Work Faster, Not Harder!

With Rocket Piano you don’t need to spend hour after hour at the keyboard. Who has time for that anyway? You’ll be using new, highly efficient teaching methods to learn how to play piano properly, with feeling and style, quicker than you ever thought possible!

Learn Gospel! Learn Jazz Piano! Learn Classical!

Rocket Piano identifies the common themes that run through all piano styles, then goes the extra mile to get you playing in the style that YOU want! And best of all…it’s just $39.95 until the next price increase

Just look at these actual user comments!

I’ve used the Rocket Piano course to teach myself piano and I have become quite good over the last year or so. I think it works just as good (if not better) than having a piano teacher. And it’s definitely a lot less expensive. Plus you can practice whenever you want which is definitely a big plus for me. ~ Actual User Comment On Rocket Piano From Yahoo Answers

I had a few students who decided to use this program online. I decided I better check it out to see what the course offered. I was impressed and I now use it to help me instruct my students in my one on one lessons. The quality is excellent and the presentation is very professional ~ Actual User Comment From OnLine Piano Lessons Reviewed

Piano Is Fun is a somewhat different type of learning package from the others. It’s definitely for children, not adults, and is designed to help them understand the principles of musical notation and where notes can be found on the keyboard. For small children it will provide a soilid grounding in basic music before they actually move on to playing the piano (or another instrument) proper.

It’s designed to be used on the PC, not on the piano. We particularly liked the motivational aids that are included to keep interest levels up. We didn’t have any small children to try them on, but the ideas seem to be well thought through.If you are a music teacher, one feature of Piano is Fun! that might be very useful is the ability to track the progress of upto fifty individuals at once.

Product Research

Contents: A comprehensive collection of software to enable younger players to grasp the elements of music and understand musica l notation. Includes games, challenges, interactive exercises and motivational items such as certificates and stickers. Children can get quite competitive about such things and these may well stimulate them into sticking at it.

Audio: Some modules play notes according to mouse clicks. Designed to develop a sense of pitch.

Accessibility: Again, designed for complete beginners, and much more suited to children. Note: Not Mac compatible and not yet compatible with Windows Vista.

Extras: None

Price: $24.95 with free lifetime upgrades. 30 day guarantee.

Our opinion: Comprehensive in its approach but we think that children might exhaust its possibilities fairly quickly. The website contains testimonials from enthusiastic adult users but it’s difficult to imagine an adult getting much out of this package. The biggest drawback, as far as we can see, is that’s it for use on the computer rather than the piano. We like to see children being introduced to the piano as early as possible, so that the connection between page and keyboard can be established. It may be better to use this product, which in itself is good, once the child has had a bit of keyboard experience.

To go to the official Piano Is Fun website click the link below:

>> Piano Is Fun >>

Accuracy Disclosure: www.pianodetective.com has not directly tested this product, but has conducted research into the alleged results of other users who claim to have used the product. The accuracy of both the publisher’s research and alleged user results cannot be guaranteed.

Aimed at the 3 to 6 year-old market, Piano Wizard differs from all the others in that it comes with its own keyboard that plugs into your pc. The main aim of Piano Wizard is not to teach children the technical aspects of music, but to engender a familiarity with music and how it is played and to develop enthusiasm for the subject.

For children learning the piano, one of the biggest obstacles is in learning the relationship between what the see in front of them, in this case, on a screen, with the action to be performed on the keyboard. Piano Wizard removes this obstacle by making a direct and unmistakable connection between the two. Children are able to recognize this relationship immediately.

Product Research

Contents: A custom built 49 note, velocity sensitive midi keyboard (or a 3-octave version in some packages) and software for a fully-interactive learning experience. Simply plug the keyboard into your USB port and you’re away! Color coded keys enable you (and your kids!) to instantly see what note to play.

Audio: Built into the product – you just follow along. 200 built in songs in the Premier Edition..

Accessibility: Designed for complete beginners of 3 years and above. Four levels of difficulty starting with a character based scenario in which children interact with the characters. Even adults can get something out of Piano Wizard. The Premier Edition has the facility to load your own MIDI files which it will then translate into musical notation. You can then use all Piano Wizard’s functions to learn the fingering. Very clever!

Extras: USB cable to connect to your PC.

Price: Various prices, depending on which model you choose. There’s even a toy version that plugs into your TV. Ranges from $69.95, if you already have your own keyboard, to $199.95 for the full works

Our Opinion: For the price of a few traditional piano lessons Piano Wizard does everything it promises and more. Importantly, it maintains the children’s enthusiasm through graduated levels of difficulty, to a point twhere they are sufficiently accomplished to play a real piano without assistance. The actual users that we researched reported five star satisfaction except for one individual who was unhappy about the on-line registration process (see below). There’s a lot more to be said about Piano Wizard, and also various models and purchasing options so we suggest you take time you read the reviews and watch the videos on the company website.

To go to the Official Piano Wizard Website click on the link below:

>> Piano Wizard >>

Actual Customer Feedback

I was looking for a creative way to teach my daughter to play the piano. Piano Wizard is the answer! We are able to select a variety of songs, download new songs, and advance to more difficult levels. She is now reading music after only a few days. Piano Wizard makes learning fun!. ~ Actual User Comment On Piano Wizard from Amazon.com

this is coolest thing i ever bought. i wrote an email to my sister to propose that she get one and just thought i would paste it here for anyone interested.

also, i think this is great for all ages, but our discussion was related to training for 4-year old kids.

this is coolest thing i ever bought. i wrote an email to my sister to propose that she get one and just thought i would paste it here for anyone interested.
also, i think this is great for all ages, but our discussion was related to training for 4-year old kids.~ Actual User Comment On Piano Wizard from Amazon.com

I was real excited to try Piano Wizard, since I teach 65 piano students each week, many of whom LOVE video games. However after receiving the product, its installation instructions clearly said I *HAD to* register on-line to even install the product. After questioning the manufacturer via email customer service, I returned “Piano Wizard” unused since I’m not willing to “HAVE TO” go online to install a software product. ~ Actual User Comment On Piano Wizard from Amazon.com

Accuracy Disclosure: www.pianodetective.com has not directly tested this product, but has conducted research into the alleged results of other users who claim to have used the product. The accuracy of both the publisher’s research and alleged user results cannot be guaranteed.

The system is offered at a special price of $29.95. Normal price is said to be $97.00, although we have never seen it offered at this full price.

Product Research
Product quality is not up to what we consider a professional standard.  The quality of the videos is low and has been filmed with a low-res camera or webcam by all appearances. It is also evident that although Jamie Lewis might be an accomplished player, he is not an experienced teacher. This is of course, critical for a beginner.

Customer support is poor, several users have reported getting no replies to emailed questions.

The sales process is administered by Clickbank who provide their own 56-day money-back guarantee

To go to the official PianoCoach pro website, click on the link below.

>>PianoCoachPro>>

Actual Customer Feedback

There is no reason to bother with Piano Coach Pro as the lesson quality and quantity are amateurish at best. If you want a good downloadable piano course, take a look at …..Rocket Piano. ~ Actual User Comment On PianoCoachPro from Piano Software Reviews

The quality of the piano training is particularly low with the videos presented in low definition.  The whole feel of the site is amateurish. ~ Actual User Comment From Teach Yourself Piano

Accuracy Disclosure: www.pianodetective.com has not directly tested this product, but has conducted research into the alleged results of other users who claim to have used the product. The accuracy of both the publisher’s research and alleged user results cannot be guaranteed.

Mr Ron’s Music offers a range of products aimed at users of differing levels of ability. Although the products themselves deliver fully on their promise, we found the Mr Ron’s Music website somewhat confusing. There is just so much material on it (and the layout is not the best) that we found it difficult to navigate our way around. The site offers a number of products for players of varying abilities and it’s not always easy to know what it is you’re reading about. If you’re a complete beginner, then Mr Worthy recommends a DVD entitled Play Piano Like a Pro.

The course is designed to teach melodic riffs, arpeggios and accents, how to memorize chord progressions, the use of the chromatic scale among other things. All of this is taught in a visual way so, if you don’t learn well from written material then this approach may well be better for you.

Product Research

Contents: One two-hour DVD aimed specifically at beginners. The emphasis is on recognising and replicating existing tunes and creating new ones. There is a deliberate absence of sight reading tuition.

Other products avaliable are:

DVD for intermediate and Advanced players $147.00

Tuition package for small children $97.00

E-book “Piano tricks of the Trade” $97.00

Audio: Entire course based on audio-visual material.

Accessibility: Ostensibly it’s for complete beginners but a certain amount of familiarity with the keyboard would be beneficial. Aimed at adults rather than children. Mr Ron’s also produce other products aimed at more experienced players.

Extras: Digital Karaoke player to visualise chords and melodies.

Price: $147.00

Mr Ron’s Music is among the most expensive of all the products featured at Piano Detective. However, there is an awful lot of information included in the package, but, very much like the Mr Ron website, we found it a bit confusing. We never knew where it was going next. We feel that beginners need structure in the learning experience, structure that was not altogether evident in these products.

Having said that, different people respond differently to various teaching methods and you may find that this particular approach suits you better than it suited us. Ron Worthy is undoubtedly an accomplished player so you may be able to learn a lot from him if you prefer to learn from audio-visual material.

Contents: One two-hour DVD aimed specifically at beginners. The emphasis is on recognising and replicating existing tunes and creating new ones. There is a deliberate absence of sight reading tuition.
Other products avaliable are:
DVD for intermediate and Advanced players $147.00

Tuition package for small children $97.00

E-book “Piano tricks of the Trade” $97.00

Audio: Entire course based on audio-visual material.
Accessibility: Ostensibly it’s for complete beginners but a certain amount of familiarity with the keyboard would be beneficial. Aimed at adults rather than children. Mr Ron’s also produce other products aimed at more experienced players.
Extras: Digital Karaoke player to visualise chords and melodies.
Price: $147.00
Mr Ron’s Music is among the most expensive of all the products featured at Piano Detective. However, there is an awful lot of information included in the package, but, very much like the Mr Ron website, we found it a bit confusing. We never knew where it was going next. We feel that beginners need structure in the learning experience, structure that was not altogether evident in these products.
Having said that, different people respond differently to various teaching methods and you may find that this particular approach suits you better than it suited us. Ron Worthy is undoubtedly an accomplished player so you may be able to learn a lot from him if you prefer to learn from audio-visual material.

To go to the Mr Ron’s Music Website click on the link below:

>> Mr Ron’s Music >>

Accuracy Disclosure: www.pianodetective.com has not directly tested this product, but has conducted research into the alleged results of other users who claim to have used the product. The accuracy of both the publisher’s research and alleged user results cannot be guaranteed.

Price: $39.95. One-time payment.

Returns Policy: 8 week money back guarantee

Ten downloadable e-books as follows: Party Time / Rhythm Piano, Shake.. Rattle ‘n’ Roll, Chord Magic, Advanced Chords Made Easy, Ballad Style, Jazz Piano Made Easy, Advanced Blues Piano & Fake Stride, Taming the Classics, Speed Learning, Bumper Resource Book.

500 audio files to illustrate tunes and melodies throughout embedded within the ebooks.

Bonus ebook: Increase Your Creative Ability

Product Research
Piano For All is one of the most comprehensive self-tuition courses available. Some users seem slightly overwhelmed by the volume of material but generally the feedback is very enthusiastic. Many users commented on the excellent support from the author.

The price, at $39.95 is very reasonable considering the number of ebooks and ancillary files included.

For some reason, Robin Hall offers a rediculous number of purchasing options, which you’ll see when you go to the Piano For All website. Most people seem to go for the one-off $39.95 deal and worry about sorting out the content afterwards.

The product sale process is administered by Clickbank who provide their own 56 day guarantee.

To go to the official Piano For All Website click the link below:

>>Piano For All >>

Actual Customer Feedback

After reading the comments about Piano for All in another thread, I decided to try it and it does seem like a bargain for $ 40. I feel I have already benefited from the chord formation tips in Book 1….I understand the author’s position that including sheet music would make the course much more expensive (due to copyright). But it would be great if someone were to put together a simple and inexpensive song book to accompany the course.~ Actual user comment on Piano For All from Piano World Forums

It is pretty large with 10 ebooks, 500 audio files and 200 videos. If you are afraid you will get lost inside of a course this large…I can understand. You can put your fears to rest here though because evrything is laid out very clearly in a step by step manner. The best part about this piano lesson course is the amount of fun you will have playing well known songs both by ear and by sheet music! There are tons of tricks and piano riffs loaded throughout the course. ~ Actual user comment on Piano For All from Piano World Forums

PianoForAll was the first teach myself package I purchased about 2 years ago, when I returned to piano. I used it for about 6 months before I decided a teacher was the route to go for me. The main reason I quit studying it was I tended to go too fast through the info. however, just last week I started watching some of the videos again. I think it is high quality and well worth $39.95, though. Robin certainly put a ton of work into it. ~ Actual user comment on Piano For All from Piano World Forums

>>Piano For All >>

Accuracy Disclosure: www.pianodetective.com has not directly tested this product, but has conducted research into the alleged results of other users who claim to have used the product. The accuracy of both the publisher’s research and alleged user results cannot be guaranteed.

If you fall into the ‘must know everything’ category and you are interested in learning about musical notation and understanding how Western music has developed and how it works then, of all the downloadable products available on the Internet, we’d recommend Rocket Piano by Ruth Searle. Rocket Piano is a complete course in piano playing, starting at the absolute beginning, including the history of the pianoforte and its construction.

Through a succession of highly readable ebooks you can work your way up to a fairly advanced level. The package includes a very useful book of fingering exercises. These are essential for all players (but mysteriously absent from many courses), especially so if you’re getting on in years and your fingers aren’t as nimble as they used to be. If you can work at Rocket Piano on a daily basis for somewhere between six and twelve months you should be able to call yourself an accomplished player at the end.

The main part of the course, where you’ll spend most of your time, is contained within the three e-books aimed at Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced level. Ruth Searle has a relaxed presentation style which makes the learning experience pleasurable and effective. It’s difficult to overrate this product. For the price it’s very difficult to beat.

Through a succession of graded ebooks you can work your way up to a fairly advanced level. The package includes a primer book of fingering exercises. These are essential for all players (but mysteriously absent from many courses), especially so if you’re getting on in years and your fingers aren’t as nimble as they used to be. Use feedback suggests that if you can work at Rocket Piano on a daily basis for somewhere between six and twelve months you should be able to call yourself an accomplished player at the end.

The main part of the course, where you’ll spend most of your time, is contained within the three e-books aimed at Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced level. Ruth Searle has a relaxed presentation style which makes the learning experience fairly comfortable.

Product Research

Contents: Six e-books (336 pages in total) at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Work your way through them as you improve. Read the music, listen to the examples and start to play. Rocket Piano contains a very useful Fingering Exercise book and 2 extra books on Jazz and Gospel piano.

Audio: 133 audio files to illustrate tunes and melodies throughout.

Accessibility: Designed for complete beginners of 8 years and above.

Extras: Four bonus programs to help you learn to recognize notes and chords spontaneously. Also includes a very useful e-book on learning techniques and a program to perfect your recognition of musical pitch.

Price: $39.95 – 60-day money back guarantee

Our Opinion: At the price, Rocket Piano is undoubltedly difficult to beat. The material is clear and straightforward, it contains essential information on posture and hand position and it employs the right sort of exercises to get a beginner playing properly from the word go. We noted the ‘linear approach’ to learning the piano aimed at keeping you on track and not being sidelined into other musical areas.

We’ve used this product with great success. For us, the best way of using it is by having the lessons open on the laptop, then placing the laptop where your music sheet would normally be. That way you can read the music and also play the samples on your laptop to know what it’s supposed to sound like when you play it for yourself. Our third contributor, below, didn’t agree but our firm impression is that most people get on with it very well.

To go to the official Rocket Piano website, click on the link below:

>>Rocket Piano>>

Actual Customer Feedback

I’ve used the Rocket Piano course to teach myself piano and I have become quite good over the last year or so. I think it works just as good (if not better) than having a piano teacher. And it’s definitely a lot less expensive. Plus you can practice whenever you want which is definitely a big plus for me. ~ Actual User Comment On Rocket Piano From Yahoo Answers

I lost a few students who decided to use this program online. I decided I better check it out to see what the course offered. I was impressed and I now use it to help me instruct my students in my one on one lessons. The quality is excellent and the presentation is very professional ~ Actual User Comment From OnLine Piano Lessons Reviewed

I did not teach myself to play the piano, but I have been playing for eight years. I can honestly say that trying to teach yourself to play using any program will most likely be very difficult, if not completely impossible, unless you have a lot of prior musical experience. If you want to try it, go for it, but I personally suggest taking some private lessons. ~ Actual User Comment On Rocket Piano From Yahoo Answers

Rocket Piano

Accuracy Disclosure: www.pianodetective.com has directly tested this product. However, the above content is based solely on the opinion of the publisher’s experience with the product, and does not represent or imply an “average” result for others.

Well, it depends on a number of things; let’s go through them one by one:

1. Age of child. If your child is very young, say 3 or under, then clearly the teach yourself approach, whether by conventional book or eBook or other electronic media, is inappropriate. Children of this age need continual adult supervision and input that only a human teacher can provide. The older your child is the more capable of independent learning they become. Some ebooks such as the Rocket Piano series (read a review here) are aimed at the complete beginner and are an ideal way to learn the piano. Any child capable of fluent reading should be able to manage it. Some products are, of course, designed specifically for children. I’m thinking of Piano Is Fun! And Keyboard Wizard(?) Piano is Fun uses a series of amusing characters and animated interactive activities to teach the notes of the scale while the other uses a color-coded plug-in keyboard for the same purpose.

2. Amount of parental input: If you can play the piano yourself then clearly you are equipped to greatly assist your child’s effort. If you are not a player then you can still assist but the scope of your efforts will be a little more limited. You may be able to learn the piano yourself as you go along! Your main input will be to provide motivation for your child. There is no doubt that in the early stages of learning the piano it’s easy for motivation to flag somewhat. The repetitive nature of practice and the inability to produce a satisfying piece of music can cause a loss of interest. Once skill levels increase and tunes begin to emerge then this is a spur to continue and to improve. But if you want your child to learn the piano properly, you must encourage and motivate, by sitting with him/her and assisting wherever you can in a helpful and patient manner.

3. Cost: For most of us cost is a major consideration. The downloadable products reviewed at BestBuyProductReviews.com cost between $24.95 and $68.00. Some are more suitable for kids than others but, provided that the child is the right age to make use of them and you are able to supply a good level of support, then they will work well. Piano Wizard costs a lot more (169.99) but comes with a special color-coded keyboard that plugs into your PC. In contrast a weekly piano lesson by a qualified teacher will, depending on where you live, cost between $25 and $75. At say, forty lessons a year, this can easily equate to between $1000 and $3000 – and don’t forget that we’re not just talking one year, teaching can go on for many years.

You need to weigh up these different criteria to evaluate the chance of success and ultimately decide which method is best for you or your child(ren)

Think of any skill that requires the use of your hands in a highly dexterous way, juggling or conjuring for example. You don’t see these guys read a new trick in a book then just go out and perform it in front of an audience do you? No, they invest hundreds of hours in practice, honing their skills to a knife-edge before they even think about going near an audience. And that’s the way it is with piano.

When it comes to teaching piano to children, practice is the part that causes the most grief. They just don’t want to do it. And I don’t blame them. When you’re just starting out, progress can be slow. It can be ages before a satisfying tune emerges from the keyboard and while they’re working towards that first decent piece of music (which will motivate them to continue) the temptation to pack it in can be very strong. You may have heard the old refrains ‘I can’t do this’, ‘I’m rubbish at this’, ‘ I’m just not getting any better at this’.

Well, don’t let them give up – it may be hard on you now, trying to keep them going, but they’ll thank you in years to come, I can guarantee it.

Of course, there are other kids that take to the piano like a duck to water, they can’t get enough of it and they’ll sit there bashing away all afternoon if you let them. But these kids are unusual and need a completely different approach. Sometimes they need encouragement to stop practising and get outside and kick a ball around.

So how much practice should they (the normal kids, that is) be doing? In my experience, if your child(ren) is/are under 8 years old then about twenty minutes a day is about right. For mine (7 year-old twins) I break it up into two sessions – they do about ten minutes after breakfast but before they leave for school then another ten after school and before they’re allowed to watch any TV (the same goes for all homework – no TV before it’s all done). Everyone knows that the attention span of kids is remarkably short and beyond ten minutes is a dead area – nothing goes in, they just want to be off. So capitalize on those first ten minutes (twice a day) and you’ll be doing the right thing.

For smaller pre-school kids, reduce the period and increase the frequency. A four year old should be able to manage two or three sessions of four to five minutes a day, but at this age you’ll need to be a bit more sensitive about calling a halt when they’ve clearly had enough. Also a bit of variety is a good idea. You could try a mix of playing at the keyboard and flash cards or special software (read review here) for learning the note names and positions as well.

The overriding message in all of this is ‘don’t push it too hard’ – if your child gets to the point where he/she feels that they are being pushed beyond what they naturally want to do, then no amount of encouragement and/or discipline is going to make them enjoy playing the piano.

Age of child: If your child is very young, say 3 or under, then clearly the teach yourself approach, whether by conventional book or eBook or other electronic media, is inappropriate. Children of this age need continual adult supervision and input that only a human teacher can provide. The older your child is the more capable of independent learning they become. Some ebooks such as the Rocket Piano series are aimed at the complete beginner and are an ideal way to learn the piano. Any child capable of independent and fluent reading should be able to manage it. Some products are, of course, designed specifically for children. I’m thinking of Piano Is Fun! And Keyboard Wizard. Piano is Fun uses a series of amusing characters and animated interactive activities to teach the notes of the scale while Keyboard Wizard is a somewhat more sophisticated product that uses a color-coded plug-in keyboard for the same purpose.

Amount of parental input: If you can play the piano yourself then clearly you are equipped to greatly assist your child’s effort. If you are not a player then you can still assist but the scope of your efforts will be a little more limited. You may be able to learn the piano yourself as you go along! (Although piano lessons for children can seem very limiting to an adult). Your main input will be to provide motivation for your child. There is no doubt that in the early stages of learning the piano it’s easy for motivation to flag somewhat. The repetitive nature of practice and the inability to produce a satisfying piece of music can cause a loss of interest. But once skill levels increase and tunes begin to emerge then this is a spur to the child to continue and to improve. But if you want your child to learn the piano properly, you must encourage and motivate, by sitting with him/her and assisting wherever you can in a helpful and patient manner (however frustrating that may be!).

Cost: For most of us cost is a major consideration. The downloadable piano lessons for children featured at Piano Detective cost between $24.95 and $68.00. Some are more suitable for kids than others but, provided that the child is the right age to make use of them and you are able to supply a good level of support, then they will work well. Piano Wizard costs a lot more ($169.99) but comes with a special color-coded keyboard that plugs into your PC. In contrast a weekly piano lesson by a qualified teacher will, depending on where you live, cost between $25 and $75. At say, forty lessons a year, this can easily equate to between $1000 and $3000 – and don’t forget that we’re not just talking one year, teaching can go on for many years.

You’ll need to weigh up the importance of these different criteria to evaluate the chance of success and ultimately decide which method is best for you and your child(ren).