Keyboard Coach

by Charanga

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000068CO9
• Item model number: KCA01
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 15, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,790 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

In essence, Keyboard Coach is a highly skilled and very patient piano teacher. With the help of this admirable new learn-to-play CD-ROM, even the most banana-fingered of pianists could end up doing a passable impression of a keyboard virtuoso.

Using the latest high-tech gizmos such as video sequences, a computerized metronome, and onscreen notation, Keyboard Coach takes the would-be pianist from the simplest one-bar boogie through the execution of fairly complex rock, pop, country, and classical tunes. On the way, the Coach also spots your mistakes, gives you hints on fingering, and helps you polish your style with video clips. Keyboard Coach will also slow down the tunes when things get a bit tricky, or take you through the actual construction of a keyboard if you're wholly mystified. And when you're finally ready to hit the ivories, the Coach will provide orchestral and percussive accompaniment to your joyous vamps and riffs.

In some ways, Keyboard Coach is better than any real-time piano teacher: no matter how mangled your scales, Keyboard Coach won't admonish you for skipping practice. --Sean Thomas, Amazon.co.uk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It really, really, works., January 9, 2003

By 

Marijane Shufro (Harrisville, NH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keyboard Coach (CD-ROM)

Never having had either piano or keyboard lessons, I was apprehensive about learning to play my keyboard by myself through a software program. I was pleasantly surprised. Keyboard Coach has 25 individual lessons to choose from, starting with how to use the program. I really liked the easy way you are shown how to connect your keyboard to the computer to monitor the interactive lessons ( I was not looking forward to that part ).

The opening screen looks like a winding ribbon with multiple lessons. There are five rows on this ribbon with five lessons in each row. Click on a box on the ribbon to open that lesson. The lessons offer both written and video/sound clips. The clips can be viewed in a small window or full screen, and range from explaining how the plethora of buttons on my keyboard work,to observing correct finger placement to mimic -- and actually play a song.

Additional stuff includes what they call Cool Band Trax, or "music missing the keyboard" where you can practice for a real audition, or like me just pretend.

If you own a keyboard collecting dust and you have never taken a lesson before, Keyboard Coach is going to make you feel like a star.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review dated Jan. 27 contains incorrect information., April 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Keyboard Coach (CD-ROM)

Because of the subject review, I sent a message to Charanga.
Here is their response:

Each of the points it makes is absolutely untrue. Finger placement is not only demonstrated it is demonstrated in 2 different ways ie with video, and with photographs. How to read music is taught very patiently right from scratch. An entire Level 1 Module with 10 lessons is totally devoted to learning to read music. After that, each time a new note, note value or rest is introduced it is done one at a time with an accompanying tune or tunes to help reinforce the learning of the new music reading element. Keyboard Coach goes to great lengths to patiently help people learn and has received only very favorable reviews from everyone who has genuinely used it.

3 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars beginner software, January 27, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Keyboard Coach (CD-ROM)

This was confusing for an 8 yr old who wants to learn to play. It didn't show how to place fingers on keyboard, went on from the assumption of knowing finger placement and how to read music already.