The demo version is fully functional except that the exercise selection function has been disabled. Consequently, you will be able to try out one of the 54 exercises only. An intermediate level exercise was chosen. This will be too advanced for beginners, but it should give you a reasonable understanding of what this software offers.
Download Demo Software for the Macintosh
For the Macintosh, the manual is included. After downloading, double-click the rtdemo.sea.hqx icon to extract the files from the compressed download file. To be on the safe side, run the demo with extensions off.
Download Demo Software for PC Compatibles
The download files are compressed and combined into the self-extracting file, makdemo.exe. Save it in the directory in which you plan to store the demo files. Upon execution of makdemo.exe, it will generate the program files. To execute the demo run the file rtdemo.exe from the Windows File Manager.
Download a fully functional production version of Rhythm Tutor.
PC or Macintosh version downloaded......................$19.95
With this computer software, if you are a beginner, you can look forward to learning to read rhythm notation, or if you are an experienced musician, you can look forward to sharpening your skills. The teaching approach is novel and straight-forward. It emphasizes the association of written rhythms and their corresponding sounds. Unlike other music teaching software, which typically try to teach the many aspects of musicianship, Rhythm Tutor focuses on one specific skill, that of sight-reading rhythm notation. I am confident that you will find the exercises contained here, fun, challenging, effective, and relatively free of frustration. This teaching system really works!
The computer displays the music, and it plays it while you play along by pressing the space bar in time with the music. As an exercise progresses, the software clearly shows the relationship between the written notes and the rhythms that they represent. A cursor moves from note to note while the computer plays them with a reference tone. When you press the space bar, a tone of a different pitch is sounded. The object is to make the reference tone and the space bar tone sound in perfect synchrony.
When you advance to a new exercise, at first you will likely make errors. Because of the presence of the reference tone, you will always know when you have made an error, and you will always hear the correct timing. As you are practicing, the relationship between the written notes, sounds, and key pressing actions will be learned. After a number of practice sessions, the errors will trail off, and eventually, you will hear rhythms when you look at the notation.
There are 54 different exercises included here which are graduated in difficulty. Each is generated by an algorithm when it is started. Each time you restart an exercise, a different version of it is presented to you, and consequently, you are forced to read the music. You are prevented from being able to recall it from memory from previou s practice repetitions.
If requested by you, the computer will display an evaluation of your performance. It will present an overall score along with a statistical breakdown of the performance measures.
Mac Plus or newer, System 6.0 or later, 2 Mb of memory. Midi interface and sound system are optional, but are recommended for Mac SE models or older, and for Power PC and Performa models.
At least 4 Mb of RAM, Windows 3.1 or Windows 95/98 or newer, and a sound card that conforms to Multimedia Personal Computer (MPC) specifications.
Phone: (650) 493-2798
EMail: CopperSoft@aol.com
The following link is to other music instructional software.
KBA Software - Makers of the programs, Chord ID, Interval ID, Pitch ID and Spell ID.