Piano tutor software

On May 2, 2006, at 8:16 AM, Darren Woolley wrote:

> Made me realise I should go back to lessons, but was thinking
> rather than pay someone to physically tutor me, perhaps I'd be
> better off paying a developer for some software!
>
> In searching for Mac OS X-based software, I found references to
> eMedia's Piano and Keyboard Method software - does anyone have any
> knowledge of this product, or suggestions of others?

Darren,

I use Practica Musica. It is professional and VERY good for learning
to play the keyboard. It begins where it should and ends with
practically graduate music work in composition and theory. It is only
for the most serious user/learner.

Anyse

> Made me realise I should go back to [piano] lessons, but was
> thinking rather than pay someone to physically tutor me, perhaps
> I'd be better off paying a developer for some software!

Learning to play an instrument properly from following a software
tutorial simply cannot, and does not, work.

Unless you only want to use your keyboard to trigger some sample
loops or enter a step-sequence into GarageBand, you will eventually
need to learn -- and practice -- proper playing technique. And that
is something that no piece of software can teach you.

A piece of software cannot see whether you hold your hand properly,
or whether you move your fingers correctly when shifting your hand's
position for extended melody lines; a human teacher can, and he will
also know how to correct the specific problems you may develop.

What's more, playing music all by yourself -- with or without a
computer "teacher" -- can be rather dull, while playing together with
a good(!) teacher is an inspiring experience, and it will broaden
your musical horizons in ways that no piece of software can.

What I'd suggest, therefore, is to take a few lessons with a human
teacher to get started again, and complement this by some music
_theory_ software. For example, Ricci Adams has compiled a great
website with expansive lessons on music theory, and he even offers a
free downloadable version, too.

<www.musictheory.net>

Whatever approach you'll choose: enjoy the music!


Jochen.


--
A Polytrope's Musings <http://www.polytropia.com/musings>
Polytropic Flickr Pix <http://www.flickr.com/photos/polytropia>

I have to say that there are a couple of very good products out there
to help you to learn how to play the piano. I agree that the use of a
piano teacher to help you with certain things is nice to do to make
you a better player. However, so much of playing music (learning to
read music and matching the keys, signatures, and notes) is rote work
and rather repetitive. Why pay a lot more for a teacher for this type
of thing?

I have finally got to using Practica Musica daily. It is inexpensive
and has not only the exercises offered in the text book but also
many, many other exercises that have been added by teachers and
others in the music industry. It WORKS!!! I feel great satisfaction
when I am able to complete the exercises correctly and, to top it
off, it also allows me to learn from my mistakes as well.

I also use Harmony Assistant to write out my own music and, due to my
theory background and ear training in Practica Musica, it has paid
off to be able to write out my own tunes and to see how much can be
done with it. Since I am also learning harmony, I can also write
additional staffs with the harmony and I am not limited in how many I
can use.

Together, you have practically all that you need to learn and to use
to make your experience with music both rewarding and exciting.

Anyse

I've used both Practica Musica and eMedia and the former is clearly much better than the latter, although it's true that the graphic interface for Practica Musica is a bit clunky. The exercises submitted by Practica Musica users add value to the program and make it feel like you're participating in a little community rather than just consuming a product or using a tool