Computer Keyboard Auditioning without MidiKeyboardComponent

I’m attempting to implement QWERTY keyboard playback using the MidiKeyboardComponent, but I’m running into some issues. Namely, I don’t want the component to be visible on its parent component (a la Ableton), but that means I will not be able to do keyboard playback using the MidiKeyboardComponent. Is there another convenient way to do implement this without the MidiKeyboardComponent? Or will I have to manually map the keys in the parent’s keyPressed() method myself?