Features

• Learn chord strumming, playing melodies, and fingerpicking
• 160+ comprehensive lessons, plus new modern rock chapter
• 50+ videos including split-screens and close-ups of both hands
• 70+ songs; artists include Bob Dylan, Steve Miller, and more
• Automatic tuner, metronome, and 250-chord dictionary

Reviews (1)

A must have for beginner guitar players!!
If you are a beginner guitar player and are frustrated with your lack of progression, this product is a must have. It is a progressive program, starting with the basics such as; tuning a guitar, replacing strings on a guitar, and even how to hold the guitar. The lessons then move into your first couple of chords and basic folk songs which use those chords. Learning is by repitition and continually building on what you've already learned. You may feel a little silly playing songs like "She'll be comin' around the mountain" and "Oh-suzanna" but you'll soon see the benefit of these simple songs when you can suddenly make smooth chord transitions, which will of course help you later with the more complex lessons and songs. The best thing I've found about this program is that you move at your own pace. If you're having problems with a particular lesson or a certain chord transition, you can continue working on it until you're ready to move on. You can even go back and review any lesson you want. This is especially handy if you've had a break between practice sessions and it's been a while since you picked up your guitar. Also, after each chapter, the program gives you a list of popular songs which you should be capable of playing using the chords and techniques you've learned up to that point in the lessons. The program also has a very useful chord dictionary, metronome, and animated fretboard to follow along with during a song. Even if you don't even know what a fretboard is... even if you don't know a single chord... if you just picked up a guitar for your first time and haven't the slightest idea where to start...THIS PROGRAM WILL HELP!!! ... Read more

Features

• Carefully designed by music education professionals, it features 36 lessons that introduce all the important musical concepts
• Let Maestro Max teach you and challenge you while you develop your knowledge of important music concepts and skills
• Covers all the basics of music theory, rhythm, pitch, note reading, listening, and the keyboard
• Use the creative Doodle Pad for composing and hearing your own musical creations on the fly
• Easy-to-use self-paced lessons let you learn at the rate that suits you best

Features

• Imports MIDI's; microphone headset included
• 20-lesson singing tutorial with real-time pitch recognition technology
• Automatically adjusts songs to specific vocal range; sheet music view
• Edit songs or compose new songs with compose mode
• Learn to sing with proper breathing and posture; measure performance

Reviews (6)

Awesome product!!!
I bought this product for my daughter who has wanted to improve her singing skills. She wants to be an actress. It has helped not only her singing skills but also her confidence when it comes to singing. In addition to be very educational it was also alot of fun.

Singing for joy!
I'm very enthusiastic about this product. Not only has Singing Coach Unlimited improve my awful singing, but it's just such a fun product to use. Since I bought it, me and my friends gather at least once a week (we call it our karaoke night)and just have such an awesome time competing for the best scores. Soon I will be entering a talent show at my high school, thanks to Singing Coach I feel confident that my performance will get lots of cheers!

Band player that couldn't sing
Singing Coach Unlimited is a great product, and I give it two thumbs up. I have always grown up with music in my family and I can play my Tuba great, but when it comes to singing my wife would say I'm no Elvis. I purchased this product to improve my singing secretly so that I could impress my wife at our anniversary. After practicing and practicing I felt and heard a dramatic change in my voice. And when I sung, "When a man loves a woman" to my wife I actually saw tears of joy as she had heard my newfound voice. When she asked me if I had hired a vocal coach I said no honey, I purchased singing coach unlimited and now we are both hooked on the software.

Software needs improvement
The concept of this program is excellent, however there are some serious shortcomings in the software.Once you enter a song in the compose mode and then go into the sing mode and sing with it you can no longer go back to the compose mode to edit the song with out changing it's title.Also if you enter a song in a given key, save it, there is no option to allow you to open it up in the original key - the program automatically changes the key to fit your voice and if that's not where you want it, the onus is on you to remember the key in which you entered it if you want to reset it back to that key.An extensive tutorial would be a welcome improvement.

Singing Coach
Singing Coach Unlimited is a great product.My girlfriend tends to make fun of my singing in the car and claims I've ruined many songs for her.Well since I bought the product, she thinks my singing has improved and I'm no longer ruining songs for her.I enjoy the easy format that the software enables and the ability to download songs from the online store.My little sister likes the cartoon characters and finds them very entertaining.Although I've only had the product for a few weeks, I think my singing has improved greatly.I would recommend this program for the singer in us all. ... Read more

Features

• Powerful piano learning toolset
• Interactive feedback when using MIDI-connected keyboard
• Over 300 step-by-step lessons with 70 video demonstrations
• Develop sight reading, ear training, finger technique and more
• Over 100 songs included

Reviews (2)

Great product
I was completely new to music when I bought this set (CD-ROM and keyboard). I think it is great. It walks you through the basics and when you start playing the music has numbers on it that match up to your fingers (1-5) so you can play as you get the hang of reading music. Gradually they remove some of the numbers so your music reading skills improve.

The software grades your playing with a percentage score, and gives you details on your errors (if you want them).

Also, it includes short videos of a person playing piano so you can see proper posture and such. Each song comes with (optional) accompaniment, which can make it funner to play (especially with the simple songs).

The keyboard that comes with it (optional) has a solid feel, and is touch-sensitive (pressing harder plays louder). The keyboard plugs into the joystick port (probably on your sound card).

quality product
I got this product yesterday and started to learn by it.
after browsing it and using it for the first 17 lessons this is my impression.
what you get in this product is 100% of quality content and less emphasize on look and graphics.
and if you want to learn playing the keyboard, so the quality of the teaching is more important then other features.

the teacher leading the instruction process using video clips and audio tracks, is Irma Justicia MA which is a experienced piano teacher.
after 17 lessons i fell in love with her .it feels just lilke i'm in a real lesson with her.
for my non proffesinal impression this product is good for absolute beginners to the intermediate level.
it is also said on the product that it is volume 1 so probably they are going to issue more products in this piano keyboard line just as they done with the guitar.

cause of the simplicity of the graphics you can use it on any computer,old and new.
but still you get many sophisticated features like interactive feedback using midi cable.

for summary ...GOOD WORK. ... Read more

Features

• Piano Suite is your best option for learning to play piano no matter what your age
• With a full compliment of customizable and expandable tools Piano Suite will guide you into the rewarding world of making your own music
• Piano Player will help you through the learning process with the help of an interactive voice tutor and provide continuous feedback on your play until you master the piece
• Personal and musical biographies of over 150 composers and performers will enrich your learning experience
• Challenging interactive games sharpen your piano playing skills and develop theory comprehension

Reviews (1)

Great Software-Highly recommended
These guys have definitely put a lot of thought into this product and must be dedicated music instructers. Set up is easy. Worked perfectly out of the box. I did have one minor problem with producing sounds other then piano, but I went to the Adventus website and downloaded a patch. It works great now! Theres lots of info there and a phone number for tech support.

This is great software for beginners. No big jumps in lession difficulty, just a steady progression. Lots of user interaction with the software (ie, feedback about your playing, etc), games, computer generated vide, lots of songs to play and lots of different styles from classical to rock.

I'm not even using the suggested Adventus set-up, that is, using a internal soundblaster wavetable sound card. Adventus warned of a lag in hearing a note after it was pressed and when the sound was produced if you didn't have an internal wavetable soundcard. I'm not having any "latency" issues. Maybe it is because I have a 1.7ghz computer, with a external M-Audio Firewire soundcard. This is a "pro" external sound card (it has no built in sounds of its own it just processes digital sound files that come out of your computer. For access to sounds you'll need software or you can rely on the internal Microsoft GS WaveTable Software Synthesizer built into Windows XP) and Firewire is fast. For those people using the external Soundblaster Audigy cards, I've read that there may be a "latency" issue.

Read the magazine reviews at the Adventus Website if you don't believe me - www.adventus.com.

Also, I recommend http://www.tweakheadz.com/ for lots of info on equipment for making and recording computer music. The forums are great, especially.

This is quality software. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

With its latest package, eMedia goes beyond the drills and tutorials of its earlier eMedia Guitar Method, instead targeting players who already have a familiarity with their instrument. Song-based and fully interactive, eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method covers a lot of ground in its single CD and thus just skims the surface of some topics. It also seems a bit lackluster when compared to Voyetra's exciting, rock and roll-inspired Teach Me Guitar Deluxe. Nevertheless, the program offers a barrage of mid-level and advanced chording, soloing, and picking techniques that should assist any student who seeks to become a more knowledgeable and skillful guitarist.

Divided into six categories--left-hand techniques, barre chords, strumming styles, scales, solos, and fingerstyle guitar--the program delivers no less than 175 individual lessons and 41 appendices featuring most every popular musical scale in both open and closed fingering patterns, and a handy virtual chord dictionary. Most lessons allow you to adjust the speed of the music to suit your personal preference and loop certain sections for repetitive replay. Several sessions also offer optional narratives and video, though the narratives are too abbreviated to be truly informative and the video snippets, where veteran instructor Kevin Garry offers personal advice on certain techniques, are equally condensed and confined to a small window.

eMedia has provided several additional perks to make your job a bit easier, including an integrated metronome to help keep the beat, an optional tablature display for those who can't read musical notation, and an animated fretboard that graphically demonstrates each lesson's fingering positions in both left- and right-handed formats. The program's tuner isn't quite so impressive, behaving just as erratically as most computer tuners, and certainly not a replacement for a handheld digital or quartz unit. A small but serviceable audio recorder allows you to build a library of your own efforts and even jam along with self-penned arrangements.

The program concerns itself more with clean and semi-clean acoustic and electric guitar rather than heavily distorted hard rock. A valuable but curious assortment of songs dominates its many lessons, in particular Grand Funk Railroad's mysterious "I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home," The Grateful Dead's "Touch of Grey," and Jim Croce's exquisite "Time in a Bottle." Several complex classical pieces end the proceedings, culminating in the celebrated but extremely demanding arpeggio masterpiece "Romanza." It should be noted that although none of the selections are original recordings, all are capably translated and played.

Although eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method isn't especially high-spirited, it does offer a deluge of material that will ultimately benefit any guitarist with the talent and the drive to successfully take it on. With a ton of challenging musical passages and cool licks, some nifty utilities, and plenty of guitar exploration, it is recommended to novice players with virtuoso desires. --Gordon Goble ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Teacher-in-a-box
I wasn't sure how this would work out, but at the price, the eMedia Guitar method offered a lot more than the books and CD's or DVD's in the local music store.

Features I really like:

Animated Fretboard diagram: How to place your fingers for chords and notes.

Chord Dictionary: Important for playing music--chords are the basis.

Metronome: Nice to have, I find metronomes annoying but they do bring your speed up as you practice.

Guitars and Their Parts: and what might be wrong with your.

Reading Chord Charts, Tablature, Notation: It's important to know how to read a chord chart, but musical notation, the backbone of all music, is not ignored. I think one should read music, so if you don't, you are encouraged to learn here.

The lessons for chords start small--one finger (like a G7), two fingers, three, and up to the tough ones with four or barred. This is rather how I learned because I learned guitar by first playing a ukelele! (The tuning of the last four strings is the same on a guitar and uke.) You are a lot less likely to suffer frustration and sore fingers if you can play a tune or two with a two-finger chord. You just don't strum the entire set of strings at first.

The strumming techniques include good video of the up and down method of the blues, and there is a section on blues guitar style, of which I was most interested.

For the money, hardly a risk. Find a good starter guitar and give it a try.

John Nemerovski Software Review
I have been playing and teaching beginner and intermediate level guitar for over 40 years. Learning this instrument is easy for most people who practice regularly.

Music students pay $-$$ per guitar lesson, and a lot of that money covers instruction and repetition that self-starters and motivated self-learners don't need to spend. At under $$ US for comprehensive instructional and reference material, eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method provides exceptional value for these students.

I remember being lukewarm to positive in my appraisal of Volume One, the beginner CD in this series. It has been revised since then. If it's as good as this Intermediate CD (Volume Two), beginners now have a much better chance of learning from scratch.

From my first encounter with eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method (abbreviated as "IGM"), the experience has consistently been positive. Installation of the cross-platform CD's software takes only a minute or two. Initial 23 pages of sensible, thorough Introduction and Tips cover all necessary instructions, commands, and options, including well-written and illustrated:

Animated Fretboard diagram

explanation of the Chord Dictionary and Metronome

description of Guitars and Their Parts, including holding, stringing, and tuning

details on Reading Chord Charts, plus Tablature and Music Notation.

Once students are "Ready to Take It to the Next Level" the lessons begin with straightforward left-hand melody techniques. Subsequent topics include barre chords, right hand strumming styles, "Using Scales and Building Chords," plus solo and fingerstyle methodology.

One set of icons on the page of each song or exercise takes you directly to spoken short descriptions of a song's history, or pithy comments such as "Use a pick so your fingers don't fall off." A different icon launches the Animated Fretboard's display, playing the song or exercise while fret numbers display simultaneously with a running presentation of the notation or tablature for the piece. Very impressive, all of it, and not nearly as complicated as it appears from reading the above paragraph.

Navigational arrows lower right easily take you forward or back one page, and the Tools and Goto menus at top offers complete navigation throughout the entire application, including:

Scale Directory and audio enhanced Chord Dictionary (REALLY GOOD!)

Tuner and Metronome

Self-recording feature.

Additional observations:

1. Set your screen resolution to one higher than 800x600 for best viewing.

2. The IGM's CD responds quickly and quietly when playing its instructional QuickTime sound and picture files.

3. A special icon launches short QuickTime movies in which a very competent guitarist demonstrates the techniques0 with close-up camera on the active hand.

4. Colored live embedded links take you directly to related chapters, if desired. (Is there a way to jump right back? I can't figure that out.)

5. Special mentions of differences between electric guitars and acoustic instruments are given, when appropriate.

Instruction is segmented logically, with high-quality attention to detail. I plan to begin using the IGM software, movies, and sound files immediately with my students. Its cost is a bargain for the reference features alone.

If you know your way around the guitar and want to "Take It to the Next Level," IGM is easy to recommend. When all your prior instruction has come from a human teacher, the comprehension curve for this multimedia application will seem steep at first. Remember that repetition is your friend, music students. Take your time, practice a lot, and you'll be glad you purchased eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method.

Nemo's MyMac.com "Q/D/S/V Standard" for all product reviews:

Q = QUALITY, including ease of installation, performance, stability, and general happy relationship with everything on my system;

D = DOCUMENTATION, both printed and electronic, plus appropriate website material;

S = SUPPORT, in the form of email, phone, and web updates;

V = VALUE, which includes both original cost and subsequent expenses.

Depending upon previous instruction and self-teaching skills of guitar student, our rating is:

4 out of 5
A very decent product. Worth the time and investment, but look for competing products.
- TO -
BR> Fantastic products! Well worth your money and investment. The best of its kind.
John Nemerovski

Great approach to lead guitar!
When you think of guitar heroes you think of their lead guitar prowess. This awesome guitar CD-ROM does an amazing job of teaching lead guitar through a ton of scales, techniques and licks. After each scale, you'll get some lick or song to practice with. There are even some fully transcribed solos by Hendrix and Clapton. The coolest thing about Emedia is their animated guitar neck that plays all the songs. It shows bend and lets you slow the songs down. There is also a lot on rhythm guitar techniques.

Overhauled version of Guitar Method 2 rocks!
I'm a fan of eMedia. In the 2 years I've owned a guitar I tried to teach myself how to play time after time only to end with frustration. Being in college I'm too cheap to buy lessons and too busy to sit down at a scheduled time. I picked up eMedia's Guitar Method to get the basics of playing down, and after only 4 months of playing I'm finally ready for Intermediate Guitar Method.

Intermediate Guitar Method is incredible! Unlike Guitar Method 2 it has an animated fretboard just like in GM1. It has also expanded it's lesson library from 85 to 175 lessons. It has an expanded chord dictionary with over 1,000 chords providing sound for each chord (a huge step up from GM1's 250 chord dictionary). What I didn't like about GM1 was that it seemed to focus on using the acoustic guitar. Many of the recordings (Clapton, Hendrix) in IGM are played with an electric, which offers a nice balance between the two. The techniques that are learned in IGM are advanced, but I'm convinced that there is no other software available that will make them easier to learn or more enjoyable to play. ... Read more

Product Description

Sibelius and PhotoScore Pro Bundle. Sibelius 3 is the brand new version of this award-winning software, with over 200 new features and feature enhancements. PhotoScore Professional is the most advanced software package of its kind. The Sibelius Educational Editions are intended solely for the use of qualified students, educators, educational institutions, and church and music ministry personnel residing in North/Central/South America. ... Read more

Features

• Compatibility with Mac OS X 10.3 Panther
• G7 Guitar Guide updated with more information and photos of guitars, provided by Fender and Gibson
• Ability to enter tab data directly through a MIDI guitar has been significantly improved
• Opens Finale and Finale Guitar files

Features

• Create, play, and experience music using only your mouse and imagination
• Innovative software by world-renowned composer Morton Subotnick
• Endless possibilities to draw original compositions on your screen
• Cool games teach rhythm, melody, pitch, musical instruments, and more
• Choose from 16 instruments; compose with 23 tools

Reviews (1)

An old favorite remains the best of its kind!
As a third grade teacher, I had this product in my classroom for years, until one day it inevitably got lost. I have been looking for a new copy for a while, and was glad to find it available on Amazon. It is, in my opinion, the best program of its type. The concept is very easy, children paint in a KID PIX type of format onto a white board, and that painting is then translated into music. If you draw at the top of the screen you will have a high note, at the bottom a low note. The longer you draw the same pitch horizontally the longer the note will be held. The simplicity makes it accessible to kids as young as kindergarten, but there's lots of features that make it riveting for older kids and adults as well. You have a wide variety of instrument to "draw" your music with, and there are lots of options that allow kids to experience their compositions in different ways. Hear your opus backwards or learn what it sounds like if it were flipped upside down. This is a program that people of all ages will enjoy (it was one of everyone's favorites on parent night). Sometimes simpler really is superior, and this program is a perfect example. ... Read more

Features

• This special set of lessons and exercises is designed by professional guitarists, to show you exactly what you need to know
• Understand the basics by reading & playing along
• Turn the guitar tabs you read & play into standard notation, for easier reading & transcribing
• Fast creation of your own signature riffs
• Create your own lead sheets and post your songs on the Internet

Reviews (9)

Better than I expected
Being a teacher and bandleader, and new to computers, I needed an easy program to help me prepare lessons, and more importantly to make my originals readable on the job, usually in low light situations. Some of my tunes have twists and turns, and my handwriting isn't beautiful. My computer-savvy colleagues spoke highly of Sibelius and so I gave G7 a shot. It does the work I need simply, elegantly, and most importantly, I found it easy and fast to figure out. It certainly does a lot for the money, too. I'm very satisfied.

Save Time, Effort and Money
I run a Master's Degree Program in Instructional Technology and am always impressed when a program can teach well. The animated fretboard in G7, and the ability to seamlessly go between standard notation and guitar tablature are superb. As a guitarist, I'm stunned by the number of uses I have already found for G7. It is also incredible for eliminating "grunt" work which guitarists, teachers and students have always had to go through. I almost feel guilty for having paid so little for it...almost. If you play the guitar and don't have G7, you are wasting time, effort and money.

Excellent software for songwriters
This software is great.
The documentation is excellent and I was up and running really fast. You can input notes from a MIDI keyboard or MIDI Guitar, as well as clicking or typing the notes in (using a,b,c,d,e,f,g!).
You can add lyrics, chord symbols and chord diagrams, and there's a guitar guide with it to help you learn even more. FABULOUS!!

Very poor functionality
This software is a MAJOR disapointment. I've tried for 4 hours (learning curve) to build a simple lead sheet and I can't get past 16 bars. This software is full of bugs. I tried to add lyrics but when I came to a half note at the start of a measure that was tied to a note from the previous measure the lyrics jumped to the following measure, skipping 4 eighth notes, making it useless. You have no flexiblity in the lengths of measures. They seem to take on a life of their own. Not only do they become either too long or too short, the page jumps all over the screen when trying to stretch or shrink the measure.

I didn't find this software to be hard to use, only the buggiest software package I ever owned (hope to get a return). The functionality just isn't there. The manual and help are weak. The manual and help say one thing but the program does another. I can't continue to fight with the package and try to figure out why something does not work the way the manual says it should.

This was just a couple of things I found bad, believe me there were more.

I believe that this software was written for a Mac, based on the manual and user interface. Maybe it works for Macs but if you have a pc, forget it.

this does not live up to the hype
I purchased this product one week ago,,, after several hours
a day and talking to there support i find this program not anywhere
near intuitive, the reviewer that said it has a tall learning curve was not kidding,
i think he was being nice! this program doesnt do what it claims
(it doesnt play all guitar symbols i even have email from them stating that)
it is very difficult to even put a bend on tab and get it to sound right.
the scanning software does not work at all (if it doesnt crash it doesnt even get 20% of the song right)
I am going back to guitar pro it cost half as much and is so much easier. ... Read more

Features

• Over 100 lessons from a Guitar Institute of Technology graduate
• Hosted by radio personality Steve Rock of KISW’s “Metal Shop”
• Techniques include movable power chords, hammer-ons, distorted riffs & more
• Equipment tips include using distortion, whammy bar, feedback, wah pedal & more
• Over 90 songs & riffs to learn

Book Description

Richard Wagner's entire "Ring of the Nibelungen" on one CD-ROM.The definitive Vienna Philharmonic recording, Sir Georg Solti conducting.

* Complete piano-vocal score, German libretto with English translation, and running commentary-all synchronized to the music.

* All 14.5 hours of pristine digitized sound captured by The Media Café's new audio compression technology.

* More than one hundred original essays with detailed explanations.

* Extensive full-color image database from contemporary and historical sources.

* Comprehensive analysis of all the leitmotifs along with hypertext links to specific musical occurrences.

* Search functions instantaneously isolate and index individual leitmotif, characters, and musical examples throughout the entire cycle.

One disc with 14.5 hours of pristine digitized sound.

Computer Requirements:
Pentium Processor PC
Windows 95 or Windows NT
8MB Ram
4xCD-ROM Drive
800x600 Screen Resolution with 16 bit color ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A graduate level course on Wagner's "Ring"
When I was a graduate student in college, I took a two-semester course on the operas of Richard Wagner: the first semester was on his "other" operas and the second was on "Der Ring des Nibelungen". The second semester was spent in Germany, where we attended a performance of the complete "Ring" at Bayreuth (glorious!). Finding a copy of this Ring Disc ... was a real treasure (I must have bought the last one available, unfortunately, as it now available only as a used CD). This program really allows me to dig into the Ring once again, after so many years. It's a shame that the audio quality isn't any better, but 14.5 hours on one CDR is still remarkable. I recently purchased the new DVD set of the Ring, with Pierre Boulez (That's another review entirely!), and find the Ring Disc a helpful supplement. It is a shame that it seems to POP, but at the original ... list price, no wonder.

If you can find a copy, all you Wagner fans, buy it!

Excellent way to enjoy the Ring -- Incredible value too!
This CD is amazing in that it presents the entire Ring Cycle -- all 14 hours or so -- in very acceptable (albeit mono) sound on a single computer disk. The recording used is the famous one George Solti made with the leading Wagners singers from the late 1950s and early 60s that is considered one of the best recordings of these works. The software side of the disk is great, in that you can instantly choose the opera you want to go to, along with act and scene within the act. You can follow the operas in three ways (simultaneously if you want) -- there is a piano score, the libretto, and (very nice) a part of the screen that lists the leitmotifs that are being played. You can readily move through any part of the opera with a scroll bar, and there are lots of hyperlinks that take you to musical examples and some (almost a 100) very nice short essays on the Ring and its characters. This really is a great piece of software if you are interested in the Ring, and is a good value at...the list price..., and a truly unbelievable value at the [price] Amazon is now asking for it.

A wonderful resource
This CD-Rom is the best guide I've come across in 18 years of studying the Ring music dramas. The highly compressed music (14.5 hours on 1 CD!) is recorded in mono, but still sounds okay. The CD plays on my Windows 98 PC with no installation, no technical hassles at all. There are numerous hyperlinks so you can go to any section of the 4 operas in one click. Most impressive of all is the thorough cataloging of the leitmotifs. The commentary here is especially inciteful, illustrating how leitmotifs are developed and related to other leitmotifs, musically and dramatically. The explanation of the "love-curse" motif (usually mislabled the "renunciation motif) is particularly good.
I can't recommend this highly enough. (...)

Hooray, I wish I could have bought this 10 years ago
The sound quality on this issue is pretty similar to that ofthe CDs, given that both are digitally remastered from original analogtapes. It would be well worth investing in higher quality computer speakers to take full advantage of the fine audio quality of this release. I have seen this package offered for sale only once outside of Amazon.com, and as I recall the retailer was asking a great deal more. The additional features of this issue make it very valuable for music study, the piano scores bought separately cost a fair sum. It is also very helpful to have the leitmotives (or as Wagner called them, Gedachnismotiven, meaning motives of memory) almost musically dissectable from the scores. All in all, this is one of the most attractive options available of acquiring the complete Ring. The Solti is not my favourite cycle, either as a whole or in part, but at this price, with all the extra features and conveniences, it would be very hard to give this set anything less than a full recommendation. Those who have already invested in other versions of this cycle on CD, including Solti's very popular recording, should not be too concerned about the costs of duplication. The extra and unique features of this issue make it well worth the outlay.

A technological triumph!
If this disc is ever reissued, grab it! It is not an audio CD as described by Amazon. It is a CD-ROM with the entire Solti Ring in one disc (computer sound, of course). On video you get the score (piano reduction), the text, an English translation, and commentary. All the leitmotivs are marked, and you can stop anywhere and get all the instances of a leitmotivs, from first to last, and go to any point and hear any that you want. When they showed it to Solti, he was just amazed how much is on this one disc. (Issued with his approval.) This disc is hugely helpful if you want to get under the skin of the Ring and really get to know it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

The word innovative can often be a hackneyed term to describeeye-catching software design. But in the case of eMedia's Blues Guitar Legends,the word is truly apt. The rock cognoscenti here at Amazon.com's music-softwareevaluation division are really starting to love eMedia's guitar instructionseries. Quite simply, we've seen nothing like their products before, andapparently we're in the majority, judging by the popularity of the Seattle-basedcompany's other titles, like Guitar Methods 1 and 2.

For those who want to learn blues-style guitar playing--which should be anyguitarist interested in the roots of pop music--you can do no better than BluesGuitar Legends Vol. 1. Picture buying an audio CD of 10 of the greatest bluessongs of all time, but instead of getting just the songs on disk, you alsoreceive a comprehensive, visually rich system for learning those songs. Throw incommon information about guitar tuning, song notation, and biographical data onthe artists, and you've got eMedia's Blues Guitar Legends.

Upon launching the program, a content window pops up with pictures of nine bluesartists--including Muddy Waters, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, and Stevie RayVaughn--and one band, the Allman Brothers. Roll your mouse over the picture andhear a quick sample of a song, one of many little details we love about thisprogram. If you're just starting out, you can click on the Intro icon to get anoverview of the software, its icons, and their functions. Learn fingerpositions, how to read chord charts, and how to tune your guitar using thebuilt-in tuner. Go back to the content window and click on an artist to launch asong. Have your guitar ready, because now the fun begins.

As the song is playing, you'll view the heart of eMedia's system--the animatedfretboard--and the notation window containing the musical score of the guitarparts in the song. The animated fretboard is simply one of the coolest featuresyou'll find in instruction software. It's a top-down view of a guitar neck, withchord and finger patterns that change, or play, as the song plays. You canactually watch how the fingers slide, bend the string, and use vibrato. B.B.King's trademark butterfly tremolo technique is dutifully re-created, as is DuaneAllman's legendary slide style.

You can slow down the tempo of the song, loop sections, change between lead andchord parts, record yourself playing, and even sing along to the lyrics if youwant. Practically the only thing you can'tdo is stop to ask Muddy Waters a question, but with this software, you won'thave to. You'll be speaking his language soon enough.

Most of all, you'll have a lot of fun with Blues Guitar Legends. And you justmight spare yourself years of a hard-living, freight-train-catching bluesman'slifestyle. --John Bosch ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Mesmerizing!
There is simply no better way to learn these songs. You can isolate different sections of the music and loop them over and over (both the audio and the tab/notation). You can even slow it down. The animated fretboard is also very cool. It plays the notes in time with the music. It even bends the notes. I only wish they'd make more.

Poor user interface, technical problems
I spent about an hour getting this to work correctly. I am disappointed with the interface and the lack of lesson information. Not a bad product but there are better guitar programs for sure

Great fun but not for beginners
This is a wonderful CDRom. The songs are mighty enjoyable, and eMedia lets you see exactly how the blues greats created the toe-tapping music that they did. But be warned: learning to play these songs using the eMedia system isn't for rank beginners. I'm a classical guitar player with over a decade of playing experience, and I had to slow the songs to less than half their speed to even have a fighting chance of keeping up. You're expected to already know some blues techniques and have some accessories (e.g. a glass slide). Eventually, I know I'll get the hang of these songs and have a great time. But it's gonna take practice, practice, practice.

Play blues like a pro
I picked up Blues Guitar Legend because of the great songs by Stevie Ray Vaughan and BB King. When I saw the animated fretboard I was blow away. Bends, slide and vibroto make this feature very cool. The multi speed option made learning the songs very easy. I highly recomend picking this one up. ... Read more

Features

• Everything needed to learn keyboard straight out of the box
• 300 step-by-step lessons, from the basics to much more
• 70 video demonstrations of techniques; interactive reviews
• Comes with MIDI keyboard, AC adapter, and USB cable
• Includes built-in digital metronome and one-track recorder

Features

• Music Ace 2, the second title in the highly-acclaimed Music Ace series from Harmonic Vision, is designed for beginning and intermediate students
• Featuring 2,000 musical examples and covering treble, alto and bass clefs, Music Ace 2 picks up where Music Ace leaves off to introduce standard notation, rhythm, melody, harmony, intervals and much more
• Maestro Max and his choir of Singing Notes return for an encore performance with a variety of new instruments to provide students with a continuing introduction to music fundamentals and theory
• Music Ace 2 continues the same fun and engaging format of 24 comprehensive lessons, challenging games and a creative composition tool
• Lessons - 24 engaging, self-paced lessons that accelerate development of fundamental music skills and music theory

Reviews (1)

Making Music Fun
Very well developed program for the young student of music. Can hook up your keyboard to your computer & work the lessons that way, or just use the keyboard, too. Teaches beginning tempo, rhythm, introduces the various concepts of all the differences in tempo, beat, etc. Teaches about the grand staff, also has a "doodle pad" where kids can make their own music & hear it played back to them. Lots of fun! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Voyetra has created a winner with Teach Me Piano Deluxe. This comprehensive set includes lessons, music reference, music-related games, and even a simple recording console. It should appeal to both beginning and intermediate players.

Installation was fast and trouble-free. The application's interface is well-designed and navigation through the program is self-explanatory. From the main menu you can select Piano Lessons, Recording Station/Jammin' Keys, Music Games, Music Reference, and SoundCheck. We moved right into the piano lessons, which cover getting started, right-hand training, rhythm training, and more. You can also zoom in on individual chapters, and select solo exercises from a drop-down list.

After choosing right-hand stretches, a video window popped up with our friendly instructor, Hugh Berberich. The camera view is over-the-shoulder, top-down on his hand as he slowly plays a scale up one octave. The video window allows one to pause or repeat the lesson, and move to the next lesson when ready. Throughout this and other lessons, Hugh explains concepts such as intervals, bars, and sharps and flats in a clear and concise manner.

Having made it through a lesson with Hugh, we then checked out the recording capabilities of Teach Me Piano. The recording station looks like a simple mixing board, with 12 sliders; Record, Mute, and Solo buttons; LED level meters; and transport functions. The recording station is quite simple and effective for multitracking keyboard parts, transposing MIDI data to different keys, and assigning the recorded MIDI data to the 128 General MIDI-compatible instruments. Although there are no features like editing or effects, it works well for the purposes of simple recording.

Additional features like music games and the Jammin' Keys section provide a respite from the lessons. Overall, Teach Me Piano offers a lot for the beginning or intermediate piano student, and would probably appeal to those simply interested in the piano's role in modern music. --John Bosch ... Read more

Reviews (21)

I have looked at others but this is simply the best...
What they don't tell you is that, you can add midi songs from the internet to the trainer, so that you can learn thousands of songs.
In the lessons, you can change the tempo, if it goes to fast. You can ask it to label the notes with the corresponding letters, as well as, the fingers to use. You can pick a range of measures to go over, instead of the entire song. The most important part of learning music is the timing and this program teaches it from the beginning.
The sequence that the material is presented and studied is thoroughly professional and challenges you every step of the way. This program with a midi keyboard connected to a computer is an ... alternative to traditional music lessons for children and adults.

Excellent Product !!
I'm 52 years old and learning to play the piano for the first time. I'm using Teach Me Piano Deluxe in combination with my computer (running win xp) and a midi keyboard. I've been at it now for 5 months (practicing about an hour each day). When I started I knew nothing and now I'm playing simple songs. Short of having a teacher sitting beside you, I think this software is the next best thing. If you're willing to make the investment in time, Teach Me Piano will take you a long way toward learning the piano.

Non-Turtle Beach Sound Card Owners beware
AFTER READING THIS REVIEW, PLEASE READ THE UPDATE LOCATED TOWARDS THE BOTTOM.

After reading the reviews of Teach Me Piano Deluxe elsewhere, I must admit that I was geeked.

However, after reading the reviews of the same software here at Amazon.com, I was somewhat apprehensive due to the bad reviews it received, especially for Windows 2000 users and especially the boxed retail version sold in stores.

Therefore, I called Voyetra customer support, told them that I was running Win 2K and there were bad reports on the boxed software and Win 2k. He assured me that there was no difference between the download version and the retail version.

I took him at his work and purchased the retail version. WRONG MOVE! It would really be a nice package IF IT WORKED! As another reviewer stated, the sound is terrible. The MIDI settings keep changing. Sound is intermittent and may leave you at any time.

Using the headphones with this software is a nightmare. Sometimes the sound comes out through the speakers when it should come out through the headphones. Then it might come to its senses and do the right thing.

This software is also a CPU hog. Most of the time, CPU usage is 100%. It hangs constantly, especially during the video episodes and during the verbal instructions. Not only will this software not work properly, but after I kill it in Task Manager, it has the nerve to foul up any other apps that I may want run, even Internet Explorer!

I have rebooted my system tonight 8 times in the course of 1.5 hours. This is totally unacceptable. I will be calling Voyetra on Monday for an upgrade or a refund.

I write software for a living and I am extremely familiar with how to install and use vast numbers of software packages.

However setting up and using software should be a no brainer for even the most novice of users. I feel sorry for a novice trying to wrestle control of their computer back from this software.

UPDATE:

I was FINALLY able to get this program to behave. I was able to, by hunting and pecking, to figure out that for my Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum sound card that I had to set specific MIDI Synth before the MIDI Input would work and I had to do it in a specific order. It seems that Voyetra not only wants to sell you their software, but they only support the Turtle Beach sound card which they also want to sell you. With Sound Blaster soundcards being the most popular sound cards, not to mention the fact that many PCs motherboards now come with integrated sound cards, this is unrealistic. I know that every sound card may not be tested, but at least the most popular ones should and there should be a non-Turtle Beach compatibility list on their website. At the very least, the software should warn the consumer that they purchase this software at their own risk if they have a non-Turtle Beach sound card because Voyetra will not provide technical support BEFORE THEY PURCHASE THE SOFTWARE.

Since I eventually got it to work after much PAIN, I upgraded my rating to 2 stars.

Not too bad...
Worked out a lot better than expected. Requires a lot of perseverance and self-determination, but the program itself is very intuitive and easy to use. Highly recommended.

Try this one...
With all these bad reviews, I'd like to make a suggestion...Adventus Piano Suite Premier...Lots of songs, rock solid stability (run the patch from the website if you have any problems) and easy transition from one lesson to the next... ... Read more

Features

• Prepare for singing with proper breathing and posture
• Understand the differences between jazz, blues, classical, opera and other styles
• See your performance and measure it on-screen
• Includes headset microphone

Reviews (2)

This one's a winner. Check it out.
It was really cool how this CDROM was put together. Very user friendly & easy to install & run. You can hear the finished product, watch the guitar tabs to see how it is played with adjustable MIDI Music control to speed it up or slow it down. Mute the part you want to play & jam along with the band. Cool stuff! It also includes a brief history of the song & the artist, which is always interesting.

If I had had this type of instruction as a teen I probably wouldn't have sucked so bad as a musician. I would have been able to better keep up my interest & enthusiam because CDROMs like this provide continuous access & infinite patience in teaching the more difficult songs & unique styles. I always learned from friends who gave me 5 minutes, then walked.

Granted this CD includes a diverse, "something-for-everyone" approach adding classical & country tunes to rock & blues. For that I only gave it four stars & also because there is no clip of the musician actually playing the guitar on the Demo like Voyetra's "Teach Me Rock Guitar". But it must be conceded that Voyetra could only fit four songs on their CD while this one has 21 diverse tunes. eMedia website also provides good software support for these guitar series.

Great Product!
This CDROM has it all. Music, TAB, play along with either the MIDI version of the song OR the audio version. The audio versions have track muting capability so you can mute the vocal or the Guitar or Bass. The nicest feature is the animated fret board so you if you don't know a chord or aren't that familiar with playing lead in the 7th position: have no fear, this feature cuts right through all of that. This CDROM is formatted for Windows AND Mac: which makes ordering easier too! ... Read more

Features

• Work with up to 24 staves per system, and 8 voices per staff
• Piano, percussion & guitar tabs are readily available and easy to work with
• Manual and automatic centering of staves
• MIDI output to any external device
• Format & print your sheet music for any printer

Reviews (6)

Fun making music
I have been really having allot of fun with Play Music. I hope to get a keyboard to use with this for christamas.

Easy music writer
Thsi program is very easy to use and is all I need to make my songs.

Excellent product for a great price!
This is a great program and is well worth the money. I've written many original compositions with this software with no problems. I use the program to write and print my arraignments at church and it's more than paid for itself. Anyone who has the need for an easy to use and stable notation program should buy this program!
Happy Musician.

Fun with Play Music
I really like this program. I am going to keep writing and printing my songs to be a real composer someday. I play my keyboard with this program and its like a recording studio. Thanks for all of the FUN.

Bugs among the notes!
This is an easy to use program, but watch out for the bugs. The most serious problem is that if you save a score as a MIDI file, all the repeat & end signs that you may have put in the score disappear. There is another peculiar problem with the program: if you cut & paste notes, chords or dynamic signs too often, they either stop playing or keep playing at places on the score where you removed them from. The "manual" tells you to keep clicking on a little brush symbol to redraw the score, but that doesn't always solve the problem. One annoying feature of the program is that every time you play your score, the note palette closes. So, if you want to add a few notes, listen to the score & then add a few more notes, you have to keep opening the note palette. After a while this becomes tedious.

I suggest you spend your money on something better.

Frustrated Musician ... Read more

Reviews (2)

No more beginner's books! ** WORKS WITH THE MAC! **
Forget beginner's books! Save your money and buy this program, the ability to play along with the computer while you watch the notes/chord progression alone is something that no book/ audio cd will ever match. The way the lessons are presented is excellent, giving visual types like me direct re-enforcement on what the lesson is all about by giving you follow-along examples, and most importantly encouraging you to improvise and experiment. I've been learning the bass on and off for a couple of years and while I can already play along with many songs and improvise a bit I have found even the most basic lessons in this program to be very useful. I'm really looking forward to the sight reading section of the course! Highly recommended! If #2 is ever issued I'll buy it!

Finally a CD-ROM for bass!
My friend really liked eMedia's guitar CD-ROM, so I got their Bass Method the second I saw it at Circuit City. The lessons were easy to follow and the videos had demonstrations for both the left and right hands. The coolest feature has to be the ability to remove the bass and jam with the band in great songs like Knockin' on Heaven's Door. I'm almost good enough to jam with my friend. ... Read more