How to play Duck Band

Notes slide down the lanes towards the pads at the bottom. Press a lane’s key (or tap the lane) as its note reaches the pad. Close to the beat is Perfect, a little off is Good, and a note that slips past is a miss.

Keys: D F J K L from the left lane to the right (Easy uses the first three, Medium the first four). The number keys 1 to 5 work too.
Long notes: hit the start and keep holding until the tail ends. Every beat you hold scores.
Chords: on Hard and Expert some notes come in pairs. Hit both together.
Streak and multiplier: every 10 notes in a row raises your multiplier, up to 4×. A miss starts it over. On Hard and Expert, pressing a lane with nothing on it costs your streak too.
Boost: white notes glow in phrases. Hit every note in a phrase to fill a quarter of the Boost meter. Once it’s at least half full, press Space (or the Boost button) to double your multiplier for a while.
Pause: Esc or P (not in band mode, where the song keeps going).

Play your own song

Choose a music file (MP3, M4A, OGG, WAV or FLAC usually work). Duck Band listens to it and writes a chart for each part: Lead follows the melody, Bass the low notes and Drums the beat. Notes go further right as the tune goes higher. Each part comes at four levels, from Easy (three lanes, the main beats) to Expert (five lanes, the quick notes and chords).

Everything happens in your browser. When you play alone the file is never uploaded, and it’s forgotten when you leave the page; your best scores on it stay saved on this device.

Band mode

Start a band, share the room code, and pick a song. Everyone chooses their own part and level, says they’re ready, and the song starts on every device at the same moment. You see each other’s scores as you play and the band’s total at the end.

With a built-in song everyone is set straight away. With a song from the host’s device (up to 20 MB), the file goes through our server to everyone in the room, along with the charts, so the whole band plays the same notes. It’s kept only for the players in that room and deleted when the room closes. Only share music you have the right to share. If the file can’t be sent, each player picks their own copy of the same song instead.

Stars and scores

Each note is worth 50 points for Perfect and 40 for Good, times your multiplier; long notes add 25 a beat. Five stars is close to a perfect run without Boost, so a well-timed Boost is the way past it.

Tips

Songs with clear drums and a steady beat make the best charts. Try each part: some songs suit bass, others lead.
If every hit feels late or early (Bluetooth headphones often add a delay), nudge the Timing. After a song, Duck Band tells you how far off you were on average and can set it for you.
Faster note speed spreads the notes out, which can make busy charts easier to read.
On a phone, turn it sideways or use a tablet for more room, and tap with two thumbs.