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I've been looking around for a computer program that will monitor your playing as you play off your midi keyboard. For example, if you hit the wrong note, it will notify you instantly, just as a teacher would, by buzzing you for example. Now I now that people would say that anyone should recognize a wrong note when they hit one, but if it is a song you've never heard of before, then you may actually not know. Is there such a program?

If you own a Apple Mac you already have something a bit like what you ask for. The built-in piano lessons is will grade your playing and give visual feedback.

It can hear not just a wrong not but a timing error too.

I'm not really sure how useful this is. You'd think it would help a lot but. It's rare not to notice yourself if you have already played the piece over a few times.

But to answer the question: Yes, such software exists but not exactly as dscribbed

Are you looking for something like this?

http://www.harmonicvision.com/

Hmmm.... I guess I should have mentioned that I would like the computer program to accept ANY musical score (in electronic format like midi or xml) and then monitor your playing in real time, in particular buzzing you immediately when you hit a wrong note. I think the software you guys mentioned have some prepared songs that do something to that effect, but once you've finished those songs, then that's the end.

I'm looking for a program that can take as many musical scores as you give it, so you can continue to use it to monitor your playing no matter how advanced you become.

I notice that PrestoKeys can accept any song in midi format, and then it presents the musical score in rolling fashion. And yes, if you play a wrong note (or too early or too late) it will strike an X at you on the screen. Just as I want. However, it does not accept notes shorter than eighth notes, and the music becomes kind of corrupted when the score does have shorter notes. So I'm looking for a program like PrestoKeys but a bit better. Since PrestoKeys is free, I'm thinking that there must be a better program that is not free.

Correction: 16th notes are allowed in PrestoKeys, but not tuplets, and often the score does not quite match the midi song (i.e. there are translation errors).

Out of curiosity, can anyone here point out any keyboard player of any worth who uses these kind of programs?

The poster above?

James
x

Synthesia will do most of what you want:

http://www.synthesiagame.com/

Try "Home Concert" -

http://www.timewarptech.com/Pages/Products/HCX/HCX.html

Wow! While Synthesia was pretty nice, Home Concert Xtreme was precisely what I was looking for. It even pauses the scrolling until you've played the correct note(s). I purchased it, even though the $100 price tag was more than I expected. So far, the only problem I've found is that it will think you've played the correct note(s) even if you played an extra note that does not exist, but that is only a minor problem. Thanks a lot. If anyone knows of other programs just like Home Concert Xtreme, please post them, though I don't think I can do much better than Home Concert.

I've also encountered a big problem: Home Concert will often show the musical score on just one staff, rather than both staffs. Anyone know a quick fix to this?

Are you using MIDI files for the source music? If so, I expect this will be because the bass and treble parts were recorded on the same MIDI track/channel. You'd probably have to separate the two somehow - perhaps this is possible with some MIDI sequencing software?

Cheers,
James
x

It'd be great if you could try out my program.
It's not an clean and nice as home concert extreme, of course.
But it does do some recording.
And it'll wait for you to play notes pretty well.
I use it daily, but it's still a little rough around the edges.

I'm laid as on 1/31, though. And I'm gonna bring it to
"the next level"

It can also split tracks (manually).

If you would like to learn how to play popular songs you can give it a try online on http://pianocrumbs.com.
The interactive player allows you to practice either hand, mute channels, change tempo, change channel sound, etc... No software to install, no midi to download,- just connect your piano keyboard and start playing...

I wonder what differences there are between the $100 computer version and the $40 iPad version.

Oh sure Dave! You remember! That great virtuoso who created his own program like this. Complete with a piano bench with it's own built in cattle prod? Even had a seperate button for the teacher to zap the student whenever she felt like it.
I don't know why the product failed?

Every Apple Mac ships with such software installed.
http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/#how-did-i-play

No, it does not work with just any MIDI file. The lessons are recorded with human teacher and made to high production standard.

The Mac comes with some beginner level lessons for piano and guitar and then the most advanced lessons use some popular musician to talk you through one of his/her songs.

I know this is an old thread and it's only slightly related, but there's a game for guitar that does something similar called Rocksmith. It essentially does whats being discussed here for MIDI keyboard for a real guitar. They've also talked about the idea of also adding keyboard support, but the limitation will be that it's only for songs that they make available.

MathTeacher, did you find a solution for your request? What is your experience, 1 1/2 years later??
I am in search for the same thing. I want to get my kids becoming attracted to the piano. But as they prefer videogames and not so much education, unfortunately by now didn´t become much interested in at least listening to music neither, such tool could be the trigger to catch them! I at least would give it a chance.

I don't think MathTeacher still hangs around here
But there are plenty of links in this thread to try.
ESPECIALLY MY little app - pianocheater
If you find any deficiencies, please email me and I'll start on fixin' em.
stephen.hazel@gmail.com

but, really, there's no substitute for a good piano teacher.
So that should be priority #1.
Playing piano is not a casual thing to just try out.
You're either drawn to it and willing to put in the work...
Or you're not.