Getting Started with Piano Wizard
Piano Wizard is designed for ages 3 and older. It's helpful if your child is already familiar with the idea of video games and controllers and has developed some basic eye-hand coordination. Currently, Piano Wizard is only available as a computer game compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. There is no console version for systems like the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. There is, however, a Fisher-Price product called the I Can Play piano that uses the Piano Wizard software and connects directly to a TV. We'll talk more about that later.
Courtesy Music Wizard Group
To use Piano Wizard, you'll need a MIDI keyboard that you'll hook up to your computer.
There are several different options for purchasing Piano Wizard. What you decide to purchase depends on your level of play (beginner or intermediate) and whether or not you already own a MIDI keyboard. Everything can be purchased from the Piano Wizard Online Store.
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a standard
for sharing and storing electronic music information. MIDI isn't music
-- it's nothing more than data. MIDI data contains a list of messages
that tells an electronic device (musical instrument, computer sound
card, cell phone or other item) how to generate a certain sound. The
messages include commands like what note to play, how long to hold it
and how loud to play it.
When you use Piano Wizard, the keyboard and the game communicate through MIDI messages. The two keyboards that you can buy with the game are a type of keyboard called MIDI controllers. MIDI controllers don't emit any sounds of their own. They just create MIDI data which can be played through another device like a computer. The Piano Wizard songs themselves are MIDI files. Through the WizardTunes service, you can download more MIDI files for use with the game. |
If you already have a MIDI keyboard and the cables to connect it to your computer, then all you need to use Piano Wizard is the software and the colored stickers that help you play the game. There are two different versions of the software: Easy Mode and Premier. The Easy Mode software contains 100 songs. The Premier software contains 200 songs, but includes the option of downloading unlimited MIDI songs from the WizardTunes subscription service. Easy Mode software costs $49.95 and Premier costs $119.95.
If you have a keyboard, but no connection cables, you can buy a package that includes the software (either version), MIDI connection cables and color-coded stickers.
You can also buy any of the accessories (keyboards, connection cables, stickers) by themselves from the Piano Wizard Web site, although the packages are a much better deal. The 49-key keyboard, for example, costs $139.95 by itself.
Now that you have the right equipment, let's talk about the game play itself.
