Intermediate Piano and Keyboard Method (Win/Mac) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I recently bought this after reading the review at [...].
Despite a few technical glitches, I found this software met my modest goals, and I covered a lot of new material.
As an intermediate-level player that hadn't played in years, I wanted something to help me improve my skills in a more structured way than trying to find appropriate sheet music on my own, but without the financial and time commitment of private lessons.
First, if using software rather than paper sheet music, you need a digital piano with a MIDI interface to your PC, with the piano keyboard set in front of your PC's monitor. I'm using a Casio PX-120 an an Xmidi 1X1 USB interface.
Interesting aside: when I placed my keyboard on my metal stand, I got a horrifying sound when I hit D# - apparently the stand's resonant frequency, a problem solved with a bit of self-adhesive felt.
The Good:
For each piece or selection thereof, you can hear what the piece is supposed to sound like.
For some exercises, you can get automated feedback on how you played, with the errors tagged on the score, e.g. a missed or wrong note hit, or note held too long.
For other exercises, you can play along to a recorded ensemble.
Along with the music, audio clips are provided with interesting background trivia on the composers and their music but I'd rather read these than listen.
The not so good (are you listening emedia?):
There's not a good way to print a score as there is with online Scorch sheet music.
You cannot expand the window to see a whole page of music at once.
It's possible to lock the program up by trying to set various while audio is being played.
I found the metronome far too loud, with no obvious way to adjust its volume. I wound up just using the metronome built into my keyboard.
I had to keep the CD in my PC to use all the features.
The table of contents is too coarse, only allowing you to jump to the top of each section, rather than to a particular lesson or piece.
The "Animated keyboard" which displayed by default is a worthless waste of screen space for an Intermediate player. Fortunately, you can turn it off.

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The eMedia Intermediate Piano and Keyboard Method software features over 150 lessons and 50 songs with a focus on blues, classics, conventional scales, chord progressions, improvisation and other techniques necessary for mastering the piano. Vadim Ghin, author of the innovative eMedia Intermediate Piano and Keyboard Method CD-ROM, holds a Masters Degree in Piano from the Julliard School of Music, and has taught extensively at Julliard, New York University, and the Manhattan School of Music. AC_FL_RunContent( 'codebase','http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,28,0','width','330','height','286','title','eMedia Intermediate Piano and Keyboard Method Video Demo','src','http://www.americanmusical.com/ItemFiles/Flash/eMediaPianoKeyboardMethodIntermediate','quality','high','pluginspage','http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash','movie','http://www.americanmusical.com/ItemFiles/Flash/eMediaPianoKeyboardMethodIntermediate' ); //end AC code

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My Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)I found this to be a great product in teaching kids to learn to play. I am 30 with no music abilities and I have learned to play part of a song in the first few mins. My daughter is 4 and she loves to watch and play the games at the end of each lesson. Then she goes to the keyboard and tries. I did not expect her to learn since it is recommended for age 6 and over, but the interest is there and she will learn someday.
I have Windows XP and no blank screens

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My Piano is a unique and fun way for kids ages 6 and up to learn how to play piano or keyboard! An animated character named Pam the Piano guides kids through over 100 lessons by former Juilliard School of Music instructor Irma Irene Justicia, M.A. My Piano covers the basics, such as proper hand position and rhythm, and moves on to reading music notation, playing songs and more. An animated keyboard shows kids where to put their fingers as the music plays, and the speed of the music can be adjusted with MIDI tracks so that each child can learn at his or her own pace.When used with a MIDI keyboard, kids get instant feedback on their playing, telling them which notes were played incorrectly and what should have been played instead. Separate audio tracks (left / right hand, full song / voice only) and colorful MIDI accompaniments provide exciting options to have fun with. My Piano is the complete program that will get your child playing piano!Built-in accessories: Digital Metronome: Kids can keep a steady beat with audio and/or visual feedback. Digital Recorder: Allows kids to record and play themselves back for friends and family to hear! Research has proven that children who play a musical instrument do better in school, form friendships more easily and gain self-confidence. Get your child started playing with the easy and fun way to learn - eMedia My Piano

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Piano and Keyboard Method Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I think this is a great product. It walks you through the basics through more advanced techniques and songs. It also does a great job of teaching you to read music.
It includes short videos of a person playing piano so you can see proper posture and such. Each song comes with (optional) accompaniment, which can make it funner to play (especially with the simple songs). You can also slow the songs down while learning them. The software grades your playing with a percentage score, and gives you details on your errors (if you want them).
This is a great program if you really want to learn to play on your own.

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This new version of eMedia Piano & Keyboard Method offers everything you need to learn how to play! Piano instructor, Irma Irene Justicia, M.A., who has taught at the renowned Juilliard School of Music, guides you through over 300 step-by-step full-screen lessons. New Instant Feedback works with both electronic keyboards and acoustic pianos! It listens as you play melodies and shows whether you're playing correctly!

The lessons start with the basics, such as hand position, rhythm, and playing on black keys, and move on to reading music notation, sight reading, scales, and much more. Techniques are demonstrated with over 70 videos viewable in full-screen mode.

Learn songs and exercises from music notation as an animated keyboard guides you through fingerings. Songs and exercises are provided as both live-recorded audio and variable-speed MIDI tracks which let you slow the music down as needed. Colorful MIDI accompaniments help make practicing fun! You will learn over 100 popular classical, blues, pop, and rock songs, including hit songs from artists such as Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, and Elton John!

Interactive review and ear training quizzes help reinforce new concepts and develop your ear. When used with an electronic MIDI keyboard, you get Interactive Evaluation Feedback with detailed specifics on your playing, including which notes and rhythms were wrong and how to correct them. In addition, the new Note Tracker shows you what note you're playing and makes learning music notation easy. This latest version also offers fully scalable lesson screens and an option for full-screen video. Other accessories include a built-in digital metronome and a recorder. eMedia Piano & Keyboard Method is the ultimate way to learn how to play piano or keyboard!

eMedia Piano & Keyboard Method Features Accessories include a built-in digital metronome and a recorder. Click here for a larger image

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Casio WK-200 76-Key Personal Keyboard with MP3/Audio Connection and 570 Tones Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I played piano on my family's old baby grand piano all my life and then I went off to college where I had no piano. I finally asked for one for my birthday and this is what my family chose for me. The sound is GREAT (the 5 main piano tones are very nice, I love 002), the keyboards have a very nice weight to them that makes them feel like a real piano (not something cheap and plasticy).
Some accessories I'd recommend for any buyers:
Headphones-- This keyboard can go really loud and if you're around others, you may want to consider headphones so you can enjoy all the sound :) If you use regular stereo-mini phones (like iPod jacks), you will need a Stereo Mini Jack (1/8") to Stereo Standard Plug (1/4").
Pedal-- This is an M-Audio keyboard so it works with just about any pedal but I really love this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00063678K
It has a very realistic feel to it; much better than those cheap plastic ones that you get from the manufacturerOver all a great keyboard, I couldn't be happier!

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The Casio WK-200 is an affordable instrument with a 76 Key Piano Style Touch Sensitive Keyboard, 570 total onboard Tones, 180 Rhythms and Reverb plus Chorus Digital Effects. Packed with great features such as Casio's famous Step-up Lesson System, audio inputs for a MP3 player, Mic input, 10 seconds of sampling and a USB port for MIDI. All this makes WK-200 more realistic and expressive than ever before at this price range.


Standard-Size Keys with Touch Response The WK-200 features 76 standard-size keys and two sensitivity levels for a more piano-like experience, along with 48-note polyphony (24-note for certain tones).

570 Built-In Tones Find just the right sound with 570 built-in tones, from strings to woodwinds and plenty more. You can layer two different tones (such as piano and strings) or split the keyboard down the middle for an ensemble approach.

Reverb and Chorus Effects Select from ten different reverb and five different chorus effects to add depth and shimmer to your performance.

USB Port For many musicians, the computer has become a music-making center. Connect the WK-200 to a computer using a USB cable and exchange MIDI data between the two devices. Send play data from the keyboard to music software running on your computer, or send MIDI data from your computer to the keyboard for playback.

Built-In Sampling You can use the WK-200 to sample a sound from a portable audio player or other device, and then play the sound with keyboard keys. Sample up to ten seconds, and store up to five sampled sounds to keyboard memory.

152 Built-In Songs and Ten User Songs The WK-200 comes with a bank of songs for your learning and enjoyment. You can also record your own performances, using up to six tracks of different instruments.

Step Up Lessons To master a song, it is best to break it up into shorter parts (phrases), master the phrases, and then put everything together. The WK-200 features a "Step Up Lesson" feature that helps you to do just that. The built-in songs are pre-divided into phrases to help you master keyboard play. Step Up Lesson takes you through practice of the right hand part, left hand part, and both hand parts for each phrase of a song. Master all of the phrases and you master the song.

Music Challenge Keyboard Game Music Challenge is a game that measures your reaction speed as you press keys in response to on-screen keyboard indicators and fingering guide indications.

Auto Accompaniment With Auto Accompaniment, simply select an accompaniment pattern. Each time you play a chord with your left hand the appropriate accompaniment will play automatically. It's like having a personal backup group along with you wherever you go. The WK-200 features 180 built-in rhythms, and you you can also edit and save up to 10 of your own auto accompaniment patterns.

Auto Harmonize Auto Harmonize automatically adds harmony to notes you play with your right hand, which adds rich depth to the melody of your performances. You can select from among 12 types of Auto Harmonize to suit the type of music you are playing.

Arpeggiator The Arpeggiator makes it possible to play an arpeggio pattern automatically. There are 90 different arpeggio patterns from which to choose in order to match the music you are playing.

Transpose Function An easy operation instantly changes the key of the keyboard.

Line-in and Mic Input Play along with MP3 or CD players or other devices by plugging them into the stereo mini input jack, or plug a mic right in and sing along.

Battery or AC Power Power the WK-200 with six D-sized batteries or purchase the AD-5MR adapter separately to power from your electrical outlets. Built-in speakers make the keyboard entirely portable.

An Auto Power Off feature turns off the device six minutes after the last key is touched, helping you save batteries.

What's in the Box WK-200 Keyboard, Song Book, Safety Precautions, Appendix, Warranty

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