16bars

office-canard games

About this game

16bars is a rhythm game where holding the chord is only the beginning. The real game is improvisation.

Each stage gives you a 16-bar chord progression and a set of lit keys that fit the harmony. The melody plays itself — your job is the backing. Tap the falling orbs to lock into the groove, then break free: the glowing keys are yours to play, however you like. Land your notes on the 16th-note grid and the music rewards you instantly. Miss the beat and it costs you.

FOLLOW, THEN IMPROVISE
The campaign is a slow-burn on-ramp. Early stages hand you the drops to follow. As you climb, the guides thin out — until the orbs vanish completely and there's nothing left but you, the chords, and the beat. By the end, clearing a stage means improvising a full sixteen bars in time. It's demanding on purpose: get better at riding the groove, and the higher stages open up.

CLEAR BY PLAYING, RANK BY FEEL
You clear a stage by landing enough accurate, on-beat hits before the music ends — and every sloppy tap drags you back. Tight timing earns PERFECT and pushes your score, and that score decides your rank, from B up to S. Clean isn't enough; you have to be in the pocket.

100 STAGES, 116 INSTRUMENTS
Work through a 100-stage campaign across dozens of keys and moods — bright majors, smoky jazz, stormy harmonic minors, dreamy modal vamps. Then recolor everything: choose from 116 instruments for your melody and backing, from grand pianos, organs, strings, brass and reeds to synths, guitars and world instruments. The same progression can sound like a cathedral or a jazz trio.

FREE MODE
Pick any of 100 public-domain classical pieces — Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Schubert, Satie and more, all from real transcriptions — set your instruments, and just play. Record your take, listen back, and save the performances you love.

FEATURES
- 100-stage campaign with a rising difficulty curve
- Strict 16th-note timing with tight PERFECT windows
- 116 instruments for melody and backing
- 100 real public-domain classical progressions in Free Mode
- Record, play back, and save your performances
- Elegant black-and-gold design, built for landscape play

Hold the chord. Ride the beat. The rest is up to you.

What’s new

16bars — a rhythm piano game.

Follow the falling guides and play along to real chord changes, one 16-bar piece at a time. Hit the beat for PERFECT notes — and as you climb, the guides thin out until the playing becomes your own.

- A campaign that keeps escalating
- Free play with 100+ instruments
- Classical pieces to perform, sorted by composer
- Record and keep your best takes

First release. Thanks for playing.