A Review Of Allegro Rainbow's Latest "Learn To Play The Piano" System
 The Piano Wizard In Action
When it comes to learning to play the piano there can be no doubt
that lessons from a private, real life piano teacher is best. For many
families a private piano teacher is simply not an option due to
financial and time constraints. Recently several companies have come
out with interactive ways to learn to play instruments at home in a more
traditional manner. Allegro Rainbow's Piano Wizard is one of these home
based piano lesson packages and has several very positive features that
make it stand out from the crowd. This review will examine the pros and
cons of the hardware and software included in the Premiere version of
the Piano Wizard system.
What's In The Piano Wizard's Box?
Included with the Piano Wizard software is a very solid and
impressive MIDI keyboard. Impressive is the word used because in many
companies will skimp on the quality of equipment in order to provide
the lowest possible price to the consumer. The Piano Wizard Premiere
comes with the M-Audio Keystation 49e. While not a high end MIDI
device, it is still a very sturdy and well designed piano keyboard
built to stand up to the rigors of repeated lessons and practice. The
49 key pressure sensitive keyboard includes a pitch bend and modulation
wheel for special effects. While there is no speaker built into the
49e, the Piano Wizard software allows the user to play through your
computer's speakers and power the keyboard as well all through the USB
port of your computer. The Piano Wizard Premiere package also comes
with a USB cable and software CD-ROM. The software works on both PC and
Mac based computers.
Does The Piano Wizard Really Work As A Way To Learn To Play Piano on Your Computer?
Yes and no... In a setup similar to the now popular Guitar Hero
video game, beginning pianists follow along with color coded notes that
scroll up the computer screen. Colored stickers are provided to allow
students to match the notes on the piano with the notes on the screen.
If this was all that the system provided then it would not be worth the
purchase price. However, Allegro Rainbow has gone much farther, taking
the Piano Wizard away from being just a toy and giving it features that
can truly give a new pianist a good start toward playing real music
while still offering a challenge to more advanced players.
Does The Piano Wizard Teach Real Music Notation?
Once the user is comfortable with the software and is able to play a
few songs the screen can be altered to display realistic, traditional
music notation. The vertical scrolling action can be flipped
horizontally to allow the notes to be displayed in traditional notation
similar to what you would see in a normal paper based piano lesson book. The
icons representing notes can be switched to traditional note heads with
stems on a real musical staff when the student is ready.
Are There Any Downsides To Using The Piano Wizard System?
Piano purists will likely take issue with the slightly stiff action
of the keys of the M-Audio 49-e as well as the lack of weighted
response. In addition, the Piano Wizard Premiere software lacks any
real individualized or intelligent instruction methods. In other words
it does not offer ideas on how to improve, rather it simply encourages
repetition until the user gets it correct. These issues aside, the
Piano Wizard is a very good place to start when considering the
purchase of a home based "learn to play piano " system.
Tags: learn to play piano play piano play piano online piano wizard premiere learn piano MIDI M-Audio Keystation 49e 49e 49-e USB piano keyboard music notation guitar hero
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