This is the second of three posts exploring innovative music technology for learning to play the piano.

Piano Marvel
If you don't have an iPad, don't despair. Piano Marvel works on your Windows or Mac computer. I've been using this software for several years with many students. It becomes a great practice assistant and features several thousand songs and exercises designed to challenge all ages and ability levels. It also saves your practice information to the cloud so you can practice using almost any computer, any time. Just connect a digital piano to your computer with a MIDI cable connection to get the full benefit of Piano Marvel.

The result is that learning to play the piano is much faster and more fun than with books alone. My students using Piano Marvel (and other apps) learn several times faster largely because there's no time spent practicing wrong notes or rhythm for six days until your next lesson. Also, both you and your teacher can access your playing accuracy scores along with your practice times. I know - difficult to cheat.

Summary of Features

• Instant feedback shows you where mistakes were made so you are never left wondering if you are playing a note or rhythm incorrectly again. Green notes = correct, red notes = incorrect.
• Progress tracking shows you where you have been and where you need to go. It's easy to see how fast you are moving through the exercises to help motivate you even more!
• The Practice Mode in Piano Marvel makes it easy to learn challenging passages. You're able to break down a method or technique exercise automatically into smaller and slower sections the same way a piano teacher would.
• Video Tutorials are provided to guide you on the fundamentals of piano playing, including hand positions, finger placement, dynamics, and music reading skills.
• The ever-expanding library of songs and exercises ensure that you never run out of songs to play. Piano Marvel currently has over 1,200 exercises and over 1,000 performances pieces.

There is also a video menu allows you to quickly and easily find useful videos for learning how to setup Piano Marvel, troubleshoot technical issues, and learn how to get the most out of the system.

You can access everything Piano Marvel has to offer for a nominal subscription of $15 monthly  and they are currently offering all Level 1 exercises and songs for free. You can also use my distributor code, "applegate," to get a discount on the premium subscription ($12, instead of $15 monthly). Try it out at  www.pianomarvel.com.

Even though many piano teachers use this great learning system with their students, you can also learn a lot working on your own.

This is the first of three posts  about  award-winning technology that's now available (and inexpensive) for children, teens, and adults to learn to play piano easily and quickly. These apps enable you to interact with music notation in real-time and see the music "in action." Since I've incorporated them into my teaching, I've seen a significant increase in student success. 

This post deals with an iPad app called, Piano Maestro. 

Piano Maestro
Though, Piano Maestro is currently only for iPad, I'm hearing about the possibility that it may be available for Android sometime in the future. This app is great for learning piano with a teacher or on your own.  And it works for young students as well as adults.

All you have to do is download the FREE app in the apple app store and place your iPad on your piano and register. It doesn't even have to be an electronic piano and it's wireless- no cables needed. Piano Maestro hosts a "gaming" atmosphere that listens to your playing and gives you immediate feedback on the accuracy of your notes and rhythm.

Summary of Features

• Over 1500 songs, method books and exercises with more content added every day. You can learn from the app's own curriculum, called "The Journey" or choose from another of the well-known curricula available. You can also pick your own separate pop, movie, or classical songs with orchestrated backing tracks.
• The “Learn” mode leads you step by step through each section in a guided process that prepares you for the full tempo version. Each phrase is taught separately with slower tempos and separate hands. While guiding you through the song, PM scores also listens to your playing and gives you a score on your accuracy. Keep playing to get a higher score and more stars.
• Perhaps best of all, it's free as long as you're connected to a teacher. And if not, you can still take advantage of what Piano Maestro offers with a nominal monthly subscription fee.

Adults and older children may find the backgrounds to a bit "juvenile." At some point, users will have a choice of backgrounds. The functionality, however, works for learners from age 3 to 103 - which means it's a good fir for YOU. Find out more