Harmonic Vision Music Ace 2 - Consumer Version, Hybrid CD

by Harmonic Vision

Product Features

• Music theory software, 24 lessons; hybrid CD-ROM, for Mac or Windows; for ages 9 & up.
• Consumer version tracks the progress of up to 10 users.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• ASIN: B00004WLB7
• Item model number: MA2-H
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,968 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #51 in Software > Video & Music > Software > Instruction

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

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.

24 engaging, self-paced lessons that accelerate development of fundamental music skills and music theory. Lessons cover:

• Standard notation
• Tempo
• Comparing rhythms
• Rhythmic dictation
• Echoing
• Counting
• Quarter notes
• Eighth notes
• Rests
• Measures
• All key signatures
• Hearing melodies
• Melodic contour
• Syncopation
• Half notes and ties
• Dotted quarter notes
• Sixteenth notes
• Rhythmic composition
• Time signature
• Major and minor scales
• Intro to intervals
• Three sounds per beat
• 6/8 time
• Intro to harmony
• Ear training
• Composing melodies
• Distinguishing melodies and harmonies

Games:
24 exciting multi-level games (one per lesson) sharpen music skills and improve retention of important lesson concepts. Animated 3-D graphics, digitized sound effects, bonus points, and high scores provide fun, interactive entertainment. Users can select novice or advanced difficulty settings.

Tracking Progress:
Special feature tracks an individual's progress through lessons and games. A "completion count" provides the number of times the user has gone through each section of a lesson and "games progress" provides high scores.

Music Doodle Pad:
Unique feature allows individuals to easily compose their own music using a variety of instrument sounds. These creative compositions can be saved and played back for others, showcasing the knowledge and skills acquired from the lessons and games. Users can also listen to and modify popular music selections from the Jukebox section of the Music Doodle Pad.

Instructional and Appearance Settings:
New features enable users to select clef instruction (treble and bass, treble only, bass only, or alto only), determine rhythmic stringency (relaxed or strict), determine game difficulty (novice or advanced), and also adjust the appearance of the notes and instruments (with or without faces).

Points of Distinction:

• Ideal for beginning and intermediate music students, young or old--any instrument
• Accelerates learning music fundamentals--develops and reinforces essential aspects of learning music
• Exceptional value-affordable combination of lessons, games, and a composition feature
• Excellent motivational tool--excites students about learning music
• Users develop real musical skills, not just an introduction to music
• Entertaining, highly interactive, easy-to-use point-and-click navigation with the mouse
• No expensive MIDI keyboard required (optional)
• Saves teachers valuable time--ideal supplemental learning tool for group or individual music instruction

Product Description

A good sequel to Music Ace (available separately), or a good first step to practice rhythm and melody concepts. Maestro Max and his choir of singing notes teach the fundamentals of music with narration and colorful graphics; each lesson ends with a game designed to reinforce new concepts. REQUIREMENTS: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7 *OR* Mac OSX 10.4 or later; P133MHz - 16 MB RAM *OR* PowerPC/ iMac/ G3/ G4, 68040 25MHz - 5 MB RAM; 640x480 256-color monitor; 5MB free hard disk space; MPC compatible sound card or General MIDI required; CD-ROM drive & mouse. LESSONS: Beat & Tempo; Hearing Rhythms; Review 1 Note Names; Review 2 Sharps & Flats; Basic Rhythm Notation; The Quarter Rest; Key Signatures & Major Scales; Melody; The Measure; Sharp Key Signatures; Notes Longer than a Beat; More Sharp Key Signatures; Dotted Quarter Notes; Flat Key Signatures; Rests; More Flat Key Signatures; Syncopation; Sixteenth Notes; Minor Scales; 3 Sounds Per Beat; The Time Signature; Intervals; The 6/8 Time Signature; Introduction to Harmony.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Making Music Fun, January 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Harmonic Vision Music Ace 2 - Consumer Version, Hybrid CD (CD-ROM)

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!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get Your Kids Excited About Learning Music Theory, June 29, 2007

By 

George Rosta (San Ramon, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harmonic Vision Music Ace 2 - Consumer Version, Hybrid CD (CD-ROM)

Harmonic Vision Music Ace 2 Our eight year old son loves to play piano and keyboards, but getting him excited over learning how to read the notes on a staff or about time signatures was very tough. He just loved to play, but he didn't like working in a music theory workbook. Music Ace 2 is an interactive, thorough program that is fun for kids beginning to learn about music or even for kids that are just curious about it. The "professor" is your guide through about two dozen lessons and is very supportive and patient. The games that support each lesson are a lot of fun to play, and reinforce the lesson. An excellently designed program overall and well worth the price.

The only drawbacks are that it is a bit dated. I purchased mine in June, 2007, and it's nearly identical to the one my son's piano teacher uses. She says she purchased her Music Ace 2 in 1999. Also, on our computer, the graphics do not display in full screen (our resolution is 1024 x 768) and there is no way I've found to maximimize the program to fit our screen.

So, if you don't mind an appearance that appears a bit dated, Music Ace 2 is an excellent way to get your children excited about learning music theory.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, Helpful Even for Adults, October 18, 2008

By 

Bea Shalla "Abenteurerin" (Bamberg, Germany) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harmonic Vision Music Ace 2 - Consumer Version, Hybrid CD (CD-ROM)

The teacher, Maestro Max, talks and he's encouraging and motivating.

It's animated, you hear the notes, it introduces classical scores from Verdi and others, it has engaging, challenging yet fun drills and exercises that really help in ear training, learning music theory, and more.

Why can't other softwares and programs be more like this? I have Musition 3 Single User Student Edition for Windows, eMedia Earmaster 5 and Auralia 3 Single User Student Edition for Windows and they're all boring and dull compared to this (although I kinda like Auralia because it goes to more advanced drills and exercises) But yes, why can't they all be fun like this one?

It would be nice if Music Ace does the more advanced lessons too, like chords, intervals etc.

There's a trial/demo version for this at http://www.harmonicvision.com , try it :)