Brent Hugh's Music Instruction Software Page

This page contains pointers to programs of interest to music teachers. The main focus is programs that will help students master the basics of music. Most programs can be downloaded by just clicking on the link.

All links for the programs are pointers to ftp sites. At busy times of day, you may have a difficult time connecting. If you have trouble connecting, just try again at a different time (all sites are in the U.S., so you can figure out which times might be busy and which not).

Note that some listings have two links to the same program. Each link is to a different site, so if one link doesn't work, try the other.

This page has been accessed times since it was established in July 1994.

Quicklinks to the information on this page

Programs for IBM (DOS or Windows)

NoteTest is a set of computerized flashcards for the beginning to intermediate pianist. NoteTest displays the note, the student must respond by playing it on a MIDI keyboard. NoteTest has many different levels, ranging from "Middle C Position" through "All Notes Above, On, or Below the Grand Staff". NoteTest requires an MPU-401 compatible MIDI card connected to a MIDI keyboard. (DOS freeware.)

EarTest is an ear training program. It is loosely based on the method described in the David L. Burge Perfect Pitch ear training course that you may have seen advertised in music magazines. EarTest plays a note, you must respond by playing the same note on a MIDI keyboard. It has several levels, from very easy to incredibly difficult. If you don't believe in learning perfect pitch, you can use it to hone your relative pitch (you begin by learning the notes of the C major scale, so you can just think of do-re-mi and forget the perfect pitch stuff if you like). EarTest requires an MPU-401 compatible MIDI card hooked to a MIDI keyboard. (DOS freeware)

Some information is available on Music Ace, a new music instruction program that has received some good reviews. I've tried it myself, and it seems really good.

A page about Neon Notes is available. Neon Notes is system of teaching piano based on a new notation system which can be learned with a few minutes of instruction. The page includes a freeware program that demonstrates the Neon Notes concept.

Winoye, a cool ear training program for windows. The program plays melodic intervals, harmonic intervals, short melodies, and two- and three-note chords, which you must play back by pointing to keys on a keyboard it displays. Winoye requires a MIDI interface or a sound card. (Windows shareware.)

Virtuax v1.0 is a guitar reference and instruction utility designed to assist advancing guitarists with their practicing. This demo includes a configurable and playable on-screen virtual guitar, a digital metronome, and a tuner. Virtuax also displays chords, scales, and arpeggio patterns using color-coded and numbered fingerings to facilitate easy learning. All charts can be played at various tempos for play-along practice. Includes a Windows based installer and complete help file. (Windows shareware. File size is around 700,000 bytes)

NoFret is a guitar chord instruction program complete with special help sections to help you tune your guitar and read chord charts. Barre and open chord forms are presented for A,B,C,D,E,F, and G chords in minor, minor 7th, 7th, major, major 7th, 6th, 9th, and 13th forms. Sound support is included for SoundBlaster users so the user can hear how each chord sounds when played correctly. (DOS ShareWare.)

The Piano Professor has a variety of activities to help in learning music (note learning, ear training, chords, key signatures). It is big (1.5 meg zipped) and kind of slow, but it looks nice and is pretty easy to use. Requires MIDI interface or sound card. (Windows shareware.)

PC Piano Tutor also has a variety of activities (note learning, ear training, rhythmic dictation, reading intervals, steps and skips). It doesn't require MIDI--sounds are played through the PC's built in speaker and the student must respond through the normal PC keyboard (MIDI support is promised in the registered version). (DOS shareware.) (This link may be difficult to access--keep trying.)

Musicware Piano (demo version) is a full blown piano teaching program. I believe it is intended to be used alone, without a teacher at all (it certainly could be used that way), but it would be a nice complement to regular piano lessons as well. It looks well-designed, with lessons grouped into units and each lesson and each unit seeming to have a well-defined teaching objective. It can handle multiple students easily. This is a demo version, which means you can try a few things and see how it works, but basically it won't do anything usefule unless you register. It is large (over one megabyte, compressed). Requires soundcard with synth drivers or a MIDI keyboard and interface. (Windows demo.) Musicware, Inc. also has a home page with more information.

Here is another site you can try for Musicware Piano (demo version).

MusiCalc II, by Robert Dobbins at the University of Idaho, calculates and displays chords and scales in all keys, major and minor. It displays the roman numeral chords (I, II, III, etc.) as well as secondary dominants, borrowed chords, seventh, ninth, and eleventh chords, and so on. It also has a self-test mode, so you can see if you know all these chords in all these keys. It displays the chords in functional notation (i.e., ii, V7), staff n class. (If this link doesn't work, try using a regular ftp client to go to marvin.ag.uidaho.edu. Look in directory /sdg/mc.exe. Marvin doesn't seem to get along with WWW browsers.)

CS is a nifty scale and chord utility for guitar.

Musicator (demo version) is a music notation-midi sequencer program. (Large--over one megabyte compressed.) (Windows demo.)

Programs for Macintosh

Imaja Software has a WWW homepage. The WWW page explains their ear training software (as well as other software they offer) and has instructions for ordering.

Programs for Amiga

Information on the Cochlear Consciousness ear training program is available. (Sorry, this program isn't available on the net. However, it looks very interesting, so I have included some info about it.)

A link to a page about the Guitar Reference, a GEM guitar tool for the Atari ST. This page fully explains the Guitar Reference and has a link to download it.

Text Files

An introductory Guide to Braille Music is available. It has some basic information as well as links to related sites on the internet.

A series of guitar lessons is available. The guitar lessons are also available in postscript format.

The Society of Music Theory (SMT) has an on-line bibliography of materials for learning the basics of music theory. The bibliography includes books, tapes, computer programs, and a few other things.

SMT also has a list of available materials in Computer Aided Instruction (CAI). You can browse their online library for interesting materials on music, music theory, computers and music, music materials online, and so on.

A Jazz Improvisation Primer is also available in text format and postscript format .

Music in Postscript Format

Other Music-Related Pages

Submit Suggestions

Submit suggestions for additions to this page, or any general comments, problems, or complaints.

Miscellaneous

Brent Hugh's home page.

Information about the University of Missouri-Kansas City, host of this page.

Information about the Conservatory of Music at UMKC, where I am a grad student.

View a picture of Grant Hall, one of two buildings at UMKC used by the Conservatory f Music. The Fascinating Fact about Grant Hall is that it is the building where Walt Disney attended elementary school. Yet another Fascinating Fact: Walt also drew our school mascot, the "Roo". (I'll spare you the gif of that one . . . )

Harold! Haaarrrold! Why you dirty rotten little brat! You've been writing all over the piano keys again, haven't you!!!????


BHugh@CSTP.UMKC.EDU