Virtual musical instruments, such as musical instrument digital interface (MIDI)-based or software-based keyboards, guitars, bass instruments, and the like, typically have user interfaces that attempt to closely resemble the actual instrument. When a user selects an element of the user interface, the virtual musical instrument attempts to play a note, a combination of notes, chord(s), etc., to simulate playing the actual instrument. While these instruments are enjoyable to amateur and experienced musicians alike, they may not be satisfactory to users hoping for a more authentic experience. For example, some physical instruments and/or musical genres may be associated with certain stylistic features such as a particular playing style, picking technique, embellishments, and the like. These stylistic features may be difficult or impossible for a user to emulate with conventional user interfaces. This can be problematic for users who would like to include such stylistic features as they play. Additionally, some users may be inexperienced with the actual instrument or may find an interface that closely resembles the playing surface of the actual interface difficult or confusing to utilize.