Computer Piano keyboard/lessons

[lisaann]

I've seen a couple of piano keyboards that you hook up to the computer and teach you how to play. :thinking I would be interested in something like this for my kids (we don't have a piano) but I'm not sure if they are worth the money.

Practical Homeschooling magazine had a review of My Piano Pack , by eMedia Music Corp., this past month that was less than stellar. :thinking One of the major complaints was that there was a latency between striking the note on the keyboard and hearing the sound on the computer. :hehee That would drive me buggy!

Have any of you tried anything like this and if so what are your thoughts?

I personally took piano for 8 years (hated every second of it and have no personal interest in it all all :tape) but I'm glad for the musical education that it gave me. I think my 8 yo dd would be the most interested in this. My mom is currently teaching her some piano but since we don't have a piano or keyboard ourselves she isn't able to practice. I like the thought of her being able to fire up the computer and learn while she's at home when ever she wants. :nod If she's musically inclined I want to make sure she gets the education that she wants but I don't want to shove it down her throat, like it was mine, so that she ends up resenting it.

Here is a link to the one that I mentioned above:
http://www.emediamusic.com/mypiano.html

[NewWorldOrder]

I don't know anything about the ones you use on the computer. I went ahead and signed my 9 year old up for piano lessons with a private instructor. She has a masters in music, and she teaches out of her home for $70/mo. I didn't think that was too bad considering other instructors charge much more. I'm just going to get her a little electronic keyboard to practice on, then if she decides she really likes playing and gets proficient enough, then we'll buy a piano.

She's been bugging me for piano lessons for a while. She just seems to have an ear for music. She learned how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on her harmonica without anybody teaching her, she just figured it out. Then she was playing with some online piano and figured out how to play the same tune, no effort. Then, she figured out how to play London Bridges on her little guitar, so, yea, it's time for music lessons.

[Lucy]

My son taught himself to play the piano with a Casio ctk-573 model keyboard. This model has a 3 step program that works with the unit. This is an older model but the newer model is pretty much the same. We got ours at Sam's and it came with the stand for about $150. Walmart carries them around Christmas each year.

[terrilynn]

I have a Master's in Piano Performance and have been a piano teacher for over 20 years----the answer to your question is really in how serious the student is going to be. If he or she is just wanting to learn to read music and tinker with playing the piano just for fun--these gadgets work fine--but if they are serious piano students and plan to be proficient and good pianist I say save your money for a good used piano. You cannot get a sense of touch from these gadgets and I will not teach a serious piano student who only has a keyboard--the touch is just not the same on a true piano. I do understand not wanting to invest in a piano until you know if your son or daughter will like and stick to the demanding process of learning to really play the piano--and for those I recommend renting for a year. I hope this helps.

[NewWorldOrder]

I have a Master's in Piano Performance and have been a piano teacher for over 20 years----the answer to your question is really in how serious the student is going to be. If he or she is just wanting to learn to read music and tinker with playing the piano just for fun--these gadgets work fine--but if they are serious piano students and plan to be proficient and good pianist I say save your money for a good used piano. You cannot get a sense of touch from these gadgets and I will not teach a serious piano student who only has a keyboard--the touch is just not the same on a true piano. I do understand not wanting to invest in a piano until you know if your son or daughter will like and stick to the demanding process of learning to really play the piano--and for those I recommend renting for a year. I hope this helps.

Well, for one, I have an extremely limited amount of space. Two, I'm not going to invest in something that could cost hundreds to thousands of dollars to buy, and possibly $100 or more per mo to rent, until I know if my child will actually stick with it. I understand where you are coming from, but most of us homeschoolers are on a shoestring budget.

[lisaann]

Thanks for the input so far. :thumb My dd is 8 and so far is notorious for getting into something and once she's done it she's ready to move on to something else. (I don't know where she gets this from :whistle) That's why I'm looking for something that will satisfy her interest and teach her something without breaking our budget. My mom has a piano and is teaching her when she is over there but dd (and myself) are not to the point where we are ready to commit to regular lessons.

I would love to hear from someone who has actually tried one of these computer keyboards.

[Wally]

Just a note,

My FiL used to search the paper looking for used pianos and frequently found nice spinnets and consoles for $0 to $100, people just wanted to get rid of them. They will most likely need a tuning once put in place but some really good beginner pianos are out there.

Yamaha, Baldwin are the better names, but many small companies made nice small pianos - Gulbranson is ours.

[Chopin's Ghost]

Well I'm a pianist (if you couldn't guess by my username) and I wouldn't recommend teaching on a midi keyboard no matter how much of a beginner the student is. The reason is, the action of the keys and very different from a real piano and they will not be able to learn proper piano technique (and may even develop some bad habbits) due to the difference in touch.

It would probably be great for teaching ear training or music theory, but not piano-playing.

Just my 2 cents

[Wally]

CG, My favorites are the railroad Polonaise in A #6 (Heroic) and Barcarolle. I would sit silently and listen to my mom play her Steinway -Chopin, Brubeck, Joplin, Gershwin are my favorites.

Good choice. Mayde some Vince Giraldi too?

[Chopin's Ghost]

CG, My favorites are the railroad Polonaise in A #6 (Heroic) and Barcarolle. I would sit silently and listen to my mom play her Steinway -Chopin, Brubeck, Joplin, Gershwin are my favorites.

Good choice. Mayde some Vince Giraldi too?

My favorites are the etudes and nocturnes. I also love Fanz Liszt.