Progression of Instruction:

Additional Features of My Piano:

Drawbacks To The My Piano Software:

The HP Color Laserjet 2600n is a great entry level color laser printer that does just as well at home as it does in the home office. While the color output of the 2600n is not perfect, for most common tasks and office projects it is more than adequate. Color photo printing is lackluster, and the speed of printing is below average, but retailing at less than $300 means that the buyer can't expect perfection.

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Built in Print Server and Ethernet Networking Capabilities

Print Quality and Toner Life:

Updated and Improved Navigation in SmartMusic Studio:

The first and most noticeable improvement in the new 10.2 version of SmartMusic is the initial user interface. Instead of forcing a student through a complicated set of setup tasks and options that he or she may not understand the new opening screen consists of two simple buttons labeled Assignments and Find Music. SmartMusic Impact assignments are handled the same way as in previous versions although the assignment list has been widened to make it easier to read and navigate.

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The Find Music interface has also been updated and simplified with a nice, large pull down list of the most recently played music. The other buttons take the user directly to the method book listing or to the SmartMusic exercises without having to delve through the main SmartMusic interface window to find them.

Microphone Check Wizard Saves Tons of Time:

Subscription Management and Other Improved Features:

eMedia has come out with some outstanding "learn to play an instrument" software packages. There are very titles out there that present instruction in a way that is easy to understand and fun to use yet still accomplishes the educational goals that it sets out to complete. The My Guitar software from eMedia is one that stands out in the field of learn to play guitar software packages.

Getting Started With My Guitar:

When a beginner launches My Guitar for the first time they are introduced to a talking animated guitar character that guides them step by step through the basics of how to hold and pluck a traditional acoustic guitar. It makes distinctions between the classical and steel guitar, and goes on to show representations of the different sizes of guitar to help the beginning guitarist feel confident in their choice of instrument.

Learning To Play The Guitar With Gary:

Once the basics are explained "Gary the Guitar" guides the learner into a sequential series of basic chords and strumming techniques. The instruction moves at the perfect pace for a young beginning musician, spending several minutes on each chord before combining it with others to create full length songs. The songs used are common children's songs that are well known by most students and adults.

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Games Help Learners Reinforce New Information:

At the end of each chapter students are treated to a simple point and click game to help reinforce the chord finger positions. This is the only part of the software that is less than stellar in performance in that each game is basically the exact same as the one before with the exception of using a different background and theme. It is a shame that a little more variety could not have been built into the games in this otherwise exemplary piece of guitar software.

Additional Features and Drawbacks of the My Guitar Software:

Also included in the software is an electronic tuner and audio recorder, both of which require a microphone to work properly although the tuner can play a basic tone to allow the learner to tune their guitar manually. An electronic metronome and chord dictionary are also provided. One final drawback is that the software seems to end too soon. By the end of the instruction the learner has just begun to learn tablature and has only mastered a handful of chords. Luckily eMedia also sells a more advanced learn to play guitar product titled the eMedia Guitar Method which looks and feels quite similar to the My Guitar program as well as to the eMedia Piano and Keyboard Method , but with much more advanced concepts and chords.

Overall the My Guitar product is one of the best that this reviewer has seen in terms of commercial "learn to play guitar" software packages. With very few flaws and a fun overall theme this software comes highly recommended.

For home users looking for flexibility and convenience in an all-in-one multifunction printer, the Epson CX-9400 is a dream come true. Built into this relatively small unit is a very good quality scanner, fax machine, and photo quality ink jet printer all of which work seamlessly with most software packages. Other benefits to this unit include:

• Automatic document feeder with the ability to scan directly to PDF.
• Instant photo copying from the front control panel.
• Instant faxing without help from the computer.
• Vibrant, very high quality photo prints when using Epson inks and paper.
• Built in card readers and PictBridge support allows printing of photos without a computer.
• LCD screen on front of printer allows for minor editing and cropping of images prior to printing.
• Traditional flat-bed scanning to import images into the computer for editing.
• Prints photos up to 8 1/2 by 11 inches.

Overall this unit gets high marks for almost every criteria. Customer support is also quite good. The initial test unit had a defective ink tray. After a brief wait on the phone and a few troubleshooting questions Epson sent out a replacement unit and a pre-paid return tag to ship the bad unit back to the factory.

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In general this is an excellent buy for home users and families that want a great quality printer with the added benefit of scanning and fax capabilities.

The eMedia Piano and Keyboard Method software is designed to help any beginning pianist learn to play the instrument. Excellent videos and tutorials guide students through the process of learning the fundamentals of piano at an educationally appropriate pace. What sets this software apart from other products that attempt to teach a person how to play the piano is that this one is based on authentic music notation and terminology. There are no scrolling bars or Piano Wizard style color coded keys. Instead a learner is guided step by step through the acclimation process exactly as one might expect from a live piano teacher.

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Intelligent Design and Instruction Features:

The Piano and Keyboard Method software is built in chapters, each one building on the previous chapter and adding skills at appropriate times. In addition to basic playing skills students are also instructed in basic music theory and aural training skills to help them not only be able to play the music but also to better understand what it is and how it works. Not only is standard notation covered, but other concepts such as tempo and the terminology associated with tempo is also examined and tested on.

Interactive and Useful Performance Feedback:

In terms of the actual piano instruction, each lesson is accompanied by video clips to help the student understand and get through difficult sections. The software is also designed to intelligently assess the student's playing ability during each lesson if the computer is hooked up to a MIDI keyboard. While the feedback given by the software is hepful it could definately be improved upon. A percentage score is given following each run through and balloons highlight problem areas with general messages such as "Held Too Short," or "You Missed This Note." While the assessment system is not perfect, it is more than adequate to help any beginning pianist see their mistakes and learn from them.

If a user is in the market for a Learn To Play Piano system, the eMedia Piano and Keyboard Method is definately one to consider. The software can be used with or without a MIDI keyboard, and in fact works very well when ran on a laptop computer sitting atop the family Steinway. For those without a piano package deals are available through retailers such as Amazon that include MIDI keyboards and cables in concert with the software.

Overall and excellent educational product that far surpasses the offerings of many other manufacturers. Highly recommended.

Notation Composer installs incredibly fast and occupies a surprisingly small amount of disk space. It includes access to all of the most important and commonly used musical functions and these functions are laid out in a fashion that in the reviewers opinion is actually superior to Finale and Sibelius. Instead of floating tool panels that get in the way of the music on the screen, the various notation tools are laid out in tabbed menus that line the top of the music window.

Dynamic Parts and Other Added Features:

Notation Composer also supports dynamically linked parts, allowing users to work from the full score or from the individual parts. Parts are also printed via a simple interface.

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The Notation family of products also have a free, downloadable Notation Player that non-owners of the full version can use to view and print Notation files on their computer.

One drawback to the Notation Composer software is also one that plagues the other music notation competitors. Notation Composer exports MusicXML files but does not import them. Further, Notation can only open MIDI files and other files created in a Notation product. Another drawback is the lack of phone based tech support. All support is either through email or through the Notation user forum. For $149 one would expect the ability to speak to a live person for assistance, even if only for a limited period of time following the purchase.