Michael Card - The Life: A Complete Anthology of Songs (Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook) [Paperback] Review

AS a fellow believer and musician, I find the other review appalling!!If one cannot listen to the trilogy and hear the artistry and the lyrical genius Michael -pardon the pun-brings to the table-one has a problem.His fresh look at the life of Christ-is refreshing!!I wonder why the author of the other review has to steel himself to listen to such conscise and masterful lyrics that delve into the mystery of Christ's birth, death and resurrection.Michael is a folk singer -and though he may not be the greatest singer or musician, he is a notch above the rest of the Christian Singer songwriters simply for his heartfelt and wonderful wedding of lyrics and melody.How can onel listen to "Joseph's Song and not be moved?How can one listen to "The Promise" and not be amazed at how well Michael delivers his theology and takes our breath away with his poetry?who cannot listen to "Why" and not be moved to tears?who can listen to "What Will It Take" without examining his own soul?THIS MAN IS AN ARTIST-HE PAINTS VIVID PICTURES WITH LYRICS AND MELODY-AND LIKE A VAMPIRE HUNTER DRIVES THE POINTS TO OUR HEARTS AND MINDS.THIS IS NOT CCM PAP EAR CANDY-THIS IS ARTISTIC MUSIC WITH A VISION OF HELPING US APPRECIATE CHRIST AND HIS DEATH FOR OUR SINS.
Michaels's music is challenging and engaging at the same time.ONe cannot walk away from this project without thinking new thoughts about their faith and the object of it.attempting to tell the story of Christ in music is a daunting task-and while I do not care for all of the music-the message is solid and the lyrics will sometimes cause your jaw to drop as michael delivers an old point in a new way.Such as in the song "God's Own Fool"when he sing"And so we folow God's own fool.for only the foolish can tell. Believe the unbelievable, and come be a fool as well."
Find the cds and revel in them.The music collection covers Christmas and Easter as well.

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Product Description:
A complete anthology of songs by Michael Card from the album trilogy 'Known by the Scars,' 'Scandalon,' and 'The Final Word.' Songs include: Celebrate the Child * Come to the Table * Forgiving Eyes * Joy in the Journey * Spirit of the Age * and 25 more.

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EarMaster Pro 5 Review

I think it says something that Apple sells this music software at their San Francisco Apple store.That indicates EarMaster Pro has gone through some serious vetting, as Apple does not sell junk.Apple's shelf space for selling software is small.

Except for those days when there isn't enough time or I'm too busy, I use the EarMaster Pro software every day for about a half hour. I've been using Ear Master Pro for about four months and am nearly half way through the exercises.EarMaster Pro has an online forum which has been helpful and responsive when I've had questions.

In a good way, Ihave found the EarMaster Pro exercises beyond the starting "easy" ones to be brutally hard.I consider EarMaster Pro to be a program for music majors or for serious musical hobbyists such as myself who are highly motivated and have a strong background in musical harmony and musical theory.The more advanced exercises are so subtle that I ended up (with the help of someone on the Ear Master Pro forum) installing some additional "open source " software on my PC so that the musical tones of the chords generated by Ear Master Pro are easier to hear.For example, hearing the minor seventh of a four note V chord versus a V chord triad can be difficult if the tones aregenerated by the mediocre tone generator that comes standard on a WinXP computer.(EarMaster Pro works on both MAC and Windows).

If you (like myself) are a jazz pianist wanna-be, then Ear Master Pro is definitely a good purchase for you.You will most likely conclude, as I did,that first you have to go through Ear Master Pro's entire classical training program and only then tackle the (even more) difficult jazz exercises.

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Product Description:
If you want to sing, improvise or jam with complete confidence, you need to recognize all the sounds around you. Ear training can make this possible. Making music with others will become easy and fun! EarMaster is your personal teacher. It is easy to use and provides instant feedback. EarMaster includes a Standard Tutor with over 400 lessons as well as a Jazz Tutor with over 200 lessons. Both will guide you and automatically increase in difficulty as your ear improves. Create your own customized exercises to improve the way you play, compose and notate any style of music!

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A Charlie Brown Christmas(TM) - Easy Piano Songbook Review

I've loved this music since I was a kid. I'm certainly not an accomplished pianist, but this music is fairly simple and I can pick it up with a little effort. It's a great book for a beginner. Thank you!

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Product Description:
This deluxe collection features easy piano arrangements of all ten Vince Guaraldi arrangements from this annually anticipated holiday classic: Christmas Is ComingThe Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)Christmas Time Is HereFur EliseHark, The Herald Angels SingLinus and LucyMy Little DrumO TannenbaumSkatingWhat Child Is This. Also includes an 8-page color section featuring Peanuts illustrations!

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Casio LK-270 Premium Lighted Keyboard Pack with Power Supply, Keyboard Stand and Professional Closed Cup Stereo Headphones Review

Sounds - 5/5
The sounds are very realistic, with the new sound engine they have put in place, when playing the piano sounds beside a real piano, the difference is almost impossible to notice, the tones and accompaniments are also very great.
Step up lessons - 5/5
The lessons are great, they phase the music, and you take it in steps, and if its too fast for you, you can by the press of a button, slow it down to your speed, its user friendly.
Connections - 5/5
The USB MIDI function just works effortlessy, works with keyboard learning software, Finale 2009, and much more, when I opened Finale with the MIDI connected, it just started interpreting what I was playing without have to configure anything in the software.
Look & Layout - 5/5
It looks great, although 61 keys, very convenient, its very light, u can easily carry the stand and the keyboard around without much effort, the layout is very user friendly and its easy to navigate, and the user manual tells you how to perform tasks in detail not readily seen. The Key-lighting function is really cool and very helpful in the step up lessons, only 10 can light at a time, but its also very cool for night playing as well.
Overall - 5/5
Its a great keyboard, I'd recommend it for anyone, dont spend so much on a keyboard just yet, this is the one you must get, if 61-keys is all you need, otherwise, feel free to check out the 88-keys keyboards.

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Product Description:
The Casio LK-270 is an affordable instrument with a 61 Key Touch Sensitive, Lighted Keyboard with 570 total onboard Tones, 180 Rhythms and Digital Effects. Packed with great features such as Casio's famous Lighted Key Step-up Lesson System, audio inputs for a MP3 player, Mic Input, USB port for MIDI implementation. All this makes the LK-270 more fun and easier to learn to play music.


Get started right away. Click to enlarge.

LK-270 Premium Pack

The Premium Pack bundles the LK-270 keyboard with a Yamaha power supply, keyboard stand and professional closed-cup stereo headphones.
Touch-Sensitive Lighted Keyboard
The LK-270 features 61 standard-size keys and two sensitivity levels for a more piano-like experience, along with 48-note polyphony (24-note for certain tones).
The "LK" in LK-270 stands for "Lighted Keyboard." Designed to provide a fun way to learn how to play music, the keys illuminate to show you what notes to play in lessons or built-in songs.
570 Built-In Tones
Find just the right sound with 570 built-in tones, from strings to woodwinds and plenty more. You can layer two different tones (such as piano and strings) or split the keyboard down the middle for an ensemble approach.
Reverb and Chorus Effects
Select from ten different reverb and five different chorus effects to add depth and shimmer to your performance.
Microphone and Karaoke Function
Have some fun with the included microphone and the LK-270's Karaoke feature. The karaoke feature can be used with 52 of the built-in songs, and lowers the volume of the melody part so you can sing along, just like a karaoke machine.
SD Memory Card Support
The LK-270 supports SD Memory Cards up to 2 GB, so you can store sampled sounds, user rhythms, recorded songs, and more, without running out of memory.
USB Port
For many musicians, the computer has become a music-making center. Connect the LK-270 to a computer using a USB cable and exchange MIDI data between the two devices. Send play data from the keyboard to music software running on yourcomputer, or send MIDI data from your computer to the keyboard for playback.
Intuitive editing and controls.
Internal speakers and battery-powering option for full portability.
Learn quickly with Casio's famous lighted-key "Step Up" lesson system.
Built-In Sampling
You can use the LK-270 to sample a sound from a portable audio player or other device, and then play the sound with keyboard keys. Sample up to ten seconds, and store up to five sampled sounds to keyboard memory.
You can also loop sampled sounds so they continue to play, or replace individual sounds on drum patches.
152 Built-In Songs and Ten User Songs
The LK-270 comes with a bank of songs for your learning and enjoyment, from classics like "Greensleeves" or "Auld Lang Syne" to holiday tunes like "Jingle Bells."
You can also record your own performances, using up to six tracks of different instruments.
Step Up Lessons
To master a song, it is best to break it up into shorter parts (phrases), master the phrases, and then put everything together. The LK-270 features a "Step Up Lesson" feature that helps you to do just that. The built-in songs are pre-divided into phrases to help you master keyboard play. Step Up Lesson takes you through practice of the right hand part, left hand part, and both hand parts for each phrase of a song. Master all of the phrases and you master the song.
Music Challenge Keyboard Game
Music Challenge is a game that measures your reaction speed as you press keys in response to on-screen keyboard indicators and fingering guide indications.
Auto Accompaniment
With Auto Accompaniment, simply select an accompaniment pattern. Each time you play a chord with your left hand the appropriate accompaniment will play automatically. It's like having a personal backup group along with you wherever yougo.
Auto Harmonize
Auto Harmonize automatically adds harmony to notes you play with your right hand, which adds rich depth to the melody of your performances. You can select from among 12 types of Auto Harmonize to suit the type of music you are playing.
Arpeggiator
The Arpeggiator makes it possible to play an arpeggio pattern automatically. There are 90 different arpeggio patterns from which to choose in order to match the music you are playing.
Transpose Function
An easy operation instantly changes the key of the keyboard.
Audio Input
Play along with MP3 or CD players or other devices by plugging them into the stereo mini input jack.
Battery or AC Power
Power the LK-270 with six D-sized batteries or purchase the AD-5 AC adapter separately to power from your electrical outlets. Built-in speakers make the keyboard entirely portable.
An Auto Power Off feature turns off the device six minutes after the last key is touched, helping you save batteries.
What's in the Box
LK-270 Keyboard, Music Stand, Song Book, Safety Precautions, Appendix, Warranty, Microphone, Power Supply, Keyboard Stand, Headphones

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Music for Little Mozarts: Deluxe Starter Kit [Paperback] Review

I am a mom that sings, but not a pianist.The price of piano lessons prevent us from having our kids take lessons at young ages.I looked at one of the lessons from a local studio and they said they use this series, so I ordered it.

I know how to play a little, and this book/cd/notecards, etc... is absolutely perfect for us.My 4-year-old son is learning at an amazing speed and he loves it.The cd that comes with it helped with the excitement.The dry-erase board that you can learn the letters of the keyboard with is wonderful because you can erase and don't have to use papers over and over.Plus, the little magnets that come with it are a great tool in getting them to understand that they can compose their own little measure or two, then I can play it for them.

I'm a huge fan and will be using this for my 2-year-old when she's old enough too, and I'll be ordering the next levels soon.

And we're saving TONS of money.I figure that once they are old enough out of these books, and are still interested and beyond my capabilities of teaching, we'll pay the high price of lessons.

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Product Description:
A student who begins lessons with the Deluxe Starter Kit will have the best chance at success in music lessons because the student has all the key components that provide a comprehensive learning experience and make the course come alive. The vinyl tote bag includes: Music Activity Board with marker, Beethoven Bear and Mozart Mouse, Music Lesson Book 1, Music Discovery Book 1, Music Workbook 1, a CD 2-disc set (for the Lesson and Discovery Books) and Flash Cards for Book 1.

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Mika - Life in Cartoon Motion - Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook Review

i couldn't wait to get this piano book. wheni got it, i loved it and ate up every bit of it. i just wish that it focused more on the piano chords than on the vocal parts, but i can work around that. :) i highly recommend this to anyone who loves mika.

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Product Description:
Born in Beirut and raised in London, Mika made an international splash in '07 with his heavily downloaded single Grace Kelly. This 13-song debut includes that hit and: Billy BrownEraseLollipopLove TodayRelax (Take It Easy)Stuck in the Middleand more, plus three pages of color photos.

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The Best Praise & Worship Songs Ever - Piano/Vocal/Guitar Songbook Review

I was looking for an overall good collection of music to play and sing with the kids attending children's church, and this was a good choice.It had about 80% of the songs that I was searching for in one title - unusual that - and nice upbeat arrangements that can easily be played by someone who has achieved an intermediate level or higher on piano or keyboard. Recommended.

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Product Description:
80 all-time favorites: Awesome GodBreatheDays of ElijahHere I Am to WorshipI Could Sing of Your Love ForeverOpen the Eyes of My HeartShout to the LordWe Bow Downdozens more.

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