Others say...

"Music Ace Deluxe"
Excellent product--engaging and informative! Lots of fun for the whole family! My five-year-old loves it too!

"Thorough Music Theory Instruction for Kids and Adults"
Music Ace Deluxe is a comprehensive beginning music notation and basic music theory tutorial. It is very well produced, with quality animation that is used to encourage the student.

I am an adult who enjoyed learning from the software even though it appears aimed towards the ages of about 8-12. I was able to relatively easily skip lessons that were too basic for me, and I appreciated the variable skill levels for the practice games. I was able to quickly understand the "circle of fifths" and how the scale is notated, much more so than just reading a book.

The rhythm instruction works amazingly well, just by striking a key on the computer keyboard. It warns you when you strike keys early or late or if you hold them too short or too long. If you make too many mistakes, it slows down the tempo, and then subsequently speeds it up once you perform it correctly. I feel much more confident about my understanding of syncopation as a result of this instruction.

The software works beautifully with a MIDI-connected keyboard, so consider buying an interface and/or a cheap controller keyboard if you have neither to aid in the instruction. Otherwise you will have to use the on-screen keyboard, which is still feasible.

The only thing I am disappointed about is the fact that the lessons end with an "Introduction to Harmony" that left me wishing for more. Unfortunately, there is no "advanced" product from Harmonic Vision to cover this territory, so I will be forced to read books, dry by comparison.


"great intro to music/piano"
I'm using this product with my 6 year old daughter, in prep for having her take piano lessons. She is not a computer-fan, and so the program has necessitated learning how to use my laptop as well. Some of the lesson follow up games are a bit trigger-happy (a computer game addict would love them), but she is getting the hang of it and even enjoying it. The lessons are a good length, although some of the introductions could be snappier. I love that the music used for examples is identified; this music appreciation aspect will be useful for her at a later age, and I enjoy the review now.

I chose this product because I have a mac and a clavinova digital piano, and hoped the two would go together well. So far the program does not take advantage of our plug in to the computer, but I hope the two will synch up in a later lesson. It was VERY hard to find music software for the Mac--weird, isn't it? With GarageBand readiness right there? Come on, software producers, get with it! Apple users are waiting!

All in all, I am satisfied, and my daughter is too.

"Great product. We saw big improvements in less than an hour of use"
My 6 years old son is taking piano lessons form an excellent real teacher. But as a supplement he tried some of the lessons from the limited edition version of this program which was bundled with the Yamaha keyboard we bought for him. He got hooked and had lots of fun for about an hour with these lessons and wanted to do more lessons but couldn't due to that what we had was a limited edition and I think it only had three lessons. Then he immediately started playing the keyboard and I noticed a huge advancement and improvement in his playing and his timing. I became convinced; not only he found the lessons engaging but I saw immediate results in less than an hour. So we finally, bought the deluxe version of the software for him which contains 36 lessons all together and we'll use this program as a supplement to his music lessons with his real teacher.

You can actually download some of the demo lessons from www.harmonicvision.com and try before you buy. See if you get the same results.

Oh, I'll probably be using the program too. A limited number of students can use this program on the same license. They also sell a studio version if you need to exceed the limit.

"Excellent - still utilize traditional means if possible"
This product was purchased to help my daughter (6) learn the basics of music theory. It is entertaining and she can navigate through the 'lessons' and 'games' on her own. Sometimes I need to explain things to her that are not clear in the teaching. For example: the difference between a bass staff and the bass clef. More than not the teaching is sufficient and the repetition is fantastic. The hardest thing to get a kid to do is practice something. This program encourages everything that is done - right or wrong and keeps it upbeat. I will follow up with traditional piano methods along the way.