Have you ever wanted to learn a musical instrument but did not have the time or courage to drag yourself in for private lessons with a professional? If you search the Internet for information on learning to play an instrument online you will find hundreds of sites that profess to be able to do just that, but with the convenience of letting you learn at your own pace and on your own schedule. The only problem with these sites is that most just tell you what to do but do not have any way of letting you know if you are doing it right or not. Luckily there are a few good resources out there that allow you to learn an instrument with the benefit of individualized feedback.
Music Assessment Systems- SmartMusic and StarPlay:
There are currently two good ways to learn an instrument online, one is named SmartMusic and the other is named StarPlay. Both have been designed by professional music educators and both have the ability to listen to your performance and tell you what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong. The two systems are alike in that they only help you practice the music. Neither will tell you how to hold your hand on the instrument or how to blow correctly. For that part of the equation you will either have to go to a private teacher (recommended) or try reading from a lesson book. Once you have the basics however, the music assessment system will help you practice more effectively and help you improve far faster than by any other method.
The Differences Between SmartMusic and StarPlay:
SmartMusic has been around for many years and is by far the most robust and stable of the two programs. SmartMusic also boasts an immense library of music to play along with and includes the music from several different beginning band method books such as Essential Elements and Standard of Excellence. SmartMusic also features the ability to receive assignments from a private teacher who can then listen to your recordings and give you real, personalized advice on how to improve your playing.
StarPlay is a relative newcomer to the market, but the possibilities and direction the company is taking bears some serious consideration. StarPlay may one day take over in places that SmartMusic is lacking, for example in the area of guitar instruction, StarPlay's ability to sequence video with the music on the screen means that you may one day be able to truly learn an instrument from start to finish without needing a live person in the room with you. Other ideas that StarPlay is considering make such popular video games as Guitar Hero look like child's play. Only time will tell if these ideas pan out for the company.
The Bottom Line:
The only way to learn an instrument is to practice. These two systems take the pain out of the practice process, but neither supplant the need for some degree of private instruction if you seriously want to learn to play well. Both programs have demo versions available for you to try out before you spring for a subscription.
