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(More customer reviews)a little background, i am a 22 year old woman with learning disabilities. i have a lot of difficulty reading and writing so when i wanted to learn piano i was worried because i couldnt afford lessons and learning from a book required a ton of reading.. im very easily distracted, just like a child.. i learn best with color.
first off:
piano wizard=awesome
second.. um, well.. its fun..
third.. everyone should have piano wizard
forth.. piano wizard company is evil for requiring registration on the internet for the product to be usable.. what if a person doesnt even have internet in their house? well i guess its not evil, but its annoying.. ive never seen another software that did that, not even my expensive rosetta stone japanese.. its especially a pain in the butt when the computer only has one bar of wireless internet.. really irritating.. but whatever i guess they are scared that people, um, im not sure what they are scared of.. but im sure its something..
5th.. no matter how excited you are your dog will never care that you got a 100% at the right tempo for a new song you have just learned.. he will sit there and stare at you as you dance around in your seat your victory dance..
6th.. start out in step 2.. its easier to learn the sideways layout faster if your brain doesnt have to turn.. well, start out there once you make it past old mcdonald..
7th.. boy im just going on and on with this numbering thing.. the dinosaur layout has the easiest to see flying thing shape, an egg, this is the best one because when fingering is activated you can clearly see the number without blocking the color while you still need color.. a lot of the others just become hard to read if you have poor eyes like me
8th.. songs make way more sense when you get up to level 3 and they show how some notes are supposed to be for longer (because during levels 1-2 you are learning fingering but in level 3 you can see real notes and so if you have even a tiny bit of knowledge about how the circle ones are longer your song will sound waaaay better)
9th.. well if you read 8th you might be under the impression that you cant see how long the notes are until level 3.. well if you choose to you can select the long flying thing and see them in level 1-2.. it will get longer for how long the notes are but i dont use it because it makes it a lot harder to see when there are multiple notes back to back for the same key..
10th.. songs in easy mode are lame, but they are truly the best for for each skill level.. any downloaded songs should wait until you have mastered the 100 songs at the proper tempo
11th thing to say about PW is that stretchy gloves with the tips cut off make it a lot easier to play in a 50 degree house..
12th.. well i wish there was sheet music for each song.. but i suppose if i really wanted to i could look it up
13th thing to say.. I AM A PIANO,,,, um WITCH!.. i dont think i can be a wizard since im a woman..
14th,, this is definitely not a stand alone product.. i think a book that teaches about the different notes and maybe some youtube lessons work well with it..
15th, i wish it could play through my keyboard speakers instead of my laptop.. meh
16th.. not everything is set up like it is in the how to videos but the real way its set up is easier anyway so whatever right?
17th.. the stickers do not impede the functionality of my lighted keyboard when not connected to the computer.. they are see through enough that the light shines through enough.. the black key stickers are not bright enough so be sure to practice in a well lit room.. one lamp may not be enough but its not a big deal because after a while when you are learning a song you stop looking at the keys all together..special note, the height of your regular computer desk may be too high for proper posture playing.. its harder to keep the wrists up when the desk is much higher than your elbows..now one thing i hate that i havent figured out how to turn off, is that line that connects the musical note to the piano key.. this makes it hard to see which line the note is on on the staff.. its really really annoying and it hurts the learning process for learning to read the music when everything is black and white.. honestly at that point i think i would rather they get rid of the keyboard for an even more challenging level where you are just playing the notes as they hit a line instead of keys.. maybe one day they will put a new level in that does that.. maybe they wont.. ((ETA: i have figured out how to turn off that weird line))
one more bad thing, it doesnt take off if you hit the keys out of order if they are close together.. and you can totally mash keys for a perfect score if you get frustrated enough.. sort of like in tekken 2, you could win any fight my mashing keys..
one more bad thing, the sound quality is awful.. but um, i dont actually care that much.. so whatever right.. but if you do care about sound it is best to note that.. i think its probably the midi files the songs are on's fault..
um if you are having trouble getting the stickers on right (like if you have a bigger keyboard and arent sure which areas get stickers) go into free play mode and hit keys to see which color they are then put the correct sticker on.. easy peasy..
havent figured out how to take midi files already on my computer and put them into the premier mode thingy.. i would like to have my cartoon songs on there..
the screen is weird on PW but you can get used to it.. i wish it had a sustain thing so i could learn that instead of holding down keys.. but whatever, and i also wish there was a velocity sensitivity component because you dont play all keys at the same volume when you play a real piano, some are softer and some are louder..
um i recommend starting a new song slowing the tempo down, waaay down.. then working your way up to moving your fingers faster.. it helps with mastering a song faster especially when you switch over to the black and white notes, it helps you have time to hit the correct keys instead of accidentally learning the wrong ones because it wont correct you..
i dont like how it doesnt take off points for pressing the wrong key, but as its made for children i sort of understand, but for an adult constructive criticism is helpful.. i hate when i get a 100% when i know i messed up a couple keys.. it makes me feel like i cheated..
rating:
fun= 5*****
instructive= 4****
sound= 3***
customization capabilities= 5*****
buggyness= 4****
total stars 4.2
i recommend this to any adults with learning disabilities that may otherwise prevent the learning of a musical instrument..
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Piano Wizard PREMIER Piano Instruction Software - USB/MIDIThis package includes: Piano Wizard PREMIER software (compatible with both Mac and Windows); USB/MIDI cable to connect your Windows PC or Mac to your piano keyboard; color-coded, washable & removable stickers for your piano keyboard. Piano Wizard PREMIER
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