Learn to Read Music Online

If you or anyone you know wants to learn to read music, it's a lot easier to do than it used to be. The Internet gives us all access to almost unlimited information, and can deliver an incredible array of products and tools right to our desktops. Not surprisingly, there are some really clever products out there that can help you learn to read notes.

"Piano is Fun" from Anthony Fernando is a great beginner package for a very reasonable price that will teach you how to read music. The knowledge and practice available here would cost many times the purchase price ($24.95) in personal lessons. Included in the price are free lifetime upgrades and a 30 day money-back guarantee.

Purchase and Installation

Purchase and installation are both a snap. The entire process takes no more than five minutes and is virtually foolproof. So, what's in the product? A series of lessons and practice games that teach you how to read music and make it fun! And that's quite an accomplishment! Most students find it an awesome, dreadful task, but it really doesn't have to be, as this product demonstrates. When you start the program, you might think that the product is just for kids. Well, it is great for kids, but it's also fun for anyone that wants to learn to read music for the piano. My own bass clef reading skills fade in and out, and I actually enjoyed clicking through the lessons and "games" (review tests).

Getting Started

The basic package features a series of twenty lessons that start very simply and progress through both the treble and bass clefs. The graphics are big and bright and easy to read. There are good sound and visual effects - enough to keep your interest up but not so much that it distracts from the point of learning the notes. The way to get started with the product is to take the tour, which explains the layout of the lessons and the "games" that are used as review tests for each of the twenty lessons. As a student progresses through each lesson, awards are given and displayed on a separate screen - great little reinforcers to keep you going.

Menu and Options

The main menu is completely self-explanatory and includes a button for "Start Here" which leads to the "tour", a "Lessons" button, which leads to the twenty lessons, an "Options" button (explained below) and buttons for advanced tests called the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Challenges. The Options button lets you control what happens when a correct answer is entered (there are a few different choices), and contains an option for teachers that allows the addition or deletion of a student's name. It is also possible for a "teacher" to construct "custom" lessons that operate like the other lessons. The option is in choosing the notes that are presented in the test. So, if you want your child or student to concentrate on recognizing certain notes, you can easily create exercises that contain only those notes. There is also a sound option that lets you turn on or off the sound effects that accompany parts of the program.

Extra Challenging Exercises

The Bronze, Silver, and Gold Challenge exercises are more note recognition tests but with the notes passing across the screen at a faster pace, obviously requiring a quicker response from the user. If a student can master these, there isn't much doubt that they know their notes.

So that's about it! This program doesn't balance your checkbook, manage your portfolio, or vacuum your carpet, but it never claimed to! If you want to learn to read music, or have a child that's about to start lessons or just shows interest, this product is a great buy. Imagine your piano teacher's surprise when your 5 year old shows up knowing how to read music on both the treble and bass clefs! She'll fall off her piano bench! By the way, my son, who has been taking lessons for two years, came home from school yesterday and ASKED if he could use the Piano is Fun program! Think about that!

Peter Cullen is the Webmaster at http://www.PianoLessonReviews.com. The site reviews piano lesson offerings on the Web and offers may other piano-related resources.

---

Avoid These 3 Common Mistakes - When Improvising

Mistake #1 - Thinking about what you're going to playA... Read More

Music to Echo Your Mood

In what way do the kinds of music (rock, rap,... Read More

3 Secrets To Understanding What Makes Music Tick

It's no secret that virtually everyone loves music in some... Read More

A Brief History of Gongs

The gong is one of the oldest musical instruments in... Read More

Shut Up And Sing

What is it with these performers and their politics? Do... Read More

How to Make $30,000 with Your Music Before Years End

As an independent musician and/or recording artist, if you did... Read More

50 Cent

More so than any other music since the blues, hip-hop... Read More

Music & Emotions: Can Music Really Make You a Happier Person?

How many times have you turned to music to uplift... Read More

How Any DJ Can Increase Their Gigs and Profits By This Simple Strategy

The DJ industry is very competitive. There are many DJ's... Read More

Piano Lessons and Perfectionism

Are you a perfectionist? Does every note have to sound... Read More

Social Networking and Music: MySpace Puts It All Together in a Virtual Community

Today's music fan interacts with a "community" that is far... Read More

Dance Musics Most Popular and Enduring Theme: The Declaration of Independence

It all started with Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" in... Read More

What is Music?

That's a fair question!Basically, you can call music any noise... Read More

The Case Against Traditional Piano Lessons

How would you like to spend 4 years in a... Read More

Playing The Violin Is For Everyone Who Loves Music

Every day musical instruments enrich the lives of people around... Read More

Copyright Basics for Songwriters

Should you copyright your song? If you're a songwriter, sooner... Read More

Health and Beauty Tips for Your Brass: Keep It Shiny!

Did you know that the health and beauty of your... Read More

Throat Singing In Inuit Culture

Originally, Inuit throat singing was a form of entertainment among... Read More

Automatic Control of Chords

CORRECT PRACTICE IS INDISPENSABLE!Your success or failure at the keyboard... Read More

All About Eminem

Marshall Mathers, was born October 17, 72, and could be... Read More

How to Construct Chords and Improvise

How To Construct Basic Chords on the PianoThe easiest way... Read More

Ouch, It Hurts When I Sing!

When I first set out to write this article about... Read More

How to Improvise Using a Few Chords

When a painter is getting ready to paint, a color... Read More

Top 50 Music Quotations

Discover the phenomenonal complexity of music and reflect on the... Read More

50 Cent G Unit

His lockjaw delivery makes him look as gangsta as Marlon... Read More