70. The Computer Keyboard can be a Predecessor of the Piano
The computer keyboard and the keys of the piano are very similar. Both must be used by different fingers, pressed by the fingertips and coordinated into the work of both hands. Understanding this, we decided to involve computer keys in the development of the student’s coordination.
For example, in the game Note Duration, kids play out the songs with only one key: the space bar. Here they learn to play different rhythms, count out loud and differentiate between notes by their lengths. Think of how hard it is to teach a child to play from sheet music while counting rhythm at the same time.
Thanks to the computer, the coordination of the hands has been simplified to one key, and the focus is completely directed at the music notation and reading rhythm. The guides of this exercise are coordination and the computer screen, assigning the differences in note length with the help of colors and sounds.
In the same way, the computer keyboard helped to create exercises that allow the beginner to connect the movement of the notes of the music staff with the keys on the piano. With this goal, we don’t use the Up and Down arrows in our games – after all, there are only two directions one can go on the piano: left and right. We tried not to miss a single detail that could help a beginner in his movement of music reading from simple to complex.