[rec.music.makers] Learning the piano with a MacPlus

gam@amdahl.UUCP (G A Moffett) (12/13/86)

comp.sys.mac readers:  I noticed someone else had posting something
about Macs and composing.  I am asking a similar but different
question:

I have decided to learn to play the piano.  Actually I'd like to start
with an electric piano for portability reasons.  I already have
a list of expectations:

	MIDI interface
	Must have as complete as possible emulation of a piano:
		Full-sized keys
		"Wide" range
		Multinote chords (up to 8 notes at once, minimum)

It would be nice to have:
	up-/down-loadable memory (possibly via a MacPlus?)
	Pedals (volume and sustain?)

What "wide" means:  I realize that I am not going to be carrying an
88-key keyboard, but I would like to have available the range that
"most" music falls within.  At this point I would like to learn to play
a lot of Bach, Beethoven and the Beatles ("the three B's" -- sorry, I
haven't learned much of Brahms yet).

Now, I am using this keyboard to learn to play the piano.  The
Full-size key requirement is so that as I learn to play on it, I can
easily transfer to a real live piano -- at least as far as the keys'
size.

I would rather do this for a "few hundred" dollars rather than a few
thousand, but I'm willing to listen to any suggestion.  From what
I've looked at so far, $1000 seems to be a reasonable ceiling to
fulfill my criteria.

It might be nice if this keyboard could at least simulate a
harpsichord as well as a piano; but I am not terribly interested
in its diversity in this regard, for now.

I also have an Interest in using my Macintosh Plus with the
instrument.  So far I have been transcribing music to it via
ConcertWare, which is fun and rewarding (my Mac can sing works of
"the three B's", among others) but not sufficiently educational.  I
am expecting to use some of this music for practice -- or goals of
practice!.

Mac users:  I understand there is a Midi ConcertWare.  What can I do
with that, with regards to learning to play the piano?

[ Followupers: You might want to edit the "Followup-To: " line above in
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-- 
Gordon A. Moffett                             {whatever}!amdahl!gam

 ~ How can I tell you ~
 ~ That I love you? ~
 ~ ... I can't think of right words to say ~
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[ The opinions expressed, if any, do not represent Amdahl Corporation ]