Topics Entertainment markets Instant Play Piano software in the USA but in the UK Charanga markets it as Piano Coach. They are the exact same piano lesson software. Once loaded, the Music Coach icon links you to additional online lesson helps featuring several topics on their website. Surprisingly, many of the links are geared to guitar playing. You will also find an icon for a guitar tuner in the upper bar of the software’s home screen. This piano learning software doesn’t offer musical games in the software, but basic computer instructions with graphics and videos defining the concepts. We suggest you be prepared to jump back and forth between CDs while practicing, because although you load all the CDs during installation you will have to change them often depending on the specific topic you pick. This can be cumbersome and time consuming.

Instant Play Piano provides six CDs offering different modules. Each module corresponds to one of the CDs and it will not function without the CD in the drive even though you’ve downloaded it to your hard drive. Each lesson in Instant Play Piano comes with a video recording of a professional pianist playing the particular musical piece that is included in that lesson. You can play along with this graphic and even put it in slow motion to see exactly where to position the fingers and hands. Each piece of music comes with a five-step program to help you master the song. In addition, there are tips included with every lesson for added instruction and help which is a must in any piano learning software.

Tracking your progress with this piano learning software is not available which means you will have to track your progress on your own which some may really enjoy doing. This will also keep the CD swapping during your lessons to a minimum. You won’t find games or lessons on playing-by-ear, but you will find comprehensive lessons covering notation, rhythm, scales, arpeggios and other basics. Instant Play Piano also allows you to loop sections of music and practice hands separately or together. Scales and exercises for piano exams grades 1-5 are available to help you advance through these techniques. A metronome is available to help with rhythm and you have the option to print the music for use at your keyboard if your computer isn’t easily accessible.

This piano lesson software offers phone and email support but not a FAQs section or tutorial with the software, but links to their online site give you the opportunity to search the website for answers to your technical questions. The help icon on the software screen offers a manual as well.

Summary:

Instant Play Piano offers a solid program with quality lessons following a natural progression for beginning to intermediate students. We have listed it as providing audio lessons but not video lessons in their program. While there are pictures and animated graphics accompanied by audio, there is no true video. The graphics and photos are good, but the media is lacking in quality when compared to our top rated products. We love to see profession videos which will hold the student’s interest longer and missed it with this program. Instant Play Piano is a good option for piano learning software at a good price.

Instant Play Piano Screenshots