Synthesia

Knowledge alone does not help you if you want to learn how to play the piano (or any other instrument). Dexterity is essential and the only way to become more dexterous is to practice. If you don't have your own piano or you don't want to disturb someone, while practicing, you can use Synthesia. It is a neat game, which focuses on sharpening your piano skills. It can be used by novices, who are just getting started with the piano, but it can be enjoyed by experts as well, if they are looking for a fun way to practice.

Unlike most games, Synthesia can be installed almost instantly. The installation package is roughly 2 and a half MB and the setup procedure is straightforward. It works on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, Mac OS X and it is available for the Apple iPad as well. You should also know that Synthesia is freeware, so you don't need to pay for it.

If you are familiar with Guitar Hero, you will notice that Synthesia has a similar gameplay. The main difference is that you can actually learn how to play an instrument. While playing a MIDI file, the song's notes will "fall" from the upper edge of the screen and you must press the correct keys at the right time.

A piano's keyboard is illustrated in the lower region of the screen and each key is associated with a button on your computer's keyboard. The falling notes are represented by colored shapes, which are longer or shorter, depending on the tempo. They are perfectly aligned with the correct keys, so you will know which ones to press and when. To make it even easier, you can pause the melody at any time or change its speed.

While practicing, you may also activate a metronome, choose how many keys to show, display hints regarding where you should place your fingers and more. Before you start playing the virtual piano, you may go through a general settings menu, to make various adjustments regarding the gameplay, the location of your MIDI files and more. The interface is displayed in full screen mode. When you launch the game, you can choose to access the general options, add more features or start playing, by clicking different buttons, in a main menu.

Before you start playing, you can choose a song (in MIDI format) and select a practice method. This is where you will notice that Synthesia is very flexible and that it provides various practicing methods. You can choose to watch and listen, practice a melody or rhythm or if you feel ready, you can practice a recital, without any instructions or hints. What's more, Synthesia allows you to practice with both hands or only with the right or left.