tutorial on Instagram
- Rafferty Coope playing “Let It Be” on YouTube
- liv.angell’s “Brooklyn Baby” tutorial on TikTok
Getting started
- Open gesturesynth.com and allow camera access.
- Face one palm toward the webcam until the status reads Raise a hand.
- Left hand picks the chord, right hand shapes it. Both hands move at once.
Left hand: scale degree + major/minor
Raise fingers on your left hand to pick the scale degree (the chord’s place in the key):
- 1–5 fingers → degrees I–V
- Index + pinky (middle and ring down) → VI
- Index + pinky + thumb → VII
Tilt your wrist to flip between major and minor. In the mirrored selfie view, fingers leaning left means major; leaning right means minor.
Right hand: chord quality
Raise fingers on your right hand to shape the chord:
| Fingers | Major key | Minor key |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Major triad | Minor triad |
| 2 | Major 1st inversion | Minor 1st inversion |
| 3 | Major 7th | Minor 7th |
| 4 | Dominant 7th | Diminished 7th |
Right thumb: octave — wrist height: volume
- Thumb extended drops the chord an octave; folded plays the base register.
- Wrist height controls volume (higher = louder).
- Wrist tilt sweeps the filter for a brighter or darker tone.
Practice a whole song
The songbook turns every chord chart into a guided practice session: a backing pad and metronome keep the beat, the chart auto-advances, and your two hands are scored against each target shape. Start with the beginner songs, then move on.
Ready to play?
Pick a song from the songbook and follow the chord chart with your hands.
Browse the songbookChord gesture referenceFAQ
How do you play chords on Gesture Synth?
Your left hand picks the scale degree and major or minor with a wrist tilt. Your right hand picks the chord quality by how many fingers you raise. Matching both hands to the chart plays the chord.
What do the left-hand gestures mean?
Raise 1–5 fingers for scale degrees I–V. Index + pinky (with the middle and ring fingers down) makes VI, and adding your thumb makes VII. Tilting your wrist flips between major and minor.
How do I change the chord quality on Gesture Synth?
Raise 1–4 fingers on your right hand. One finger is a plain major or minor triad, two is a first inversion, three is a seventh chord, and four is a dominant seventh (major key) or diminished seventh (minor key).
What does the right-hand thumb do?
Extending your right thumb drops the chord down an octave; folding it back plays the base register.
Can I practice a whole song?
Yes. The songbook turns each chord chart into a guided practice player with a backing pad and metronome. Pick a song, match both hands to each target shape, and the song rings out.