Piano & Keyboard Method
© 2003 eMedia Music Corp.
Known for their very nice guitar tutorial CD-ROMs, eMedia has released its first foray into piano and keyboard instruction. Following the techniques of instructor Irma Irene Justica, the software has students sight-reading, creating accompaniment and transposing right from the start. Content includes 300 song-based lessons with videos and review screens, live recordings and variable-speed MIDI accompaniments. Instruction begins with hand position, rhythm and playing on black keys, and moves on to notation, scales and more. Additional features include an animated on-screen keyboard, a digital metronome and a digital recorder for taping your playing. This is a tutorial for older students and adults; there is much reading required, and the whole experience is self-paced and structured. We liked the onscreen animated keyboard that shows numbered keys being played as the song progresses. This provides a much-needed extra layer of instruction and visual support. (Note: A keyboard or piano is required, but the instrument does not necessarily need to be connected to the computer.)
$59.95, Windows, Macintosh
Teaches: music, piano, ear training, notation, music theory