eMedia Piano & Keyboard Method V 3.0 Edition

After buying the Casio LK-S250 bundle which included the eMedia Instructional Software Starter kit, I got a taste of how the software is designed so I decided to buy this full beginner package.

The software is designed for users of all ages and of all experiences. For someone like myself, a middle aged man who played alto sax in high school and never learned piano, some of this was review. But there was also a lot which was new to me. For example I know treble clef but not bass clef, or I know the notes and pitches but not the keys on the keyboard. If you don’t know any of this, don’t worry. The lessons start off assuming you know NOTHING, starts you with the basic fundamentals and works you up from there. Keep reviewing it every day and you’ll pick it up.

If you use a keyboard with a MIDI cable connecting to your PC (I recommend this), then as you play on the keyboard the software colors in the notes on the screen as you play them correctly showing your progress. At the end of the song it provides a percentage to show how much you got right and what was wrong. If you need, each lesson has video tutorials or a play-thru with the keyboard and sound to give you an idea of what to expect. Very nicely put together.

The music selection is designed for learning. I know another review had stated that this is not modern music, but the software is not intended for you to become an entertainer for your friends and family. There are a few light sampling’s of a Billy Joel or an Elton John song, but overall it’s mostly compiled with classical tunes that most people are familiar with and is designed for your success when you reach the right lesson at the right time.

The attached video will give you one example of two lessons with the same song. The first part of the video shows lesson 44, Alouette. A very common tune that a lot of people know. I played this my second week and recorded it and then a month and a half later I recorded lesson 157, Alouette with accompaniment (starts at 53 seconds). You’ll see that with continued practice this software builds you up to be able to play better over time.

Do I have to run the software from the CD-ROM drive? Absolutely not. Just make sure when you install it, you install it to your PC directly and then you don’t need the CD.

Can I install on multiple PC’s? No. This is license copy designed for 1 PC. For most folks this shouldn’t be an issue.

The only negative aspect I can really think of is the internal metronome which the software provides. Running this while playing the piano caused delays in the software to keep up with my playing (this isn’t a fault of the software, just how technology works in PC Operating Systems). What I would recommend is to download a separate metronome software (for Windows users, just go to the Microsoft Store and search for a metronome – there’s free software out there which will do the trick).

Overall, I highly recommend this software for kids or adults to begin their journey. The key is going to be PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. I’m up to around the lesson 175 out of 314 learning after a month and a half of daily practice and I repeat the last 40-50 lessons each time. And if I start off having issues, then I go back even farther.

Utilizo éste método para aprender a tocar el teclado.

Very basic intro with a tiny bit of interactivity, not worth anywhere close to $60.
This is 1990s-era CD-ROM software.

CD-ROM DRM makes it useless. you have to keep the cd-rom in drive to run it, and can only run it on one machine.

I took piano lessons years ago and I am using this software to brush up. I find it more convenient than “in person” lessons because you can start anytime and anywhere. Combined with a small USB midi keyboard, it does an excellent job of teaching wherever you are. The software is not going to make you a virtuoso performer, but it is going to teach you how to play correctly so that becoming a virtuoso becomes an option later. Also, you will immensely enrich your pleasure in listening if you learn to play an instrument yourself. I had a customer service question about the product in the beginning, and they exceeded my expectations in responding. Be aware that you will receive a newer version of the “introductory course” and an older version of the “intermediate course.” The “bonus course” you receive from Amazon is the “introductory course.” No matter what version they are, both are very good.