Copyright: Copyright 1994 SofTech Multimedia, Inc.


Table of Contents
Piano ProfessorTM Help Contents

Using Piano Professor

Whats New in Version 2!

Musical Terms

Licensing

Registration

Warranty and Disclaimer

Technical Support

Trouble Shooting Guide

About SofTech Multimedia, Inc.

Credits and Contributions

Authors Comments


Using Piano Professor
Introduction to Piano Professor

Navigating in Piano Professor

Note Tutor

Chord Encyclopedia

Name that Note

Key Signatures

Great Staff

Keyboard


Navigation in Piano Professor

Using the Piano Professor is simple and easy.  Descriptive pull down menus allow you to navigate your way through the product quickly and easily.

The File menu option

The File option contains the following sub options:

Music On will allow you to turn the music on or off system wide.  If there is a check mark next to the option, the music will be turmed on throught the product.  If there is no check box next to the option, the music will be turned off throughout the system.

Register Software will allow you to register this product with SofTech Multimedia Inc. Registering the software has many advantages, see the section on Product Registration

The View menu option

The View option allows you to change to any screen on demand, simply pull down the menu and select the screen that you wish to go to.  The Great Staff screen will come up in a view only mode.  This means that the user uses the screen as a reference, and closes it when he/she is done using it.  There is help for all the screens contained in the product.  The help will aid the user in using the screen he/she is on.

The Help menu option

Under the Help menu option, you will find the different help options that allow you access different types of help.

Help on this Screen will give you access to help that pertains to the specific screen that you are on.  This will enable you to quickly access help about the screen that will give you help and tips on how to use the screen.

Contents will take you to the Help Table of Contents which includes all the major topics in the help file.  From here you can just click on the highlighted topics and you will jump directly to the help topic that you just pressed.

Search for Help on... will allow you to search for help on any of the specific topics in the help file.  You can search for topics by typing the key words into the search box that comes up.  When you have found the topic that you wish to go to, you can press the Show Topics button,  from there you can press the Go to button to go to the help screen for that topic.

About Piano Professor explains what version of the Piano Professor you are running, how to contact SofTech Multimedia Inc. , as well as registration and system information.  The system information is a useful tool that will determine you system hardware as well as you currently installed multimedia devices.

Technical Support is an easy way for you to find out how to contact SofTech Multimedia Inc. for any technical support, registration information or orders for new products.


Whats New!
Whats New In Version 2.0!

With the overwhelming response we have received in orders and new suggestions and ideas we have dramatically improved Piano Professor with version 2.0.  This new release is because of all the honest users who have registered your copy of the product.  Keep sending in those ideas and orders as we will continue to pursue an even better product that meets your learning needs.  We would like to thank those users who have taken the time to register their product and all registered users will receive the free upgrad to this new version 2.0 of the Piano Professor.

We chose to release this as a new version simply because of the many changes and additions that were instituted.  The enhancements include the following:

•	Ability to play sound through the PC speaker.  This allows those of you without sound cards to till hear and enjoy the Piano Professor.

•	Some people had problems with the MIDI Mapper being a requirement.  This was fixed so that the Piano Professor will now correctly identify and use other ports.

•	We added the ability to RECORD and PLAY your lessons in the Note Tutor.

•	The Note Tutor has some new game fun added.  You can race against the clock in your attempt    to identify or guess the notes.

•	At the request of our European users we have added the ability to see the Solfeggio notation	in the Piano Professor.

•	The problems that occured in the installation program are now completely resolved.


Using Piano Professor

Using the Piano Professor is simple and easy.  Descriptive pull down menus allow you to navigate your way through the product quickly and easily.

The File menu option

The File option contains the following sub options:

Music On will allow you to turn the music on or off system wide.  If there is a check mark next to the option, the music will be turned on throughout the product.  If there is no check mark next to the option, the music will be turned off throughout the system.

Register Software will allow you to register this product with SofTech Multimedia Inc. Registering the software has many advantages, see the section on Product Registration.  This option will not appear if the product is registered.

The View menu option

The View option allows you to change to any screen on demand, simply pull down the menu and select the screen that you wish to go to.  The Great Staff screen will come up in a view only mode.  This means that the user uses the screen as a reference, and closes it when he/she is done using it.  There is help for all the screens contained in the product.  The help will aid the user in using the screen he/she is on.

The Help menu option

Under the Help menu option, you will find the different help options that allow you access different types of help.

Help on this Screen will give you access to help that pertains to the specific screen that you are on.  This will enable you to quickly access help about the screen that will give you help and tips on how to use the screen.

Contents will take you to the Help Table of Contents which includes all the major topics in the help file.  From here you can just click on the highlighted topics and you will jump directly to the help topic that you just pressed.

Search for Help on... will allow you to search for help on any of the specific topics in the help file.  You can search for topics by typing the key words into the search box that comes up.  When you have found the topic that you wish to go to, you can press the Show Topics button,  from there you can press the Go to button to go to the help screen for that topic.

About Piano Professor explains what version of the Piano Professor you are running, how to contact SofTech Multimedia Inc. , as well as registration and system information.  The system information is a useful tool that will determine you system hardware as well as you currently installed multimedia devices.

Technical Support is an easy way for you to find out how to contact SofTech Multimedia Inc. for any technical support, registration information or orders for new products.


Reference Information

The chord encyclopedia is a reference to different chords.  It allows the user to pick the key, chord name and inversion.  Once the user chooses all the options, the View Key will enable them to see and hear the chord (if sound is available).  The keys will be highlighted in red.  The user will also hear the chord played if a sound device has been installed.

Explanation of Chords

A major chord is a three key chord called a triad.  The triad contains the first, third and fifth notes of the scale that the chord is in.  For the key of C, these notes would be C, E and G (at root position).

A minor chord is similar to a major chord, but with the third note of the scale lowered a half step.  In the case of C, the third note of the scale is E, therefore if you lower this note a half step it will result in E Flat.  So the a C Minor chord would be C, E Flat, G.

A seventh chord is comprised of the major chord and the seventh note of the scale one half step lower.  As an example, the seventh note of the C scale is B.  To get the seventh chord play the triad plus the seventh note minus a half step.  In this case, a half step lower would be a B flat.  Thus the notes for a C7 would (root position) would be C, E, G and B Flat.

Chord Inversions are simply a different way to represent a given chord.  The root position has as the first key, the first note, the name of the key corresponding to the chord.  So for the chord C major, the key C on the piano would be in the root position.  The first inversion has the third note of the scale as the first position, and the second inversion has the fifth note of the scale in the first position.  For C major - First Inversion, the first key in the triad would be E followed by G and C, and for the second inversion, the first key in the triad would be G followed by E and C.


Note Tutor

The Note Tutor was designed to  help the user learn how to identify notes on the musical staves in relation to their position on the keyboard.  The screen employs several different methods to help the user obtain this goal. The Note Tutor screen is comprised of several controls that allow easy operation by individuals of all ages and skill levels.  The Top half of the screen contains the musical staves with both Treble and Bass levels.  The lower portion of the screen contains the keyboard and the controls for different learning experiences.

The user opens the screen and selects the new note button which will randomly display different notes on the graphical staves without giving the note name to the user. The notes will only be displayed for the staff that is active.  The user can attempt to guess the note without the help of the computer, but if it becomes necessary, the Eye/Ear button can be pressed and the name of the note will be displayed in the box next to the Eye/Ear button.  The note will also be displayed in red on the graphical keyboard below the staves.  As you keep practicing, the recognition of notes will become easier and easier until you are able to identify the notes without using the help button.  Once you have mastered this concept, the ability to read music and play the notes on the real keyboard will be much easier.  This concept can also be reversed, in so far as the user can press the keys on the graphical keyboard, and the note will be displayed on the proper staff.  You will visually see the cursor change when a keyboard note is playable.  Any note above and including middle C will be displayed on the Treble clef, and any note below middle C will be displayed on the bass clef.

The Controls for Note Tutor

You will have complete control of your learning experience by simply using the controls illustrated here.  These controls  allow you to switch between Treble and Bass; toggle Play mode or Guess mode; generate a new note; and hear and see the note illustrated both on the keyboard and the music sheet.

 New Note button

This button will randomly generate notes on the currently selected staff. This allows the user to guess the note in his or her head, or to try and guess the note by pressing keys on the keyboard.  If you have trouble guessing the note, you can press the Eye/Ear button at any time to receive the answer.  By using this method, the user will become more and more proficient at reading and identifying the notes.

 Eye/Ear button (Show and Hear)

This button allows the user to obtain help, by sight and sound, on the note shown on the currently selected staff.  The selected staff is shown by the Staff button.  If the user cannot identify the note and wishes to use the computer for help, this button will display the key on the graphical keyboard below the staff in red that corresponds to the note.  The name of the note will also be displayed in the Note Information box.  If sound is available, the note will be played.

   Staff button

This button identifies the active staff. When you press the New Note button, or the Eye/Ear Button, the information displayed, whether it be a new note or information on that note, will be related to the note on the staff displayed on this button.

The Staff button is a toggle button.  When the button says Bass on it, and has the Bass clef symbol, the New Note button (shown above) will only produce notes that fall into the Bass range (middle C and lower).  Pressing the button once will toggle you into Treble mode. This allows you quick access between the two modes.

 Play/Guess button

This set of buttons allow the user to switch between attempting to guess a note on the staff and playing the keyboard and seeing the notes appear on the staff.  In Play Piano mode the notes pressed on the keyboard on the screen or a MIDI keyboard attached to the computer are displayed on the staves.  In Guess Note mode a note will appear on the staves and the user is expected to press the appropriate key on the screen or with the MIDI keyboard.

In addition to all of this, the user can press any of the white keys on the keyboard to simulate playing the keyboard.  When the key is pressed, the note is lit up in red, the musical note is played (if there is sound) and the note name is displayed in the Note Information box.


Chord Encyclopedia

The chord encyclopedia is a reference to different chords.  It allows the user to pick the key, chord name and inversion.  Once the user chooses all the options, the View Key will enable them to see and hear the chord (if sound is available).  The keys will be highlighted in red.  The user will also hear the chord played if a sound device has been installed.

 Chord Selection box

By using the above control box the user can drop down a menu of the available keys to select the chord from.  The user can also change the chord that is to be displayed in the same manner.  The available keys are: C, D flat, D, E flat, E, F, F sharp, G, A flat, A, B flat, B.  The available chords are: Major, Minor, 6, 7, Major 7, Minor 7, Dim, Dim 7, Aug, Aug 7, Sus 4.

Explanation of Chords

A major chord is a three key chord called a triad.  The triad contains the first, third and fifth notes of the scale that the chord is in.  For the key of C, these notes would be C, E and G (at root position).

A minor chord is similar to a major chord, but with the third note of the scale lowered a half step.  In the case of C, the third note of the scale is E, therefore if you lower this note a half step it will result in E Flat.  So the a C Minor chord would be C, E Flat, G.

A seventh chord is comprised of the major chord and the seventh note of the scale one half step lower.  As an example, the seventh note of the C scale is B.  To get the seventh chord play the triad plus the seventh note minus a half step.  In this case, a half step lower would be a B flat.  Thus the notes for a C7 would (root position) would be C, E, G and B Flat.

For further information on types of chords, refer to any book on musical theory.

 Chord Inversion box

Chord Inversions are simply a different way to represent a given chord.  The root position has as the first key, the first note, the name of the key corresponding to the chord.  So for the chord C major, the key C on the piano would be in the root position.  The first inversion has the third note of the scale as the first position, and the second inversion has the fifth note of the scale in the first position.  For C major - First Inversion, the first key in the triad would be E followed by G and C, and for the second inversion, the first key in the triad would be G followed by E and C.

 Eye/Ear button (Show and Hear)

This button allows the user to obtain help, by sight and sound, on the chord and key combination shown in the Chord Selection box.  The selected Chord, Key and Inversion are shown on the graphical keyboard with a red highlight.  Below the graphical keyboard the chord name will be identified.  If sound is available, the chord will be played.


Key Signatures

The Key Signature screen will help the user to identify all the different key signatures.  A key signature is shown at the beginning of each bar of music. It tells the musician what key the music is in.

The key is determined by the composer, when she or he decides that a particular note will be flatted or sharped throughout the entire piece without further instruction.  The symbols may be either flats or sharps., they are never mixed. This tells the reader of the music  what to do when they see that note in the music.  If the symbol is on that note in the key signature, and the user is now playing that note,  the musician must play that note either flatted or sharped, depending on the symbol.

A flat implies that the player lowers the note a half step. Therefore, if the key signature shown is in the key of F, that is, there is a flat symbol on the B note of the staff, every time the player sees a B in the music he/she should play a B Flat.

The same goes for sharps, except that you must raise the note a half step.  Therefore, if the key signature shown is in the key of  G, that is, a sharp symbol appears on the F note of the staff, every time the user sees an F in the music, they should play F sharp.  It is very useful to the musician to be able to recognize the keys at a glance, and be able to comfortably play in these keys without much thought.  By learning to recognize these keys quickly the player will be able to play more music with more proficiency.


Name That Note

This screen can be used to train your ear to recognize notes based solely on their sound.  The computer will play a note for you, it up to you to guess the correct note.  By Pressing the New Note button, the user can have the computer play a new note.  The computer will play a note in the range designated by the Range of Notes to Generate selection.  The Ear button will allow you to hear the last note played by the computer.

As you continue to try an guess different notes, the computer will keep track of you progress by displaying you current statistics. It will tell the number of notes you have guessed since you entered the Piano Professor, or since the last time you cleared the score by using the Reset Score menu option.  The computer will also record the number of times you have tries to guess the current note.  The Average Number of Guesses is a running average which is computed by the total number of guesses divided by the number of correct notes guessed.

HINT:

If you are really struggling trying to guess the note, you can obtain the answer by placing the mouse cursor over the ear button and pressing the RIGHT mouse button.  Note, that this method does not contribute to your overall statistics.

The Controls for Name that Note

 New Note button

This button will randomly generate notes over the selected note range. The user will then attempt to guess the note by pressing keys on the keyboard.  The computer will then keep a record of incorrect guesses and average out the number of guesses per note  If you have trouble guessing the note, you can press the Ear button, with the right mouse button, at any time to receive the answer.

 Ear Button

The Ear button will allow the user to hear the current note again.  This button may be pressed as many times as necessary.  If you should get stuck on a given note then you can click the Ear button with the right mouse button to receive the answer.

 Range button

The Range button will allow you to decrease the number of notes that Name that Note can randomly pick.  If the Range button is set to Middle C and Higher then the note that is generated is within the range of Middle C and Higher.  If the Range button is set to Middle C and Lower then the note that is generated is within the range of Middle C and Lower.  The last option, Entire Range, will not limit the scope of notes that can be picked.  It is advisable to choose a limited range of notes before trying to use notes from the entire range.


Great Staff

The Great Staff is a reference screen designed to show the user the notes names at the positions on both the Treble and Bass clefs.  It is used to help the user identify what note is a specific position on either of the staves.  What is nice about this screen is that it gives a pictorial and full representation of both staves, and the user can see all the note names on one screen.

This screen can be brought up from any other screen in the product.  It comes up as a reference screen.  What this means is that the screen is no meant to have interactive capabilities.  When the user is done using this screen, he or she should press the Done button to close the screen and return to the base screen from which they brought up the Great Staff screen.


Keyboard Screen

The Keyboard screen explains the different parts of the piano keyboard, as well as some of the notation used on a piano keyboard.  If you ever wondered what a sharp or flat was, or why there are white and black keys, this is the screen for you to use!


Product Registration
Registration

Registering via U.S. Mail

Registering via CompuServe

 Registering via Telephone

Benefits of Registering


Registering via U.S. Mail
U.S. Mail Registration

You may register your copy of Piano Professor for Windows by printing the registration form. If you do not have a printer you may copy the information from the screen.

Enclose your check or money order (drawn on U.S. funds) for the amount of $24.95 and made payable to SofTech Multimedia, Inc. New York State residents please add 8% sales tax ($26.95 total). There is a shipping and handling fee of $4.00 for U.S. and Canadian residents and $6.00 outside the U.S.   Mail your order to:

SofTech Multimedia, Inc.

2199 East Henrietta Road

Suite #249

Rochester, NY 14623-4505

The day  we receive your order we will ship your 3.5 diskette(s).  If you would like your software on 5.25 diskettes then you must specify this on the order form and include an additional charge of $2.00.

You will also receive your registration serial number that will make your copy of Piano Professor  for Windows a registered copy.  You will also be eligable for a free update on the next version of the product.


Registering via CompuServe

Electronic orders may be placed with CompuServe Information Services. The amount of $34.95 will be billed directly to your CompuServe statement for your convenience.  This covers all shipping and handling charges as well as applicable sales tax.   Just type GO SWREG and request SofTech Multimedia, Inc.   Our SWREG ID is 2862.

We receive confirmation of your order from CompuServe within a couple of hours.  We will the send you your letter of authorization, official diskettes, and security ID by U.S. Mail within 1 day of your order.  We will mail you, via CIS mail, your security ID, within 24 hours, so that you can remove the end registration reminder and gain access to all of the programs features.


 Registering via Telephone

You may register your copy of Piano Professor for Windows using MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover Card.  This is a service provided by Public (software) Library which we will be using as our distrbutor for credit card orders.   You may contact PsL at (800) 242-4775. You will need to specify the Product Number: 11334 for Piano Professor. PsL operates from 9:00am - 6:00pm Pacific Time  Monday trhough Friday.

You may print  the Credit Card registration form if you desire to mail or fax in your credit card order.

Please note that the above numbers are for credit card orders only. Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, registration options, product details, Technical Support , volume discounts, educational discounts, dealer pricing, or site licenses should be directed to SofTech Multimedia, Inc.

To insure that you get the latest version, PsL will notify us the day of your order and we will ship the product directly to you.


Benefits of Registering

You may have noticed that the Piano Professor has certain limitations built into it for non-registered users.  By registering the product, you can unleash its full potential.  We have tried only to limit the more advanced features while still providing you enough opprotunity to explore and use the product and try before you buy.  The following will illustrate what you will gain from registration:

 You will receive a registration serial number and password along with 2 official diskettes with the latest verison of Piano Professor. You will also be eligable for a free upgrade to the next  revision.

 The Note Tutor screen will allow you to play the entire piano, instead of just one octave.

 You will be able to access all the chords on the Chord Encyclopedia rather than just Major, Minor and Sixth chords.

 On Name that Note you will get the benefit of reducing the notes generated by the computer to only half of the keyboard instead of the entire range.

 Another advantage of registration will be the ability to see all the key signatures instead of a restricted set on the Key Signature screen.

 You will receive 90 days of free technical support.

 Finally, registration of the product will help all of us at SofTech Multimedia Inc. pay our bills, eat, and bring you more great software at afforadble prices.


Order Form for Check or Money Order
Order Form for Piano Professor for Windows Version 1.0a.

(Check or Money Order)

If you have a printer you may print this form by selecting Print Topic from the File menu.  For those without a printer you may copy this information on a sheet of paper.

Enclose your check or money order (drawn on U.S. funds) for the amount of $24.95 per copy  and made payable to SofTech Multimedia, Inc. New York State residents please add 8% sales tax ($26.95 sub-total). There is a shipping and handling fee of $4.00 for U.S. and Canadian residents and $6.00 outside the U.S.  Please Mail to:

SofTech Multimedia, Inc.

2199 East Henrietta Road

Suite #249

Rochester, NY 14623-4505

Phone: (716) 288-5830

Product Code for Piano Professor for Windows is:	11334

Your Name:________________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________

Address:__________________________________________________________

City:_____________________________________________________________

State/Province:___________________________________________________

Zip/Postal Code:__________________________________________________

Telephone:________________________________________________________

E-Mail Address:(if applicable):___________________________________

Desired Features, Questions,Comments:_____________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Number of Copies:____________ X $24.95 = _________________

NY Sales Tax(if applicable) @8.00% =          __________________

Shipping & Handling (see above)      =          ___________________

Total:	      ___________________

Thank you for your support!


Order Form for Credit Card Orders
Order Form for Piano Professor for Windows Version 1.0a.

(Credit Cards Only)

If you have a printer you may print this form by selecting Print Topic from the File menu.  For those without a printer you may copy this information on a sheet of paper.

The amount of $24.95 and made payable to SofTech Multimedia, Inc. New York State residents please add 8% sales tax ($26.95 total).   There is a shipping and handling fee of $4.00 for U.S. and Canadian residents and $6.00 outside the U.S.

This form is for credit card orders such as MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover Card.  You may Email this completed form by CIS Email to 71355,470. You may also FAX or Mail this completed form as well.  Please fill out the form completly and be sure to sign the signature line. Please  Fax(24 Hours a day/7 days a week) or Mail to:

Public (software) Library

P.O. Box 35705

Houston, TX 77235-5705

FAX: (713) 524-6398

Product Code for Piano Professor for Windows is:	11334

Your Name:________________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________

Address:__________________________________________________________

City:_____________________________________________________________

State/Province:___________________________________________________

Zip/Postal Code:__________________________________________________

Telephone:________________________________________________________

E-Mail Address:(if applicable):___________________________________

Credit Card Type:______________________________________________

Name as it appears on Credit Card:__________________________________

Expiration Date of Credit Card:______________________________________

Credit Card Number:_______________________________________________

Signature of Card Holder:___________________________________________

Desired Features, Questions,Comments:_____________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Number of Copies:____________ X $24.95 = _________________

NY Sales Tax(if applicable) @8.00% =          __________________

Shipping & Handling (see above)      =          ___________________

Total:	      ___________________

Thank you for your support!


Technical Support

Registered users of Piano Professor can obtain technical support through either CompuServe or the Internet by sending mail to our technical support department.  We will provide all registered users 90 days of free technical support. Technical support questions should be addressed with the subject heading:  Piano Professor Support Needed.  You should mail these to CompuServe Account  74043,1703.  For those mailing us from the internet, the address would be 74043.1703@compuserve.com. You will receive a reply within 24 hours addressing your questions, problems, ideas, and even criticisms.

In order to answer your technical questions you will need to provide us with the following:

Your full name.

Your address.

Your telephone number or e-mail address so we can contact you.

The name of the product.

The product version number.

Your product serial number.

You can obtain the last three items by doing a Help/About in the program and the information will be provided to you.

While we have instituted quality control  and software engineering practices, those little nasty critters called bugs may have wandered in at some point.  If you happen to locate and bugs, major problems, etc. you may submit bug reports to us through CompuServe, internet, voice mail, or regular mail.

 We have also attempted to test this product on a variety of computers and under various conditions, but we cant possibly try every combination, so please feel free to inform us of any difficulties that you may encounter, registered or non-registered. If you are reporting a bug, please include the following:

An exact description of the problem.

A list of your system's hardware and software.

What you were last doing when the bug occurred

Can you reproduce the bug more then once

In terms of the content.  We have worked with professionals in the music arena for their input and suggestions on this product.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding the content aspect, such as disagreeing with something as it is stated or presented, please feel free to let us know that as well.

We welcome any suggestion, criticism, and/or grand ideas that could help make this product better.  We promise to take into consideration any reasonable ideas that you may provide.  As long as their is enough support and ideas, you can be sure to continue to see new and improved versions.

Contact information:

SofTech Multimedia, Inc.

2199 East Henrietta Road

Suite # 249

Rochester, NY 14623-4505

Phone: (716) 288-5830

Compuserve: 74043,1703

Internet: 74043.1703@compuserve.com


End-User License Agreement

Shareware. This product is being released as Shareware.  You may use it for a 30 day trial period.  If you use it for more then 30 days then you are required to register this product.  You may distribute the Shareware version of this product to anyone you wish, so long as all files remain and nothing is altered in anyway.  The registered version of this product MAY NOT be distributed freely and you must comply with the following Licensing Agreement stated below.  If at the end of 30 days you choose not to register the product it must be removed from your hard drive.

Sysops and Shareware Distributors.  You may upload, post, or otherwise redistribute this product so long as you distribute all files that are in the Packing List; you only redistribute only the Shareware(UNREGISTERED) version of this product; that you do not charge a fee except for that of a handling and preparation fee which should not exceed more then $5.00 (U.S. Currency) per disk.

License.  You may use the Registered Product  and Disks on any computer, provided that the software is used on only one computer and by one user at a time.

Restrictions. You may not commercially distribute the Registered Product Disks or Programs or otherwise reproduce, publish, or distribute or otherwise use the Disks or Programs in any manner that may infringe any copyright or other proprietary right of SofTech Multimedia, Inc., the Suppliers, or any other party or assign, sublicense, or otherwise transfer the Disks or this agreement to any other party unless such party agrees to accept the terms and conditions of this agreement.  This license and your right to use the Disks and the Programs automatically terminates if you fail to comply with any provision of this agreement.  You may not transfer, publish, or distribute your product registration information, nor replicate registered copies of this product.  Only the Shareware (UNREGISTERED) version may be distributed freely.

U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS.  The disks and the programs are provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS.  Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software Clause at DFARS (48 CFR 252.277-7013).  The Proprietor of the compilation of the Programs and the Disks is SofTech Multimedia, Inc., 2199 East Henrietta Road Suite #249, Rochester, NY 14623-4505.


Product Warranty

Limited Warranty.  SofTech Multimedia, Inc. warrants the physical Disks to be free of defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of 30 days from the purchase date.  If SofTech Multimedia, Inc. receives written notification within the warranty period of defects in materials or workmanship in the physical Disks, and such notification is determined by SofTech Multimedia, Inc. to be correct, SofTech Multimedia, Inc. will, at its option, replace the defective Disks or refund a prorata portion of the purchase price of the software, this does not include any charges incurred in obtaining or downloading this product nor any shareware distributor fees, nor disks obtained from a distributor.  THESE ARE YOUR SOLE REMEDIES FOR ANY BREACH OF WARRANTY.

EXCEPT AS SPECIFICALLY PROVIDED ABOVE, THE DISKS AND THE PROGRAMS ARE PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.  NEITHER SOFTECH MULTIMEDIA, INC. NOR THE SUPPLIERS SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CLAIMS ATTRIBUTABLE TO ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR OTHER INACCURACIES IN THE DISKS OR PROGRAMS.  THE ENTIRE RISK  AS TO THE RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OF THE DISKS AND THE PROGRAMS IS ASSUMED BY THE USER.  FURTHER, NEITHER SOFTECH MULTIMEDIA, INC. NOR THE SUPPLIERS MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THE DISKS OR THE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OF THE DISKS OR THE PROGRAMS.  IN NO EVENT SHALL SOFTECH MULTIMEDIA, INC. OR THE SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE DISKS OR PROGRAMS FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY NATURE CAUSED TO ANY PERSON OR PROPERTY AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF THE DISKS OR THE PROGRAMS, EVEN IF SOFTECH MULTIMEDIA, INC. OR THE SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN SPECIFICALLY ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.  NEITHER SOFTECH MULTIMEDIA, INC. NOR THE SUPPLIERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY COSTS INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THOSE INCURRED AS A RESULT OF LOST PROFITS OR REVENUE, LOSS OF USE OF THE DISKS OR THE PROGRAMS, LOSS OF DATA, THE COSTS OF RECOVERING SOFTWARE OR DATA, OR THIRD PARTY CLAIMS.  IN NO EVENT WILL SOFTECH MULTIMEDIA, INC. OR THE SUPPLIERS LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES TO YOU OR ANY OTHER PARTY EVER EXCEED THE PRICE OF THE SOFTWARE.  NO SALES PERSON OR OTHER REPRESENTATIVE OF ANY PARTY INVOLVED IN DISTRIBUTION OF THE DISKS IS AUTHORIZED TO MAKE ANY MODIFICATIONS OR ADDITIONS TO THIS LIMITED WARRANTY.

Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of implied warranties or limitation of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.

SofTech Multimedia, Inc. retains all rights not expressly granted.  Nothing in this license constitutes a waiver of the rights of SofTech Multimedia, Inc. under the U.S. Copyright Act or any other Federal or State law, international treaty, or foreign law.


Credits and Contributions

We would like to thank the following individuals for their help and expertise in getting this product together. Without their contributions this product would not have been possible:

 Daryl Pietrocarlo- For his constant devotion as the senior software engineer and lead programmer.

 Sten McKenzie- The great job with our Piano Professor(tm) Logo  and for the Main Menu graphics.

 Fred Costello- For reviewing the product and providing his music expertise, advice, and guidance.

 Edith Lawson- For her devotion in writing the users manual and other behind the scene efforts.

 Todd Foster- For his art skills in developing the registration control.

 Melissa Rados- For her help and flair with the red pen in correcting our mistakes in all our documentation and the other behind the scenes efforts.

 Kevin Brinsmaid- for his dedication to developing a full proof installation and the other behind the scenes efforts.

We use INSTALLShield to build all of our installation programs and thank the people at Stirling Technologies, Inc. for all their help.  Stirling has made a very fine product and we recommend INSTALLShield to anyone producing software.  INSTALLShield has made our lives easier by providing a complete setup for building installation programs and hopefully makes your life easier by providing a simple and intuitive means of getting your software up and running.	Stirling Technologies, Inc. may be reached at (800) 374-4353.


About SofTech Multimedia, Inc.

You are probably wondering a little about our company and the history of our company.  We are a small, privately owned software development and consulting company.  We have been developing applications for clients on a customized basis for about two years now. Our team of programming experience dates back about 10 years.  We are in no way a large software house, but do hope to grow with your continued support.  We are hoping to continue expanding our product lines and offering you quality software and low cost.  We have made a commitment to produce software and sell it for less then $25.00.  We feel that properly engineered software products should not cost above that price range.  Most of todays commercial applications are proceed ridiculously high due to the large overhead involved in the marketing and advertising.  We believe in the shareware concept and hope that you do too.  Shareware allows programmers such as ourselves to bring quality products to you at the low costs simply because there is no overhead in advertising and marketing.  Thus we can spend more of the money on hiring more talent in the areas of art and programming.

SofTech Multimedias mission is to help usher in the Multimedia technologies in the professional, educational, and entertainment areas.  We are achieving these goals by consulting and developing software for other companies that will be marketed by those companies and developing titles under our own label.

We do provide custom programming services and consulting services both locally, nationally, and internationally.  We have consulted to small business and fortune 500 companies.  Should you be interested in having software developed please feel free to contact us.  If you have any suggestions for future product enhancements, new ideas, or anything else that we may be able to help with, please feel free to drop us a line.


Authors Note

I am writing this section in an attempt to explain in a non-technical way the reason why I wrote this piece of software, and how I think it can help you learn to play the piano.

When I was younger I took piano lessons for approximately 3 months.  During this period I was taught to play scales, scales and even more scales.  I was then taught to play a few songs that were not very interesting as far as I was concerned.  Shortly afterward, my piano lessons ceased, but my interest and admiration for those that could play music (especially on the piano) increased more and more.

During the end of my college years, I was fortunate enough to cross paths with a friend of mine who could play the piano exceptionally well.  He showed me how to play a few songs that I actually recognized, one of which was the beginning of Fur Elise by Ludwig Van Beethoven.  I was hooked.  The catch was that in order to play the song I would have to either drive my friend crazy with nagging questions or learn how to read music.  Obviously, I took the latter path.

I went to a music store and bought the sheet music to Fur Elise.  The problem was that the only note I could recognize in the sheet music and actually find on the piano was middle C.  Armed with this knowledge, I started counting up or down from middle C to figure out the notes I didnt know, and  quickly forgot the next time I saw them in the music.  Attempting to make my fingers play the keys was one problem that I knew could be overcome with practice, but I figured that there had to be a better way to teach myself how to recognize notes.  Herein lies the beginning of the Piano Professor.

I started with an extremely simple DOS based program that made notes randomly hop around on the staves without giving the note name.  The only way to reveal the name of note was to press a special key on the computer keyboard.  So, I would guess the name of the note I saw in my head and use the computer as the confirmation.  If I didnt know the name, the computer had the answer!  I could sit at my computer and teach myself to read music. Each time I sat down and used the program, I would become more and more proficient at guessing the notes.  I  noticed a great improvement in my playing because I was no longer trying to figure out the note while trying to play it.  Now I could concentrate solely on making my fingers play the note.  The Note Tutor is a representation of this first program, albeit a lot more elegant.  Adding the functionality to plug in a MIDI capable keyboard was almost left out of  the first version, but after seeing it work, I just couldnt leave it out.

As my playing became better I found (as did many other musicians) that I could pick up a piece of popular music, play the melody with my right hand and play the guitar chords shown above the music with my left hand.  This is easier than attempting to read and play all the notes usually required in the bass with your left hand.  Once you know a chord, it becomes a position rather that 3 or 4 notes.  Even though there is a theory behind the creation of chords, I could not always remember the theory or I just wasnt sure if what I was playing was correct.  So I wrote the Chord Encyclopedia, which includes most of the major chords found in music, and  I refer to it often.

Name that Note was written because I wasnt born with the gift of being able to name a note simply by hearing the sound.  I wrote this screen to help those of us who would like to get better at being able to recognize notes just by the sound.  I think this screen has already helped me, I hope it can help you.

The Key Signature screen will help you to recognize the different keys that music is written in.  By knowing what key a piece of music is in, playing along with music or playing by ear definitely comes easier.

The Keyboard screen was written to guide those that have never had any real experience with a piano, and hopefully, will be enough to get you started with the Piano Professor.

If you have read this far, I am grateful.  I hope that this program can be of some use to you or someone you know.  I wrote it because I love to play the piano and would like to take some of the fear out of learning to play it.  Playing the piano does not come easy, you still have to practice.  I am by no means an expert in the area, most are better than I.  For those who can play the piano, I hope this proves a useful tool.  For those just learning, it is my desire that the Piano Professor can help you to learn faster and ease the discouragement that can be accompanied when learning to play.  Enjoy.

Daryl Pietrocarlo -- Rochester, New York USA


  Musical Terms

Used to Indicate Tempo

Used to Indicate Change in Tempo

Used to Indicate Volume of Sound

Used to Indicate Change in Volume of Sound

Used to Indicate Simultaneous reduction of Tempo & Volume

Used to indicate Mood, Degree, Intensity, or Style


Musical Terms that Indicate Tempo

Slow

Lento	Slow
Largo	Broad
Adagio	At ease, slow, drawn out
Grave	Heavy, serious
Larghetto	Not so broad as Largo

Medium

Andante	Medium slow
Moderato	Moderate
Allegretto	Less fast than Allegro
Andantino	Less slow than Andante

Fast

Allegro	Fast
Vivace	Lively
Presto	Very fast
Vivacissmo	Livlier than Vivace
Prestissimo	Even faster than Presto

-ino, -etto: 	The suffix, -ino or -etto, added to one of the tempo indications weakens

or implies less quality of the original term.

-issimo:	The suffix, -issimo, added to one of the tempo indications intensifies the

quality of the original term.

non troppo	Not too______(fast or slow)


Musical Terms used to indicate a change in Tempo
Musical Terms that Indicate a Change in Tempo

Accerlerando	Getting faster
Stringendo	Rushing
Ritardando	Slow down, hold back
Rallentando	Slowing down
Allargando	Getting broader
Ritenuto	Held back
Piu	More
Meno	Less
Piu mosso	Faster
Meno mosso	Slower
A tempo	In tempo
Tempo Primo	First tempo
Listesso tempo	The same tempo


Musical Terms to Indicate Volume of Sound
Musical Terms that Indicate Volume of Sound

Forte (f)	Loud
Piano (P)	Soft
Fortissimo (ff)	Very loud
Pianissimo (pp)	Very soft
Mezzo forte (mf)	Medium loud
Mezzo piano (mp)	Medium soft

Levels louder than ff are indicated by adding additional f s:

fff	ffff

Levels softer than pp are indicated by adding additional p s:

ppp	pppp


Musical Terms to Indicate Change in Volume of Sound
Musical Terms that Indicates a Chnage in Volume of Sound

Crescendo	Growing louder
Decrescendo	Growing softer
Dimenuendo	Growing softer
Forte piano (fp)	Begin the note loud, but drop it to soft immediately
Sforazando, sforzato (sf, fs, sfz)	Forced, accented


Musical Terms to indicate simultaneous reduction of Tempo & Volume
Musical  Terms  for simultaneous reduction of Tempo & Volume

Calando	Decreasing
Smorzando	Dying away
Morendo	Dying down


Muscial Terms to Qualify Mood
Qualifying Terms used to indicate Mood, Degree, Intensity, or Style

Molto	Very, much
Poco	A little
Un poco	A little
Poco a poco	Little by little
Piu	More
Meno	Less
_____ non troppo	Not too ______
Non troppo _____	Not too ______
_____ ma non troppo	Not too ______
Agitato	Agitated
Amabile	Affectionately
Animato	Spirited, animated
Apassionato	Passionately
Cantabile	Singing
Con amima	With spirit
Con brio	With brilliance
con dolore	With grief
Con forza	With strength
Con fuoco	Fiery, with fire
Con moto	With movement
Dolce	Sweetly
Dolente	Grieving
Energico	Energetically
Espressivo	Expressively
Giocoso	Jestingly, playfully
Grazioso	Gracefully
Legato	Smoothly, slurred
Leggiero	Lightly
Lusingando	Cajolingly, alluringly
Maestoso	Majestically
Marziale	Martially
Misterioso	Mysteriously
Perdendosi	Dying away
Pesante	Heavily
Piacevole	Pleasingly, agreeably
Portamento	Sliding of the voice
Risoluto	Resolutely
Scherzando	Playfully, jokingly
Sostenuto	Sustained
Staccato	Short and detached
Teneramente	Tenderly
Tenuto	Held


Trouble Shooting
Trouble Shooting Guide

The following section should be consulted before calling SofTech Multimedia, Inc. for technical support.  This section is intended to provide questions and answers to the most common problems with Piano Professor for Windows.  If you are having a problem with the software that is not covered in this section then see the section titled Technical Support .

Q:  When first starting Piano Professor for Windows I receive a MIDI Sequencer error message like the following:

A:  The above message is not an error message but an informational message.  The message is stating that your sound card may not be able to correctly sequence MIDI sounds.  You can disable the message by clicking on the box: Don't display this warning in future.

Q:  Why doesent the sound play on my system?

A:  Sound may not play on your system for a number of reasons.  The first and most obvious is do you have a sound card installed on your system.  If there is a sound card in your system then check to see that the sound drivers (supplied by the cards manufacturer) are installed correctly.  If both of the above things are checked and OK then attempt to play the file OPENING.MID from the PIANPROF\SOUND directory using the media player.  If the sound does not play with the media player then you do not have your MIDI mapper set correctly for your sound card.  Check the MIDI Mapper in the control panels to see that your MIDI settings are valid and are not set to NONE.


Q:  Why do the colors in the Piano Professor look funny?

A:  The Piano Professor for Windows uses 256 color graphics.  If the colors are funny on your system then you are using a video resolution with less than 256 colors.  The Piano Professor will run correctly with less than 256 colors but the color graphics on the opening screen and in other places will look funny.  The way to fix this is to use Windows Setup to change the current video resolution to one with at least 256 colors.  Please refer to your Windows manual for information on how to change the video resolution with Windows Setup.