The Miracle Piano Teaching System PC User's Guide Copyright C) 1990, 1991 The Software Toolworks, Inc. All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Getting Started on Your PC .............................................................1 System Requirements ...................................................................1 IBM PS/1 .................................................................................1 What's in the Package ..................................................................2 What's in Store for the Future .......................................................2 Rear Connectors on The Miracle ..................................................3 Connecting The Miracle to Your PC ..............................................3 Installing The Miracle ....................................................................5 Running The Miracle .....................................................................5 Serial Ports ....................................................................................5 Mouse vs. PC Keyboard ...............................................................6 Selecting ..................................................................................6 Scrolling ...................................................................................6 Quick Reference ......................................................................6 Technical Support .........................................................................7 Using the PC Software ......................................................................9 Main Menu ....................................................................................9 Logging On .................................................................................. 10 Welcome Screen ......................................................................... 1 1 Getting Help ................................................................................ 11 Administration ............................................................................. 12 Classroom ................................................................................... 14 Flashcards ............................................................................. 14 Pause Menu ................................................................................. 15 Performance Hall ........................................................................ 15 Practice Room ............................................................................. 16 Arcade ......................................................................................... 17 Studio .......................................................................................... 19 Loading a Song ..................................................................... 22 Saving a Song ....................................................................... 23 Selecting an Instrument ......................................................... 24 Recording Multiple Tracks ..................................................... 25 Erasing a Track ..................................................................... 25 Common Questions and Answers ................................................. 27 Index ................................................................................................. 29 CREDITS The Miracle Piano Teaching System Project Manager ion Mandel Piano Method Roy Bogas Software Development Wait Bilofsky Jeff Chasen Mike Collins Michael Duffy Richard Eittreim Rick Glenn David Grenewetzki Troy Heere Don Laabs Bryan Lerda Jon Mandel Pat McCarthy Marc Roegiers Music Design Rob Wallace Scott Daley Music Transcription Tara Patterson William Todd Testing Scot Lane Artwork Vicki Sidley Vicky Fink Gene Hamm Richard Payne Katherine Thornton Tansi Brooks The Miracle Keyboard Hardware Design Chuck Monte Mike Collins John Dirkson Anne Graham Ray Livingston Paul White Hardware Production Val Garcia Peter Gilligan Ben Okawa Sound Design Drew Neumann Documentation Manual Design & Production Anne Schwimer Darilyn Kotzenberg Cory Haibloorri Shannon Van Scotter Illustrations Carol Dickason Copyrights Software Copyright @ 1990, 1991 The Software Toolworks, Inc. Manual Copyright (D 1990, 1991 The Software Toolworks, Inc. All rights reserved. The Software Toolworks is a registered trademark of and Toolworks is a trademark of The Software Toolworks, Inc. The Miracle and The Miracle Piano Teaching System are trademarks of The Software Toolworks, Inc. IBM@ is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Radio Shack is a Division of Tandy Corporation. The photographs in the chapter HISTORY OF THE PIANO in THE MIRACLE PIANO TEACHING SYSTEM OWNER'S MANUAL are used by permission of The Bettman Archive. PC SONG COPYRIGHTS The following music is used with permission: A Summer Place (Max Steiner, Mack Discant) (D 1959 (Renewed) Warner Bros. Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. And I Love Her (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) (D 1964 Northern Songs. All Rights Controlled and Administered by MCA Music Publishing, A Division of MCA Inc., New York, NY 10019, under license from Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. International Copyright Secured. And The Angels Sing (Ziggy Elman, Johnny Mercer) @ 1939 WB Music Corp. (Renewed) All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Can You Read My Mind (John Williams, Leslie Bricusse) (@) 1984 Wamer-Tameriane Publishing Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Chariots of Fire (Vangelis) C)1981 Spheric B.V. (BUMA) All Rights on behalf of Spheric B.V. for the world excluding the Netherlands Administered by WB Music Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Don't Be Cruel (Otis Blackwell, Elvis Presley) @ 1965 Elvis Presley Music All Rights on behalf of Elvis Presley Music Administered by Unichappell Music Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Evergreen (Barbara Streisand, Paul Williams) (D 1976 WB Music Corp., Emmanuel Music Corp. & First Artists Music Co. All Rights Administered by WB Music Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Fools Rush In (Rube Bloom, Johnny Mercer) (D 1940 WB Music Corp. (Renewed) All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Happy Birthday to You (Mildred J. Hill, Patty S. Hill) @ 1935 (Renewed) Summy'Birchard Music, A Division of Summy-Birchard, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Here, There, & Everywhere (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) (D 1966 Northern Songs. All Rights Controlled and Administered by MCA Music Publishing, A Division of MCA Inc., New York, NY 10019, under license from Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. International Copyright Secured. Love Me Tender (Elvis Presley, Vera Matson) (D 1956 Elvis Presley Music (Renewed) All Rights Administered by Unichappell Music Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Mack The Knife (Kurt Weill, Bert Brecht, Marc Blitzstein) (D 1928 Universal Edition (Renewed) All Rights for the U.S. & Canada Administered by WB Music Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Manic Monday (Christopher) (D 1984 Controversy Music All Rights on behalf of Controversy Music for the U.S.A. & Canada only Administered by WB Music Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Michelle (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) @ 1965 Northern Songs. All Rights Controlled and Administered by MCA Music Publishing, A Division of MCA Inc., New York, NY 100 1 9, under license from Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. International Copyright Secured. Moondance (Van Morrison) C) 1971 WB Music Corp. & Caledonia Soul Music All Rights Administered by WB Music Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Mr. Bojangles (Jerry Jeff Walker) (D 1968 Cotillion Music, Inc. & Danel Music, Inc. All Rights on behalf of Cotillion Music, Inc. Administered by Wamer-Tameriane Publishing Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used By Pen-nission. Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan) @ 1964 Warner Bros. Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. NorKyegian Wood (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) C) 1965 Northern Songs. All Rights Controlled and Administered by MCA Music Publishing, A Division of MCA Inc., New York, NY 10019. under license from Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. International Copyright Secured. Puff (The Magic Dragon) (Peter Yarrow, Leonard Lipton) (D 1963 Pepamar Music Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Stand By Me (Ben E. King, Mike Stoller, Jerry Leiber) @ 1961 by Leiber-Stoller Songs, Inc., and Unichappell Music Inc. (Copyright Renewed) All Rights Reserved. Used By Peffnission. Star Wars (John Williams) (D 1977 Wamer-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. & Bantha Music. All Rights Administered by Wamer-Tameriane Publishing Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Tea For Two (Vincent Youman, Irving Caesar) (D 1924 WB Music Corp. (Renewed) & Irving Caesar Music Corp. All Rights Administered by WB Music Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Themefrom M*A*S*H (Johnny Mandel, Michael Altman) @ 1984 WB Music Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. The Rose (Amanda McBroom) @ 1979 Wamer-Tameriane Publishing Corp. & Third Story Music Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. We Are The World (Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie) (@) 1985 MIJAC Music & Brockman Music All Rights on behalf of MIJAC Music Administered by Wamer-Tameriane Publishing Corp. & All Rights on behalf of Brockman Music Administered by WB Music Corp. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. Yellow Submarine (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) @ 1966 Northern Songs. All Rights Controlled and Administered by MCA Music Publishing, A Division of MCA Inc., New York, NY 100 1 9, under I icense from Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. International Copyright Secured. Yesterday (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) @D 1965 Northern Songs. All Rights Controlled and Administered by MCA Music Publishing, A Division of MCA Inc., New York, NY 10019, under license from Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. International Copyright Secured. You're Si,,(teen (Bob Sherman, Dick Sherman) C 1960 Wamer-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (Renewed) All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) @D 1965 Northern Songs. All Rights Controlled and Administered by MCA Music Publishing, A Division of MCA Inc., New York, NY 100 1 9, under license from Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission. International Copyright Secured. Warning: The music included in this program is intended for private use. Public performances or other use is expressly prohibited. It is a violation of federal copyright law to synchronize the music contained in The Miracle Piano Teaching System with video tape or film, or to print the music contained in The Miracle Piano Teaching System in the form of standard music notation without the express written permission of the copyright owner. FCC Notice This equipment has been certified to comply with the limits for a Class B computing device, pursuant to FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. In order to maintain compliance with FCC regulations, shielded cables must be used with this equipment. Operation with nonapproved equipment or unshielded cables may result in interference to radio and television reception. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: • Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. • Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. • Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. • Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. GETTING STARTED ON YOUR PC Welcome to The Miracle Piano Teaching System for the IBM@ PC or compatible! In the months to come, your PC will provide hundreds of Lessons to teach you how to play the piano. System Requirements The Miracle requires these system components: • IBM PC or 100% IBM compatible PC. • At least one serial port. See SERIAL PORTS in this chapter. • PC-DOS or MS-DOS@ 3.1 or later. • Your CONFIG.SYS file needs the line "FILES=30." • 512K of RAM with a CGA graphics adaptor. • 640K of RAM with an EGA, VGA, or Hercules graphics adaptor. System options are: • Hard disk drive. • Mouse with a mouse driver. Note: If you want to use a serial mouse you need two serial ports. If you have a bus mouse you need only one serial port. • HP LaserJet 11 or compatible printer. • Epson or compatible dot matrix graphics printer. For information about a system component, see its manual. IBM PS/I For an IBM PS/ 1, The Miracle requires two MIDI cables and one of these additional packages: • IBM full package with audio card and joystick (Part #1057064). • IBM audio card package (Part #1057735) and an IBM MIDI Adaptor Cable (Part # 1 057507). For assistance with IBM products, you may call (800) 426-3333. The recommended length for the MIDI cables is 10 feet. You can order these cables from a music retailer or from The Software Toolworks, Inc. For the address and phone number of the office nearest you, see TECHNICAL SUPPORT in this chapter. What's in the Package For starters, check The Miracle Piano Teaching System package. Remove and identify each of these parts: Warranty Registration Foot Pedal Earphones Keyboard The Miracle Card and Quick Power Supply Cable Start Card The Miracle Keyboard Owner's Manual This User's Guide Software Diskettes Keyboard Overlay Contents of The Miracle Box What's in Store for the Future Please fill out your Warranty Registration Card and mail it right away. This is the only way we can keep in touch and let you know about: • Future song collections. • Add-on products, such as new Lessons. • Advanced courses. Note: If you have 360K disk drives, fill out the enclosed card or call The Software Toolworks, Inc., and we will send you disks that will work in your computer. For the address and phone of the office nearest you, see TECHNICAL SUPPORT. Rear Connectors on The Miracle Look at the rear connectors on the back of the keyboard. MIDI INPUT (D /r".\ ED K-2 IN Our Rear Connectors on The Miracle Keyboard The rear connectors are: s MIDI - Use In and Out to connect The Miracle to another Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) device if you have one. 0 Miracle Port - Use The Miracle Cable to connect The Miracle to your PC serial port. 0 Audio Out - Use the Head Phone jack to plug in your head phones; use LT and RT to connect The Miracle to your stereo. * Input - Use the Foot Pedal jack to plug in the foot pedal. For information about the keyboard overlay, earphones, stereo audio connectors, and the MIDI connector, see ABOUT THE KEYBOARD in THE MIRACLE PIANO TEACHING SYSTEM OWNER'S MANUAL. When The Miracle is properly connected and turned on, the instrument and volume indicators light up. Connecting The Miracle to Your PC To connect The Miracle to your PC, follow these steps: 1. Plug the male end of The Miracle Cable into the Miracle Port and the female end into your PC's serial port. This can be COM 1, or COM2. CAUTION: Do not plug any cable other than The Miracle Cable into the Miracle Port. Using another cable it) this port can damage The Miracle and will void your warranty. 2. Plug the Keyboard Power Supply into the Power connector on the back of the keyboard and into an electric outlet. 3. Plug the Foot Pedal into the Foot Pedal jack. It doesn't matter which side of the plug is up. 4. Put the pedal on the floor with the foam (squishy) side up. 5. The On/Off switch is next to the power connector. Turn The Miracle keyboard on. The instrument and volume indicators will light up. 6. Press any key to make sure that sound comes out of the built-in speakers when you strike a key. Adjust the volume as necessary by pressing the up and down Volume buttons. Installing The Miracle To start learning with The Miracle: 1 Turn on the PC. 2. Put The Miracle Disk I into the floppy drive on your PC (usually this is A:). 3. Type A: and press Enter. 4. Type Install and press Enter. 5. Follow the INSTALL program instructions. Running The Miracle To run the program after installation: 1. Change to the subdirectory where The Miracle is installed. Example: Type CD\MIRACLE and press Enter. 2. Type MIRACLE and press Enter. Serial Ports See your PC owner's manual to identify your serial port. If you have 25-pin serial ports, you can purchase a Serial Port Adaptor (Catalog No. 26-287) from Radio Shack or order one from The Software Toolworks, Inc. For the address and phone number of the office nearest you, see TECHNICAL SUPPOFIT. Connect the wide side (25-pin) of the serial port adaptor to the PC serial port and narrow side (9-pin) to The Miracle Cable. If your PC has only 1 serial port and you have a serial mouse installed, follow these steps each time you start the program: 1 .Unplug the mouse from the PC serial port. 2. Plug The Miracle Cable into the PC serial port. 3. Reboot. 4. Run the program as usual - change to The Miracle subdirectory, type MIRACLE, and press Enter. You will use the PC keyboard instead of the mouse to operate the program. Note: You can purchase an additional serial card from your PC dealer and avoid plugging and unplugging the mouse and the cable, or you can purchase a bus mouse, which does not require a second serial port. See your PC owner's manual. Mouse vs. Selecting You can use the mouse or the PC keyboard with any feature of The Miracle PC Keyboard software. In this manual, select means "choose an option using the mouse or PC keyboard." To select with the PC keyboard, press Tab or * 4 until your choice is highlighted, then press Enter. To select with the mouse, point to your choice and click the left mouse button. Other mouse actions are: • Click and drag - Point, hold down the left mouse button, and move the mouse (used in lists to move the rectangular "thumb" on the scroll bar up and down to view and select choices). • Double click - Point and click the left mouse button twice rapidly (used to confirm a selection). • Click right - Point and click the right mouse button to go to the Pause menu (used in Lessons). Scrolling In this manual, scroll means "use the mouse or the keyboard to move up or down a selection list." You can scroll with the mouse by clicking or by clicking and dragging on the scroll bar. You can scroll with the keyboard by pressing *, &, PgUp, or PgDn. Quick Reference To do this PC Key Mouse Select a menu or option Tab Click Go to next Lesson screen Spacebar Click Scroll up 1 line in lists Click Scroll down 1 line in lists 4 Click Scroll up 1 page in lists PgUp Click and drag Scroll down 1 page in lists PgDn Click and drag Select a field Tab Click Confirm a selection Enter Click OK or Double click Go to Pause menu from Lessons Esc Click right Go back to menu Esc Click right Get Help Fl Click Help Technical Support For technical support in the USA, please contact: The Software Toolworks, Inc. 60 Leveroni Court Novato, CA 94949 Telephone: (415) 883-5157 FAX: (415) 883-3303 For parts, call: (800) 234-3088 For technical support in Europe, please contact: Mindscape International The Coach House, Hooklands Estate Scaynes Hill West Sussex England, United Kingdom RH 17 7NG Telephone: 0 11 44 (444) 831-761 FAX: 0 It 44 (444) 831-688 For technical support in Australia and New Zealand, please contact: Mindscape International 5/6 Gladstone Road Castle Hill, New South Wales Australia 2154 Telephone: (02) 899-2277 FAX: (02) 899-2348 USING THE PC SOFTWARE This chapter explains how to use The Miracle Piano Teaching System on your IBM PC or compatible. You can use the mouse or the PC keyboard to select and use software options. In The Miracle Piano Teaching System, software options are organized into menus, which are shown on the main menu as six rooms. Main Menu When you select Menu from the Welcome screen, the main menu appears. To select a menu from the main menu, use either: Mouse: Click the room. Keyboard: Tab to the room then press Enter. To go to the main menu from any other menu, click Cancel or press Esc. To get help, click Help or press Fl. >From the main menu you can select any other menu, including: Administration - Use to add and delete users, change metronome volume, check your progress, print certificates, and return to DOS. See ADMINISTRATION. Note: Use the DOS option to exit the program. Do not turn your computer off while using The Miracle software or you could lose your progress. Classroom - Use to go to a Chapter and to restart a Lesson. See CLASSROOM. Practice Room - Use to practice pitch or rhythm, to review theory, or to practice any song in The Miracle. See PRACTICE Room. Arcade - Use to play Ducks, Ripchord, or Aliens! Also use to operate the Jukebox. See ARCADE. Studio - Use to record and play back your own performances. See STUDIO. Performance Hall - Use to play with The Miracle Orchestra. See PERFORMANCE HALL. When you select a menu, a person appears in that room. Logging On To run The Miracle Piano Teaching System: 1. Turn on your PC and The Miracle keyboard. 2. Change to The Miracle subdirectory. Example: Type CD\MIRACLE and press Enter. 3. Type MIRACLE and press Enter. The Software Toolworks and The Miracle title screens appear. 4. You may listen to the introductory song or press any key to continue without listening to it. The very first time you log on (and until you add a student login), the Hello! screen appears. 5. Click OK or press Enter to continue. The Student Login screen appears. 6. On this screen you can do the following: • OK - To select an existing user, double click a name or select it with * 4 then press Enter. • Browse - To view the software without creating or saving your progress, select this button (click it or Tab to it and press Enter). • Add User - To add a new user, select this button. At the Enter Student Name screen, type your name, select Adult or Child mode, and click OK or press Enter. Welcome Screen After you log in, the Welcome screen appears. At the Welcome screen, you can select the following: • OK - Start the Lesson. • Menu - Go to the main menu. Getting Help Most of The Miracle features provide online help. Within online help you can get additional information by selecting text that is highlighted. To use help, click the Help key or press Fl. To get additional help, click highlighted text or Tab to it and press Enter. To exit help, click OK or press Esc. See also TECHNICAL SUPPORT in GETTING STARTED ON YOUR PC. Administration The Administration menu is where you use system options. To get help, click Help or press Fl. To exit this menu and go to the main menu, click Cancel or press Esc. The Administration menu includes these options: New User - Use to add new users. You may add as many users as you have disk space for. See LOGGING ON. Delete User - Use to delete existing users. On the Delete User screen, select a user name and press Enter or click OK. System Setup - Use this option to view or change default settings for The Miracle as follows: • About - Use this option to see the version of The Miracle that is loaded on your PC. You need this information if you telephone for technical support. • Restore Factory Defaults - Use this option to restore the factory default settings for evaluation, page turn, foot pedal, metronome volume, and orchestra volume after you have changed them. To restore the defaults, press Enter or click OK. • Evaluation - Use this option to turn progress evaluations on (default) or off. The screen states the current setting. To change the setting, press Enter or click OK. Note: If you turn this off, then the Progress option on the Administration menu will not work. • Page Turn - Use this option to set the automatic page turn feature for sheet music. On the Set Page Turn screen, drag the slider bar or press 410, to set the page turn to that number of half measures before the end of the page. See CLASSROOM, PERFORMANCE HALL, and PRACTICE Room. • Foot Pedal - Use this option to turn the foot pedal continue feature on or off. When this is on, you can click, press Spacebar, or tap the Foot Pedal to continue a Lesson. See CLASSROOM. Note: If you just want to use the Foot Pedal for sustain, turn this off. • Metronome Volume - Use this option to increase or decrease the metronome volume by turning the green volume indicators on or off. • Orchestra Volume - Use this option to increase or decrease orchestra volume by turning the green volume indicators on or off. Note: On the Set Metronome Volume and Set Orchestra Volume screens, use either: Mouse: Click the Up or Down button then OK. Keyboard: Press t or 4 then Enter. Progress - Use to check your progress in the teaching system by selecting an option listed below. Within each option, you can use three buttons: select Next to see the next screen; select Previous to see the previous screen, or select OK to return to the Administration menu. Hall of Fame - Use to view the high scores for the Arcade games, Ducks, Ripchord, and Aliens! Practice Progress - Use to see an analysis of your playing performance, including overall performance, pitch, and rhythm. Lesson Chart - Use to see the Lessons you've started and completed for each Chapter. Print - Use to print certificates when you have completed various sections of The Miracle course. You must have a compatible printer to use this option. See GETTING STARTED ON YOUR PC. DOS - Use to exit The Miracle and return to the DOS prompt. Your work will be saved automatically. Classroom The Classroom is where you will learn to play and will probably spend most of your time. In the Classroom, you are presented with Lessons that are organized into Chapters. To get help, click Help or press Fl. To go to the Pause menu, click the right mouse button or press Esc. See PAUSE MENU. To turn the page when sheet music appears onscreen, press Enter; otherwise, the page will turn automatically. See ADMINISTRATION. The Classroom menu includes these options: Go to Chapter - Use this option to select any Chapter in The Miracle. At the Go To Chapter screen, scroll to select a Chapter, then click OK or press Enter. Note: As you begin each day's practice, you can easily go back to the Lesson where you left off. Just select OK from the Welcome screen. Restart Lesson - Use this option to return to the Lesson where you left off. Within Lessons, some screens let you decide when to continue. These screens have a picture of the mouse icon onscreen. To continue, you can: • Click. • Press Spacebar. • Tap the Foot Pedal. You can turn this option off. See ADMINISTRATION. Flashcards During Lessons, Flashcards test your understanding of what you've learned. All questions are multiple choice. To answer a question, click the answer button or press 1, 2, 3, or 4. If you answer incorrectly, The Miracle tells you to try again. To try again, click OK or press Enter. Pause Menu From any Lesson, click the right mouse button or press Esc to go to the Pause menu. Starting from the Classroom, this menu displays two Lesson options and also includes a Main Menu icon, which returns you to the main menu. Starting from the other rooms where it is available, the Pause menu just includes a Main Menu icon, which returns you to the main menu. Next Lesson - Use to go to the next Lesson in the Chapter. Previous Lesson - Use to go to the previous Lesson in the Chapter. Return/Restart Lesson - Return to the most recent Chalkboard. Main Menu - Use to go to the main menu. Performance Hall The Performance Hall is where you go to play with The Miracle Orchestra. A To get help, click Help or press Fl. To go to the Pause menu, click the right mouse button or press Esc. See PAUSE MENU. To turn the page when sheet music appears onscreen, press Enter; otherwise, the page will turn automatically. See ADMINISTRATION. To play with The Miracle Orchestra: 1.Select Performance Hall. 2. Scroll to select the piece you wish to play. 3. Select Left Hand or Right Hand (or both). 4. Accept the default Tempo or modify it with either: Mouse: Click the up or down button. Keyboard: Tab to the up or down button then press Spacebar. 5. Click OK or press Enter. Practice Room The Practice Room is where you can review materials presented in the Lessons or practice any of the pieces included in The Miracle program. It's a good idea to visit here often. Practice sharpens your skills so that you can tackle more advanced Lessons. At the end of each Chapter, The Miracle will suggest pieces in the Practice Room that you can work on. To get help, click Help or press Fl. To go to the Pause menu, click the right mouse button or press Esc. See PAUSE MENU. To interrupt practice and select another practice mode, click or press Spacebar. To turn the page when sheet music appears onscreen, press Enter; otherwise, the page will turn automatically. See ADMINISTRATION. To practice any song in The Miracle: 1.Select the Practice Room. 2. At the Select Piece screen, scroll to the piece you want then select Left Hand or Right Hand (or both). 3. Click OK or press Enter to practice, or click Cancel or press Esc to return to the main menu. 4. Now select your practice mode by clicking one of these icons: Solo - You practice alone. You will hear the metronome. Duet - You play one part and The Miracle plays the other. If you selected both hands, you and The Miracle will play both hands. Demo - You listen to The Miracle play. Practice Notes - You practice the piece without a rhythm, at your own pace. Practice Rhythms - You can play any note as long as you have the right rhythm. You will hear the metronome. PHYTHMS 5. Click OK or press Enter. Arcade The Arcade is where you go to play the Jukebox and practice games, including Ducks, Ripchord, and Aliens! To exit this menu and return to the main menu, click Cancel or press Esc. To get help, click Help or press Fl. The Arcade menu includes these options: Ducks - This game takes you to the Shooting Gallery, where you learn written notes on the staff. Ducks swim across the lines and spaces of the staff from right to left. Armed with green paint bombs, you must hit each duck by playing the note that it swims across. If you press the correct key, the duck quacks and disappears. If you miss, the paint bomb splats against the scale on the note you played. The number of throws per duck varies from Lesson to Lesson. That number is displayed as a row of paint bombs on the bottom of the screen. No matter how many ducks appear on the screen, your paint bombs can only hit the duck(s) that are farthest to the left. Ripchord - This game is a fun way to practice chords selected from the song. A helicopter appears pulling the chord or notes you must play. The timer on the upper right of the screen shows you now many seconds you have to play the chord. Play the notes to send the parachuters on their way. Play the right chord and you ring the bell. Play the wrong chord and - oops, the little men go splat! Aliens! - This game is a far out way to practice fingering and memorize note sequences. Wait for the Aliens' spaceship to descend, beam down the staff, and begin playing its notes. The next note to play is shown in two ways: as a spotlight on the Aliens' keyboard and as a red triangle A on the staff. Also, finger numbers are shown in the windows of the space ship. First the Aliens play, then you copy them. A red bar on the right side of the staff shows how much time you have to play. If you get enough notes right, the Aliens have a surprise for you. Jukebox - This option takes you to The Miracle Jukebox. You can use the Jukebox to play any song in The Miracle with complete orchestral accompaniment and no metronome. This feature is fun to use at parties as an alternative to playing the piano yourself! To use an option on the Arcade menu: 1. Select its icon and OK or Tab to it and press Enter. 2. At the Select Piece screen, scroll to the piece you want and select Left Hand or Right Hand (or both). 3. Click OK or press Enter. Note: To interrupt and select another piece, click or press Spacebar. To pause (and continue), click the right mouse button or press Esc. Studio The Studio is where you go to record or play back your own music. This feature works like a tape recorder with eight tracks instead of one. With it, you can record several instruments, one at a time, then play them back together. Note: This feature does not replace sequencing software. For serious recording, contact your local music store for information on sequencing software. To get help, click Help or press Fl. To exit this menu and return to the main menu, click Quit or press C) on the tape deck. To use the Recording Studio: 1. Select Studio. The tape deck appears. 2. To adjust the tempo of the piece, use the Tempo indicator at the bottom left of the screen: Click A or press + to increase the tempo. Click V or press - to decrease the tempo. Tempo is indicated in beats per minute. Seconds - Indicates where you are in the song in seconds; you cannot change this feature. 3. To adjust the volume of the recording or playback, use the Volume feature on the bottom right of the screen: Click and drag the volume slider or press # or,* to adjust the volume. 4. To select track(s) and instruments, use these features on the bottom center of the screen: Record Track - To record music, you must select one track at a time. If you want to record more than I instrument, then record several tracks, one at a time. See RECORDING MULTIPLE TRACKS. Click a track's diamond or press Shift+1-7 to record on tracks 1-7. Example: Press Shift+6 to record on track 6. Caution: Recording on a track erases any previous music on that track- so be careful not to erase a track you want. The only way to recover an erased track is to play it again. If you're not sure, save your work before you record over a track. Mute - You can turn the sound for a track off or on. Each mute button that is lit lets you hear music on that track during recording or playback. Click Mute buttons (squares) or press 1-8 to turn muting on/off for each track. Instrument Track - You can choose from 128 instruments and record up to 7 different instruments for a song by using a track for each. Note: Track 8 is reserved for Percussion 2. See ABOUT THE KEYBOARD. Click a white bar or press Alt+1-7 to change the instrument for tracks 1-7. Example: Press Alt+6 to select an instrument for track 6. Select the desired instrument from the list and press OK. See SELECTING AN INSTRUMENT. 5. To load a song, select Load. You may load a song from disk, start a new song, or load the last song used in the Lessons. Click Load or press L to begin loading a song. See LOADING A SONG. 6. To operate the recorder, use these features: Record - Lets you record music and save it for later playback. All non- muted tracks play during a recording session, except the record track, which has a lit diamond. Click C) or press R to begin recording your performance. Press 0 or Spacebar to stop your recording and save your performance. Rewind - Stop a recording or playback session and go back to the beginning of the song. If a recording was in progress, the new music is discarded and the record track is unchanged. Click 44 or press W to rewind. Play - Play the currently loaded song. Click II- or press P to play the song. Stop - Stop the recording or playback and go back to the beginning of the song. If a recording was in progress, the music is kept and the record track is changed. Click LI or press Spacebar to stop. 7. To save a recording, select Save: Save the current recording on disk for future playback or modification. Click Save or press S to save a song. See SAVING A SONG. 8. To leave the Recording Studio, select Quit: Click Quit or press 0 or Esc to exit to the main menu. Loading a Song When you select Load, the Load screen appears with the current directory displayed at the top of the screen. To use this screen: 1.Click a field or press Tab to go to it. 2. Use the left side of the screen to select the subdirectory and file you want as follows: a) Scroll to select the entry you want or click the dots(..). b) Click or highlight an entry to select it. c) Double click an entry or press Enter to load that song. Note: Instead of selecting, you can type a path and filename directly into the Edit Box. 3. To change drives, select the desired drive from the Drive Select box. 4. Select the Current Piece field to load the song you just played in the Lessons. 5. Select Load to load the selected song entry. 6. Select Cancel to go back to the Recording Studio without loading a song. 7. Select New to clear any previous song and start with a brand new one. Saving a Song When you select Save, the Save screen appears with the current directory displayed at the top of the screen. LI A: LI B: PC; L) D: L] F: To use this screen: 1.Click a field or press Tab to go to it. 2. Use the left side of the screen to select the subdirectory and file you want as follows: a) Scroll to select the entry you want or click the dots b) Click or highlight an entry to select it. c) Double click an entry or press Enter to save that song. Note: Instead of selecting, you can type a path and filename directly into the Edit Box. 3. To change drives, select the desired drive from the Drive Select box. 4. Select Save to save the recording as the name in the Edit Box field. 5. Select Cancel to go back to the recording studio without saving the song. Note: Songs are saved as standard Type- I MIDI files. Selecting an Instrument To select an instrument for a track: 1. Click an Instrument Track (white bars) or press Alt plus its track number (1-7). Example: Press Ait+2 to select track 2. The Select A Patch screen appears. SELECT A PATCH Detuned Piano FM Piano Piano Harpsichord Clarinet Organ @@ 2. On this screen, use the list box to select the instrument you want as follows. a) Scroll to select the instrument you want. b) Click or highlight an entry to select it. c) Double click an entry or press Enter to select the instrument. Note: An asterisk (*) in front of an instrument name means it is single voice, which allows The Miracle to play up to sixteen notes simultaneously. A hyphen (-) in front of an instrument name means it does not respond to velocity. See AVAILABLE PATCHES in ABOUT THE KEYBOARD in Your OWNER'S MANUAL. 3. Select OK to change that track to the selected instrument. 4. Select Cancel to go back to the Recording Studio without changing the instrument for that track. Note: Press the first letter of the instrument you want to position the selector bar near that instrument. Recording Multiple Tracks To record multiple tracks: 1 Select Studio. 2. Use the Tempo adjust buttons to set the desired beat for the song. 3. Select a track. The default is Track 1; to select another track, click its Record diamond or press Shift plus the track number. Example: To select Track 2, press Shift+2. Note: If you want to change the instrument for this track, see SELECTING AN INSTRUMENT. 4. Click C) or press R to begin recording your performance. 5. After the fourth metronome tick (lead beats), start and play until you are done with the track. 6. When you finish playing, take one of these options: • If you made mistakes, click A A or press W to rewind, discard the recording, and try again. Repeat Steps 4 and 5. • If you are satisfied, click J or press Spacebar to stop and save the recording on that track. Repeat steps 3-5 until you finish recording tracks. 7. When you are satisfied with your recording and want to save this song, click Save or press S. See SAVING A SONG. 8. If you would like to erase the entire song and start over, select the New option in the Load dialog box. See LOADING A SONG. Erasing a Track If at any time you decide that you don't like a track and want to erase it: 1. Select that track. Example: To select Track 4, click its Record diamond or press Shift+4. 2. Select Record (click C) or press R). 3. Either record over the track, or, without recording anything, select Stop. COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Here are some commonly asked questions about running The Miracle Keyboard and Piano Teaching System on an IBM PC or compatible. Why don't I hear anything when I press a key on The Miracle keyboard? • Check that the earphones aren't connected. When earphones are attached, the speakers on The Miracle are turned off. • Check the volume. Make sure that at least 3 or 4 volume indicators are fit up. • Check the power supply. Make sure it's plugged into the wall, and make sure the other end hasn't slipped out of the back of The Miracle. • Make sure The Miracle is turned on. • Turn The Miracle keyboard off, wait a few seconds, then turn it on again. Why can't I hear the metronome? • Check the Metronome volume setting on the Administration menu in The Miracle. • Make sure you're supposed to hear a metronome. Some activities, like the Ducks game or Practice Notes, don't have a metronome sound. I pushed the Piano button, so why doesn't it sound like a piano? • Look for a blinking light. If you find one, the keyboard is in library mode, or in one of the preset modes. Hold down the Select button (on the lower right) and press the Scroll Down button. Then try the Piano button again. • The keyboard may be split (playing one sound for the notes below middle C and a different sound for the notes above). Press the Piano button again, by itself. Why doesn't the foot pedal work? • Make sure the foam side is facing up. • Make sure the connector is fully inserted into the back of The Miracle. • Make sure you're playing a sound that responds to the foot pedal. Percussion and effects do not. The keyboard makes noise, so why isn't the program responding to what I play? • Make sure The Miracle cable is properly connected. both to The Miracle Port on the back of the keyboard and to the PC Serial Port. • See if The Miracle is demonstrating something for you. Look for the Demo icon at the bottom of the screen. If so, wait for a Lesson where you play. The Miracle is hooked into my stereo, so why does the sound still come out of The Miracle speakers? Plugging your stereo into the RCA connectors on the back of The Miracle doesn't disable The Miracle speakers. Plug in the earphones if you want to do this. The Miracle is hooked into my stereo, so why doesn't anything come out of my speakers? • Make sure The Miracle volume is set high enough. The Miracle volume controls the volume that your stereo gets. • Check the RCA connectors. Make sure each is plugged into the right place. For more information, see ABOUT THE KEYBOARD in THE MIRACLE PIANO TEACHING SYSTEM OWNER'S MANUAL. • Make sure your stereo is switched to the source that The Miracle is hooked to (usualiv AUX). How do I figure out where to plug The Miracle cable on the back of my PC? To find the right serial port on the back of your PC, run the INSTALL program again. When the program asks if you want to reinstall, say "Yes." What do I do if I have a mouse and one serial port? * Unplug the mouse; plug in The Miracle cable, and reboot. What can I do if I don't have enough memory to run the program? Remove memory resident programs and reboot. Get more memory. You need 512K to run the program in CGA mode, or 640K to run EGA, VGA, or Hercules. INDEX A About icon ........................................... 1 2 about the keyboard ............................. 2-4 See also your Owner's Manual. Administration menu .................. 9, 12-13 adult mode ............................................ 10 age level adult ............................................... 10 child ............................................... 10 Aliens! ............................................ 13, 17 Alt keys ................................................ 24 See also keys on the PC. answers to common questions ........ 27-28 Arcade .............................................. 9,17 Audio Out ..............................................3 B Browse ................................................. 10 c cables MIDI ................................................I The Miracle .............................. 2-3, 5 Cancel .............................................. 9, 22 Chapter, selecting the ........................... 14 child mode ............................................ I 0 See also age level. Classroom ........................................ 9, 14 click ........................................................6 and drag ...........................................6 Cancel ........................................ 9, 22 double click ......................................6 Help ........................................ 6,9, 11 Load .......................................... 21-22 New ................................................. 22 OK ........................................ 6,10-11 Play ................................................ 21 Quit ................................................ 2 1 Rewind ........................................... 21 Save .......................................... 21, 23 common questions .......................... 27-28 connecting ne Miracle ....................... 3-4 Current Piece ....................................... 22 D Delete User .......................................... 12 Demo .................................................... 16 diskettes 2 installation ........................................5 DOS ................................................. 1, 13 Double click 6 Ducks ............................................. 13, 17 Duet ...................................................... 16 E earphones ......................................... 2, 27 See also Head Phone. Edit Box ............................................... 22 Enter to confirm selections ........................6 to continue login ............................ 10 to turn page ............................... 14-16 See also keys on the PC. erasing tracks ....................................... 25 Esc 6 Evaluation 1 2 F Fl key .......................................... 6, 9, 11 Flashcards ............................................ 14 Foot Pedal connecting the ..................................3 jack ............................................... 3-4 in the Classroom ............................ 14 problems with ................................ 27 Setup options ................................. 1 3 G getting help .......................................... I I Go to Chapter ....................................... 14 graphics adaptors ...................................I H Hall of Fame ........................................ 1 3 See also Progress options. hand selection ........................... 15-16, 18 Head Phone ............................................2 jack ...................................................3 problems with ................................ 27 Hello! screen ........................................ 10 Help .............................................. 6, 9, 11 helicopter game See Ripchord. I IBM PC systems ....................................I Input .......................................................3 Install program ................................. 5, 28 instrument indicators .......................... 3-4 See also your Owner's Manual. Instrument Track ............................ 20,24 i jack Foot Pedal ..................................... 3-4 Head Phone ......................................3 See also your Owner's Manual. Jukebox ................................................ 17 K Keyboard ................................................2 connecting to PC ...............................3 Overlay ............................................2 PC ....................................................9 Power Supply ...................................2 rear connectors .................................3 See also your Owner's Manual. keys on the PC Alt .................................................. 24 Enter ............................... 6, 10, 14-16 Esc ....................................................6 Fl ........................................... 6,9, 11 Help ............................................ 6, 11 Load .......................................... 21-22 Quit ................................................ 21 Play ................................................ 21 PgDn .................................................6 PgUp ................................................6 Rewind ........................................... 21 Save .......................................... 21,23 Shift ................................................ 20 Spacebar ............................... 6, 14, 21 Tab ...................................................6 L lead beats ............................................. 25 Lesson Chart ........................................ 13 See also Progress options. Lessons Foot Pedal option for ..................... 12 in the Classroom ............................ 14 next ................................................ 15 previous .......................................... 15 restarting ................................... 14-15 starting ........................................... I I Load ................................................ 21-22 Load screen .......................................... 22 Loading songs ...................................... 22 Logging on ........................................... 10 m Main Menu ........................... 9-10,11, 15 Manuals ..................................................2 memory requirements ...................... 1,28 menus Administration .......................... 12-13 Arcade .................................. 9,17-18 Classroom .................................. 9,14 Main ................................ 9-10,11, 15 Pause .............................................. 15 Performance Hall ........................... 15 Practice Room ................................ 1 6 Studio ............................................. 19 metronome problems with ................................ 27 Volume options .............................. 13 MIDI .................................................. 1,3 cables ...............................................I See also your Owner's Manual. Miracle See The Miracle. Mouse ............................................. 1,5-6 bus ....................................................5 serial .................................................5 Musical Instrument Digital Interface See MIDI. Mute ..................................................... 20 N New ...................................................... 22 New User ............................................. 1 2 Next Lesson ......................................... 1 5 note practice ................................... 16-17 C) On/Off Switch ........................................4 Online Help .......................................... I I Orchestra playing with ............................... 9,15 Volume .......................................... 13 overall performance ............................. 13 Owner's Manual ................................. 2-3 p package contents ....................................2 Page Turn ....................................... 12, 14 automatic option setup ................... 1 2 sheet music ............................... 14-16 Pause rnenu .......................................... 15 PC getting started with ..........................I memory requirements ......................I mouse ........................................ 1, 5-6 keyboard ..........................................6 problems with ........................... 27-28 serial port ................................... 5, 28 system components ..........................I See also keys on the PC. Performance Hall ............................. 9, 15 Personal Computer See PC. Piano button ......................................... 27 See also your Owner's Manual. pitch practice See note practice. Play ...................................................... 21 Power .................................................. 2-4 connecting .................................... 3-4 supply ........................................... 2,4 switch ............................................ 34 Practice Evaluation ...................................... 12 Notes .............................................. 16 Progress options ............................. 1 3 Rhythms ................................... 13, 16 Room .......................................... 9, 16 Previous Lesson ................................... 15 Print option ............................................. 1 3 equipment ........................................I problems, common ......................... 27-28 Progress options ................................... 1 3 Hall of Fame ................................... 1 3 Lesson Chart ................................... 1 3 Practice P@wgress ............................. 1 3 program installing ..........................................5 running ............................t ................5 PS/I ........................................................I C) questions and answers ..................... 27-28 Quick Reference ....................................6 Quick Start Card ....................................2 Quit ................................................ 19, 21 quiz screens See Flashcards. R P,AM ......................................................I rear connectors .......................................3 Record .................................................. 21 Record Track ....................................... 20 recording .......................................... 19-25 multiple tracks ............................... 25 Studio ........................................ 19-25 Restart Lesson ................................ 14-15 Restore Factory Defaults ..................... 12 Resume Lesson .................................... 15 Rewind ................................................. 21 rhythm practice .............................. 13, 16 Ripchord ........................................ 13, 17 running the program ..............................5 problems with ........................... 27-28 s Save ................................................ 21, 23 Save screen .......................................... 23 Saving songs ........................................ 23 screens Administration ............................... 12 Arcade ............................................ 17 Classroom ...................................... 14 Flashcards ...................................... 14 Hello! ............................................. 10 Load ............................................... 22 main menu .......................................9 Performance Hall ........................... 15 Practice Room ................................ 16 Save ................................................ 23 Select A Patch ................................ 24 Select Piece .............................. 16, 18 Set Page Turn ................................. 12 Set Metronome Volume ................. 1 3 Set Orchestra Volume .................... 1 3 Student Login ................................. 10 tape deck ................................... 19-21 title ................................................. 10 Welcome ........................................ I I Scrolling .................................................6 Seconds ................................................ 20 Select A Patch screen ............................ 24 Select Piece screen .................... 15-16, 18 Arcade ............................................ 18 Performance Hall ........................... 15 Practice Room ................................ 16 Selecting ................................................6 an instrument ................................. 24 a piece of music .................. 15-16, 18 Chapters ......................................... 14 student age level ............................ 10 serial port ....................................... 1, 3, 5 setting up ............................................ 1-5 See also your Owner's Manual. sheet music ................................ 12, 14-16 page turn ................................... 14-16 set automatic page turn .................. 12 Shift key ............................................... 25 See also keys on the PC. Shooting Gallery .................................. 17 See Ducks. single voice .......................................... 24 software diskettes ...........................................2 installing ..........................................5 running .............................................5 problems with ........................... 27-28 using ........................................... 9-26 Solo ...................................................... 16 Spacebar ............................... 6, 14, 21, 25 speakers ........................................... 27-28 stereo .............................................. 28 The Miracle .................................... 27 stereo ..................................................... 28 problems with ................................ 28 speakers .......................................... 28 See also your Owner's Manual. Stop ...................................................... 21 Student Login screen ........................... 10 Studio .......................................... 9, 19-25 system Setup .................................. 12-13 See also your Owner's Manual. switch .................................................. 3-4 T tape recorder ........................................ 19 technical support ....................................7 Tempo ...................................... 15,20,25 The Miracle About icon ...................................... 12 cable .......................................... 2-3, 5 connecting to the PC ..................... 3-4 disk ...................................................5 installing ..........................................5 Orchestra ........................................ 15 package contents ..............................2 Port ............................................. 3,28 problems with ........................... 27-28 rear connectors on ............................3 running .............................................5 using the software ....................... 9-26 See also your Owner's Manual. u using the software ............................. 9-26 v Volume indicators on The Miracle ............. 3-4 PC speaker ..................................... 27 setting the metronome .................... 1 3 setting the Orchestra ...................... 13 problems with ........................... 27-28 recording ........................................ 20 See also your Owner's Manual. w Warranty Registration Card ...................2 Welcome Screen .................................. I I