Multimedia
Music Appreciation and Entertainment Software
by
John M. Zeigler and Nancy L. Ostromencki
| Introduction: | Few
connections are as natural as music and computers; the
inherently mathematical roots of music and the ability of
computers to process large amounts of numerical
information quickly led to the early development of the
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) to allow
large computers both to communicate with musical
instruments and to produce music digitally. More
recently, the explosion of both the number and power of
home PC's has placed computer-based music within the
reach of almost any user of a home computer. In this series of articles, we'll describe some of the interesting ways that you can learn about, enjoy, and even create music. We'll discuss how you can use your home computer to increase your knowledge of music through "music appreciation" software, aid in learning an instrument, indulge your creative impulses by actually writing and publishing music on the computer and, finally, provide a tour of some great music Internet sites. Each of these is a large area, and we can only scratch the surface in talking about them here. We hope that we can at least make you aware of how your computer can enrich your life and that of your children through music. In this first article of the series, we'll focus on music appreciation and multimedia entertainment software. |
| The Price of Admission: | More than five years ago, only the most dedicated computer-philes and music lovers could set up and run sound and MIDI capability on their computers. Even then, the hardware was too slow to display graphics and play sound at a rate that could keep the interest of all but the most dedicated computer "jocks". This situation has changed so much that almost any computer purchased for home use in the last two years will have a fast CD-ROM (4X or better), a sound card (either FM-synthesis or, better yet, wavetable), speakers, and nimble enough surrounding hardware (processor, memory, hard disk) to bring all musical applications to life. In fact, most sound cards have built-in MIDI capability that can be accessed through the MIDI/joystick port on the back of the card. Chances are that, if you're reading this on the Web, your computer has all you need to experience most, if not all, the musical applications we'll discuss in this series. If you don't own a computer, you can get one new for well under a thousand dollars that will have enough multimedia power to "knock your socks off"! One suggestion for the purchaser: don't skimp on your speakers; the ones packaged with some computers these days are their weakest features. By spending another $50 or so, you can get decent computer speakers with separate sub-woofers that will let you really experience good sound. Even though virtually all computers with CD-ROM drives can play audio CD's, we won't discuss that here, since that is probably not the home computer's most valuable use for music lovers. |
| Multimedia Music Appreciation and Entertainment Software: | Music
appreciation has come a long way from the often
mind-numbing lectures on musical forms that many of us
remember from high school or college. The latest music
appreciation software is so good that it is truly
entertaining as well as informative. In the following
discussion, hypertext links under the software titles
will take you to a detailed review of the package on our
companion site, The Piano Education Page.
You'll
also find links to places where you can buy the software
online. The best music appreciation programs are easy to navigate, have great sound and include superb graphics. Some, like Introduction to Classical Music, provide adults and older children a historical and cultural context for all of classical music, in addition to the opportunity to hear the music itself. You can explore the works of a single composer, period or form, or just jump around as things interest you. Not only do you get to listen to the music, but you can learn about its composer, the history of the time, or look at sections of the score as you listen. This program, like the others discussed here, is not only an aural treat, but a visual feast as well. The graphics are good enough to remain interesting to anyone old enough to read. And the fact that you can buy the CD-ROM value pack online containing this program with 9 other high quality CD-ROM's for only about $25 for the whole package makes Introduction to Classical Music all the more attractive. |
| Great Classics..... | For those who want to use their computer to immerse themselves in a single great work, there is no better choice than Microsoft's Multimedia Composer, which includes discs on works by Beethoven, Schubert, Stravinsky, and Mozart. For example, Multimedia Beethoven gives a highly accessible and interesting analysis of his Fifth Symphony; you can listen, follow the score with a noted music critic, and learn about Beethoven, his times, and the forces which motivated him to write such a revolutionary work. If you're so inclined, you can follow the score line-by-line with the critic as he tells you what you're hearing and how it fits into the structure of the whole work. Even if you're not interested in the details, you'll find the graphics, sound and commentary in the Multimedia Composer series to be compelling. And at least one such program, Multimedia Mozart featuring Mozart's Dissonant Quartet, is available as a part of one CD-ROM ten-pack for a distributed price over all the CD-ROMs of about $2. At that price it's simply a steal! You can purchase the CD-ROM pack including Multimedia Mozart online. |
| .....or the Wild Side! | If these sound a little too staid for you (or your teenagers), then you can "take a walk on the wild side" with Digital Beethoven on Cyberspeed. This CD-ROM is a personal tour of some of the works of several composers by a Juilliard-trained classical-musician-turned-punk-rocker whose stage name is "The Great Kat". Digital Beethoven on Cyberspeed is offbeat (to put it mildly) and great fun. It has some of the most fascinating graphical effects you'll find on any kind of disk anywhere. Digital Beethoven on Cyberspeed doesn't have the depth of some other multimedia music CD-ROM's, but the music and the surrounding history are explained by The Great Kat with an "in-your-face" verve that will make you laugh. It's a little too intense for small children, but if you want music appreciation that makes the journey as much fun as getting there, take a look at Digital Beethoven on Cyberspeed. You can get Digital Beethoven on Cyberspeed for under $6 online. |
| What About the Kids? | Young
children present special problems and opportunities for
design of music appreciation software. Their shorter
attention spans and lack of familiarity with classical
music mean that CD-ROM software written for adults and
older children will be too involved and maybe even boring
to them. Fortunately, there is some wonderful software
which teaches elements of music appreciation through
bright graphics, fun games, and a discovery approach
which indulges the natural instinct of a young child for
exploration. Lamb Chop Loves Music is a delightful program for kids of all ages. It is a good introduction to the instruments of the orchestra (and a few that are not normally considered official members of a classical orchestra). The program revolves around a retelling of the classic story The Musicians of Bremen, with Lamb Chop adding silliness that small children love. There are a number of excellent games with the program that reinforce concepts learned. Lamb Chop Loves Music shows youngsters that the love of music does not need to be a stagnant, boring process, but one full of wonder and fun. Another excellent program that teaches music appreciation and concepts is Lenny's Music Toons. It utilizes wonderful graphics and games that help young students improve their note recognition, memory, and compositional and arranging skills. It is distinguished by lots of action games and an opening screen where virtually everything is "live": the child literally discovers his way through the program by clicking on various things on the screen and seeing what happens. Not only is Lenny's Music Toons a fun tour of music for your young child, but it is also available at most discount stores as one disc of a CD-ROM 10-pack that sells complete for under $10. We think Lenny's Music Toons is the best $1 music CD-ROM you'll ever buy for your child! |
| A Gaze Into the Crystal Ball: | It's always dangerous to predict the future, especially that of computers and software. Nonetheless, some trends are apparent. New processors like Intel's Pentium MMX will provide extra speed that will enable the use of more video technology in CD-ROM's. Similarly, the new DVD technology for CD-ROM's will allow more to be packed on each disc. The result of both these innovations will be the ability to display actual orchestral performances on CD-ROM's, making the experience more lifelike than ever. Similarly, the general availability of cheap wavetable sound cards (cards that produce more lifelike instrumental effects by storing actual samples of their timbres in the card's ROM) is making computer-generated sound better than ever. |
| No Time Like the Present! | It is apparent that the technology is going to make music appreciation and entertainment software more comprehensive and compelling. The question is whether we, as parents and musicians, will place enough importance on educating our children musically, in order to generate a market sufficient to motivate the production of new CD-ROM's that use new technologies to best advantage. In any event, it's clear that there is no better time than now to unlock the musical potential of your PC! |
(This is the first in a series of articles on music and the home computer.)
The authors are the co-founders and editors of The Piano Education Page, the Internet's largest site devoted to piano education in all its forms. When not involved in running and upgrading PEP, both John and Nancy are gainfully employed: Dr. Zeigler as a consultant in advanced materials, and Ms. Ostromencki as a piano teacher, performer, and lecturer.
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