Magix Piano and Keyboard Workshop offers an appealing piano-practice tool designed for any beginning or intermediate musician with a MIDI keyboard or piano. With several features to improve your sight-reading abilities, this package is ideal for the younger user, but should be useful to adult players as well.
There are some 30 songs to practice in Piano and Keyboard Workshop. (More are available from Magix’s Web site.) The selection of tunes centers on simple melodies such as “Alouette” and “Amazing Grace” to snippets of recognizable music from Bach, Beethoven, and Scott Joplin. In Teach mode, the program displays a keyboard indicating the correct keys to play. When you play on your MIDI-enabled keyboard, the Workshop synchs up your notes with the onscreen display. We liked being able to hide each staff so you could work on right-hand and left-hand parts separately, and the “loop” music was a pleasant way to get in some effective practice.
Definitely the most fun we had here is with the Backing mode in which you play a simple melody and hear a small electronic orchestra behind you. In this mode, your piano tracks are backed up by additional MIDI voices. (If you have any decent sound card or keyboard, you’ll sound quite impressive, even just playing a single line of melody.) This feature should provide plenty of positive reinforcement to young musical ears, to help them keep practicing.
Another feature that will please younger users is the Game mode, which tests your ability to read music against several electronic musical “judges,” with varying levels of difficulty. Here, swatches of music appear onscreen, and it’s up to you to play the correct notes and/or rhythm. Electronic judges include Mr. Easy and Ms. Strict (well, admittedly not the most inventive of names). But with the most difficult, Mr. Guru, the game proved very challenging, with notably difficult dotted rhythms and plenty of 32nd notes that will test the sight-reading abilities of any piano student.
Overall, Piano and Keyboard Workshop offers an inexpensive, yet useful, tool for practicing music with any MIDI-compatible keyboard. You’ll probably want to use this program alongside traditional–or electronic lessons–for additional background musical material, but there’s little doubt this tool can hone your basic piano skills. –Rich DraganTeach yourself how to play your favorite songs using Magix Piano & Keyboard Workshop. This software uses the MIDI file format so you can download from a huge selection on the Internet. Featuring 30 well-known songs in different styles, it automatically creates lessons and exercises for different levels of experience directly from the song files. Notes appear on the screen while the songs play–making practicing easy and fun.
List Price: $ 19.99
Price: $ 12.00
- Transfers data from your Polar heart rate monitor to your PC for analysis
- Communicates with PCs via either IR (infrared) or USB 2.0 port
- Works with the Polar S625X, S720i, S725 and other Polar IR downloadable units
- Store and analyze critical performance data and maintain a detailed training log
- Adapter color may vary
Transfer your critical data in seconds! The new Polar IR Interface quickly transfers the data from your HRM to your PC so you can take an in depth look. The IR Interface also allows you to upload your training zones and timers from your PC for easy programming. Store and analyze critical performance data and maintain a detailed training log. IR interface works with the Polar F55, AXN500, AXN700, RS400, RS800, S610i, S710i,S720i S810i, S625X, S725, and S725X. Compatible with USB Ports. Adapter color may vary.Transfer your training data quickly and easily with the Polar IR USB 2.0 adapter. You’ll be able to download data from your HRM wirelessly to your PC via infrared signal so you can take an in-depth look at your stats. Store and analyze critical performance data and maintain a detailed training log. The IR interface works with the Polar F55, AXN500, AXN700, RS400, RS800, S610i, S710i,S720i S810i, S625X, S725, and S725X.
About Polar
The first EKG accurate wireless heart rate monitor was invented by Polar back in 1977 as a training tool for the Finnish National Cross Country Ski Team. The concept of “intensity training” by heart rate swept the athletic world in the eighties. By the 1990s, individuals were looking to heart rate monitors not only for performance training needs, but also for achieving everyday fitness goals. Today, the same concept of heart rate training is being used by world-class athletes as well as everyday people trying to lose weight. Polar is the leading brand among consumers, coaches, and personal trainers worldwide and the company is committed to not only producing the best products, but also being the leading educator on the benefits of heart rate based exercise.
List Price: $ 59.95
Price: $ 59.95
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