handplayed

Handplayed is an adjective formed from hand and played, used to describe actions or outputs that are performed by hand rather than by automation, machines, or digital processes. The term emphasizes human/manual involvement in the act of playing, as opposed to computer-generated, algorithmic, or mechanically produced performances. The phrase can appear in various contexts, though it is most commonly found in discussions of music and live performance.

In music, handplayed distinguishes a performance performed by a musician from one produced by a computer, sequencer, or other automated system. A handplayed piano piece, for example, implies that the notes were played by an artist at the keyboard rather than generated by software or a robotic mechanism. The distinction can also apply to other instruments or to demonstrations of technique, where the human touch is highlighted as a characteristic of expressiveness or nuance that automation may not replicate.

Outside music, handplayed can be used more generally to indicate manual execution of a task—performed by human hands rather than by machines, bots, or scripted processes. Usage varies, and some style guides prefer the hyphenated form hand-played, while others accept the closed form handplayed. Given its informal nature, the term may be clarified by context or replaced with more precise phrasing such as "performed by a human" or "live/human-generated."